Bimetallic platinum/iridium modified mesoporous catalysts applied in the hydrogenation of HMF

Abstract Catalytic transformation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to produce 2,5-dimethylfuran (2,5-DMF) was studied over bimetallic (PtIr) and monometallic (Pt) catalysts supported on CMK-3 and SBA-15 mesoporous materials. The optimum temperature and hydrogen pressure for the maximum production of 2,5-DMF were 120 °C and 15 atm, respectively. Increases in temperature and pressure decreased the selectivity to 2,5-DMF. The catalysts were broadly characterized by different techniques, such as XRD, N 2 -isotherms, XPS, TPR, TEM and NH 3 -TPD. It was found that the metallic particles were well reduced and highly dispersed on the surface of supports having large surface area and narrow pore size distribution. The PtIr alloy species catalytic sites were very active and selective towards the formation of the desired 2,5-DMF. PtIr-CMK-3 catalyst showed an excellent activity, selectivity and stability to be applied in this process.