Lignocellulosic biomass is a sustainable and renewable alternative to petroleum, and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) has been identified as one of the important platform chemicals in biomass conversion. Among all of the products produced by hydrogenation of HMF, 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF) has been identified as a promising candidate for biofuel applications. Developing an efficient catalyst is important for realizing this process with high yield, in which bimetallic catalysts are one of the most promising materials with enhanced catalytic performance. In this contribution, synthesis of well-controlled nanocrystals (NCs) over size, shape, and composition was achieved <i>via</i> a solvothermal method. Two types of bimetallic catalysts will be introduced, Pt-based (PtNi, PtCu, PtZn) and transition metal-based (NiCu) colloidal NCs. An understanding of the composition dependent catalytic activity of carbon-deposited NC catalysts is developed through a continuous flow reactor studies. A strong correlation between hydrodeoxygenation catalytic activities and the composition was observed and a selectivity of over 98% for DMF was achieved under optimized reaction temperature and space time for most bimetallic NC catalysts. This work provides the fundamental understanding of how composition variation of bimetallic NC catalysts gives us the possibility of tailoring the selectivity of HMF conversion.

Bimetallic nanocrystal catalysts for hydrodeoxygenation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural

254th National Meeting (2017)

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