Synergistic Effect of Metal Chloride for the Generation of HMF From Cellulose

The conversion of biomass energy sources is a crucial direction in the transformation of energy resources, such as cellulose to high-value chemicals. As an important platform compound, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is one of the worthwhile products from biomass. Previously, the use of Hf/ZSM-5 catalyst demonstrated excellent catalytic performance, with the yield of HMF reaching 67.50% under optimal reaction conditions (120 min, 190 °C, H 2 O(NaCl)/THF). Based on the previous work, the effect of a series of metal salts on the preparation of HMF from cellulose catalyzed by Hf/ZSM-5 catalyst was investigated in this paper. This result demonstrates the addition of AlCl 3 promoted the production of HMF yield and AlCl 3 completed with excellent performance among five metal salts. Moreover, the yield of HMF was improved to 70.95% by adjusting the optimal reaction conditions. Graphical Abstract