An Effective and Inexpensive Hf/ZSM-5 Catalyst for Efficient HMF Formation from Cellulose

Abstract The production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) from cellulose is of great significance for the high-value utilization of biomass, although this route currently faces the challenge of low efficiency. In the present work, a series of effective (x)Hf/ZSM-5 catalysts were developed for HMF production from cellulose, and analyzed by BET, XRD, SEM, ICP, NH 3 -TPD, Py-FTIR techniques. Driven by the (5)Hf/ZSM-5 catalyst, HMF with a yield of up to 67.5% and 17.2% of furfural are simultaneously obtained from cellulose in the H 2 O (NaCl) /THF biphasic system. Moreover, after four consecutive cycles, (5)Hf/ZSM-5 catalyst still maintained part of its catalytic activity. The 67.5% HMF yield achieved herein is one of the highest yields achieved in the conversion reaction using cellulose as a substrate, and the catalytic performance of the H 2 O (NaCl) /THF system containing the (5)Hf/ZSM-5 catalyst is even comparable to that of the expensive ionic liquid system. This result reflects the application prospect of (5)Hf/ZSM-5 catalyst in the future industrial production process of HMF. Graphic Abstract