Selective Hydrogenation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural into 2,5-Bis(hydroxymethyl)furan over a Cheap Carbon-Nanosheets-Supported Zr/Ca Bimetallic Catalyst

Catalytic transfer hydrogenation (CTH) of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) into 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)furan (BHMF) is an important method for the catalytic upgrading of biomass-derived platform compounds to fuels and chemicals, and the development of effective and economical catalysts for this purpose is of great significance. In this work, we designed and prepared a new carbon-nanosheets (CNS)-supported Zr/Ca bimetallic catalyst (ZrCa@CNS) with low cost by a “gel-blowing” strategy. Comprehensive studies revealed that ZrCa(2)@CNS-600 exhibited good catalytic activity on the CTH of HMF into BHMF via Meerwein–Ponndorf–Verley (MPV) reduction, and an 84.2% BHMF yield with a 91.2% HMF conversion was obtained in isopropyl alcohol at 190 °C in 10 h. ZrCa(2)@CNS-600 exhibited good heterogeneity, reusability, and stability, and it is readily recovered from the reaction mixture by filtration and consecutively recycled/reused for six times without an obvious loss in its catalytic activity.