A novel magnetic palladium catalyst for the mild aerobic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural into 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid in water

In this study, magnetically separable, graphene oxide-supported palladium nanoparticles (C–Fe3O4–Pd) were successfully prepared via a one-step solvothermal route. The C–Fe3O4–Pd catalyst showed excellent catalytic performance in the aerobic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) into 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA). The base concentration and reaction temperature significantly affected both HMF conversion and FDCA selectivity. High HMF conversion (98.2%) and FDCA yield (91.8%) were obtained after 4 h at 80 °C with a K2CO3/HMF molar ratio of 0.5. The C–Fe3O4–Pd catalyst was easily collected by an external magnet and reused without significant loss of its catalytic activity. The developed method is a green and sustainable process for the production of valuable FDCA from renewable, bio-based HMF in terms of the use of water as solvent, the use of stoichiometric amount of base, high catalytic activity under atmospheric oxygen pressure, and facile recyclability of the catalyst.