Efficient production of the liquid fuel 2,5-dimethylfuran from 5-hydroxymethylfurfural over Ru/Co3O4 catalyst

Ru/Co 3 O 4 catalyst prepared by a simple coprecipitation method, was used to catalyze the conversion of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) into 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF) for the first time and exhibited excellent catalytic performance. 93.4% yield of DMF was achieved at relatively low reaction temperature and H 2 pressure (130   °C, 0.7   MPa). Further studies showed that Ru is responsible for hydrogenation, while CoO x species played important role in the hydrogenolysis of hydroxyl groups. Besides, this catalyst also displayed a good reusability and can be used for 5 times without loss of the activity.