Production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from fructose using a spherically fibrous KCC-1 silica catalyst

Abstract

In the present study, fibrous KCC-1 silica nanospheres were synthesized and functionalized with propylsulfonic acid groups and applied as an effectual and reusable catalyst for the production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) from the dehydration of fructose using DMSO as a solvent. The functionalized catalyst was characterized by SEM, TEM, BET, and FT-IR spectroscopy techniques. The effects of various factors such as reaction time, catalyst weight, different solvents and temperature on the formation of HMF has been investigated. Under the optimized conditions (162 °C, 30 min) 67.71% yield and 68.32% selectivity for the HMF at a 99.11% fructose conversion was achieved.