Efficient formation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from glucose through H-β zeolite catalyst in the recyclable water-tetrahydrofuran biphasic system

A catalytic system that is both efficient and recyclable is desirable for production 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) from glucose. In this study, the catalytic system composed of H 2 O (NaCl) -tetrahydrofuran (THF) biphasic system and H-β zeolite was found to have excellent performance for the glucose conversion into HMF. The physicochemical properties of the H-β zeolite catalyst, the dosage of the system components, and the reaction parameters were investigated in detail to optimize the production efficiency of HMF. Under optimal reaction conditions, an advanced level of 84% HMF yield was obtained from glucose. After the reaction was completed, all components of the catalytic system can be recovered, realizing no waste of reagents. Moreover, the recycled H-β(30) zeolite catalyst maintained considerable catalytic stability after five consecutive cycles. Therefore, it is reasonable to believe that the efficient, inexpensive, and recyclable H 2 O (NaCl) -THF catalytic system containing H-β(30) zeolite is capable of showing promising application potential in the future.