Aerobic oxidation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid over Au/Hydrotalcite catalyst r role of support and synthesis methodology on the activity and stability

Bueno, Ane, Viar, Nerea, Conway, Matthew B., Gandarias, Inaki, Requies, Jesús M. and Meenakshisundaram, Sankar ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7105-0203 2026. Aerobic oxidation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid over Au/Hydrotalcite catalyst r role of support and synthesis methodology on the activity and stability. Fuel: The Science and Technology of Fuel and Energy 403 , 136088. 10.1016/j.fuel.2025.136088

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Abstract

The oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is key in producing bio-based plastics like polyethylene furanoate (PEF), a sustainable alternative to petrochemical materials. This work reports a systematic study on how the hydrotalcite (HT) support precursors—specifically using Na+ or NH4+ precursors and the choice of synthesis method (deposition–precipitation, DP, or sol immobilization, SI) influence the catalytic performance and stability of Au/HT catalysts under base-free reaction conditions. Au/HTNa DP achieved 100 % HMF conversion and FDCA yield without an external base. This high activity is reflected in its turnover frequency (TOF), reaching 12.1 h−1 per basic site and 287.4 h−1 per gold site. The superior performance of Au/HTNa DP is attributed to the strong synergy between gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and weak basic sites (OH– groups) of the HT, whose abundance is dictated by the choice of precursor. In contrast, Au/HTNH4 SI, despite higher Au dispersion, showed lower activity due to reduced basicity. Magnesium leaching was identified as the primary cause of catalyst deactivation, and a regeneration strategy employing Mg(OH)2 was developed to successfully restore both the structure and basicity of the catalyst. These findings offer practical insights into the design of recyclable, base-free catalytic systems for sustainable FDCA production.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Chemistry
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	0016-2361
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	8 July 2025
Date of Acceptance:	22 June 2025
Last Modified:	08 Jul 2025 10:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/179577

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