Hydrogen Peroxide-Assisted Liquid Phase Oxidation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in Aqueous System

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is a lignocellulosic-derived compound which can be the platform chemical of many value compounds. The oxidation of HMF has received great attention in recent years since the final product, 2,5-furandicarboxlic acid (FDCA), is a renewable building block chemical with the potential of replacing terephthalic acid to be the monomer in plastic manufacturing. In this thesis, we propose an aqueous oxidation system for HMF with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as liquid phase oxidant and activated carbon supported ruthenium (Ru/AC) as catalyst. 10 wt% H2O2 solution was injected to the system dropwisely during the whole process under 75ºC and atmospheric pressure. Sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) was used to provide basic environment, and only an equivalent amount as HMF was needed. By changing the molar ratio of HMF to Ru (HMF/Ru) and the reaction time, we could control the product compositions. The HMF/Ru of 50 gives 5-formyl-2-furoic acid (FFCA) in 85% yields within 1 hour, and HMF/Ru of 10 gives FDCA in 91% yields after reacting for 6 hours.