Studio della riduzione catalitica del 5-(idrossi-metil)-2-furaldeide

The products obtained by hydrogenation of biomass-derived 5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-furaldehyde (HMF) are potential sustainable substitutes for petroleum-based building blocks. The catalytic three-phase hydrogenation reaction of HMF with H2 is studied over three supported Pd catalysts using both batch and flow reactors with water as solvent. The research is focused on the study of the effect of the main reaction parameters, such as temperature, hydrogen pressure and reaction time/contact time. This work shows the importance of the geometry of reactors to enhance the selectivity in an intermediate product, like 2,5-bis(hydroxy-methyl)furan (BHMF), achieving up to 88 % by choosing the optimal contact time in the flow reactor. Some by-products given by the subsequent hydrogenolysis of the main products and the water addition on the unsaturations of HMF were identified in the reaction mixture. According to the results obtained, a reaction pathway that requires further investigation has been proposed.