Catalytic etherification of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural into 5-ethoxymethyfurfural over sulfated bimetallic SO42−/Al-Zr/KIT-6, a Lewis/Brønsted acid hybrid catalyst

Abstract A series of mesoporous composites of SO42−/Al-Zr/KIT-6, with varied ratios of ZrO2 to Al2O3 and degrees of sulfation have been synthesized as an efficient, clean, facile and environmental-friendly nano-catalyst for the selective etherification of biomass-derived 5 hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to produce 5-ethoxymethylfurfural (EMF) as a biofuel candidate in a one pot process. Structure/property relationships of the catalyst have been determined and optimized in terms of EMF yield and HMF conversion. The resulting catalyst has been further tuned through tailored reaction conditions to produce an EMF yield of 89.8 % and HMF conversion of 99 %.