Oxidation of 5-hydroxymethyl furfural to 2,5-diformylfuran in aqueous media over heterogeneous manganese based catalysts

Abstract Manganese-copper layered double hydroxides prepared following a conventional procedure were investigated for the selective oxidation of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural into 2,5-diformylfuran. After checking the effect of the different parameters it has been found that a composition corresponding to Mn 0.70 Cu 0.05 Al 0.25 , of the catalyst already calcined, led to the highest conversion (90%) and selectivity (87% in DFF). Noteworthy, this has been achieved working under mild aqueous conditions (90 °C and 8 bars O 2 ). The performances of the catalysts were closely associated to the strength of the basic sites.