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Updated: May 12, 2025

Heterogeneous Removal of Water-Soluble Ruthenium Olefin Metathesis Catalyst from Aqueous Media Via Host-Guest Interaction
Published on: August 23, 2018
Electrocatalytic Oxidation of HMF to FDCA over Multivalent Ruthenium in Neutral Electrolyte
Shiying Yang1, Xin Jin1, Bin Zhu2
1Institute of Advanced Synthesis, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Jiangsu National Synergetic Innovation Centre for Advanced Materials, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China.
Abstract:
5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) serves as an important bridge connecting biomass resources with fossil fuels. Its downstream product, 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), is a renewable alternative to terephthalic acid (TPA) in the synthesis of various polymer materials. In this study, we successfully synthesized four ruthenium-based catalysts with varying valence states supported on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and compared the performance of HMF electrooxidation. Among these, the Ru+2.9 catalyst demonstrated the highest activity for the electrochemical oxidation of HMF to FDCA in the neutral medium (0.1 M K2SO4). Notably, the FDCA yield reached 90.2% under an applied potential of 0.95 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) after 24 h. Mechanistic analysis revealed that the superior specific capacitance of the Ru+2.9 catalyst significantly facilitated the reaction process. This work represents a more cost-effective approach to avoid the need for excessive alkaline additives during catalyst preparation and the HMF oxidation process, and FDCA separated easily after cooling the reaction solution down.
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