2,5-Dimethylfuran Production by Catalytic Hydrogenation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural Using Ni Supported on AlO-TiO-ZrO Prepared by Sol-Gel Method: The Effect of Hydrogen Donors.

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) has been described as one of the 12 key platform molecules derived from biomass by the US Department of Energy, and its hydrogenation reaction produces versatile liquid biofuels such as 2,5-dimethylfuran (2,5-DMF). Catalytic hydrogenation from 5-HMF to 2,5-DMF was thoroughly studied on the metal nickel catalysts supported on AlO-TiO-ZrO (Ni/ATZ) mixed oxides using isopropanol and formic acid (FA) as hydrogen donors to find the best conditions of the reaction and hydrogen donor. The influence of metal content (wt%), Ni particle size (nm), Nickel Ni, Ni/NiO and NiO species, metal active sites and acid-based sites on the catalyst surface, and the effect of the hydrogen donor (isopropanol and formic acid) were systematically studied.