INS STUDY OF 5-HYDROXYMETHYL FURFURAL (HMF) ON A BIOCHAR CATALYST - TOSCA

The oxidation of 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF) can lead to the production of poly(ethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) (PEF) – a polymer that could replace the petroleum based polyethylene terephthalate (PET). PEF can be synthesised by copolymerisation of 2,5-furan dicarboxylic acid (FDCA) with ethylene glycol. In Warwick an iron-containing MOF was used for HMF oxidation and found to catalyse the reaction under very mild conditions by use of an organic peroxide and radical mediator co-catalyst. Although the MOF catalyst is surprisingly robust and can be recycled, we have extended this work to more readily available catalysts and have found that biochar (BCR), produced from palm oil empty fruit bunch which naturally contains a small amount of Fe, provides similar catalytic efficiency to the MOF catalyst, giving good yield of FDCA, and recyclability. To this end, we wish to use INS to study the details of the interaction of HMF and the co-catalyst TEMPO with the MOF and BCR. The comparison will aid the mechanistic understanding of both materials and point towards opportunities for improvement e.g. incorporation of acid functionality in the MOF or increasing the Fe content of the BCR.