Sustainable biorefinery: highly selective production of OBMF from HMF using graphene oxide catalysts

Abstract This study explores the catalytic conversion of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 5,5-(Oxybis(methylene))-bis-2-furfural (OBMF) using graphene oxide (GO) and metal-doped graphene oxide catalysts (GO-Ce, GO-Ce-Fe, GO-Ce-Ni). The catalysts were synthesized via a Tour’s method and characterized using FTIR, XRD, SEM, and TEM. Characterization confirmed the effective doping of Ce and the uniform dispersion of cerium oxide nanoparticles on the GO structure, enhancing catalytic acidity and activity. Optimized reaction conditions showed that the GO-Ce catalyst achieved a maximum OBMF yield of 97% at 140 °C over a 12-hour reaction time. GC-MS and NMR analyses confirmed the high conversion efficiency and selectivty of the OBMF product. Comparative studies revealed that while GO-Ce-Fe and GO-Ce-Ni also delivered high yields, GO-Ce demonstrated superior selectivity and stability.