Nanoarchitectonics of Boron-Nitride-Supported Phosphomolybdic Acid as a Heterogeneous Catalyst for Conversion of Fructose to 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural

The catalytic conversion of lignocellulose derived products to value added chemicals are of high importance in the quest to solve energy crisis. In this work, we have prepared the phosphomolybdic acid (PMA) supported on boron-nitride (BN) nanosheets via a facile hydrothermal process. A series of heterogeneous catalysts has been prepared by using varying quantities of BN and PMA. All the catalysts were examined for the conversion of fructose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) and one of them turns out to be the best catalyst. Different optimizations like catalyst amount, temperature and time have been performed using the best catalyst. Although the catalyst selectively forms 5-HMF, the yield was relatively low, which could be explained using the zeta potential studies. However, it was interesting to note that an addition of H2SO4 (0.01 M) to the reaction mixture enhances the catalytic activity of the overall process and leads to the formation of levulinic acid (LA) in addition to 5-HMF, which could be attributed to the increased acidity in the reaction mixture. Overall, this work provides deeper insights on the role of BN, PMA and H2SO4 in the conversion of saccharides to value-added chemicals.