Unlocking the Production of Biomass-Derived Plastic Monomer 2,5-Furandicarboxylic Acid at Industrial-Level Concentration
Weizhen Xie, Yining Zhang, Hang Zheng, Pengbo Lyu, Xixian Ke, Tianyuan Li, Huayu Fang, Yong Sun, Jin‐Chao Dong, Lin Lu, Changlong Wang, Xing Tang
Abstract
2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is a promising biomass-derived alternative to fossil-based terephthalic acid. The catalytic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to FDCA is widely recognized as a viable route for producing FDCA at industrially relevant concentrations (approximately 20 wt %); however, this has not yet been achieved. Toward this goal, we report that through controlled engineering of an oxygen-vacancy-enriched Mn/Co oxide as the support for Pt nanoparticles, a heterostructure of Pt/PtO 2 with electron-rich interfacial Pt–O–Mn sites (Pt/Mn 10 Co 1 O x -VC) is formed, significantly enhancing the adsorption and activation of O 2, HMF, and its key intermediates. As a result, selective oxidation of both HMF (up to 40 wt %) and crude HMF (10 wt % and 70 wt % purity) was achieved with high FDCA yields ranging from 83% to 95% under base-free conditions, demonstrating strong economic feasibility and industrial potential for FDCA production. This work highlights the rational design of interfacial structures for the efficient oxidation of biomass-derived aldehydes and alcohols to bio-based dicarboxylic acids at industrially relevant concentrations, paving the way for FDCA to serve as a sustainable alternative to terephthalic acid as a comonomer in polyester production.