Magnetic composite of graphene oxide and gum Arabic as a potential catalyst for conversion of fructose to value-added furanic compound
摘要
A bio-based acidic catalyst is designed for conversion of fructose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) through Cl-functionalization of gum Arabic that is a biopolymer and its subsequent reaction with the as-prepared magnetic graphene oxide. Comparison of the acidity and catalytic activity of the composite with its components underlined superior acidity and catalytic activity of the former. The reaction condition variables, including reaction temperature, time and catalyst loading, were optimized using response surface method to reach the maximum yield of 98% 5-HMF at 105 °C in 121 min. The composite could be readily separated from reaction media using an external magnet, and it was highly recyclable and maintained its initial activity for five successive runs. Further recycling also led to negligible loss of activity upon eight runs and insignificant leaching of magnetic particles. Notably, the catalyst could promote the reaction of other monosaccharides, which were not as active as fructose to form the product in moderate yields. However, conversion of di and polysaccharides was not efficient under the optimized conditions.