Ni-Supported Germanosilicate Zeolite SCM-14 for Efficient\nHydrogenolysis of 5‑Hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-Dimethylfuran

Rational\ndesign of highly efficient non-noble-metal catalysts for\nthe selective hydrogenolysis of biomass platform compounds to produce\nfuels and fine chemicals is a key pursuit for the sustainable chemical\nindustry. In this work, we report for the first time the synthesis\nof a Ni-supported germanosilicate zeolite (Ni-SCM-14) catalyst by\na simple grinding method, showing both satisfactory yield (90.3%)\nand good stability in eight cycles for the hydrogenolysis of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural\n(HMF) to 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF). Characterization revealed that Ni\nnanoparticles were highly dispersed on the SCM-14 zeolite with strong\ninteractions. The synergistic effect of highly dispersed Ni hydrogenation\nsites and the weak acidity activation of the C–O bond provided\nby SCM-14 is considered to be the key to the efficient hydrogenolysis\nof HMF. This discovery opens up a new avenue for germanosilicate zeolite\nto activate the C–O bond.