Heterogeneous Photocatalytic Conversion of Biomass-Derived\nSugars into 5‑Hydroxymethylfurfural over AgFe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub>/TiO<sub>2</sub>–SO<sub>3</sub>H Nanocomposite

Photocatalytic\ntransformation of biomass to high-value chemicals\nis an economical and environmentally friendly way to solve global\nproblems of energy and sustainability. As a means to achieve this,\nwe developed a simple and efficient photocatalytic system for the\nconversion of sugars to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), which is\na versatile intermediate for the production of biofuels and fine chemicals.\nHerein, the AgFe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub>/TiO<sub>2</sub> nanocomposite\nwas synthesized by a facile methodology and then modified with propyl\nsulfonic acid groups to obtain an acidic photocatalyst. The prepared\nphotocatalyst was well analyzed by various experimentations to assess\nits compositional, structural, and morphological properties. The use\nof this photocatalyst for the photocatalytic dehydration of fructose\nto 5-HMF conversion provided excellent 5-HMF yield (98%) under white\nLED light irradiation and at a moderate temperature (75 °C).\nThe recycle experiment exhibited that the photocatalyst can be reused\nfor six times without substantial activity decrease. Moreover, the\ndeveloped photocatalysis system was also able to convert other abundant\nbiomass resources (glucose, sucrose, maltose, and cellulose) to 5-HMF\nwith satisfactory yields. This research not only provides a green\nand efficient catalytic protocol for 5-HMF production but also paves\nthe way to design novel AgFe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub>-based composite\nmaterials with well-tailored photocatalytic features.