Tuning Metal–Acid Cooperativity of Beta Zeolite-Supported Pt Catalysts for Selective Hydrogenolysis of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural to Methyl Levulinate
By tuning Si/Al ratio and Pt loading in beta-zeolite-supported catalysts, the study balanced Brønsted/Lewis acidity and metal-support interactions. The optimized 0.5Pt/BEA-12.5 used Lewis sites to activate carbonyl intermediates and moderated Brønsted acidity to promote esterification without excessive humin. It achieved over 99% HMF conversion and 92.0% methyl-levulinate yield at low Pt loading and also processed glucose, fructose and sucrose feedstocks.