Hydroxyapatite displays immense potential in catalysis
because
of its properties to form doped single and multiphasic systems. In
the present study, vanadium-incorporated hydroxyapatite was investigated
for aerobic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-diformylfuran.
The amount of vanadium precursor and the pH in catalyst synthesis
were significant factors in defining the catalytic properties of V-HAP.
The morphologies and structures of the catalysts were well studied.
Field emission scanning electron microscopy revealed different morphologies
of the catalyst with varying amounts of vanadium and pH, suggesting
that both these factors play a critical role in determining the catalytic
properties. Through X-ray diffraction spectra, the incorporation of
vanadium ions into the HAP framework by replacing phosphate ions was
confirmed by the augmentation of lattice parameters and unit cell
volume. The vanadium amount corresponding to x =
3 and pH 11 for the synthesis of the catalyst displayed good catalytic
efficiency for HMF conversion. To further enhance the performance
of the synthesized catalyst, the reaction parameters such as the temperature
of reaction and catalyst loading were optimized. Under optimum reaction
conditions, 78% HMF conversion with 63 and 81% DFF yield and selectivity,
respectively, was observed. V-HAP (x = 3) was highly
stable in nature and did not show a decrease in activity during experimental
cycles, thereby showing that the incorporated vanadium did not leach
out and that the catalyst was recyclable, which was also confirmed
by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy results. V-HAP (x = 3) was also compared with V2O5-HAP and was
found to have superior catalytic properties as compared to the latter.
This study contributes to the development of green and stable catalysts
for biomass conversion.