Synthesis and characterization of nanocellulose/TiO2 nanocomposite as catalyst of conversion fructose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural

Nanocomposite based on nanocellulose/TiO2 can be applied as a catalyst in the synthesis of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from fructose, which becomes an essential alternative in producing biofuels. Cellulose isolated from bamboo will be used to synthesis of nano-cellulose nanocomposite in this study. Bamboo is a fast-growing species and a high yield renewable resource. The inorganic nanoparticle TiO2 will also be introduced to produce an excellent property of the composite. FTIR, SEM, TEM, and HPLC are used to characterize the composite and catalytic activity. The yield of isolated cellulose from bamboo was obtained at 60,8%. The result of TiO2 synthesis was in nano-sized and anatase structures. The optimum condition of synthesis of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from fructose was obtained at 120oC for 60 minutes. This condition involved 25 mg of fructose and 50 mg of catalyst resulting final yield of 19,6%.