Efficient hydrogenolysis of fructose to 1,2-propanediol over bifunctional Ru-WO -MgO catalysts under mild reaction conditions via enhancing the chemoselective cleavage of C–C bonds

Selective conversion of fructose to 1,2-propanediol (1,2-PDO) is considered as a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to petroleum-based processes, however, this approach still faces challenges associated with low efficiency and harsh reaction conditions. Here, we have successfully synthesized a novel bifunctional Ru-WOx-MgOy catalyst through a facile 'one-pot' solvothermal method. Remarkably, this catalyst exhibits exceptional catalytic performances in the conversion of fructose to 1,2-PDO under mild reaction conditions. The yield of 1,2-PDO is up to 56.2% at 140 °C for 4 h under an ultra-low hydrogen pressure of only 0.2 MPa, surpassing the reported results in recent literature (below 51%). Comprehensive characterizations and density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the presence of oxygen vacancies in the Ru-WOx-MgOy catalyst, serving as active acidic sites, facilitates the chemoselective cleavage of C–C bonds in fructose, which leads to the generation of active intermediates and ultimately resulted in the high yield of 1,2-PDO.