Oxidation of Furfural and Furan Derivatives to Maleic Acid in the Presence of a Simple Catalyst System Based on Acetic Acid and TS-1 and Hydrogen Peroxide

Titanium silicate molecular sieve (TS-1) and acetic acid efficiently catalyze the oxidation of furan and furan derivatives to the corresponding maleic acid (MA) in very good yields using hydrogen peroxide as an oxidizing agent. The effect of various solvents, the effect of temperature, reaction time, concentration of hydrogen peroxide, and quantities of the catalyst on the MA yield was studied. With the best conditions, MA is the sole product obtained after a fast and simple purification by filtration and evaporation. Compared to the previously reported methods, this work is a good compromise between the different reaction parameters and offers a good alternative to the production of biosourced MA.