The formation of 2-furaldehyde and formic acid from pentoses in slightly acidic deuterium oxide studied by 1H NMR spectroscopy

Current Status and Challenges for Metal-Organic-Framework-Assisted Conversion of Biomass into Value-Added Chemicals

Owing to the abundance of availability, low cost, and environmental-friendliness, biomass waste could serve as a prospective renewable source for value-added chemicals. Nevertheless, biomass conversion into chemicals is quite challenging due to the heterogeneous nature of biomass waste. Biomass-derived chemicals are appealing sustainable solutions that can reduce the dependency on existing petroleum-based production. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)-based catalysts and their composite materials have attracted considerable amounts of interest in biomass conversion applications recently because of their interesting physical and chemical characteristics. Due to their tunability, the catalytic activity and selectivity of MOF-based catalyst/composite materials can be tailored by functionalizing them with a variety of functional groups to enhance biomass conversion efficiency. This review focuses on the catalytic transformation of lignocellulosic biomass into value-added chemicals by employing MOF-based catalyst/composite materials. The main focus is given to the production of the platform chemicals HMF and Furfural from the corresponding (hemi)cellulosic biomass, due to their versatility as intermediates for the production of various biobased chemicals and fuels. The effects of different experimental parameters on the conversion of biomass by MOF-based catalysts are also included. Finally, current challenges and perspectives of biomass conversion into chemicals by MOF-based catalysts are highlighted.

Density functional theory study on the initial reactions of d-Xylose and d-Xylulose dehydration to furfural

The mechanism of the initial reactions in the acid-catalytic conversion of d-xylose/d-xylulose to furfural was studied with density functional theory. The reactions included mutual transformations among d-xylose, d-xylulose and the intermediate of 1,2-enediol. The catalytic performances of several acids including H₂SO₄, HNO₃, HCl, HBr and HI, and the solvent effects of water and THF (tetrahydrofuran) were studied. A simplified kinetic model of the d-xylose/d-xylulose-to-furfural conversion in water solvent was built, with the assumption that the conversion from 1,2-enediol to furfural was the rate-limiting step and could be treated as one-step reaction. The simulation can well fit the experimental regulation, which verifies the rationality of the model simplification. The dominant reaction pathways from d-xylose/d-xylulose to furfural were deduced based on the calculated energy barriers and corresponding reaction rate constants, with different acid catalysis and reaction mediums.

Phenol-Furfural Resin/Montmorillonite Based High-Pressure Green Composite from Renewable Feedstock (Saccharum munja) with Improved Thermo-Mechanical Properties

This research endeavour aimed to explore the potential of a native, nonedible and low market value plant feedstock, i.e., Saccharum munja for green synthesis of woodware materials and improve its features by incorporating an economical blending material. A significant amount of furfural, i.e., 58%, was extracted from Saccharum munja through the modified acid digestion method. Extracted furfural was reacted with phenol to prepare phenol-furfural resin, an alternative to phenol-formaldehyde resin but with no harmful effects for humans. The synthesized resin was also blended with montmorillonite clay after modification via Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) treatment for improved thermo-mechanical properties. These resins and composites were characterized by XRD, SEM, and FTIR spectroscopy. Resultant resins and composites were further employed as a binding agent to make high-pressure composite from leftover plant residue by hot-press method. The resultant product was subjected to TGA analysis and furnished high value of degradation temperature (T_deg), i.e., 607 °C. Prepared high-pressure composite samples were mechanically tested through compression tests by Tinius Olsen Testing Machine and hardness tests by Rockwell Hardness Tester. Its tensile strength value was 58.3 MPa while hardness value was found to be 64 RHB which was greater than mild copper with hardness value 48.9 RHB. Thus, green high-pressure composite material was successfully developed by employing Saccharum munja and montmorillonite clay while no toxic resin was used, nor was any residue left over.

Mechanistic aspects of saccharide dehydration to furan derivatives for reaction media design

The conversion of abundant hexoses (e.g. glucose, mannose and galactose) and pentoses (e.g. xylose and arabinose) to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) and 2-furfural (2-F) is subject to intensive research in the hope of achieving competitive production of diverse materials from renewable resources. However, the abundance of literature on this topic as well as the limited number of studies systematically comparing numerous monosaccharides hinder progress tracking. Herein, we compare and rationalize reactivities of different ketoses and aldoses. Dehydration mechanisms of both monosaccharide types are reviewed regarding the existing experimental evidence. Ketose transformation to furan derivatives likely proceeds through cyclic intermediates and is hindered by side-reactions such as isomerization, retro-aldol reactions and polymerization. Different strategies can improve furan derivative synthesis from ketoses: limiting the presence of water, improving the dehydration rate, protecting 5-HMF and 2-F reactive moieties with derivatization or solvent interactions and extracting 5-HMF and 2-F from the reaction medium. In contrast to ketoses, aldose conversion to furan derivatives is not favored compared to polymerization reactions because it involves their isomerization or a ring contraction. Enhancing aldose isomerization is possible with metal catalysts (e.g. CrCl3) promoting a hydride shift mechanism or with boric/boronic acids promoting an enediol mechanism. This catalysis is however far more challenging than ketose dehydration because catalyst activity depends on numerous factors: Brønsted acidity of the medium, catalyst ligands, catalyst affinity for monosaccharides and their accessibility to several chemical species simultaneously. Those aspects are methodically addressed to support the design of new monosaccharide dehydration systems.

Efficient Synthesis of Furfural from Biomass Using SnCl₄ as Catalyst in Ionic Liquid

Furfural is a versatile platform molecule for the synthesis of various chemicals and fuels, and it can be produced by acid-catalyzed dehydration of xylose derived from renewable biomass resources. A series of metal salts and ionic liquids were investigated to obtain the best combination of catalyst and solvent for the conversion of xylose into furfural. A furfural yield of 71.1% was obtained at high xylose loading (20 wt%) from the single-phasic reaction system whereby SnCl₄ was used as catalyst and ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide (EMIMBr) was used as reaction medium. Moreover, the combined catalyst consisting of 5 mol% SnCl₄ and 5 mol% MgCl₂ also produced a high furfural yield (68.8%), which was comparable to the furfural yield obtained with 10 mol% SnCl₄. The water⁻organic solvent biphasic systems could improve the furfural yield compared with the single aqueous phase. Although these organic solvents could form biphasic systems with ionic liquid EMIMBr, the furfural yield decreased remarkably compared with the single EMIMBr phase. Besides, the EMIMBr/SnCl₄ system with appropriate water was also efficient to convert xylan and lignocellulosic biomass corn stalk into furfural, obtaining furfural yields as high as 57.3% and 54.5%, respectively.

Low-Temperature Continuous-Flow Dehydration of Xylose Over Water-Tolerant Niobia-Titania Heterogeneous Catalysts

The sustainable conversion of vegetable biomass-derived feeds to useful chemicals requires innovative routes meeting environmental and economical criteria. The approach herein pursued is the synthesis of water-tolerant, unconventional solid acid monolithic catalysts based on a mixed niobia-titania skeleton building up a hierarchical open-cell network of meso- and macropores, and tailored for use under continuous-flow conditions. The materials were characterized by spectroscopic, microscopy, and diffraction techniques, showing a reproducible isotropic structure and an increasing Lewis/Brønsted acid sites ratio with increasing Nb content. The catalytic dehydration reaction of xylose to furfural was investigated as a representative application. The efficiency of the catalyst was found to be dramatically affected by the niobia content in the titania lattice. The presence of as low as 2 wt % niobium resulted in the highest furfural yield at 140 °C under continuous-flow conditions, by using H₂ O/γ-valerolactone as a safe monophasic solvent system. The interception of a transient 2,5-anhydroxylose species suggested the dehydration process occurs via a cyclic intermediates mechanism. The catalytic activity and the formation of the anhydro intermediate were related to the Lewis acid sites (LAS)/Brønsted acid sites (BAS) ratio and indicated a significant contribution of xylose-xylulose isomerization. No significant catalyst deactivation was observed over 4 days usage.

Fractionation of oil palm empty fruit bunch by bisulfite pretreatment for the production of bioethanol and high value products

In this work, fractionation of empty fruit bunch (EFB) by bisulfite pretreatment was studied for the production of bioethanol and high value products to achieve biorefinery of EFB. EFB was fractionated to solid and liquor components by bisulfite process. The solid components were used for bioethanol production by quasi-simultaneous saccharification and fermentation. The liquor components were then converted to furfural by hydrolysis with sulfuric acid. Preliminary results showed that the concentration of furfural was highest at 18.8g/L with 0.75% sulfuric acid and reaction time of 25min. The conversion of xylose to furfural was 82.5%. Furthermore, we attempted to fractionate the liquor into hemicellulose sugars and lignin by different methods for producing potential chemicals, such as xylose, xylooligosaccharide, and lignosulfonate. Our research showed that the combination of bisulfite pretreatment and resin separation could effectively fractionate EFB components to produce bioethanol and other high value chemicals.

Relevance of the acidic 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulphate ionic liquid in the selective catalysis of the biomass hemicellulose fraction

The process represents a sustainable and selective approach of biomass hemicellulose fraction transformation into pivot chemicals, such as xylose and furfural, solely mediated by the acidic [bmim][HSO₄] ionic liquid.

The role of xylulose as an intermediate in xylose conversion to furfural: insights via experiments and kinetic modelling

An experimental work has been performed to study the relevance of xylulose as an intermediate during non-catalyzed and acid-catalyzed xylose conversions to furfural in aqueous solution at the temperature range from 180 to 220 °C.

Investigations on the Maillard reaction of dextrins during aging of Pilsner type beer

Although Maillard reaction plays a pivotal role during preparation of food, only few investigations concerning the role of carbohydrate degradation in beer aging have been carried out. The formation of Maillard specific precursor structures and their follow-up products during degradation of low molecular carbohydrate dextrins in the presence of proline and lysine was studied in model incubations and in beer. Twenty-one α-dicarbonyl compounds were identified and quantitated as reactive intermediates. The oxidative formation of 3-deoxypentosone as the precursor of furfural from oligosaccharides was verified. N-Carboxymethylproline and N-formylproline were established as novel proline derived Maillard advanced glycation end products. Formation of N-carboxymethylproline and furfural responded considerably to the presence of oxygen and was positively correlated to aging of Pilsner type beer. The present study delivers an in-depth view on the mechanisms behind the formation of beer relevant aging parameters.

Formation of degradation compounds from lignocellulosic biomass in the biorefinery: sugar reaction mechanisms

The degradation compounds formed during pretreatment when lignocellulosic biomass is processed to ethanol or other biorefinery products include furans, phenolics, organic acids, as well as mono- and oligomeric pentoses and hexoses. Depending on the reaction conditions glucose can be converted to 5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-furaldehyde (HMF) and/or levulinic acid, formic acid and different phenolics at elevated temperatures. Correspondingly, xylose can follow different reaction mechanisms resulting in the formation of furan-2-carbaldehyde (furfural) and/or various C-1 and C-4 compounds. At least four routes for the formation of HMF from glucose and three routes for furfural formation from xylose are possible. In addition, new findings show that biomass monosaccharides themselves can react further to form pseudo-lignin and humins as well as a wide array of other compounds when exposed to high temperatures. Hence, several aldehydes and ketones and many different organic acids and aromatic compounds may be generated during hydrothermal treatment of lignocellulosic biomass. The reaction mechanisms are of interest because the very same compounds that are possible inhibitors for biomass processing enzymes and microorganisms may be valuable biobased chemicals. Hence a new potential for industrial scale synthesis of chemicals has emerged. A better understanding of the reaction mechanisms and the impact of the reaction conditions on the product formation is thus a prerequisite for designing better biomass processing strategies and forms an important basis for the development of new biorefinery products from lignocellulosic biomass as well.

The mechanism of 2-furaldehyde formation from D-xylose dehydration in the gas phase. A tandem mass spectrometric study

The mechanism of reactions occurring in solution can be investigated also in the gas phase by suited mass spectrometric techniques, which allow to highlight fundamental mechanistic features independent of the influence of the medium and to clarifying controversial hypotheses proposed in solution studies. In this work, we report a gas-phase study performed by electrospray triple stage quadrupole mass spectrometry (ESI-TSQ/MS) on the dehydration of D-xylose, leading mainly to the formation of 2-furaldehyde (2-FA). It is generally known in carbohydrate chemistry that the thermal acid catalyzed dehydration of pentoses leads to the formation of 2-FA, but several aspects on the solution-phase mechanism are controversial. Here, gaseous reactant ions corresponding to protonated xylose molecules obtained from ESI of a solution containing D-xylose and ammonium acetate as protonating reagent were allowed to undergo collisionally activated decomposition (CAD) into the triple stage quadrupole analyzer. The product ion mass spectra of protonated xylose are characterized by the presence of ionic intermediates arising from xylose dehydration, which were structurally characterized by their fragmentation patterns. As expected, the xylose triple dehydration leads to the formation of the ion at m/z 97, corresponding to protonated 2-FA. On the basis of mass spectrometric evidences, we demonstrated that in the gas phase, the formation of 2-FA involves protonation at the OH group bound to the C1 atom of the sugar, the first ionic intermediate being characterized by a cyclic structure. Finally, energy resolved product ion mass spectra allowed to obtain information on the energetic features of the D-xylose→2-FA conversion. ᅟ

Synthesis of furfural from xylose, xylan, and biomass using AlCl3·6H2O in biphasic media via xylose isomerization to xylulose

Furfural was prepared in high yields (75 %) from the reaction of xylose in a water-tetrahydrofuran biphasic medium containing AlCl(3)·6H2O and NaCl under microwave heating at 140 °C. The reaction profile revealed the formation of xylulose as an intermediate en route to the dehydration product (furfural). The reaction under these conditions reached completion in 45 min. The aqueous phase containing AlCl(3)·6H(2)O and NaCl could be recycled multiple times (>5) without any loss of activity or selectivity for furfural. Extension of this biphasic reaction system to include xylan as the starting material afforded furfural in 64 % yield. The use of corn stover, pinewood, switchgrass, and poplar gave furfural in 55, 38, 56, and 64 % yield, respectively, at 160 °C. Even though AlCl(3)·6H(2)O did not affect the conversion of crystalline cellulose, moderate yields of the by-product 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) were noted. The highest HMF yield of 42 % was obtained from pinewood. The coproduction of HMF and furfural from biomass was attributed to the weakening of the cellulose network in the biomass, as a result of hemicellulose hydrolysis. The multifunctional capacity of AlCl(3)·6H(2)O (hemicellulose hydrolysis, xylose isomerization, and xylulose dehydration) in combination with its ease of recyclability make it an attractive candidate/catalyst for the selective synthesis of furfural from various biomass feedstocks.

Furfural--a promising platform for lignocellulosic biofuels

Furfural offers a promising, rich platform for lignocellulosic biofuels. These include methylfuran and methyltetrahydrofuran, valerate esters, ethylfurfuryl and ethyltetrahydrofurfuryl ethers as well as various C(10)-C(15) coupling products. The various production routes are critically reviewed, and the needs for improvements are identified. Their relative industrial potential is analysed by defining an investment index and CO(2) emissions as well as determining the fuel properties for the resulting products. Finally, the most promising candidate, 2-methylfuran, was subjected to a road trial of 90,000 km in a gasoline blend. Importantly, the potential of the furfural platform relies heavily on the cost-competitive production of furfural from lignocellulosic feedstock. Conventional standalone and emerging coproduct processes-for example, as a coproduct of cellulosic ethanol, levulinic acid or hydroxymethyl furfural-are expensive and energetically demanding. Challenges and areas that need improvement are highlighted. In addition to providing a critical review of the literature, this paper also presents new results and analysis in this area.

Molecular structure of humin and melanoidin via solid state NMR

Sugar-derived humins and melanoidins figure significantly in food chemistry, agricultural chemistry, biochemistry, and prebiotic chemistry. Despite wide interest and significant experimental attention, the amorphous and insoluble nature of the polymers has made them resistant to conventional structural characterization. Here we make use of solid-state NMR methods, including selective (13)C substitution, (1)H-dephasing, and double quantum filtration. The spectra, and their interpretation, are simplified by relying exclusively on hydronium for catalysis. The results for polymers derived from ribose, deoxyribose, and fructose indicate diverse pathways to furans, suggest a simple route to pyrroles in the presence of amines, and reveal a heterogeneous network-type polymer in which sugar molecules cross-link the heterocycles.