5-Hydroxymethylfurfural and its Downstream Chemicals: A Review of Catalytic Routes

Biomass assumes an increasingly vital role in the realm of renewable energy and sustainable development due to its abundant availability, renewability, and minimal environmental impact. Within this context, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), derived from sugar dehydration, stands out as a critical bio-derived product. It serves as a pivotal multifunctional platform compound, integral in synthesizing various vital chemicals, including furan-based polymers, fine chemicals, and biofuels. The high reactivity of HMF, attributed to its highly active aldehyde, hydroxyl, and furan ring, underscores the challenge of selectively regulating its conversion to obtain the desired products. This review highlights the research progress on efficient catalytic systems for HMF synthesis, oxidation, reduction, and etherification. Additionally, it outlines the techno-economic analysis (TEA) and prospective research directions for the production of furan-based chemicals. Despite significant progress in catalysis research, and certain process routes demonstrating substantial economics, with key indicators surpassing petroleum-based products, a gap persists between fundamental research and large-scale industrialization. This is due to the lack of comprehensive engineering research on bio-based chemicals, making the commercialization process a distant goal. These findings provide valuable insights for further development of this field.

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural synthesis from fructose over deep eutectic solvents in batch reactors and continuous flow microreactors

Abstract

In this work, a deep eutectic solvent (DES) composed of choline chloride (ChCl) and ethylene glycol (EG) was prepared and applied for the conversion of fructose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), catalyzed by HCl in both laboratory batch reactors and continuous flow microreactors. The effects of reaction temperature, batch time, catalyst loading and molar ratio of ChCl to EG on the fructose conversion and HMF yield were first investigated in the monophasic batch system of ChCl/EG DES. To inhibit HMF-involved side reactions (e.g., its polymerization to humins), methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) was used as the extraction agent to form a biphasic system with DES in batch reactors. As a result, the maximum HMF yield could be enhanced at an MIBK to DES volume ratio of 3:1, e.g., increased from 48% in the monophasic DES (with a molar ratio ChCl to EG at 1:3) to 63% in the biphasic system at 80°C and 5 mol% of HCl loading. Based on the optimized results in batch reactors, biphasic experiments were conducted in capillary microreactors under slug flow operation, where a maximum HMF yield of ca. 61% could be obtained in 13 min, which is similar to that in batch under otherwise the same conditions. The slight mass transfer limitation in microreactors was confirmed by performing experiments with microreactors of varying length, and comparing the characteristic mass transfer time and reaction time, indicating further room for improvement.

Highlights

• The efficient fructose conversion to HMF in deep eutectic solvents was achieved in batch reactors and microreactors.

• An HMF yield over 60% could be obtained at a fructose conversion above 90% in both reactors at 80°C within 14 min.

• The HMF yield was enhanced from 48% in the monophasic ChCl/EG system to 63% in the DES-MBIK biphasic system in batch.

• A slight mass transfer limitation was found in the biphasic slug flow microreactor.

Graphical Abstract

The Role Played by Ionic Liquids in Carbohydrates Conversion into 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural: A Recent Overview

Obtaining industrially relevant products from abundant, cheap, renewable, and low-impacting sources such as lignocellulosic biomass, is a key step in reducing consumption of raw fossil materials and, consequently, the environmental footprint of such processes. In this regard, a molecule that is similar to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) plays a pivotal role, since it can be produced from lignocellulosic biomass and gives synthetic access to a broad range of industrially important products and polymers. Recently, ionic liquids (ILs) have emerged as suitable solvents for the conversion of biomass and carbohydrates into 5-HMF. Herein, we provide a bird's-eye view on recent achievements about the use of ILs for the obtainment of 5-HMF, covering works that were published over the last five years. In particular, we first examine reactions involving homogeneous catalysis as well as task-specific ionic liquids. Then, an overview of the literature addressing the use of heterogeneous catalysts, including enzymes, is presented. Whenever possible, the role of ILs and catalysts driving the formation of 5-HMF is discussed, also comparing with the same reactions that are performed in conventional solvents.