Continuous Cellobiose Hydrolysis over Lamellar Aluminosilicates—Unveiling [Al]-magadiite Water-Tolerant Acid Sites

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.

The steps of thermal treatment of Na-magadiite: a computational study using ab initio DFT calculations

We investigated each of the successive transformations of this material using ab initio calculations based on DFT. Possible structures produced from three reaction steps of the thermal treatment were simulated. Thermodynamic analysis was performed to assess the energy stability of each reaction. The dehydration of the interlamellar region confirmed the selective loss of water molecules, with axial H₂O being responsible for the first part of the mass loss experimentally observed in TG-DTA while the loss of equatorial H₂O molecules is observed above 150 °C. The reactions of the proposed intermediates after dehydration indicated that the formation of a zeolite Si₁₄O₂₈ is thermodynamically unfavorable in relation to zeolite sodium silicate. Kinetic effects and new heat treatment protocols should be studied to improve the understanding of these materials. The final steps indicated that after the condensation of the layers, sodium silicate was formed together with quartz.