Efficient One-Pot Production of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural from Glucose in an Acetone–Water Solvent

Economical production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from sorghum juice as inexpensive feedstock in an acetone/water solvent system

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), regarded as a vital link between bio-refining and petrochemical refining, demonstrates significant potential to produce sustainable chemicals, fuels, and materials. However, its reliance on food-grade sugars as feedstock limits economic feasibility. This study demonstrates that sweet sorghum juice, rich in fructose, glucose, and sucrose, is an ideal, low-cost raw material for HMF production. Using HCl as catalyst, fructose in sweet sorghum juice was fully converted, yielding over 90% HMF in 80/20 (v/v) acetone/ water solvent system, with more than 85% of glucose retained for recycling. When AlCl3 was used as catalyst, all sugars were efficiently converted, yielding over 70% HMF. Impurities in the pretreated juice did not impede sugar conversion but did partially neutralize the acidic catalyst. Techno-economic analysis revealed that utilizing sweet sorghum juice as feedstock produces HMF at a minimum selling price of $1909 per ton, a 39.6% reduction compared to fructose-based.

Efficient Conversion of Glucose to Hydroxymethylfurfural: One-pot Brønsted Base and Acid Promoted Selective Isomerization and Dehydration

Development of elegant, selective, and efficient strategies for the production of value-added platform chemicals from renewable feedstocks are in high demand to achieve the future needs and sustainable goals. In this context, an efficient acid-promoted synthesis of highly valuable hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) has been demonstrated from glucose, a major constituent of lignocellulosic biomass. The major challenge in the conversion of glucose to HMF is the selective isomerization of glucose to ketose, which in the present work has been successfully addressed through the amine-mediated rearrangement of glucose to aminofructose under Amadori rearrangement. Importantly, subsequent dehydration step affords HMF and regenerates the amine employed in the first step, which could be readily recovered. In addition, scale-up and successful integration into one-pot synthesis of HMF proves the efficiency and applicability of the present transformation in large scale application. In addition, the method was also successfully extended to other monosaccharides and disaccharides to produce HMF.

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.