Efficient 5-hydroxymethylfurfural production in ChCl-based deep eutectic solvents using boric acid and metal chlorides

Bio-based 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) production in DESs has garnered significant attention due to its effectiveness and environmental friendliness. In this study, acidic ChCl-based DESs and ChCl-fructose DES were compared in terms of 5-HMF production in the presence of four acids, namely boric acid, oxalic acid, citric acid, and p-toluenesulfonic acid. Simultaneously, two types of ChCl-fructose and ChCl-glucose DESs were explored in combination with boric acid for 5-HMF production respectively. The 5-HMF yield was optimized by varying parameters such as the mass ratio of ChCl to carbohydrate, catalyst usage, temperature, time, and water content. The results indicated that ChCl-fructose DES exhibits better performance in converting fructose to 5-HMF than acidic ChCl-based DES. A 5-HMF yield of 65.2% was obtained in ChCl-fructose DES (6 : 4 w/w) with 20% water and 80 mg boric acid at 120 °C for 120 minutes. Similarly, a 5-HMF yield of 33.7% from glucose was presented in ChCl-glucose DES (6 : 4 w/w) with 20% water, 120 mg boric acid, and 25 mg CrCl3·6H2O at 120 °C for 120 minutes. The addition of an appropriate amount of water is beneficial for promoting 5-HMF production in ChCl-fructose and ChCl-glucose DESs. The high viscosities of ChCl-fructose and ChCl-glucose DESs can be attributed to a strong intermolecular force, resulting in a large mass transfer resistance. Overall, this work provides an efficient and inexpensive approach for producing 5-HMF in ChCl-fructose and ChCl-glucose DESs.

The Stability Challenge of Furanic Platform Chemicals in Acidic and Basic Conditions

The transition toward renewable resources is pivotal for the sustainability of the chemical industry, making the exploration of biobased furanic platform chemicals derived from plant biomass of paramount importance. These compounds, promising alternatives to petroleum-derived aromatics, face challenges in terms of stability under synthetic conditions, limiting their practical application in the fuel, chemical, and pharmaceutical sectors. Our study presents a comprehensive evaluation of the stability of furan derivatives in various solvents and under different conditions, addressing the significant challenge of their instability. Through systematic experiments involving GC-MS, NMR, FT-IR and SEM analyses, we identified key degradation pathways and conditions that either promote stability or lead to undesirable degradation products. These findings demonstrate the strong stabilizing effect of polar aprotic solvents, especially DMF, and reveal the dependence of furan stability on solvent and additive type. This research opens new avenues in the utilization of renewable furans by providing critical insights into their behavior under synthetic conditions, significantly impacting the development of sustainable materials and processes. The broad appeal of this study lies in its potential to guide the selection of conditions for the efficient and sustainable synthesis of furan-based chemicals, marking a significant advance in green chemistry and materials science.

The development of a novel bio-based corrosion inhibitor: using biomass-derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) as a starting material

An environmentally friendly corrosion inhibitor was prepared from the bio-based platform 5-hydroxymethylfurfural. This corrosion inhibitor was confirmed to be an efficient mixed-type corrosion inhibitor through a weight loss experiment and electrochemical experiment. Both thermodynamic and kinetic parameters were calculated and discussed, indicating that the adsorption of this bio-based inhibitor on a steel surface is a chemisorption process. Moreover, quantum chemical calculations were performed and further confirmed the formation of an effective productive film of this bio-based inhibitor on the metal surface. It is worth noting that the synthesis route of this bio-based corrosion inhibitor is green and environmentally friendly, and does not involve toxic chemical reagents.

N-Doped natural albite mineral as green solid catalyst for efficient isomerization of glucose into fructose in water

A green and effiecient N-doped mineral catalyst (i.e., CS/Ab) prepared by biomass waste and natural albite was explotied for glucose-to-fructose isomerization.