Catalytic Conversion of Biomass Hydrolysate into 5‑Hydroxymethylfurfural

Abstract

Biomass hydrolysate, rich in glucose,\nwas used to produce an important platform chemical, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural\n(HMF). By separating the solid biomass from solution after autohydrolysis,\nmost of the inhibitors were removed from hydrolysate. Biphasic system,\nwhich prevents the HMF degradation, was optimized with HCl and AlCl₃ catalysts. The yield of HMF conversion using biomass hydrolyzate\nunder the optimized reaction conditions is comparable to the yield\nusing pure glucose as a feedstock. This lab-generated HMF was purified\nvia activated charcoal and oxidized to high value-added chemical,\n2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA). The final FDCA yield of 65% was\nachieved. The results suggest that, with the separation of nonsugar\ncomponents such as dissolved lignin and sugar degradation products,\nbiomass hydrolysate is a promising source for HMF and FDCA production.