5-hydroxymethylfurfural and tetrahydrofuran

The dissolution of cellulose from biomass is a crucial but complicated issue for maximizing the utilization of biomass resources to produce valuable chemicals, because of the extreme insolubility of cellulose. A biphasic NaCl-H

Topics: Biomass; Cellulose; Furaldehyde; Furans; Hydrogen Bonding; Lignin; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Models, Molecular; Polymerization; Sodium Chloride; Solubility; Solvents; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; Water

Reaction kinetics were studied to quantify the effects of water on the conversion of hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in THF over Cu/γ-Al2 O3 at 448 K using molecular H2 as the hydrogen source. We show that low concentrations of water (5 wt %) in the THF solvent significantly alter reaction rates and selectivities for the formation of reaction products by hydrogenation and hydrogenolysis processes. In the absence of water, HMF was converted primarily to hydrogenolysis products 2-methyl-5-hydroxymethylfuran (MHMF) and 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF), whereas reactions carried out in THF-H2 O mixtures (THF/H2 O=95:5 w/w) led to the selective production of the hydrogenation product 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)furan (BHMF) and inhibition of HMF hydrogenolysis.

Topics: Aluminum Oxide; Catalysis; Copper; Furaldehyde; Furans; Hydrogen; Hydrogenation; Kinetics; Solvents; Water

Mesoporous SBA-15 materials functionalized with propylsulfonic acid groups (SBA-15-SO(3)H) were synthesized through a conventional one-pot route. It was used as a catalyst for the selective synthesis of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) from the dehydration of fructose using BmimCl as solvent. Reaction time, temperature and fructose concentration were investigated during the HMF synthesis procedure. The catalyst SBA-15-SO(3)H exhibits high fructose conversion (near 100%) and HMF selectivity (about 81%) with good stability in the HMF synthesis. It was a suitable catalyst to produce HMF from renewable carbohydrates in potential industrial process.

Topics: Catalysis; Fructose; Furaldehyde; Furans; Imidazoles; Ionic Liquids; Porosity; Silicon Dioxide; Substrate Specificity; Temperature; Time Factors; Water