Efficient One-Pot Production of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural fromGlucose in an Acetone-Water Solvent

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is a high-valuebiomass-derived platform chemical derived from renewablebiomass, which is a great alternative to petroleum-based chemicals;however, it cannot be produced on a large scale at present becauseof the limitation of a low HMF yield and costly production. In thiswork, an experimental study of one-pot production of HMF fromglucose in an acetone-water solvent was conducted. The effects ofinorganic salts (in specific, NaCl) on miscible solvents were studiedbecause inorganic salts could affect the phase structure of solvents.We also study the influence of the ratio between Lewis acid andBronsted acid (L/B) on the dehydration reaction. After parameteroptimization experiments, up to 64.5% HMF yield was obtained at the condition ofC0= 1.25 w/v %,CAlCl3= 1.25 w/v %,CHCl=10mmolmiddotL-1,T= 160 degrees C, ando/a= 80/20, and the optimized L/B was 1.25 kgmiddotmol-1. Finally, an economic and efficient HMFproduction process including HMF purification and catalyst recycling was proposed; the HMF product could be produced andseparated with high recovery (similar to 88%) and purity (similar to 85%) in the process. Ourfindings and analysis would provide support for thechoice of the reaction system and bifunctional catalyst synthesis in the subsequent industrial demonstration development

Automated summary

In this study, the factors influencing the one-pot production of HMF from glucose in an acetone-water solvent were experimentally investigated. By optimizing the parameters, a high HMF yield was achieved and an economic and efficient HMF production process was proposed, providing support for subsequent industrial demonstration development.