Biocatalytic Transformation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural into High-Value Derivatives: Recent Advances and Future Aspects

Catalytic transformation of biomass-derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) into a series of high-value derivatives, such as 2,5-diformylfuran, 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furancarboxylic acid, 5-formyl-2-furancarboxylic acid, 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid, 2,5-dihydroxymethylfuran, 5-alkanoyloxymethylfurfural, 5,5-bis (hydroxymethyl)furoin and 5-hydroxymethylfurfurylamine, is a very important research field in the biorefinery process. For a long time, chemocatalytic pathways have been the main transformation methods of HMF, and so, they have been widely studied in recent years. However, considering some unavoidable issues of chemocatalytic pathways, biocatalytic pathways with many advantages, such as higher selectivity, gentler condition, lower investment and environmental friendliness, should be a promising alternative, and unfortunately, they have not yet attracted enough attention until now. To better understand the current research status, this review primarily retrospects and describes the discovery and development of biocatalytic transformation of HMF, and then systematically summarizes and discusses the latest studies and advancements on the biocatalytic transformation of HMF through oxidation, reduction, esterification, carboligation and amination in the presence of the corresponding enzymes or whole-cells. Furthermore, this review also proposes a few possible research trends in the future studies, aiming at providing a few helpful and feasible references and supports for the biocatalytic transformation of HMF in much more economical and effective ways.