Efficient synthesis of 5-ethoxymethylfurfural from biomass-derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural over sulfonated organic polymer catalyst

Herein, we investigated catalytic potential of a functionalized porous organic polymer bearing sulfonic acid groups (PDVTA-SO3H) to the etherification of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 5-ethoxymethylfurfural (EMF) under solvent-free conditions. The PDVTA-SO3H material was synthesized via post-synthetic sulfonation of the porous co-polymer poly-divinylbenzene-co-triallylamine by chlorosulfonic acid. The physicochemical properties of the PDVTA-SO3H were characterized by FT-IR, SEM, TG-DTG, and N-2 adsorption isotherm techniques. PDVTA-SO3H had high specific surface area (591 m(2) g(-1)) and high density of -SO3H group (2.1 mmol g(-1)). The reaction conditions were optimized via Box-Behnken response surface methodology. Under the optimized conditions, the PDVTA-SO3H catalyst exhibited efficient catalytic activity with 99.8% HMF conversion and 87.5% EMF yield within 30 min at 110 degrees C. The used PDVTA-SO3H catalyst was readily recovered by filtration and remained active in recycle runs.

Automated summary

The study investigated the catalytic potential of PDVTA-SO3H polymer for the etherification of HMF to EMF under solvent-free conditions. The material showed high specific surface area and density of -SO3H group. Optimized conditions led to efficient HMF conversion and EMF yield within 30 minutes.