Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is a high‐value platform chemical derived from renewable resources. In recent years, considerable efforts have been made to produce HMF also at industrial scale, which still faces some challenges regarding yield as well as sustainable and economic process designs. This critical Review evaluates the industrial process development of sustainable biomass conversion to HMF. Qualitative and quantitative guidelines are defined for the technological assessment of the processes described in patent literature. The formation of side products, difficulties in the separation and purification of HMF as well as catalyst regeneration were identified as major challenges in the HMF production. A first small‐scale, commercial HMF production plant with a capacity of 300 t HMF per year has been operating in Switzerland since 2014.

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is a promising bio-derived platform chemical with a broad scope of application, for example, in the production of solvents, fuels, polymers, or adhesives. The wood and foundry industries are among the largest adhesive users and currently both rely to a large extent on the use of fossil-based binders, such as by using formaldehyde as a crosslinker in many commercial adhesive systems. The industry is thus looking for suitable alternatives to replace fossil-based chemicals. HMF and its derivatives are considered to be key renewable reactants in adhesive systems. The core of this Review is the critical evaluation of the potential of HMF and its derivatives in adhesive systems. The technological performance was assessed in the fields of wood-based materials, sand casting and composites. As an overall conclusion, HMF and its derivatives have a high application potential in alternative adhesives. Clearly, further research is needed to improve the performance and produce economically competitive adhesives.

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