Chemical Transformations of Biomass-Derived C6-Furanic Platform Chemicals for Sustainable Energy Research, Materials Science, and Synthetic Building Blocks

Abstract

Recent advances in the area of biomass-derived C6-furanic platform chemicals for sustainable biomass processing are analyzed focusing on chemical reactions important for development of practical applications and materials science. Among the chemical processes currently being studied, tuning the amount of oxygen-containing functional groups remains the most active research direction. Production of efficient fuels requires the removal of oxygen atoms (reduction reactions), whereas utilization of biomass-derived furanic derivatives in material science points out the importance of oxidation in order to form dicarboxylic derivatives. Stimulated by this driving force, oxidation and reduction of 5-(hydroxymethyl)­furfural (HMF) are nowadays massively studied. Moreover, these fundamental transformations are often used as model reactions to test new catalysts, and HMF transformations guide the development of new catalytic systems. From the viewpoint of organic synthesis, highly diverse chemical reactivity is explored and a number of bioderived synthetic building blocks with different functional groups are now accessible. This Perspective covers the most recent literature (since Jan 2017) to highlight the emerging research trends.

Recent Advances in Catalytic Hydrogenation of Furfural

“…The exploration and development of new, non-fossil carbon energy sources are urgently needed due to the increasing energy consumption and the decreasing reserves of fossil resources and global ecological degradation [1]. In this regards, biomass conversion is a promising way to overcome the dependence of society on fossil hydrocarbons (oil, coal, and gas), especially in fuel production and energy areas [2]. Via bio-refinery, lignocellulose can be converted into relevant chemicals, such as furfural [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10], 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) [11][12][13][14][15], and alkyl levulinates [16][17][18][19][20], among others.…”

Chemoenzymatic Synthesis of 5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF)‐Derived Plasticizers by Coupling HMF Reduction with Enzymatic Esterification

“…5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), obtained by dehydration of hexoses, constitutes one of the most important and versatile platform molecules, owing to its broad range of potential applications in the biofuels and chemical industries. Numerous transformations of HMF, such as, oxidation, reduction, etherification, alkylation, aldol condensation, acetalization, hydration, and reductive amination, have been reported in recent years . Among them, the reduction of the formyl group of HMF to afford the symmetrical diol 2,5‐bis(hydroxymethyl)furan (BHMF), has received much attention .…”

Sustainable Chemicals: A Brief Survey of the Furans

“…[22,48]. Gallium-promoted HZSM-5 zeolites as efficient catalysts for the aromatization of biomass-derived furans Investigated the influence of the Ga loading on the physicochemical properties of Ga-modified HZSM-5 zeolite and its performance in the gas-phase aromatization of 2,5-dimethylfuran with ethylene 2019 [35] Chemical Transformations of Biomass-Derived C6-Furanic Platform Chemicals for Sustainable Energy Research, Materials Science, and Synthetic Building Blocks Perspective covering 5-(hydroxymethyl) furfural (HMF) from 2017 only 2018 [36] Recent advances in catalytic transformation of biomass-derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural into the innovative fuels and chemicals Focuses on 5-(hydroxymethyl) furfural (HMF) its derivatives only 2017 [37] Recent Development of Biobased Epoxy Resins: A Review…”