Magnetically assisted commercially attractive chemo-enzymatic route for the production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from inulin

Abstract

Biomass has recently been extensively exploited as an attractive alternative to the scarce fossil fuels and has been widely used for the production of fine chemicals. The present work defines an integrated approach for high yield of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) from inulin via a two-step process. Initially, insolubilization of inulinase from Aspergillus niger on chitosan-coated magnetic nanoparticles (cMNP) was achieved, and under optimal conditions, hydrolysis of 5% inulin by immobilized inulinase (2.5 U/mg) led to fructose release of 35.8 g/L at pH 6.0 and temperature 60°C in 3 h. Subsequently, the fructose was dehydrated to HMF in the presence of TiO 2 -magnetic silica spheres (TiO 2 -MSS). Upon optimizing the process parameters, HMF yield of 96.58% was achieved with 15% fructose in 15 min at 140°C with a TiO 2 -MSS load of 10% (w/w). Concerning the operational stability of the immobilized biocatalyst/catalyst, the immobilized inulinase was recycled up to 10 cycles of inulin hydrolysis with 9.2 g/L of fructose released at the 10th cycle. TiO 2 -MSS also showed high operational stability and were recycled up to 10 cycles of HMF production with 5.4 g/L of HMF produced at 10th cycle. The mass balance for inulin to HMF was performed which showed the efficiency of the process.

Development of a sustainable route for the production of high‐fructose syrup from the polyfructan inulin

“…Hydrolysis of inulin was performed using 5% of inulin suspended in phosphate buffer (pH 6.0). The reaction was initiated by the addition of 100 U/mg of immobilized inulinase under the shaking regime of 120 rpm at 50°C [ 21 ]. After 3 h of incubation, the amount of fructose released from the reaction was quantified using D‐fructose kit with standard fructose as reference.…”

Recent advances in biotransformation of 5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural: challenges and future aspects

“…The rise in emission of greenhouse gases due to the increasing development of global economy in recent years has raised concerns regarding the dependence on non-renewable fossil fuels. 1,2 In order to address these concerns, it is necessary to lessen the over-utilization of fossil residues and to enhance the utilization of renewable resources. 3 In the past decades, considerable progress has been achieved on the search for renewable resources as a source of energy and for green and sustainable chemical production.…”

“…20 These processes also yield hazardous by-products, which make the processes less environmentally feasible. 1,21 Considering the disadvantages of these chemical processes, the biotransformation of HMF to its derivatives has garnered much interest in recent years. 22 Although various studies have been performed on the whole-cell and biocatalytic conversion of HMF, the major limitation of these studies is that they are mostly confined to laboratory scale due to the low productivity of the end products, and the lower economic and industrial feasibility.…”

Amino‐functionalised mesoporous silica microspheres for immobilisation of Candida antarctica lipase B – application towards greener production of 2,5‐furandicarboxylic acid

“…The increasing magnitude of the conversion of renewable resources to transportable fuels and commodity chemicals has constituted biomass as the fundamental feedstock for chemical production. Moreover, the depletion of fossil fuel reservoirs coupled with a shift from the conventional petroleum-based resources has directed the establishment of the bio-based industry [1,2]. In this front, the large-scale application of bio-based chemicals is considered a promising strategy towards the sustainable development of the biorefineries, and the conversion of renewable resources into these valuable chemicals is beneficial for economic development as well as the welfare of the environment [3][4][5].…”