Metal Catalysts for the Efficient Transformation of Biomass‐derived HMF and Furfural to Value Added Chemicals

Abstract

Catalytic transformation of biomass‐derived compounds to different platform chemicals and liquid fuel is a prominent way to reduce the global dependence on fossil resources. In past few decades, biomass‐derived furans such as 2‐furfuraldehyde (furfural) and 5‐hydroxymethyl‐2‐furfural (HMF) have received outstanding attention because of their wide applications in the production of various industrially important value‐added chemicals and fuel components. Various catalytic systems and methodologies have been extensively explored for the transformation of these furans to a wide range of products including open ring diketones, ketoacids, alcohols and long chain alkanes. This Review is aimed to provide an extensive overview of the recent developments of several high‐performing heterogeneous catalysts for the catalytic upgradation of the key biomass‐derived furans (furfural and HMF) to value‐added chemicals. Moreover, the role of these catalysts in the catalytic transformations including hydrogenation, decarbonylation, oxidation, hydrogenolysis and ring opening reactions, and the mechanistic pathways are also highlighted in this Review.

Kinetics of Furfural Hydrogenation over Bimetallic Overlayer Catalysts and the Effect of Oxygen Vacancy Concentration on Product Selectivity

“…Biomass, a renewable and abundant resource, is regarded as an alternative for fossil fuels and receives widespread attention. Furfural, commercially produced from agricultural and forestry waste, is an important biomass‐derived non‐edible platform chemical which can be converted into various valuable chemicals …”

“…Furfural, commercially produced from agricultural and forestry waste, is an important biomass-derived non-edible platform chemical which can be converted into various valuable chemicals. [1][2][3] Palladium is one of the most studied metal catalysts in furfural hydrogenation due to its high reactivity. [4][5] Various valuable chemicals including furfuryl alcohol, [6] tetrahydrofuran, [7] 2-methyltetrahydrofuran, [8] cyclopentanone, [9] and pentanediols, [10] could be selectively produced with Pdbased catalysts.…”

Continuous Flow Synthesis of Bimetallic AuPd Catalysts for the Selective Oxidation of 5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5‐Furandicarboxylic Acid

“…75% of the overall biomass production per year by photosynthesis (127 billion tons) . Amongst all the products derived from lignocellulosic biomass, 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) has recently captured the attention of both the academic and industrial world . The simultaneous presence of a carbonyl and hydroxymethyl group directly attached to the aromatic furan ring, makes this renewable platform extremely versatile as well as an ideal starting point for the synthesis of several chemicals and biofuels .…”

“…[6] Amongst all the products derived from lignocellulosic biomass, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) has recently captured the attention of both the academic and industrial world. [7,8] The simultaneous presence of a carbonyl and hydroxymethyl group directly attached to the aromatic furan ring, makes this renewable platform extremely versatile as well as an ideal starting point for the synthesis of several chemicals and biofuels. [9][10][11][12] The aerobic oxidation of HMF, in particular, leads to the formation of several kinds of important furanic chemicals, such as maleic anhydride (MA), 2,5-diformylfuran (DFF), 5hydroxymethyl-2-furancarboxylic acid (HMFCA) and 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA).…”

An Efficient Acetalization Method for Biomass‐Derived Furfural with Ethanol Using γ‐Al2O3‐Supported Catalysts

“…Thus, we focused our study on developing a simple catalytic system over supported noble metals, due to the high stability and activity of Rh‐ and Pt‐supported catalysts, their solubility in alcohols, their capacity to withdraw hydrogen from alcohols, avoiding the use of extremely flammable H 2 gas, and the possibility for mild reaction conditions . Among the non‐noble metal‐based catalysts, Ni‐based catalysts are the most practical choice due to their high catalytic activity and low cost and abundance, but its poor resistant to deactivation is well known.…”