Progress in Catalytic Conversion of Renewable Chitin Biomass to Furan-Derived Platform Compounds

Abstract

Chitin is one of the most abundant biopolymers on Earth but under-utilized. The effective conversion of chitin biomass to useful chemicals is a promising strategy to make full use of chitin. Among chitin-derived compounds, some furan derivatives, typically 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and 3-acetamido-5-acetylfuran, have shown great potential as platform compounds in future industries. In this review, different catalytic systems for the synthesis of nitrogen-free 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and nitrogen-containing 3-acetamido-5-acetylfuran from chitin or its derivatives are summarized comparatively. Some efficient technologies for enhancing chitin biomass conversion have been introduced. Last but not least, future challenges are discussed to enable the production of valuable compounds from chitin biomass via greener processes.

Chitin Hydrolysis Using Zeolites in Lithium Bromide Molten Salt Hydrate

“…HZSM-5 and HUSY, which contain medium Lewis acid density, also provided a middle-level NAG formation rate. The strong negative correlation between Lewis acid site density and NAG formation suggests that Lewis acid sites may induce undesired side reactions of NAG monomers such as isomerization and deacetylation, as reported in cellulose − and chitin conversion previously.…”

Engineering carbonyl reductase for one-pot chemobiocatalytic enantioselective synthesis of a value-added N-containing chiral alcohol from N-acetyl-d-glucosamine

“…Recently, chemists have focused their attention on HMF synthesis from this type of biomass waste. [14][15][16] As a matter of fact, chitin contains around 7 wt% nitrogen and therefore it is a promising feedstock for the direct production of high-value N-containing chemicals such as D-glucosamine, amino alcohols and amino acids, and heterocyclic compounds. 17 3-Acetamido-5-acetylfuran (3A5AF) obtained via NAG dehydration is a versatile N-containing furanbased building block for manufacturing a variety of useful chemicals such as anticancer alkaloid proximicin A and 3-aminocyclopentenones.…”

A bio-based click reaction leading to the dihydropyridazinone platform for nitrogen-containing scaffolds

“…Recent investigations toward this end have revealed a great potential of chitin as a source compound for N-containing chemicals synthesis, due to its shear abundance and high N content (∼7 wt%). 25 Several appealing products, such as N -acetylglucosamine, 26 and 3-acetamido-5-acetylfuran 27 and its derivatives, 28 could be selectively prepared. Unfortunately, the molecular structure types of the resulting products are still rare.…”