Production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from carbohydrates in a biphasic system
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Abstract
Cheap catalyst aluminum silicate was combined with HCl to efficiently convert carbohydrates to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in a biphasic system. Glucose can yield 61.5% of 5-HMF in an H2O/n-butanol biphasic system at 453 K within 30 min. Polysaccharides (sucrose, maltose, starch and cellulose) can also be converted to HMF effectively in this biphaisc system at 453 K for 40 min. In addition, aluminum silicate can be reused over five cycles without a significant decrease in its activity. Such catalytic system has the potential to become an effecient and cost-effective approach to the conversion of carbohydrates into bio-fuels and platform chemicals.
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