Issue 1, 2021

Biorefinery roadmap based on catalytic production and upgrading 5-hydroxymethylfurfural

Abstract

Biorefineries, which utilize lignocellulosic biomass as renewable energy source and sustainable carbon feedstock, are a promising solution to alleviate the excessive dependence on the depleting fossil resources and address climate change and other environmental problems. Owing to the recalcitrance and over-functionalized nature of biomass, the conversion of biomass into desirable products requires a series of complex deconstruction, catalytic conversion, separation and purification processes. In the biorefinery roadmap, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) stands out as a bridge connecting biomass raw materials to alternative fuels, chemicals and materials, which can displace petroleum-derived products. This review describes the recent advances in the design and development of catalytic systems for the conversion of biomass and their constituent carbohydrates to HMF via hydrolysis, isomerization and dehydration reactions, and the upgrading of HMF towards polymer monomers, fine chemicals, fuel precursors, fuel additives, liquid fuels, and other platform chemicals via hydrogenation, oxidation, esterification, etherification, amination and aldol condensation reactions, with emphasis on how the catalysts, solvents and reaction conditions determine the reaction pathway and product selectivity. We also attempt to provide a conceptual framework on how to evaluate the actual reaction efficiency, reusability, and economic and technical feasibility of different catalytic systems and highlight the key research challenges to be addressed.

Graphical abstract: Biorefinery roadmap based on catalytic production and upgrading 5-hydroxymethylfurfural

Article information

Article type
Critical Review
Submitted
12 ágú. 2020
Accepted
10 nóv. 2020
First published
12 nóv. 2020

Green Chem., 2021,23, 119-231

Biorefinery roadmap based on catalytic production and upgrading 5-hydroxymethylfurfural

Q. Hou, X. Qi, M. Zhen, H. Qian, Y. Nie, C. Bai, S. Zhang, X. Bai and M. Ju, Green Chem., 2021, 23, 119 DOI: 10.1039/D0GC02770G

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements