Issue 5, 2023

Stabilization of alkaline 5-HMF electrolytes via Cannizzaro reaction for the electrochemical oxidation to FDCA

Abstract

The electrochemical oxidation of 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF) to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), a monomer for biopolymer production, caught attention as a route to renewable materials. However, this process is mostly performed in alkaline media, which causes HMF to degrade into humins. In this study, we demonstrate that alkaline degradation of HMF yielded 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furancarboxylic acid (HMFCA) and dihydroxymethylfuran (DHMF), which are both stable in alkaline media, and both of which can be electrooxidized to FDCA. Furthermore, the stability of the Cannizzaro products allowed the “indirect” electrooxidation of HMF to FDCA at unprecedentedly high concentrations of substrate and base, leading to current densities on the order of technical processes (∼1 A cm−2) and increased space–time-yields.

Graphical abstract: Stabilization of alkaline 5-HMF electrolytes via Cannizzaro reaction for the electrochemical oxidation to FDCA

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
12 Dec. 2022
Accepted
07 Febr. 2023
First published
08 Febr. 2023
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Green Chem., 2023,25, 1797-1802

Stabilization of alkaline 5-HMF electrolytes via Cannizzaro reaction for the electrochemical oxidation to FDCA

M. L. Krebs, A. Bodach, C. Wang and F. Schüth, Green Chem., 2023, 25, 1797 DOI: 10.1039/D2GC04732B

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