Continuous synthesis of 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural from biomass in on‐farm biorefinery

Abstract

5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is the object of extensive research in recent times. The challenge in the industrial production of HMF is the choice of cheap, hexose feedstock. This study compares continuous HMF synthesis from hexoses—fructose and glucose, and biomass—Miscanthus × giganteus and chicory roots. The experiments were conducted in technical‐scale biorefinery (TRL 6/7). In the first stage, optimal conditions for the production of HMF from hexoses were selected using sulfuric acid as a catalyst in an aqueous medium. The following conditions were chosen for fructose: temperature of 200°C, the reaction time of 18 min, and pH = 2, and for glucose: 210°C, 18 min, and pH = 3. Under these conditions, the HMF yield was 56.5 mol% (39.6 wt.%) from fructose and 18.1 mol% (12.6 wt.%) from glucose. From the biomass, the HMF yields were 36.7 and 16.2 wt.% for miscanthus and chicory roots, respectively. Some results from the conversion of biomass solutions are unexpected and show a need for further investigations. This work has demonstrated the capacity to produce HMF from biomass as part of an environmentally friendly process in a biorefinery. Further research in this field and process optimization will be a step forward in the sustainable production of bioplastics.