Autocatalytic Production of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural from Fructose-Based Carbohydrates in a Biphasic System and Its Purification

Abstract

An efficient autocatalytic process for the production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) from fructose-based carbohydrates has been investigated without the addition of any external catalysts in a methyl isobutyl ketone/water biphasic system, leading to elevated HMF yield through continuous extraction of HMF from an aqueous solution. The results show that both the reaction temperature and time have significant effects on fructose conversion and HMF yield; 96.8% of fructose can be converted into 73.6% of HMF with a small amount of levulinic acid and formic acid formed at a point of compromise between the reaction temperature and time (160 °C for 2 h). In addition, this autocatalytic system is suitable for other fructose-based feedstocks, such as sucrose and inulin, to achieve acceptable HMF yield. Moreover, a simple and efficient purification strategy for as-prepared HMF, viz., the NaOH neutralization method, has also been tested, achieving more than 99% of HMF recovery with more than 98% of purity correspondingly.