AutocatalyticProduction of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfuralfrom Fructose-Based Carbohydrates in a Biphasic System and Its Purification.

Anefficient autocatalytic process for the production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural(HMF) from fructose-based carbohydrates has been investigated withoutthe addition of any external catalysts in a methyl isobutyl ketone/waterbiphasic system, leading to elevated HMF yield through continuousextraction of HMF from an aqueous solution. The results show thatboth the reaction temperature and time have significant effects onfructose conversion and HMF yield; 96.8% of fructose can be convertedinto 73.6% of HMF with a small amount of levulinic acid and formicacid formed at a point of compromise between the reaction temperatureand time (160 °C for 2 h). In addition, this autocatalytic systemis suitable for other fructose-based feedstocks, such as sucrose andinulin, to achieve acceptable HMF yield. Moreover, a simple and efficientpurification strategy for as-prepared HMF, viz., the NaOH neutralizationmethod, has also been tested, achieving more than 99% of HMF recoverywith more than 98% of purity correspondingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]