5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) is a versatile chemical, derived from renewable cellulosic biomass by a cascade of reactions. Poor solubility of cellulose caused by abundanthydrogen bonding networkspresents a major challenge in cellulosic biomassconversion. We assessed the interaction between dilute HCl and cellulosic hemp hurds solubilized in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([C2C1im]Cl) for hydrolysis of cellulose to glucose and conversion of glucose to 5-HMF in one pot. The dissolution of cellulosic biomass in [C2C1im]Cl enhanced cellulose accessibility to acid, enabling efficient glucose release under mild dissolution (&lt;170°C) and acid hydrolysis conditions (&lt; 105°C). The resulting glucose readily underwent dehydration with and without additional catalysts. We achieved 63 mol.% HMF yield in this one-pot system at 120 °C. Moreover, because the residual lignin was not condensed, it is a potentially useful co-product. Our approach is simple, and it eliminates the need to separate glucose. With optimization, the approach can be applied to various types of lignocellulose, and 5-HMF yield can be maximized.

One-pot acid-catalyzed 5-hydroxymethylfurfural production from industrial hemp: from controversies to commodity chemicals

2019 Spring National Meeting

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