2,5-Furandicarboxylic Acid

2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is a dicarboxylic acid compound (figure 1) that is currently recognized as one of the most important “platform molecules” due to its potential application as a monomer in the synthesis of green polymers. Furthermore, with the similar molecular structure, 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid is expected as a green alternative polymer building block to the wildly used purified terephthalic acid (PTA) in the production of polyesters and polyamides. In addition, 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid is naturally found in human urine, and has been used in pharmacology, metal-organic framework materials, and organic synthesis.

Fig. 1 The chemical structure of 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid

Synthesis of 2,5-Furandicarboxylic Acid

Conversion of biomass into value-added fuels and chemicals is garnering increased attention, and many new catalysts and methods have been developed recently. For instance, 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid can be synthesized from substrates like, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), 5-methoxymethylfurfural (MMF), furfural or others via many catalytic methods, such as chemo-catalysis, bio-catalysis, photocatalysis and electrocatalysis, as shown in figure 2^[1]. While bio-catalysis is a promising approach with the advantages of mild reaction condition, lower cost, higher selectivity, and environment amity.

Fig. 2 Catalytic conversion of lignocellulosic biomass-derived furans into 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA)

Among the various pathways, the most common method to synthesize 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid from lignocellulosic biomass is the catalytic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural. Lignocellulose comes from waste streams such as agriculture, forestry, and paper and it is a composite of three types of materials: lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose. The acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of cellulose and hemicellulose produces glucose, fructose, and xylose, which can be dehydrated to produce the platform chemicals 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and furfural. The classical oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid occurs via an easy pathway, as shown in figure 3.

Fig. 3 Conventional synthesis and oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid

Polymers Derived from 2,5-Furandicarboxylic Acid

2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid is an aromatic compound that is employed heavily in the synthesis of polyester, polyamide, epoxy resin, and other polymers, as shown in figure 4^[2]. 2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid has been proved to be a promising bio-based building block that is expected to substitute terephthalic acid.

Fig. 4 Different polymers derived from 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid

Our 2,5-Furandicarboxylic Acid

Our 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid is derived from oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). And it is a renewable green alternative to petroleum-based terephthalic acid.

Alfa Chemistry is a professional supplier of biosynthetic 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid. For high quality products, professional technical service, use suggestion and latest industry news, please feel free to contact us.

References

1. Yuan, H., Liu, H., Du, J., Liu, K., Wang, T., & Liu, L. Biocatalytic production of 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid: recent advances and future perspectives. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 2019.
2. Fei X, Wang J, Zhang X, Jia Z, Jiang Y, Liu X. Recent Progress on Bio-Based Polyesters Derived from 2,5-Furandicarbonxylic Acid (FDCA). Polymers (Basel). 2022 Feb 6;14(3):625.

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