Production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from non-edible lignocellulosic food wastes

Abstract

The compound 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF) has emerged as a versatile intermediate with the ability to undergo conversion into both fuel and a variety of platform chemicals. Lignocellulosic biomass, such as hazelnut shells and tea processing residues, was employed in this study for HMF production through two distinct methods. In the first method, cellulose from biomass was converted to sugars using a 4% acid solution, followed by catalytic conversion with NaCl/CrCl3.6H2O. After a 1-h reaction at 131 °C in a high-pressure system, HMF was obtained from tea processing waste and hazelnut shells with yields of 8.6% (82.3 mg/g) and 6.7% (66.7 mg/g), respectively. The second method involved LiCl/NaCl-doped N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMA) as an ionic solvent system for HMF production. After a 2-h reaction at 131 °C in the DMA-NaCl/[EMIM]Cl ionic solvent system, HMF was obtained from tea processing waste and hazelnut shell celluloses with yields of 5.7% (57.5 mg/g) and 3.1% (31.3 mg/g), respectively. This study contributes to the economic conversion of various food wastes into valuable chemicals, highlighting the potential of lignocellulosic biomass in sustainable chemical production.