Efficient conversion of fructose to produce high-purity 5-hydroxymethylfurfural under low temperature

The development of mild strategies to transform of fructose to prepare high-purity 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is of great significance for biomass valorization, and the design of an efficient catalytic approach is crucial. Herein, a mild catalytic strategy was developed to achieve the preparation of high-purity HMF from fructose over Amberlyst-15 catalyst in a water-methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) biphasic system under atmospheric pressure and lower temperature (90 °C). The catalytic system was optimized and analyzed by response surface methodology and kinetics study. Results indicated that a 46.6% yield of HMF could be obtained under optimal conditions: 80 wt% Amberlyst-15 catalyst, the mass ratio of MIBK to H 2 O 10, and the reaction time of 7 h. Furthermore, a simple and efficient purification strategy of HMF was established. High purity (99.0%) and recovery rate (65.5%) of HMF were obtained. This work provides an efficient catalytic strategy to produce high-purity HMF from fructose under atmospheric pressure and lower temperature.