Development of Betaine-Based Sustainable Catalysts for Green Conversion of Carbohydrates and Biomass into 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural

Graphical Biomass valorization with bioderived catalysts ! Renewable and sustainable betaine-based catalysts (BX) are prepared for the production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) from various carbohydrates and biomass in satisfactory yields. The introduction of choline chloride (ChCl) significantly improves the HMF yield, and the catalytic activity of ChCl-derived choline-O-sulfate (ChOS) is also demonstrated. This work introduces a promising approach for the use of biomass-derived catalysts for effective valorization of biomass. Renewable and sustainable betaine-based catalysts (BX) derived from the betaine sugar industry or ChCl were developed for the production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) from various carbohydrates. The HMF yields in the BX-based media reached up to 88 %, 66 %, 37 % and 53 %, for the conversion of fructose, glucose, cellulose, and lignocellulosic biomass, respectively. In addition, choline-O-sulfate was synthesized and demonstrated to be an efficient catalyst for the conversion of fructose to HMF. From the perspective of green and sustainable chemistry, this work demonstrates benefits not only in the preparation of sustainable catalysts but also the green production of HMF from biomass.