Rapid and efficient conversion of bio-based sugar to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural using amino-acid derived catalysts

A series of low-cost and sustainable amino-acid derived catalysts including glutamic acid hydrochlorate (GluCl), glycine hydrochlorate (GlyCl), alanine hydrochlorate (AlaCl) and valine hydrochlorate (ValCl) were prepared by using a simple assembly method and characterized by 1H/13C NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) and FT-IR (Fourier transform infrared) techniques. These amino-acid based catalysts were highly efficient for the production of an important platform molecule 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) from biomass-derived sugars under oil-heating conditions. A high HMF yield of 83.7% at fructose conversion of 99.3% was achieved in merely 15 min at 120ºC. The catalyst could be reused for four times with no significant loss of its catalytic activity.