Production of FDCA directly from glucose/fructose in a continuous-flow two-stage reactor system and study of reaction kinetics

2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), as one of the most promising green chemicals, has found a variety of commercial applications, particularly in the synthesis of polyesters, polyamides, and plasticizers as well as adhesives and coatings. FDCA is commonly produced from pure 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) by selective oxidation. However, pure 5-HMF is by far very expensive, generated by catalytic dehydration of carbohydrates (sugars, starch or cellulose), in which the yield and selectivity are still low due to the formation of byproducts such as humins, hence posing a big challenge for commercial-scale production of FDCA. Alternatively, synthesis of FDCA directly from biomass or sugars through 5-HMF intermediate could be economically viable and sustainable. In this Mitacs Accelerate project, our existing continuous-flow biphasic catalytic reactor system (15g/h) for HMF synthesis will be modified to a two-stage continuous-flow process for production of FDCA directly from glucose/fructose and for study of reaction kinetics.

Faculty Supervisor:

Charles Chunbao Xu

Student:

Taizong Shen

Partner:

Climicals

Discipline:

Engineering - chemical / biological

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

Western University