Dimethylfuran as a sustainable product of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural - production and application of a biobased solvent

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Martin Muhler
• Subject Area: Technical Chemistry ; Chemical and Thermal Process Engineering
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 500519476

The aim of the DiMeFu project is to further optimize and subsequent upscale of a highly selective heterogeneously catalyzed process. In a previous DFG project, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) was successfully converted to dimethylfuran (DMF) in the presence of formic acid over novel Pd-based catalysts supported on N-doped carbon materials under mild reaction conditions. In DiMeFu, the following goals are pursued:1. Optimization of the reaction conditions by further improvement of the catalyst and by adaptation of the reaction parameters for industrial production of bio-based DMF.2. Validation of the complete process consisting of catalyst synthesis, catalytic reaction and product purification on a larger scale.3. Characterization of the product DMF with regard to its properties as a solvent and extraction agent as well as testing and establishing the application of DMF in the production of natural paints.To achieve these objectives, the complete procedure of synthesis of Pd nanoparticles on -NH2 modified carbon supports will be transferred from the laboratory to a larger scale. Following guidelines from the laboratory study, the synthesis of DMF from bio-based 5-HMF is scaled up in a heterogeneously catalyzed batch process. Special emphasis is placed on the choice of mild reaction conditions and easy separation of the final product. Thermal purification of the product will be carried out in the next step. Subsequently, the product will be characterized and specified with regard to its potential use as a sustainable solvent and extraction agent, and tested for natural dye production.The aim of the project is to demonstrate the complete process chain, which describes and uses the most effective catalyst for the synthesis of DMF. An essential part is the upscaling of the catalyst synthesis and solving the related problems, such as ensuring a homogeneous distribution of the catalytically active Pd nanoparticles on the carbon support.Furthermore, 5-HMF will be successfully converted to DMF in a highly selective manner using the catalyst developed in this project under mild reaction conditions (max. 10 bar H2 and 160°C). For this purpose, the occurring transport processes will be understood and the exact reaction parameters will be described in such a way that further upscaling is possible. Finally, besides the use of DMF as a sustainable solvent in the production of natural paints and coatings, other applications such as as an extraction agent for natural substances or as a solvent in organic syntheses will be described.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants (Transfer Project)
• Application Partner: AURO Pflanzenchemie AG
• Co-Investigator: Dr. Baoxiang Peng
• Cooperation Partners: Dr. Harald Strittmatter; Ferdinand Vogelgsang