5-HMF production from glucose using ion exchange resin and alumina as a dual catalyst in a biphasic system

5-HMF is a platform chemical that can be used in many applications such as biofuels, monomers, industrial feed stocks, etc. In this work 5-HMF was synthesized from glucose in a biphasic system using a batch reactor. Aluminium oxide and ion exchange resin were used as catalysts in this system. The organic solvent and aqueous solvent were methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) and 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP). The effect of operating conditions for synthesis of 5-HMF on the yield and selectivity of 5-HMF was studied including aqueous-to-organic phase ratio, NMP-to-water ratio, catalyst dosage, ratio of catalyst, and reaction time. The optimal conditions were at the reaction temperature of 120 °C and reaction time of 480 min, aqueous-to-organic phase ratio of 7 : 3, NMP-to-water ratio of 4 : 1, 0.3 g of catalyst, and the catalyst ratio of 1 : 2. The conversion of glucose, yield of 5-HMF, and selectivity of 5-HMF were 94.036%, 84.92%, and 90.48%, respectively.