Reactor development for a one‐step hybrid catalytic conversion of D‐glucose to HMF

Abstract

AbstractThe design of an “H”‐shaped reactor has been studied to satisfy the possibility of using a triphasic medium to transform d‐glucose into 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) by a hybrid catalytic process using an immobilized glucose isomerase, allowing the isomerization of D‐glucose to d‐fructose, and a heterogeneous chemical catalyst to catalyze the dehydration of d‐fructose to HMF. The various parameters influencing the transport of d‐fructose within the reactor were studied, namely the difference in pH between the two aqueous phases, the agitation and the quantity of 3,4‐DCPBA/Aliquat336® used to extract and transport continuously the d‐fructose. The pH discrepancy, which must be between 5.0 and 5.5, turns out to be the real driving force behind the extraction of D‐fructose. The D‐Fru/3,4‐DCPBA molar ratio of 1/0.25 allowed the transport of more than 80 % of the D‐fructose initially present and shows that the same molecule of 3,4‐DCPBA is involved at least twice in the transport of D‐fructose and that the 3,4‐DCPBA/Aliquat336® couple performs a turnover within the organic phase. Finally, a HMF production yield of 30.9 % and an isomerization yield of 79.1 % were obtained, illustrating the shift in the isomerization equilibrium made possible by a D‐fructose extraction yield of 96.8 %.