Facile single-step conversion of macroalgal polymeric carbohydrates into biofuels

Abstract

Red macroalgae-derived agar is a renewable and sustainable resource. For the synthesis of HMF under solid Brønsted acid conditions, agar shows a unique reaction pattern and affords higher yields than land plant-based polymeric carbohydrates. Agar can be directly converted into next-generation biofuels by one-pot reactions and readily isolated by using a general workup procedure, which is crucial for a large-scale process. © 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.