AN OVERVIEW OF DIFFERENT APPROACHES FOR SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONVERTIBILITY OF HYDROXYMETHYLFURFURAL

Abstract

Reducing level of fossil fuel reserves and rising concerns regarding global warming unveils that sustainable resources of energy are required in the coming decades. Renewable liquid fuel is thus of utmost importance in the transportation sector and ethanol one of its kind currently suffers from various limitations as well as contamination following the absorption of water from the surrounding atmosphere. Nowadays, Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is one of the most promising alternatives obtained from biomass due to its convertibility into a large number of chemicals having implications in different industries. It can be successfully produced from sustainable biomass feedstocks at low costs utilizing environment-friendly approaches. This brief introspection emphasizes several reaction systems to produce HMF from various substrates and their merits, demerits and requirements for sound commercialization.