Sulfuric Acid-Catalyzed Dehydration of Carbohydrates for the Production of Adhesive Precursors

Carbohydrates and hexose-derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) are platform chemicals for the synthesis of sustainable binders. New, greener approaches aim at the development of production systems, which minimize process steps and avoid organic solvents or other auxiliaries that could interfere with subsequent resin synthesis. In our work, carbohydrate solutions rich in 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) were produced using a continuous-flow microreactor and diluted H2SO4 as the catalyst. After optimization of the process conditions (temperature, reaction time, catalyst content), a 5-HMF yield of 49% was obtained at a low reaction time of 0.6 min and a catalyst concentration of 1% at 175 °C and 17 bar pressure. Extensive rehydration of the product was avoided by efficient immediate cooling of the reaction solution. The stability of the reaction system was improved by increasing the inner diameter of the capillary in the flow reactor to 2 mm. Advantageously, the obtained reaction mixtures are used directly as precursors in the development of sustainable binder systems, without the need for additional purification, filtration, or extraction steps.