Synthesis of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from dehydration of biomass-derived glucose and fructose using supported metal catalysts

Abstract The global energy shortage has become more and more serious, which promotes the urgent need to shift to sustainable development. The value-added 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) can be derived from biomass wastes and can be used to synthesize various valuable chemicals, recently gaining researchers’ attention. Reaction from glucose or fructose to HMF is the most common method for HMF production and has been widely studied in the presence of various catalysts. Among these catalysts, heterogeneous catalysts, such as metal-supported catalysts, have been extensively developed due to its easy recovery and little secondary pollution formation. This review provides a systematic critical overview of recent researches on conventional metal-supported catalysts for the conversion of glucose and fructose to HMF. We compared the catalytic characteristics of metals in the preparation of HMF under various supporting materials and indicated their reaction mechanism. This review aims to provide references for further in-depth development of green and efficient catalysts and to make recommendations for future industrial applications of such catalysts.