Catalytic production of hydroxymethylfurfural from sucrose using 1-methyl-3-octylimidazolium chloride ionic liquid

Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is an important chemical intermediate, but it has not been widely used because of low yields and high production costs. Sucrose is available at lower costs than other sugars and thus could be a biomass-derived abundant source for HMF production. In this study, a catalytic process for efficiently producing HMF from sucrose was scrutinized using 1-methyl-3-octylimidazolium chloride (MOIM]Cl) as a reaction solvent, and HCl and metal chlorides (CrCl₂ and Zncl₂) as a catalyst. The rate of sucrose hydrolysis was relatively much faster in the reactions with HCl than without it. The hydrolysis of sucrose to fructose and glucose was affected by its reaction time. The mixed solvent of 50% MOIM]Cl and 50% sucrose solution with HCl was more effective in HMF synthesis than single solvent alone. The addition of ZnCl₂ and CrCl₂ increased HMF yields by approximately 1.2–1.8-fold and its higher yield was found in the latter. The highest yield (82.0±3.9 wt%) in HMF production was achieved in the reaction mixture containing 5 g MOIM]Cl and 5 mL of 20% sucrose solution with 0.5M HCl plus CrCl₂ at 30 min reaction time. However, 0.3 M HCl was more effective for the HMF productivity than 0.5 M HCl.