Metal-free oxidative synthesis of succinic acid from biomass-derived furan compounds using a solid acid catalyst with hydrogen peroxide

• A facile approach for the selective synthesis of succinic acid (SA) using solid acid catalyst in aqueous media.
• Oxidative cleavage of furan carbonyls (furfural, 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde, furoic acid) to SA.
• Use of Amberlyst-15 (solid acid catalyst) and 30% H2O2 (green oxidant) under mild conditions.
• Remarkable activity with excellent recyclability.

Green oxidation of 2-furaldehyde (furfural) and its homologues were investigated using solid acid catalyst and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in aqueous media to form succinic acid (SA), a key chemical that affords wide applications in macromolecular, pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries. Amberlyst-15, a strongly acidic ion-exchange resin, functioned as an efficient solid acid catalyst for a highly selective SA production in the furfural oxidation reaction. The synthesized SA was simply isolated in high purity (supported by NMR spectral data). Furthermore, the utilization of Amberlyst-15 with H2O2 was also useful in oxidizing carbonyl derivatives of furan (furfural, 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde, furoic acid) to a one carbon less linear di-carboxylic acid such as SA and 2-oxoglutaric acid (OGA) under moderate conditions. This catalytic oxidation process with an acid catalyst and H2O2 promises to be a viable route for SA syntheses since they have the advantages of easy handling and simple purification decreasing the cost for the production, as compared to the current state of art.

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