Selective adsorption of HMF on porous carbons from fructose/DMSO mixtures

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is an important intermediate chemical for producing valuable chemicals from biomass and can be synthesized with high yield from the dehydration of fructose in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Here, we investigate the room temperature separation of HMF from DMSO for a cost effective recovery of the product from the reaction mixture that contains unreacted fructose. BP2000, Norit1240, BP1300, BP880 and XC72 were tested as sorbents. BP2000 and Norit1240 exhibit selectivity and capacity for HMF. Depending on relative concentrations, HMF/fructose separation factors up to 45 for BP2000 and 13 for Norit1240 were obtained. Under certain conditions, by increasing the concentration of fructose in the solution, HMF adsorption increased significantly.

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► Separation of HMF from fructose/DMSO mixtures by adsorption on porous carbon is demonstrated.
► Commercially available carbons BP2000 and Norit1240 showed the highest capacity for HMF and negligible fructose adsorption.
► Presence of fructose can considerably enhance HMF adsorption in DMSO.