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 Norit 1240 were obtained. Under certain conditions, by increasing the concentration of fructose in the solution, HMF adsorption increased significantly. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.