Hydroxymethyl furfural from chicory beets

Today, fuels, important basic chemicals as well as starting materials for the production of plastic are mainly obtained from fossil resources. An alternative to fossil-based platform chemicals could be 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) from which, for example, monomers for the synthesis of novel plastics can be obtained, like adipic acid or 5-hydroxymethylfuroic acid. HMF can most easily be produced from fructose or fructans, including inulin, which are oligosaccharides consisting of fructose moieties. In plants like jerusalem artichoke, dandelion, scorzonera or chicory inulin functions as carbohydrate reserve. Especially, the beets of chicory have come to the fore as starting material for the HMF synthesis as they arise wholesale as a waste in the chicory salad production.

The objectives of this project consist in the development of a process for the hydrothermal synthesis of HMF from chicory roots. The focus is on the realization of an aqueous one-phase system as well as on the utilization of real biomass. Further research interests concern the investigation of the carbohydrate metabolism in chicory crops and the preparation of final products from HMF such as levulinic acid and formic acid.