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

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-hydroxymethy1-2-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. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.