Improved synthesis of 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)furan from 5-hydroxymethylfurfural using acclimatized whole cells entrapped in calcium alginate

Upgrading of biomass-derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) has attracted considerable interest recently. In this work, efficient synthesis of 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl) furan (BHMF) from HMF was reported with the acclimatized Meyerozyma guilliermondii SC1103 cells entrapped in calcium alginate beads. Catalytic activities of the cells as well as their HMF-tolerant level increased significantly upon acclimatization and immobilization. BHMF was obtained within 7-24 h with good yields (82-85%) and excellent selectivities (99%) when the substrate concentrations were 200-300 mM. In scale-up synthesis, BHMF of up to 181mM was produced within 7 h, and its productivity was approximately 3.3 g/L h. In addition, the immobilized biocatalyst showed satisfactory operational stability; the cell viability of 70% was retained after reuse 4 times. With rice straw hydrolysate as cosubstrate, both the reaction rate and selectivity decreased, likely due to the deleterious influence of xylose in the hydrolysate.