Production of Biomass Based Monomers for Polymer Production

Terephthalic acid presents such an important oil-based building block for chemical synthesis and important monomer for a multitude of polymers such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polyamide. Accordingly, a biomass-based alternative to terephthalic acid would be highly desirable. Therein, 2,5-furandialdehyde (FDA) and 2,5-furan dicarboxylic acid (FDCA) appear to be interesting molecules which can be prepared via dehydration of sugars to form 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) followed by oxidation. Consequently, the development of suitable solid acid and oxidation catalysts is necessary and depends on solvent system, reaction conditions and process design.

Funded by: NETZ and Robert Bosch Stiftung