Conversion Of Fructose Research Articles

Abstract PO-031: Aldolase A (ALDOA) is required for efficient DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair

Abstract Introduction: Metabolic reprogramming, known as the Warburg effect, is one of the universal differences between cancer cells and non-cancerous cells. Glucose metabolism and DNA repair are frequently dysregulated in cancer. Metabolic pathways provide cells with nucleic acids and energy required to repair DNA. However, the underlying mechanisms that promote crosstalk between these processes are unknown. ALDOA is a glycolytic enzyme that catalyses the conversion of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate to glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate and dihydroxyacetone phosphate. ALDOA is overexpressed in several types of cancer. In this study, we demonstrate a novel mechanism through which ALDOA directly regulates DSB repair. Methods: ALDOA was depleted from cells using siRNA and single-shot quantitative proteomics were performed. Immunofluorescence was utilized to determine the localization of ALDOA. DSB repair reporter assays were used to measure DSB break repair. Gene expression was quantified by western blot and qPCR. Immunoprecipitations were used to detect protein:protein interactions. Statistical analysis: The experiments were at least n=3, and data are presented as the means ± SEM. Statistical significance was evaluated using Student’s t-test or one-way ANOVA. Results: In order to identify ALDOA-dependent pathways, we performed quantitative mass spectrometry on ALDOA depleted cells. In addition to the expected decrease in glycolysis pathways, we also observed a significant downregulation of DNA repair proteins in ALDOA depleted cells. Further analysis showed that the ALDOA protein responds to DNA damage (IR) and migrates from the cytosol to the nucleus, suggesting that it could be directly involved in DNA damage repair. Slower clearance of γ-H2AX foci (a DSB marker), and decreased clonogenicity following irradiation (IR) treatment were also observed, indicating dysfunctional DNA repair processes. Repair of DSBs is primarily though the NHEJ (non-homologous end-joining) or HR (homologous recombination) -mediated DNA repair pathways. Silencing ALDOA led to a decrease in both NHEJ- and HR-mediated DSB repair efficiency. This disruption was likely due to the significant reduction of both the mRNA and protein of the DNA repair effector kinases, DNA-Dependent Kinase (DNA-PK) and Ataxia and Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM) in ALDOA-depleted cells. In addition to regulating the expression of DNAPK and ATM we also found that ALDOA directly interacted with both kinases, suggesting that it may have a direct role in regulating their function. Here, we define a role for ALDOA in the repair of DNA DSBs, through the regulation of DNA repair effector kinase expression and function. Conclusion: These results identify crosstalk between metabolic and DNA repair pathways and have implications for cancer treatment and tumorigenesis. The role of ALDOA in DNA repair could promote therapeutic resistance in tumors and may be a future therapeutic target to sensitize tumors to DNA-damaging agents such as radiation. Citation Format: Amila Suraweera, Kenneth O’Byrne, Derek Richard, Emma Bolderson, Thais Sobanski. Aldolase A (ALDOA) is required for efficient DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Special Conference on Radiation Science and Medicine; 2021 Mar 2-3. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2021;27(8_Suppl):Abstract nr PO-031.

Sustainable Catalytic Process for Fructose Dehydration using Dicationic Ionic Liquid Assisted ZSM-5 Zeolite

ABSTRACT In this work, a uniquely designed imidazolium-based dicationic ionic liquid (IL) was synthesized as a greener template and applied for the synthesis of ZSM-5 zeolite as a heterogeneous catalyst for the dehydration of fructose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). Characterization results confirmed that due to the presence of dicationic IL as template, effective interactions and structural alterations occurred during the construction of zeolitic framework wherein the vertices of ZSM-5 consisting of Al or Si and O elements were assumed to be bonded between the vertices of dicationic IL-assisted zeolite ZSM-5 catalyst. This resulted in superior structural advantages such as highly crystalline nature and stability as well as variation in mesopores when compared to commercial ZSM-5. Additionally, various reaction variables were investigated wherein synthesized dicationic IL-assisted ZSM-5 zeolite catalyst in the presence of [BMIm][Cl] as solvent demonstrated 95% conversion of fructose and 67.2% yield of HMF at 110°C within 90 min. The altered surface area and porous nature of synthesized ZSM-5 due to the presence of dicationic IL as template was responsible for the enhanced catalytic performance under mild reaction conditions. Most significantly, being a solid catalyst, the newly developed dicationic IL-assisted zeolite ZSM-5 catalyst showed recyclability for four recycles.

Sulfonic Derivatives as Recyclable Acid Catalysts in the Dehydration of Fructose to 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural in Biphasic Solvent Systems.

Biphasic systems have received increasing attention for acid-catalyzed dehydration of hexoses to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) because of their high efficiency in in situ extraction and stabilization of HMF. Different organic solvents and acid catalysts were applied in these systems, but their effects on the dehydration activity and HMF yield, and the recycling of homogeneous acid catalysts remain largely unexplored. Here, we tested different solvent systems containing a wide range of organic solvents with low boiling points to study the effects of their chemical structures on fructose dehydration and provided stable H2O–dioxane and H2O–acetonitrile biphasic systems with high HMF yields of 76–79% using water-soluble sulfonic derivatives as homogeneous acid catalysts under mild conditions (383 K). By analyzing the partition coefficients of HMF and sulfonic derivatives, 94.3% of HMF and 87.1% of NH2SO3H were, respectively, restrained in the dioxane phase and aqueous phase in the H2O–dioxane biphasic system and easily divided by phase separation. The effects of the adjacent group in sulfonic derivatives and reaction temperature on fructose conversions and HMF yields suggest that in a specific biphasic system, the catalysts’ acidity and reaction conditions significantly affect the fructose dehydration activity but hardly influence the optimal yield of HMF, and an almost constant amount of carbon loss was observed mainly due to the poor hydrothermal stability of fructose. Such developments offer a promising strategy to address the challenge in the separation and recycling of homogeneous acid catalysts in the practical HMF production.

Lignocellulosic biomass and carbohydrates as feed-stock for scalable production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural

An one-pot process has been developed for the conversion of lignocellulosic bio-mass and carbohydrates to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), following a highly specific approach. First time, raw sugarcane bagasse and corn-cob biomasses were mechanically grinded to fine powder and further applied as feedstock for 5-HMF and furfural production in one-pot and scalable synthesis. A synergistic role of mixed organic and inorganic acids such as oxalic acid, AlCl3 and HCl, charcoal, and solvent system was critically investigated on cellulose with their proportion, which is responsible for the fruitful conversion to 5-HMF. Crucial role of charcoal was investigated under this study and noticeable improvement of yield ~ 16% was observed. The optimized process further tested up to 0.5 kg scale biomass conversion to 5-HMF production successfully. The scope of the process further extended for conversion of waste raw potato, corn powder, starch, glucose and fructose to 5-HMF production with high specificity and conversion. After solvent extraction, avoiding tedious column chromatography, the UPLC purity of 5-HMF was measured to 87–95%.

SiFBA5, a cold-responsive factor from Saussurea involucrata promotes cold resilience and biomass increase in transgenic tomato plants under cold stress

BackgroundSaussurea involucrata survives in extreme arctic conditions and is very cold-resistant. This species grows in rocky, mountainous areas with elevations of 2400–4100 m, which are snow-covered year-round and are subject to freezing temperatures. S. involucrata’s ability to survive in an extreme low-temperature environment suggests that it has particularly high photosynthetic efficiency, providing a magnificent model, and rich gene pool, for the analysis of plant cold stress response. Fructose-1, 6-bisphosphate aldolase (FBA) is a key enzyme in the photosynthesis process and also mediates the conversion of fructose 1, 6-bisphosphate (FBP) into dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) and glycerol triphosphate (GAP) during glycolysis and gluconeogenesis. The molecular mechanisms underlying S. involucrata’s cold tolerance are still unclear; therefore, our work aims to investigate the role of FBA in plant cold-stress response.ResultsIn this study, we identified a cold-responsive gene, SiFBA5, based on a preliminary low-temperature, genome-wide transcriptional profiling of S. involucrata. Expression analysis indicated that cold temperatures rapidly induced transcriptional expression of SiFBA5, suggesting that SiFBA5 participates in the initial stress response. Subcellular localization analysis revealed that SiFBA5 is localized to the chloroplast. Transgenic tomato plants that overexpressed SiFBA5 were generated using a CaMV 35S promoter. Phenotypic observation suggested that the transgenic plants displayed increased cold tolerance and photosynthetic efficiency in comparison with wild-type plants.ConclusionCold stress has a detrimental impact on crop yield. Our results demonstrated that SiFBA5 positively regulates plant response to cold stress, which is of great significance for increasing crop yield under cold stress conditions.

Leaf-derived sulfonated carbon dots: efficient and recoverable catalysts to synthesize 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from fructose

Sulfonated carbon dots (SCDs) were synthesized from plant leaves via continuously hydrothermal treatment by hydrogen peroxide and sulfuric acid, used as catalyst for converting fructose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). Owing to nanosize effect and moderate acidic intensity, SCDs could thoroughly distribute in the solvent with an improved interfacial compatibility and selectively convert fructose to HMF. Under the optimal condition, the yield of HMF was 92.6% along with a fructose conversion of 100%, benefiting from a low activation energy of 52.9 kJ/mol when dimethylsulfoxide was used as solvent. The SCDs catalyst can be recovered, after six recycles, the fructose conversion and HMF yield were remained 66.1% and 56.2% under condition with incompletely conversion of fructose, respectively. This work provides a sustainable route to prepare carbon dots with a superior catalytic performance for converting biomass to important biobased platform chemicals.

Insight into Fructose Dehydration over Lewis Acid α‐Cu2P2O7 Catalyst

AbstractKey information on direct conversion of fructose into 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (5‐HMF) over Lewis acid sites was investigated by combining experimental and computational studies. A series of alpha‐copper pyrophosphate (α‐Cu2P2O7) was synthesized and used as a heterogeneous catalyst model for bifunctional acid‐catalyzed fructose dehydration under hot compressed water at mild temperature. Structural and phase transformations of the catalyst samples were systematically characterized by in situ X‐ray absorption spectroscopy (in situ XAS), X‐ray powder diffraction (XRD) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The type of acidic site was verified by in situ pyridine‐adsorbed Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (in situ Py‐FTIR). Results revealed that calcination temperature greatly impacted microstructure, acid strength, and activity of the α‐Cu2P2O7 catalysts. Lewis acid sites showed the main activity on α‐Cu2P2O7 catalyst surfaces. Catalytic performance was strongly dependent on reaction temperature and reaction time. Under optimal reaction condition, the calcined sample at 900 °C exhibited the best catalytic performance with 5‐HMF production yield of 42.0%. Results from density functional theory (DFT) revealed that fructose dehydration over α‐Cu2P2O7 catalyst was enhanced by increasing reaction thermodynamics via Lewis acid sites.

Determination of inulin in the herbal mixtures by GC-MS method

The herbal mixtures due to the wide range of biologically active substances can influence on various links of the pathogenetic mechanism of development of diabetes mellitus and its complications. The carbohydrates, especially inulin, deserve the particular attention through their hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, anticholesterolemic and detoxifying activities. The aim of the study was to investigate the content of inulin in the herbal mixtures No. 3, No. 4, No. 7, No. 13 and No. 19, which are used in folk medicine for the prevention and treatment of diabetes mellitus type 2 in Ukraine. The quantity content of inulin was defined by the difference between fructose as a product of enzymatic hydrolysis and fructose, a constituent of sucrose and free fructose, taking into account the empirical factor for the conversion of fructose from inulin. The carbohydrates were separated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry after conversion into volatile derivatives as aldononitrile acetate. According to the results, the herbal mixture No. 3 contains 458.97 mg/g of inulin, the herbal mixture No. 4 – 99.21 mg/g, the herbal mixture No. 7 – 139.93 mg/g, the herbal mixture No. 13 – 203.84 mg/g, the herbal mixture No. 19 – 359.65 mg/g. The availability of inulin and its high content in the investigated herbal mixtures due to the presence of inulin-containing medicinal plants, such as Cichorium intubus roots (mixtures No. 3 and No. 13), Taraxacum officinale roots (mixtures No. 3, No. 7 and No. 19), Arctium lappa roots (mixture No. 4), Inula helenium rhizome with roots (mixture No. 7).

Synthesis of ordered hierarchically mesoporous/microporous carbon materials via compressed CO2 for fructose-to-HMF transformation

Well-ordered hierarchically mesoporous/microporous carbon materials have been successfully fabricated by using dual soft-templating approach through compressed CO2. Pluronic F127 and different type of surfactants, including nonionic, cationic, and anionic surfactants, were used as dual templates to investigate the influence on the morphology and nanostructure of the as-prepared carbon samples. TEM, SEM, N2 sorption, wide-angle and small-angle XRD analysis were employed to reveal the well-ordered hierarchically micro-mesoporous structure with 2D hexagonal symmetry by using compressed CO2. The prepared HPC samples with different pressures as the catalyst carriers have been functioned by chlorosulfonic acid for the fructose conversion into HMF. Chlorosulfonic acid concentration, catalyst dosage and reaction temperature have been optimized for fructose-to-HMF transformation with the obtained catalyst. The performances of as-made HPC–SO3H samples in HMF yield and reaction rate of fructose-to-HMF transformation have been investigated. The stability of the samples was also conducted in the dehydration of fructose to HMF for five cycles. The possible catalytic mechanism by using hierarchically porous carbon materials as catalyst support for fructose-to-HMF transformation was proposed.

Waste Polyethylene terephthalate Derived Carbon Dots for Separable Production of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural at Low Temperature

Waste Polyethylene terephthalate plastic bottles were used as precursors to fabricate carbon dots (CDs) via air oxidation and sulfuric acid hydrothermal treatment. Owing to the nano-size effect and abundant acidic groups, CDs allowed their application as a novel solid acid for quasi-homogeneous catalytic dehydration of fructose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). Under the optimal condition, an ultra-high yield of HMF was 97.4% along with 100% fructose conversion at low temperature of 50 °C when [BMIM]Cl/ethanol was used as solvent. The CDs catalyst also displayed a prominent recyclability and was used for six recycles without massive loss in catalytic activity. Furthermore, 98.6% of HMF could be obtained from final products. The findings provide a novel sustainable route using recyclable plastics to synthesize carbon dots with a superior catalytic performance for conversion of biomass to important bio-based platform chemicals.

LiCl-promoted-dehydration of fructose-based carbohydrates into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural in isopropanol.

The carbohydrate-derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is one of the most versatile intermediate chemicals, and is promising to bridge the growing gap between the supply and demand of energy and chemicals. Developing a low-cost catalytic system will be helpful to the production of HMF in industry. Herein, the commercially available lithium chloride (LiCl) and isopropanol (i-PrOH) are used to construct a cost-effective and low-toxic system, viz., LiCl/i-PrOH, for the preparation of HMF from fructose-based carbohydrates, achieving ∼80% of HMF yield under the optimum conditions. The excellent promotion effect of LiCl on fructose conversion in i-PrOH could be attributed to the synergistic effect of LiCl with i-PrOH through the LiCl-promoted and i-PrOH-aided dehydration process, and the co-operation of LiCl and i-PrOH for stabilizing the as-formed HMF by hydrogen/coordination bonds, giving a low activation energy of 68.68 kJ mol−1 with a pre-exponential factor value of 1.2 × 104 min−1. The LiCl/i-PrOH system is a substrate-tolerant and scalable catalytic system, fructose (scaled up 10 times), sucrose, and inulin also give 73.6%, 30.3%, and 70.3% HMF yield, respectively. Moreover, this system could be reused 8 times without significant loss of activity. The readily available and low-toxic LiCl, the sustainable solvent (i-PrOH), the renewable starting materials, and the mild reaction conditions make this system promising and sustainable for the industrial production of HMF in future.

Catalytic Conversion of High Fructose Corn Syrup to Methyl Lactate with Coo@Silicalite-1

Methyl lactate (MLA), a versatile biomass platform, was typically produced from the catalytic conversion of high-priced fructose in most research studies. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a mixture of glucose, fructose, and water, and an economical substitute for fructose to produce MLA due to the much lower cost of separation and drying processes. However, the transformation of HFCS to MLA is still a challenge due to its complex components and the presence of water. In this work, the catalytic conversion of HFCS to MLA over CoO@silicalite-1 catalyst synthesized via a straightforward post citric acid treatment has been reported. The maximum MLA yield reached 43.8% at 180 oC for 18 h after optimizing the reaction conditions and Co loading. Interestingly, adding extra 3% water could further increase the MLA yield, implying that our CoO@silicalite-1 catalyst is also capable for upgrading wet HFCS. As a result, the costly drying process of wet HFCS can be avoided. Moreover, the activity of CoO@silicalite-1 catalyst can be regenerated for at least four cycles via facile calcination in air. This study, therefore, will provide a new opportunity to not only solve the HFCS-overproduction issues but also produce value-added MLA.

Synthesis and characterization of an α-MoO3 nanobelt catalyst and its application in one-step conversion of fructose to 2,5-diformylfuran

α-MoO3 nanobelts have been successfully synthesized and applied as a bifunctional catalyst for one-step conversion of fructose to DFF under atmospheric air.

Preparation of SAPO-34-Based Catalyst for Conversion of Fructose to 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural

Solid acid-catalyzed dehydration of fructose to produce 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) has been a hotspot in biomass conversion research in recent years. In this study, a novel SAPO‑34‑based catalyst was prepared by consecutive steps of titanium doping, sulfuric acid impregnation, and sulfonic acid functionalization. Characterization of the catalyst with X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES), and acid-base titration revealed different pore structures and more acid content compared to SAPO‑34. The catalyst was applied to the preparation of 5-HMF by dehydration of fructose, and the maximum yield (74.0%) of 5-HMF was obtained by reacting in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) at 170 °C for 50 min. In addition, the applicability of the catalytic system to other substrates and the stability of the catalyst after five cycles were investigated, which are valuable for further probing on the concerned aspects.

Highly efficient and tunable visible-light-catalytic synthesis of 2,5-diformylfuran using HBr and molecular oxygen.

This paper discloses that inexpensive hydrobromic acid (HBr) is active and highly selective to the photo-oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-diformylfuran (DFF) with dioxygen (O2) or even with water under visible light illumination, which can achieve the highest 89.1% DFF yield in DMSO at 80 °C under pure O2 atmosphere. More importantly, under bifunctional acid-photooxidation catalysis of HBr, fructose can be directly converted to DFF and its two-step cascade conversion in DMSO provides a far higher DFF yield (80.2%) than the one-step cascade conversion in MeCN (42.1%). The results of HMF photooxidation catalyzed by hydrohalic acids, free radical quenching tests and EPR spectrum support that the Br atom and superoxide (O2−˙) anion radicals generated by HBr photolysis in O2 are active species for the oxidation of HMF to DFF and their activities are adjusted by the reaction medium. This photo-synthetic protocol is very simple and practical, especially with low operating costs, showing a good industrial application prospect.

One-pot fructose conversion into 5-ethoxymethylfurfural using a sulfonated hydrophobic mesoporous organic polymer as a highly active and stable heterogeneous catalyst

We report a sulfonated hydrophobic mesoporous organic polymer (MOP-SO3H) as a highly efficient heterogeneous catalyst for one-pot 5-ethoxymethylfurfural (EMF) production from fructose in ethanol solvent.

Selective fructose dehydration to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from a fructose-glucose mixture over a sulfuric acid catalyst in a biphasic system: Experimental study and kinetic modelling

A two-step process combining the (equilibrium) glucose isomerization to fructose with selective dehydration of fructose in the obtained sugar mixture to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), where glucose is largely unconverted and recycled, represents an attractive concept to increase the overall efficiency for HMF synthesis. This work presents experimental and modelling studies on the conversion of such fructose-glucose mixture to HMF using the sulfuric acid catalyst in a water-methyl isobutyl ketone biphasic system under a wide range of conditions (e.g., temperature, catalyst and sugar concentrations). Through detailed product analyses and ESI-MS spectroscopy, the excess formation of formic acid (together with humins) by the direct sugar/HMF degradation was confirmed and included in the reaction network (neglected in most literatures). The kinetic modelling based on batch experiments in monophasic water well describes the measurements thereof, whereas distinct deviations were found in the prediction of typical literature kinetic models. The incorporation of HMF equilibrium extraction into the developed kinetic model, with consideration of phase volume change as a function of temperature and partial phase miscibility, enables to predict reaction results in the biphasic system in batch. This kinetic model allows to optimize conditions for HMF synthesis that are favored in continuous reactors with minimized back mixing. Based on the model implications, the biphasic system was optimized with slug flow microreactors to better address process intensification and scale-up aspects. Using a simulated fructose-glucose mixture feedstock to represent commercially available high fructose corn syrups, a maximum HMF yield of 81% was obtained at 155 °C over 0.05 M H2SO4 at a residence time of 16 min in the microreactor, with 96% fructose conversion and over 95% of glucose remaining unconverted.

A mechanistic insight into glucose conversion in subcritical water: Complex reaction network and the effects of acid-base catalysis

Based on the concept of system thinking and system design, a systematically mechanistic network of glucose conversion toward fructose, 5-hydroxymethyl furfural, 1,6-anhydroglucose, 1,2,4-Benzenetriol, levulinic acid, furfural, erythrose, glyceraldehyde, dihydroxyacetone, pyruvaldehyde, lactic acid, glycolaldehyde in subcritical water were performed by employing dispersion-corrected density functional theory. Fukui functions results predict the most highest reactivity of O(5) of glucose to suffer protonation in subcritical water, which may readily lead to the formation of 1,6-anhydroglucose or fructose with the comparable apparent activation energies (29.441 vs 29.305 kcal/mol). Further dehydration of monosaccharide to 5-HMF is more favorable via cyclic pathway for fructose in comparison to the acyclic pathway for glucose. The formation of levulinic acid has an apparent activation energy of 33.321 kcal/mol but the rate is limited by the numerous steps. The consumption of 5-HMF to 1,2,4-Benzenetriol exhibits a high activation energy of 76.682 kcal/mol. Retro-aldol condensation of C4 compounds prefer to give C2 rather than C3 compounds. The thermodynamic results involving the generation of C2, C3 and C4 compounds by retro-aldol condensation of open-chain C6 intermediates agree with the experimental product distribution and reactivity over temperature at the initial stage of glucose or fructose subcritical hydrolysis. Furthermore, the assistance of H+ may be responsible for the isomerization and retro-aldol condensation in glucose conversion. This comprehensive reaction network provides a fundamental understanding and deeper insight into glucose conversion, which reasonably explains experimental activity and selectivity reported for glucose and fructose conversion in subcritical water.

Phosphotungstic acid on activated carbon: A remarkable catalyst for 5-hydroxymethylfurfural production

Phophotungstic acid (HPW) supported on activated carbon (AC) was prepared and used for dehydration of fructose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), a biomass-derived precursor for chemicals and fuels. Different characterization techniques showed that Keggin structure of HPW was maintained after impregnation process by incipient wetness method with ethanol as solvent. The high mass content of the active phase (50 wt%) on the support resulted in accessible acid sites and high acid density, important for the dehydration reaction. The effects of reaction time, catalyst amount, and temperature were investigated. The catalytic system with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as solvent provided an efficient transformation of fructose to HMF, resulting in high HMF yields (99.3 %) and total fructose conversion after 30 min of reaction at 140 °C. Fructose conversion was not significantly affected by the catalyst amount. On the other hand, the increase in temperature resulted in greater and faster conversion. HMF yield was deeply affected by all reaction variables. Moreover, HPW/AC was reused five times without significant loss of activity. Additionally, a kinetic evaluation was performed and the activation energy of fructose conversion to HMF was 109.4 kJmol−1.

Preparation of acicular mesoporous char sulfonic acid and its application for conversion of fructose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural

Acicular mesoporous char sulfonic acid was prepared through a one-step method of removing the template at the same time of sulfonation using ethylene tar (ET) as the carbon source and acicular nanometer magnesium hydroxide as the hard template. This method was judged as better than the two-step method of removing the template before sulfonation because it protected the mesoporous structure from damage to a certain extent. When the mass ratio of ET to Mg(OH)2 was 1:3 and carbonization temperature was 550 °C, the catalyst prepared using the one-step method had the highest activity. The obtained catalyst had an amorphous structure with a specific surface area of 446.5 m2/g, an acid density of 4.68 mmol/g, and an average pore diameter of 3.5 nm. When the catalyst was applied in the dehydration of fructose to synthesize 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), 97.5% fructose conversion and 80.1% 5-HMF yield can be obtained. The activity of the catalyst did not decrease after 5 cycles, which indicated that the catalyst had good stability. This research provides a promising strategy for preparation of mesoporous char sulfonic acid and comprehensive utilization of ET.