One-pot production of 5-(chloromethyl)furfural and levulinic acid from marine carbohydrates

Abstract

5-(Chloromethyl)furfural (CMF) and levulinic acid (LA) were produced from marine biomass-derived carrageenan (? and ?) and chitin. CMF was produced in HCl (aq., 35%)-1,2-dichloroethane biphasic reaction within a batch-type glass pressure reactor, whereas LA was produced in the same setup using aqueous HCl (20%) only. The reactions were optimized on temperature, duration, stirring speed, volume of solvent, and feedstock loading. The isolated yield of CMF reached 37.8% starting from ?-carrageenan (80 °C, 2 h), whereas chitin afforded a 21.8% yield of CMF (100 °C, 4 h). LA was obtained in a 52.3% yield from ?-carrageenan (120 °C, 4 h) and 36% from chitin (150 °C, 4 h). The mixture of CMF and LA was then converted into HMF-levulinate, a prospective fuel oxygenate, in a one-pot process, affording a 77.8% isolated yield. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2025.