Catalyst-Based Synthesis of 2,5-Dimethylfuran from Carbohydrates as a Sustainable Biofuel Production Route

The development of renewable energy resources is strongly urged to recoup the shortage of fossil-based energy and its associated pollution issues. Energy production from carbohydrate materials has recently been of great interest due to the availability, reliability, and abundance of carbohydrate sources. Significantly, the catalytic transformation of waste carbohydrates into furan-based biofuels, specifically 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF), appears to be an attractive solution to the aforementioned energy and environmental issues. The potential of DMF as a renewable fuel is prospective, with its physicochemical properties that are similar to those of fossil fuels. Therefore, the current work focuses on the production of DMF, with the important aspects for enhanced DMF yield being summarized herein. Notably, the significant catalysts derived from zeolite, noble-metal, non-noble-metal, metal-organic framework, and electrocatalytic materials are discussed, alongside their effects in deriving carbohydrates to DMF. Furthermore, the mechanisms of DMF production were clarified too, followed by the scrutinization of the effects from reaction conditions, solvents, and hydrogen donors onto the DMF yield. Finally, the purification process, commercialization potential, and economic feasibility of DMF production were incorporated too, with insightful future directions being identified at the end of our review. This review is expected to advocate DMF production from carbohydrate materials, which could alleviate the energy and environmental problems encountered presently.