Chemists from the Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) have developed a new, low-cost catalyst for FDCA production.
The researchers developed a nickel boride catalyst which can turn the biorefinery product HMF (5-hydroxymethyl-furfural) into FDCA (2,5-furandicarboxylic acid).
The nickel boride catalysts is readily available and affordable compared to many other catalysts as it does not contain any precious metal. The catalyst turned 98.5% of the starting material HMF into FDCA in half an hour; no waste products were created.
FDCA is made from plants and can be used to produce PEF which is an alternative to PET (soft drink bottles).
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