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Molecules
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Advances in Catalytic Conversion of Biomass-Derived Molecules
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Advances in Catalytic Conversion of Biomass-Derived Molecules

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Green Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 1283

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Qidong Hou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Tianjin Engineering Research Center of Biomass Solid Waste Resources Technology, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
Interests: heterogeneous catalysis; biomass transformation; photocatalysis; environmental remediation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The catalytic conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to chemicals, fuels and materials provides a promising solution to mitigate climate change. In the roadmap toward sustainable development, several biomass-derived molecules stand out as a bridge to connect raw biomass resources to alternative fuels, chemicals and materials. In this context, huge endeavors have been devoted to the design and development of effective catalytic systems for the synthesis and application of biomass-derived molecules, including glucose, fructose, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), 5-ethoxymethylfurfural (EMF), xylose, furfural and furfuryl alcohol. During the production of these value-added chemicals, hydrolysis, isomerization, dehydration and etherification have been identified as key reactions. In this Special Issue, we welcome research articles and reviews that focus on the development of catalytic systems to boost the production of the above biomass-derived molecules, as well as their separation and purification processes. We additionally welcome studies that explore key reactions, including the hydrolysis of polysaccharides to monosaccharides, isomerization of aldoses to ketoses, and dehydration of sugars to furan compounds, as well as the use of catalytic strategies to further upgrade these molecules. 

Dr. Qidong Hou
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biomass
  • heterogeneous catalysis
  • hydrolysis
  • isomerization
  • dehydration
  • fructose
  • 5-hydroxymethylfurfural
  • 5-ethoxymethylfurfural

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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16 pages, 14853 KB  
Article
One-Pot Amination of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-Bis(aminomethyl)furan over NiZnAl Catalysts
by Cong Wang, Xin Li, Junqi Zhao, Bin Sun, Xiaoxin Zhang and Xuhong Mu
Molecules 2026, 31(10), 1600; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31101600 - 10 May 2026
Viewed by 303
Abstract
This study developed a highly efficient one-step catalytic reductive amination method, achieving the highly selective conversion of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-bis(aminomethyl)furan (BAMF). A series of NiZnAl catalysts were prepared via the coprecipitation method and demonstrated excellent catalytic performance in HMF conversion. The Ni [...] Read more.
This study developed a highly efficient one-step catalytic reductive amination method, achieving the highly selective conversion of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-bis(aminomethyl)furan (BAMF). A series of NiZnAl catalysts were prepared via the coprecipitation method and demonstrated excellent catalytic performance in HMF conversion. The Ni4Zn4Al8Ox catalyst achieved up to 100% substrate conversion with 83.71% BAMF selectivity. Their structure–activity relationship was elucidated through a comprehensive characterization using XRD, H2-TPR, NH3-TPD, XPS, and TEM techniques. The study reveals that the unique synergistic interactions between the metal and acidic sites on the ZnAl2O4 spinel structure is crucial for catalytic performance: on the one hand, Zn introduction forms the spinel structure and promotes electron enrichment at Ni active sites, significantly enhancing the activation capability of HMF hydroxyl groups; on the other hand, the moderately acidic sites in the catalyst form “metal-acid” dual-functional synergistic centers with the metal sites, simultaneously promoting substrate activation and effectively regulating the transformation pathways of reaction intermediates. This precise matching between the metal active sites and acidic sites enables the efficient sequential progression of all steps in the reaction, offering a novel and more selective solution for the efficient reductive amination of HMF. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Catalytic Conversion of Biomass-Derived Molecules)
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17 pages, 8272 KB  
Article
Highly Efficient Conversion of Fructose to Furan Compounds in Ethanol Using Sulfonated Polymers with Solvent Moieties to Inhibit Product Degradation
by Yao Tang, Chaojie Zhang, Xinyu Bai, Hengli Qian, Chao Xie, Tianliang Xia, Guanjie Yu, Fei Qu, Ziteng Hao, Jingrong Wang, Anna Rui, Haixin Guo, Meiting Ju and Qidong Hou
Molecules 2026, 31(4), 729; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31040729 - 20 Feb 2026
Viewed by 564
Abstract
The catalytic dehydration of fructose to 5-ethoxymethylfurfural (EMF) in ethanol provides a promising approach for low-carbon chemical production. However, current catalytic systems generally suffer from a trade-off between reaction efficiency and product selectivity. Herein, we show that incorporating solvent moieties to sulfonated polymer [...] Read more.
The catalytic dehydration of fructose to 5-ethoxymethylfurfural (EMF) in ethanol provides a promising approach for low-carbon chemical production. However, current catalytic systems generally suffer from a trade-off between reaction efficiency and product selectivity. Herein, we show that incorporating solvent moieties to sulfonated polymer enables the highly efficient conversion of fructose to furan compounds in ethanol via restraining product degradation. The co-polymerization of N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidinone, with divinylbenzene (DVB) and sodium p-styrene sulfonate (SPSS) gave 1.5VP/0.64SPSS/0.37DVB that has slightly lower acid contents and inferior pore structure than the co-polymer of DVB and SPSS. The 1.5VP/0.64SPSS/0.37DVB catalyst exhibited maximal EMF yield of 81.9% with a total furan yield of 92.7%, Which is remarkably higher than previous reports. Moreover, the 1.5VP/0.64SPSS/0.37DVB catalyst gave a high HMF yield in pure tetrahydrofuran. The superior performance was attributed to the improved stability of the product. Our findings will instruct the design of active and selective catalysts to facilitate the production of biomass-derived products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Catalytic Conversion of Biomass-Derived Molecules)
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