Furfural—A Promising Platform for Lignocellulosic Biofuels

Abstract

Furfural offers a promising, rich platform for lignocellulosic biofuels. These include methylfuran and methyltetrahydrofuran, valerate esters, ethylfurfuryl and ethyltetrahydrofurfuryl ethers as well as various C₁₀–C₁₅ coupling products. The various production routes are critically reviewed, and the needs for improvements are identified. Their relative industrial potential is analysed by defining an investment index and CO₂ emissions as well as determining the fuel properties for the resulting products. Finally, the most promising candidate, 2‐methylfuran, was subjected to a road trial of 90 000 km in a gasoline blend. Importantly, the potential of the furfural platform relies heavily on the cost‐competitive production of furfural from lignocellulosic feedstock. Conventional standalone and emerging coproduct processes—for example, as a coproduct of cellulosic ethanol, levulinic acid or hydroxymethyl furfural—are expensive and energetically demanding. Challenges and areas that need improvement are highlighted. In addition to providing a critical review of the literature, this paper also presents new results and analysis in this area.