Furfuryl Alcohol a Versatile, Eco-Sustainable Compound in Perspective

Abstract

Renewable agricultural biomass derived chemicals, their modifications and uses have seen multiplicity in numerous applications and important processes with major impacts on the pursuit for eco-sustainability. Such applications range include the energy sector, chemistry, pharmacy, the textile industry, paints and coatings, plastic industry, to name but a few. This field of lignocellulosic derived chemicals interconnects several scientific disciplines ranging from agriculture, biochemistry, engineering, environmental sciences, forestry, pharmacy, medicine, etc. hence making it difficult to have a single expert view on these complicated interactions. Therefore, the idea to create a focused review, specifically, on FA (an important furanic compound) is the main objective of this article. FA and its resultant derivatives exhibits an array of capabilities and fascinating properties in various fields of applications. As a compound or with co-reactants, it finds interesting applications as base and/or intermediate chemical compound, hypergolic rocket fuels, in flame resistant composites and coatings used in aerospace, auto, and the built environment; it also finds application as mortars, cementitious grouts, impregnating materials, and sealants due to its exceptional resistance to common corrosive chemicals such as acids, alkalis and other solvents when it is cross-linked. Coupled with its environmental and economic benefits FA has proved to be a remarkable eco-sustainable bio-derived compound.

Sustainable Chemicals: A Brief Survey of the Furans

“…Including recent progress in the characterization of its combustion properties, production processes, theoretical kinetic explorations and fundamental combustion properties. The theoretical efforts are focused on the mechanistic pathways for furan decomposition and oxidation, as well as the development of detailed chemical kinetic models 2018 [39] Furthermore, it is well-known that, the field of furan chemistry, both theoretically and in the applied segment is very huge, and no single work can exhaust its many applications that range, from the chemical, to electrical and electronics, pharmacy, biomedical, medicine, the textile, paints and coatings, plastics industry, to name but a few [2,[49][50][51]. Interestingly, according to the density functional theory (DFT) calculations, it has been shown that the heterocyclic furan ring is particularly prone to ring opening, preferably via the C-O bond [52], which can be harnessed for generating tailored and tuneable products, thereby, broadening the application portfolio of furanic systems whether in bio-refineries and/or application materials as has been exemplified in the work of Fan et al [53], when they demonstrated a self-crosslinking elastomeric thermoset via furan ring-opening mechanism.…”

“…Inedible lignocellulosic biomass is well-known to be a favourable feedstock and its momentous change in the pursuit for green and sustainable chemistry is of great importance in the modern day well-deserved environmental concerns. Their renewability, enormous availability, sustainability, capacity and potential for transmutation into various kinds of chemical compounds, far exceeding those derived from petroleum-based feedstock, has been demonstrated over the years [1,2]. With global challenges on energy security, non-sustainable petroleum resources, volatile oil prices, global warming, and the attendant environmental challenges, associated with fossil hydrocarbons, studies have demonstrated that, with concerted efforts by governments, industries and policymakers at all levels, in a synergised collaboration with other key players, promoting the use of inedible agricultural residues, such as: oat hulls, rice husks, sugarcane bagasse, woody material wastes, etc., as alternative sources for biobased chemical feedstock, comes with sundry associated benefits, which include, but is not limited to: (a) increased absorption of atmospheric CO 2 as more wood and other lignocellulosic biomass will be cultivated/or grown to feed the process, thereby mitigating global warming, (b) the reduction in the dependence on fossil-derived fuels and chemicals, (c) increased opportunities in the local agricultural sector, which directly impacts on food security and job creation, (d) economic transformation, to mention but a few [3][4][5][6].…”

“…The advances and progresses, so far made, in science and biotechnology, such as: genetic improvement through selective breeding of lignocellulosic biomass feedstock with characteristic high output-input energy ratios needed to increase sustainable production [12], biological pretreatment by using microorganisms, such as: bacteria and fungi, which offer improved financial and environmental benefits and the addition of lignin-blocking agents, such as: soybean protein, peptone and maize zein during the hydrolysis process of lignocellulosic biomass [13][14][15], etc., has made it possible for lignocellulosic biomass to be produced at cheaper costs when compared to a barrel of crude oil production equivalence [2,16,17]. The complex hetero-matrix constituents' nature of lignocellulosic biomass, consisting majorly of: cellulose, lignin, hemicellulose, pectin, lipids, and other extractable non-structured materials, provides an assortment of possibilities for a variety of derivable chemical compounds and materials, which find use in various applications.…”

“…However, hemicellulose, remains the primary feedstock for furan-based chemicals and products as shown in Fig. 1, although it has been reported that they can also be produced from hexoses [2,[18][19][20].…”

“…The furan nucleus is a very reactive system, where this reactivity has been attributed to its highly dienophilic nature when compared to the well-known benzene ring. The furan nucleus [2,22,23] has the empirical formula of C 4 H 4 O and a chemical structure as shown in Fig. 2.…”