291
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
K. K. Pant et al. (eds.), Catalysis for Clean Energy and Environmental
Sustainability, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65017-9_11
Levulinic Acid- and Furan-Based
Multifunctional Materials: Opportunities
and Challenges
Sreedhar Gundekari, Rajathsing Kalusulingam, Bhavesh Dakhara,
Mariappan Mani, Joyee Mitra, and Kannan Srinivasan
Abstract Currently, the world’s requirement for energy and chemicals is satisfied
by tapping petroleum, coal, and natural gas resources. The continuously escalating
energy demands for the betterment of life necessitate the search for alternate sources
of energy. Sustainability, probably the “word of this century,” will be a prime force
in stimulating scientists and technologists to look for alternate options in making
fuels, chemicals and polymers that are irreplaceable in our lives. Renewable biomass, having useful carbon atoms, could be explored with significant potential to
produce chemicals and materials that include polymers. The approach also has an
intrinsic advantage of balancing CO 2 emission, thereby aiding our environment.
Researchers worldwide have made considerable advancements on biomass value
addition for producing fuels, chemicals and materials. Broadly, biomass are categorized as lignocellulose and lipid-based wherein the former offers humungous scope
of reaction chemistries that are deployable in a biorefinery akin to petro-refinery.
Among them, levulinic acid (LA), 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and
2,5- furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) and their related products render multifunctional properties with diverse opportunities for applications. In the last decade,
intense research has been carried out on these molecules. In this chapter, we shall
discuss the background of these platform chemicals, multifarious catalytic
S. Gundekari
Inorganic Materials and Catalysis Division, CSIR-Central Salt and Marine Chemicals
Research Institute, Gijubhai Badheka Marg, Bhavnagar, 364002, Gujarat, India
Department of Chemistry, Chaitanya Deemed to be University,
Hanamkonda, Warangal, 506001, Telangana, India
R. Kalusulingam · M. Mani · J. Mitra · K. Srinivasan (*)
Inorganic Materials and Catalysis Division, CSIR-Central Salt and Marine Chemicals
Research Institute, Gijubhai Badheka Marg, Bhavnagar, 364002, Gujarat, India
Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, CSIR-HRDC Campus,
Sector-19, Kamla Nehru Nagar, Ghaziabad, 201002, U.P., India
e-mail: joyeemitra@csmcri.res.in; skannan@csmcri.res.in
B. Dakhara
Inorganic Materials and Catalysis Division, CSIR-Central Salt and Marine Chemicals
Research Institute, Gijubhai Badheka Marg, Bhavnagar, 364002, Gujarat, India
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
K. K. Pant et al. (eds.), Catalysis for Clean Energy and Environmental
Sustainability, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65017-9_11
Levulinic Acid- and Furan-Based
Multifunctional Materials: Opportunities
and Challenges
Sreedhar Gundekari, Rajathsing Kalusulingam, Bhavesh Dakhara,
Mariappan Mani, Joyee Mitra, and Kannan Srinivasan
Abstract Currently, the world’s requirement for energy and chemicals is satisfied
by tapping petroleum, coal, and natural gas resources. The continuously escalating
energy demands for the betterment of life necessitate the search for alternate sources
of energy. Sustainability, probably the “word of this century,” will be a prime force
in stimulating scientists and technologists to look for alternate options in making
fuels, chemicals and polymers that are irreplaceable in our lives. Renewable biomass, having useful carbon atoms, could be explored with significant potential to
produce chemicals and materials that include polymers. The approach also has an
intrinsic advantage of balancing CO 2 emission, thereby aiding our environment.
Researchers worldwide have made considerable advancements on biomass value
addition for producing fuels, chemicals and materials. Broadly, biomass are categorized as lignocellulose and lipid-based wherein the former offers humungous scope
of reaction chemistries that are deployable in a biorefinery akin to petro-refinery.
Among them, levulinic acid (LA), 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and
2,5- furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) and their related products render multifunctional properties with diverse opportunities for applications. In the last decade,
intense research has been carried out on these molecules. In this chapter, we shall
discuss the background of these platform chemicals, multifarious catalytic
S. Gundekari
Inorganic Materials and Catalysis Division, CSIR-Central Salt and Marine Chemicals
Research Institute, Gijubhai Badheka Marg, Bhavnagar, 364002, Gujarat, India
Department of Chemistry, Chaitanya Deemed to be University,
Hanamkonda, Warangal, 506001, Telangana, India
R. Kalusulingam · M. Mani · J. Mitra · K. Srinivasan (*)
Inorganic Materials and Catalysis Division, CSIR-Central Salt and Marine Chemicals
Research Institute, Gijubhai Badheka Marg, Bhavnagar, 364002, Gujarat, India
Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, CSIR-HRDC Campus,
Sector-19, Kamla Nehru Nagar, Ghaziabad, 201002, U.P., India
e-mail: joyeemitra@csmcri.res.in; skannan@csmcri.res.in
B. Dakhara
Inorganic Materials and Catalysis Division, CSIR-Central Salt and Marine Chemicals
Research Institute, Gijubhai Badheka Marg, Bhavnagar, 364002, Gujarat, India