Transformations Based on LA

Apart from dehydration of glucose or fructose in the presence of alcohols and acid catalysts, synthesis strategies via 5-(chloromethyl)furfural and subsequent heating in the desired alcohol or utilizing furfuryl alcohol as feedstock have been demonstrated [89-98], While 5-(chloromethyl)furfural may be derived in one step based on cellulose, a synthesis procedure starting from furfuryl alcohol utilizes hemicellulose as feedstock, bridging the C5 and C6 carbohydrate value chain. 

Notably, ethyl or butyl levulinates could be entirely derived from cellulosic feedstocks, without the need for additional hydrogen. However, the chemical properties of these levulinates, including their capacity to act as solvents, would require modification of the materials used in today s combustion systems. Furthermore, longterm road trials employing alkyl levulinate as blends or even as a pure biofuel would be necessary to assess the resulting overall engine efficiency and exhaust emissions. 

Another biofuel candidate that can be derived from LA is 2-methyl tetrahydro-furan (2-MTHF), which is obtained via the intermediate yVl in a reaction pathway that includes both dehydration and hydrogenation steps [99, 100]. In a comparable reaction, itaconic acid, a platform chemical produced industrially by fermentation of carbohydrates such as glucose, can be converted into 3-methyl tetrahydrofuran [100]. The hydrogen required to produce yVl may be obtained from formic acid, via transfer 

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