DMF, better biofuel than methanol

2007/09/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Energia berriztagarriak

The University of Wisconsin has found a simple way to manufacture 2,5-dimethylfuran biofuel (DMF). They say that this biofuel is better than ethanol because it has a higher energy yield (by volume unit you get 40% more energy from DMF), a lower affinity for water and a lower evaporation facility.

Previously, other researchers have also proposed the use of DMF as fuel, but in all efforts very expensive manufacturing processes were designed. The Wisconsin team has done so with relative ease, using fructose extracted from plants as raw material. An intermediate compound, 5-hydroxymethylfurfurfural (HMF) has been obtained from this fructose. In a second step this compound has been converted into DMF, using copper and ruthenium as catalysts.

The fundamental objective of both processes is to eliminate the oxygen atoms of the compound. This has allowed the final product to lose its affinity for water and increase its energy performance.