Hybrid catalysts for the oxydation of biosourced furanic derivatives

Hybrid catalysts for the oxydation of biosourced furanic derivatives 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF) is a bi-functional heterocycle produced from biomass. It can be obtained by dehydration of sugars and is a non-competitive product with the food osidic fraction. The oxidation of HMF, leads to the formation of two compounds of interest which are 2,5-diformylfuran (DFF) and furan dicarboxylic acid (FDCA). These compounds can then be used in the production of bio-based polymers. Several methodologies based on the use of chemical or enzymatic catalysis exist to selectively obtain one of these compounds. The objective of this project will be to try to develop a new hybrid method that could synergistically use a nanoparticulate catalyst and an enzyme. This will be made possible by using a silk protein based hydrogel that can immobilize both types of catalysts in order to avoid any possible deactivation.