Biomass as source of furan-based plasticizers for soft PVC

Polymeric materials are strongly entrenched in our society, where PVC is one of the most versatile one. The replacement of traditional phthalates plasticizers, used in the production of soft PVC, has been object of intense research in the last decades, due to their toxicological effects on humans and environmental and the increasing awareness regarding the use of fossil fuels. Bio-based platform chemicals, 5-hydroxymethylfuran (HMF) and 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), accessible from lignocellulosic biomass, have been used in this research as starting materials for the production of alternative furan-based plasticizers. By reduction reaction of HMF, 2,5-bishydroxymethylfuran (BHMF) was obtained and involved in a esterification reaction, which led successfully to the first desired furan-based plasticizer. An esterification acid-catalyzed by Amberlyst-15 on tetrahydrofuran- 2,5-dicarboxylic acid (THFDCA), obtained from FDCA by hydrogenation reaction, gave access to the second promising plasticizer. First investigations of BHMF and 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydrofuran (BHMTHF) etherification reactions were carried out, in order to obtain further substrates that could be used as potential plasticizers.