Mixture of furfural and 5-(alkoxymethyl)furfural derivatives from sugars and alcohols

1. A method for the manufacture of a mixture of a furfural and a 5-alkoxymethylfurfural derivative by reacting a hexose and pentose-containing starting material with an aliphatic C1-C20 alcohol in the presence of an acid catalyst, resulting in a mixture of furfural and a 5-(alkoxymethyl)furfural, followed by the hydrogenation of the mixture of furfural and 5-alkoxymethylfurfural to form a hydrogenation product and the etherification of the hydrogenation product to convert the aldehyde function of both 5-(alkoxymethyl)furfural and furfural into an alkoxymethyl function.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the alcohol is a primary, secondary or tertiary.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the alcohol is selected from one or more of the group consisting of methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol and 2-propanol.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the acid catalyst is selected from the group consisting of homogeneous or heterogeneous acids selected from solid organic acids, inorganic acids, salts, Lewis acids, ion exchange resins, zeolites or mixtures and/or combinations thereof.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the acid catalyst is a solid Brønsted acid or a solid Lewis acid.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the reaction is performed at a temperature from 50 to 300 degrees Celsius.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the hexose is selected from the group consisting of starch, amylose, galactose, cellulose, hemi-cellulose, glucose-containing disaccharides such as sucrose, maltose, cellobiose, lactose, and their oxidized, reduced, etherified, esterified and amidated derivatives.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the pentose containing starting material is selected from the group consisting of Arabinose, Ribose, Ribulose, Xylose, Xylulose, Lyxose and their oxidized, reduced, etherified, esterified and amidated derivatives.

9. The method according to claim 1 , performed in the presence of a solvent, wherein the solvent or solvents are selected form the group consisting of water, sulfoxides, ketones, ionic liquids, esters, ethers, or the aliphatic C1 to C20 alcohol, and mixtures thereof.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method is performed in a continuous flow process.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the continuous flow process is a reactive distillation or a catalytic distillation process.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein in addition to a heterogeneous acid catalyst, an inorganic or organic acid catalyst is added to the feed of the fixed bed or catalytic distillation continuous flow process.

13. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the liquid hourly space velocity (“LHSV”) is from 1 to 1000 v/v/hr.

14. A fuel composition comprising an ether as fuel component for engines, optionally blended with one or more of gasoline and gasoline-ethanol blends, kerosene, diesel, biodiesel, Fischer-Tropsch liquids, diesel-biodiesel blends and green diesel and blends of diesel and/or biodiesel with green diesel and other derivatives of furan and tetrahydrofuran,

wherein the ether is produced by reacting a hexose and pentose-containing starting material with an aliphatic C1-C20 alcohol in the presence of an acid catalyst, resulting in a mixture of furfural and a 5-(alkoxymethyl)furfural, followed by the hydrogenation of the mixture of furfural and 5-alkoxymethylfurfural to form a hydrogenation product and the etherification of the hydrogenation product to convert the aldehyde function of both 5-(alkoxymethyl)furfural and furfural into an alkoxymethyl function.

15. The A fuel composition according to claim 14 , wherein the ether is selected from the group consisting of furfuryl methyl ether, furfuryl ethyl ether, di(methoxymethyl)furan, di(ethoxymethyl)furan and mixtures thereof.