Sustainable One-Pot Production and Scale-Up of the New Platform Chemical Diformylxylose (DFX) from Agricultural Biomass

The large-scale production of platform chemicals from biomass requires efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable methods. Here, we present three one-pot synthesis routes for producing diformylxylose (DFX), a sugar-based solvent and platform chemical, using d-xylose or corncobs as feedstocks. With yields of approximately 80%, these routes were seamlessly scaled from lab to kilogram-scale in a 15 L batch reactor. Techno-economic assessment demonstrates the competitiveness of the proposed methods against fossil- and biobased analogues. Life-cycle analysis shows the potential of these processes to reduce environmental and societal impacts from cradle to gate. At the “end of life”, DFX is demonstrated to be inherently biodegradable. Overall, we present a compelling case study of scaling a novel platform chemical guided by techno-economic and environmental concerns leading to balanced cost-competitiveness and life-cycle sustainability.