Catalytic Advances in the Production and Application of Biomass-Derived 2,5-Dihydroxymethylfuran

In recent years, 2,5-dihydroxymethylfuran (DHMF), which can be produced by the selective hydrogenation of biomass-derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), has attracted great attention and interest of many scientists because of its peculiar symmetrical structure and wide potential applications. At present, studies of the production of DHMF are quickly progressing, with productive approaches being increasingly developed, and many crucial achievements have been continually obtained. However, to date, a special and real-time review of this research area is still lacking. To gain more insight into the current research situation, this review comprehensively summarizes and discusses state-of-the-art advancements of the production of DHMF from HMF via various chemocatalytic pathways, such as conventional hydrogenation, transfer hydrogenation, electrocatalytic hydrogenation, photocatalytic hydrogenation, disproportionation reaction, and biocatalytic pathways. Meanwhile, this review also systematically outlines the latest results on the further transformation of DHMF into value-added derivatives via etherification, polymerization, and rearrangement.