2,5-Furandicarboxylic Acid

2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), also known as dehydromucic acid, is an oxidized furan derivative. This organic compound was first obtained by Fittig and Heinzelmann in 1876. The first review by Henry Hill was already published in 1901. FDCA has also been detected in human urine. A healthy human produces 3–5 mg/day. Numerous studies were undertaken to establish the metabolism of this compound and to determine the quantity, which is produced depending on the healthiness of the human. It was demonstrated that the individual quantity of produced FDCA increased after the injection of fructose. FDCA was also detected in blood plasma. FDCA was more than 125 years later identified by the US Department of Energy as one of 12 priority chemicals for establishing the “green” chemistry industry of the future. Furan-2,5-dicarboxylic acid (FDCA) has been suggested as an important renewable building block because it can substitute for terephthalic acid (PTA) in the production of polyesters and other current polymers containing an aromatic moiety. Avantium has announced plans to produce 40 ton/year of FDCA monomer at a pilot plant in the second half of 2011.