The KIT Develops a New Process for Industrial Manufacture of
Platform Chemical 5-HMF – Production Has Started at AVA Biochem Facility
A breakthrough in the use of renewable raw materials in
chemical production has been achieved by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
(KIT) and its industrial partner AVA Biochem: In January this year, a facility
at AVA Biochem in Muttenz (Switzerland) has started production of
5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural. The KIT has developed an innovative hydrothermal
method to obtain the organic compound from biomass. Being a platform chemical,
5-HMF can serve as a precursor for various materials.