What Are The Uses Of Levulinic Acid?

Levulinic acid is a multifunctional compound containing carbonyl, α-hydrogen and carboxyl groups. It is the basic raw material for synthesizing various light chemical products. It has a wide range of application value in organic synthesis, industry, agriculture and medicine. The hydrogenation product of levulinic acid, γ-valerolactone, is a high-grade solvent and can be used as an intermediate product for preparing synthetic rubber, cold-resistant plasticizers and surfactants. Chlorolevulinic acid can be used as an antibacterial agent for industrial circulating water. In agriculture, the amine salt of chlorolevulinic acid can be used as a herbicide and defoliant. In medicine, anti-inflammatory drugs and intravenous injections can be prepared from levulinic acid by deep hydrolysis of starch, glucose and cellulose raw materials. Usually, it is heated under the presence of hydrochloric acid (or sulfuric acid) or other hydrolysis catalysts to generate 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, and then 5-hydroxymethylfurfural is decomposed to obtain levulinic acid, which is filtered and concentrated, and then the finished product is obtained by vacuum distillation or extraction. It can be used as a carboxylic acid reaction or a ketone reaction. Various products can be obtained through esterification, halogenation, hydrogenation, oxidative dehydrogenation, condensation and other chemical reactions. Such as used as plastic modifiers, solvents, medicines, industrial chemicals, fragrances, pesticide intermediates, organic synthesis intermediates, polymer additives, lubricant additives, surfactants, printing inks, rubber additives, cosmetic additives (including shampoo, toiletries), etc.