Chemo-catalytic conversion of glucose to fructose: Advances in catalyst design, reaction media, and separation strategies

The valorization of lignocellulosic biomass is one of the most promising solutions to address the depletion of fossil fuels. Glucose isomerization to fructose is a crucial step in producing high-value biochemicals and biofuels from biomass. This review summarizes recent advances in chemo-catalytic systems for conversion of glucose to fructose, with a focus on catalyst design, reaction solvent selection, and product separation. In-depth discussion of the reaction mechanisms, including the role of catalytic active sites, reaction pathways, and intermediates were provided. The influence of solvent and salt additives on isomerization efficiency were also studied. Furthermore, progress in fructose separation and purification techniques, such as freezing crystallization, membrane separation, liquid-liquid extraction, and adsorption were discussed. This review serves as a guide for future research on fructose production and aims to accelerate the development of sustainable catalytic systems and optimized separation processes for fructose. • Methods and mechanisms for glucose isomerization are discussed. • Influence of solvent and additives on isomerization efficiency are analyzed. • Progress on separation and purification of fructose are summarized. • Challenges are evaluated for glucose isomerization with future perspectives.