Highly efficient conversion of xylose to furfural in a water-MIBK system catalyzed by magnetic carbon-based solid acid

In this work, the conversion of xylose to furfural (FF) was effectively achieved in a water-MIBK biphasic solvent system over the synthesized magnetic carbon-based solid acid catalyst (MMCSA). The effect of various reaction conditions was studied on the dehydration of xylose and the highest FF yield of 79.04% was obtained. Byproducts in the reaction process were identified by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), which provides insights into the reaction pathway of the xylose conversion to FF over the current catalyst. The observed deactivation of the catalyst at high temperature (190 oC) was addressed by its regeneration with concentrated sulfuric acid (98 wt%). A comparable FF yield (73.74%) was achieved over the regenerated MMCSA. The possible deactivation-regeneration mechanism of this catalyst has also been proposed. Overall, this work provides a valuable basis for the efficient synthesis of FF by solid acid catalyzed conversion of xylose or hemicellulose.