Conversion of carbohydrates into furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural using furfuryl alcohol resin-based solid acid as catalyst

A furfuryl alcohol resin-based solid acid (SC-FAR-800) was prepared and applied in the conversion of carbohydrates into furan platform compounds in microwave. The results showed that SC-FAR-800 was an irregular mesoporous material containing sulfonic acid groups with an acid density of 3.43 mmol/g, which was quite stable below 200 °C. SC-FAR-800 showed good catalytic activity, and the yield of furfural from xylose could reach 60.46%; the yield of 5-HMF from fructose, glucose, cellobiose and cellulose macromolecules could reach 89.35%, 38.17%, 42.6%, 14.73%, respectively. However, the effect of reaction temperature, reaction time, catalyst dosage and water content on various carbohydrate’s conversion was different. SC-FAR-800 could be reused more than 6 times in fructose conversion, and could be regenerated after a re-sulfonation process. Moreover, the catalytic activity of SC-FAR-800 was super to some biomass-based solid acid. Therefore, this catalyst may be an attractive alternative in the conversion of biomass to prepare furan compounds. Graphical abstract Furfuryl alcohol resin-based solid acid (SC-FAR-800), which has a high acidity of 3.43 mmol/g, was applied in the conversion of carbohydrates in a microwave oven. The peak yield of furfural from d -xylose could reach 60.46%; the yield of 5-HMF from d -fructose, glucose, cellobiose and cellulose macromolecules could reach 89.35%, 38.17%, 42.6%, 14.73%, respectively.