Direct Conversion of Fructose To 5-Ethoxymethylfurfural Catalyzed by Ultra Stable Y Zeolite

5-Ethoxymethylfurfural (EMF) is a new type of biofuel with a high energy density and excellent fuel properties. One-pot production of EMF from renewable carbohydrate catalyzed by heterogeneous catalysts has the potential to be an attractive reaction pathway. In this study, fructose was directly converted to EMF in ethanol medium catalyzed by ultra stable Y zeolite (USY). The effects of different reaction conditions on EMF yields were investigated, and an optimum reaction condition was obtained by utilizing response surface methodology. Under the optimum reaction conditions, which were a temperature of 132 degrees C, substrate density of 60 g/L, and catalyst dosage of 2.1 wt%, a maximum EMF yield of 73.8 mol% with the prediction error of 1.6% was achieved in 25 min. Moreover, the reusability of USY and characterization were evaluated. This study demonstrated a promising strategy for EMF production from fructose.