Two Carriages for Efficient Furfural Production from Biomass: Rational Design of Porous Biochar Catalyst and Clever Utilization of Butyrolactone-Water Medium

In the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to furfural, a low yield is often obtained due to the natural degradation-resistant structure of the biomass and the high reactivity of the furfural molecule. However, in this study, the efficient conversion of biomass to furfural (90.5 % furfural yield) was achieved by working in the coordination of both carbon-based solid acid catalyst and water-butyrolactone co-solvent system using bagasse pith biomass as feedstock. The solid acid catalyst prepared by loaded sulfonic acid groups and Fe3+ on biochar showed a high specific surface area and well-developed pore channels, which can facilitate the breakdown of the solid structure of bagasse pith and the adequate hydrolysis. Meanwhile, by adjusting the volume ratio of the cosolvent system, the water in the system can not only foster the hemicellulose hydrolysis in bagasse pith but also facilitate the dehydration of xylose to form furfural. Furthermore, it enables the butyrolactone in the system to form a protective layer around the furfural molecule in time to avoid the degradation condensation reaction of the furfural molecule in the acidic system. Eventually, the 90.5 % furfural yields were obtained at waterbutyrolactone volume ratio, reaction temperature, and reaction time were 1:29, 190, and 3 h, respectively.