Efficient synthesis of promising liquid fuels 5-ethoxymethylfurfural from carbohydrates

• A new method was developed for the synthesis of 5-ethoxymethylfurfural (EMF).
• EMF was obtained in high yield of 88.4% from 5-hydroxymethylfurfural.
• EMF yields of 67.8% and 58.4% were obtained from fructose and inulin, respectively.
• The catalyst could be reused without the significant loss of its catalytic activity.

In this study, we have developed an effective method for the conversion of carbohydrates into liquid biofuels 5-ethoxymethylfurfural (EMF) over a magnetic solid acid catalyst (Fe3O4@CSO3H). The as-prepared magnetic Fe3O4@CSO3H catalyst showed high catalytic activity toward the synthesis of EMF from carbohydrates. The etherification of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) with ethanol over Fe3O4@CSO3H catalyst produced EMF with a high yield of 88.4%. The Fe3O4@CSO3H catalyst also showed high activity toward the one-pot conversion of fructose based carbohydrates into EMF. EMF was obtained in a yield of 67.8% from fructose, and that was 58.4% from inulin. The Fe3O4@CSO3H catalyst could be easily collected by an external magnet and reused for several times without the significant loss of its catalytic activity.