Dehydration of d-xylose to furfural using different supported niobia catalysts

- Different supported niobia catalysts are active in dehydration of xylose to furfural.
- Niobia over γ-Al2O3 shows lower furfural selectivity than supported silica catalysts.
- Synthesized supports increased furfural selectivity due to modified porosity.
- Furfural selectivity higher than 90% for SBA-12Nb (12 wt% Nb2O5) along time.
- Noteworthy furfural selectivity is obtained for SBA-12Nb even under N2 stripping.