Conversion of D-xylose into furfural with mesoporous molecular sieve MCM-41 as catalyst and butanol as the extraction phase

The conversion of D-xylose to furfural, which can be hydrogenated to form the potential fuel methyl furan, was studied. 1-butanol, a fermentation product of biomass-based carbohydrates, was used as a renewable extraction solvent in a biphasic system over a solid acid catalyst of the mesoporous molecular sieve MCM-41. The D-xylose conversion and furfural yield were found to increase significantly with reaction temperature and reaction time. When the reaction temperature was 170 °C, the optimal furfural yield was obtained within 3 h, and more than 96.85% D-xylose conversion and 44.05% furfural yield were achieved. The ratio of 1-butanol to water was found to affect the furfural yield, with maximum yield observed when the ratio was 1.5. Notably, a higher furfural yield was achieved in the presence of sodium chloride when using a solid acid catalyst for the dehydration of D-xylose into furfural. These results also showed that 1-butanol was a good extraction solvent for furfural. Overall, the study suggests that 1-butanol can be used as a green, renewable and efficient extraction solvent for the conversion of D-xylose into furfural.