Hydrolysis of cellulose to glucose at the low temperature of 423Â K with CaFe2O4-based solid catalyst

► Weakly magnetic catalyst CaFe2O4 was synthesized for cellulose hydrolysis. ► Cellulose crystallinity was destroyed and its surface area rose after IL-treatment. ► The maximum hydrolysis yield was 49.8% with 74.1% glucose selectivity. ► The catalyst was separated and recycled four times with slight deactivation. ► No contamination from IL in the cellulose after pretreatment as detected by EDX.