Dehydration of xylose to furfural over niobium phosphate catalyst in biphasic solvent system

Phosphoric acid treated niobic acid (NbP) was used for the dehydration of xylose to furfural in biphasic solvent system, which was found to exhibit the best performance among the tested catalysts. The excellent performance of NbP could be explained by the better synergistic cooperation between Brönsted and Lewis acid sites. Moreover, NbP showed good stability and no obvious deactivation or leaching of Nb could be observed after six continuous recycles.

Graphical AbstractNbP is a very effective and stable catalyst for the dehydration of xylose to furfural in the toluene/water biphasic system. The better cooperation of Brönsted and Lewis acid sites is responsible for its excellent performance.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide