Furfural production in biphasic media using an acidic ionic liquid as a catalyst

Ionic liquids are valuable tools for biorefineries. This study provides an experimental assessment on the utilization of an acidic ionic liquid (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate) as a catalyst for furfural production in water/solvent media. The substrates employed in experiments were commercial xylose (employed as a reference compound) or hemicellulosic saccharides obtained by hydrothermal processing of Eucalyptus globulus wood (which were employed as produced, after membrane concentration or after freeze-drying). A variety of reaction conditions (defined by temperature, reaction time and type of organic solvent) were considered. The possibility of recycling the catalyst was assessed in selected experiments.