Efficient conversion of corn stover into 5-ethoxymethylfurfural catalyzed by zeolite USY in ethanol/THF medium

• Published in: Industrial crops and products Vol. 129; pp. 503 - 511
• Main Authors: Chen, Binglin, Xu, Guizhuan, Zheng, Zhangbin, Wang, Dongxiang, Zou, Caihong, Chang, Chun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.03.2019
• Subjects: 5-Ethoxymethylfurfural; Co-solvent; Corn stover; Optimization; Zeolite; 5-Ethoxymethylfurfural; Zeolite; Corn stover; Co-solvent; Optimization
• ISSN: 0926-6690; 1872-633X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2018.12.027

[Display omitted] •Corn stover can be efficiently converted into high valued EMF by direct alcoholysis.•A high EMF yield of 21.8% was achieved catalyzed by USY in ethanol/THF.•USY can be reused for five times with high catalytic ability.•Reaction pathway for the conversion of corn stover into EMF was proposed. An efficient and green conversion process of producing 5-ethoxymethylfurfural (EMF) from corn stover was developed. The solid zeolite USY provided the good catalytic performance in ethanol medium with tetrahydrofuran (THF) as co-solvent, which can promote the formation of EMF, reducing the formation of ethyl levulinate and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural. The reaction conditions were optimized via response surface methodology leading to a maximum EMF yield of 21.8% in ethanol/THF (volume ratio 1:1) under the conditions of 168 °C, 1 wt% USY loading and 2.9 h. Meanwhile, USY can be reused in five consecutive reaction runs with high activity, upholding the same initial activity and structural integrity. A plausible reaction pathway for the conversion of corn stover to EMF in ethanol/THF medium was further proposed. This study showed that the improved catalytic system presents an efficient method for direct production of EMF from lignocellulosic biomass.