Conversion of bamboo fiber into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural catalyzed by sulfamic acid with microwave assistance in biphasic system

The present work reports the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) catalyzed by solid organic acid catalyst with microwave heating in H2O/THF biphasic system. The 52.2% yield of HMF was achieved from the bamboo fiber degradation using NH2SO3H as catalyst at 180 degrees C for 40 min with 500 Hz microwave heating. The results showed that HMF yield increased significantly with adding NaCl, which not only could effectively increase the HMF distribution coefficient between organic phase and water phase, but also can separate HMF from water phase to organic phase continuously. Moreover, the catalytic system also showed effectiveness to convert other raw lignocellulosic variants to HMF, including softwood, hardwood, and cotton in the optimal biphasic system. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.