Production of HMF in high yield using a low cost and recyclable carbonaceous catalyst

In this study, they were produced by hydrothermal carbonization of softwood pulp and functionalized using H2SO4. These newly synthesized catalysts were used in a one-pot reaction system where ionic liquid [BMIM+][Cl-] acted as a solvent and MIBK acted as the organic phase in the conversion of fructose to HMF. Using response surface methodology, molar yields as high as 98.6 % were obtained at mild conditions of 112 °C and 24 minutes with a catalyst load of 5% weight. The catalyst was easily recovered by filtration and used four times with minor loss in catalytic activity. XRD patterns showed that the material remained stable through the reaction conditions