Direct conversion of cellulose to levulinic acid over multifunctional sulfonated humins in sulfolane-water solution

We presented an environmentally benign process with multifunctional sulfonated humins as catalyst to produce LA from cellulose and bamboo meal under mild reaction conditions. LA (65.9 mol %) yield was observed under 90 wt % of aqueous sulfolane solution, accompanying 99.3 wt % of cellulose conversion. Because of the synergistic effect among multifunctional groups, the MSH catalyst exhibited outstanding performance both on the catalytic activity and retrievability. We also illustrated a conceptual design of our process, comparing with reported processes for the production of LA from cellulose. The reusability of solvent and catalyst in our process proved to be efficient and exhibited remarkable potential for industrial application. Our forward research would focus on the kinetic study and life cycle assessment of the process for production of LA from lignocellulosic biomass.