Monolithic acidic catalysts for the dehydration of xylose into furfural

We report the application of hierarchically porous zirconium phosphate monoliths with high surface area as acidic heterogeneous catalysts for the dehydration of xylose into furfural. Analyses by NH3-temperature programmed desorption and P-31 solid state NMR reveal the presence of both Lewis and Bronsted acid sites in the as-synthesized zirconium phosphate monolith and that calcined at 600 degrees C. High accessibility and availability of the acidic sites and easy separation of the monolith from the liquid medium result in good catalytic activity (initial reaction rate for furfural production as 8.7 mmol g(cat)(-1) h(-1)) with easy handling of the catalyst. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.