Abstract
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•The optimal pretreatment is the diluted NaOH solution (3wt%) at 60°C for 24h.•The most efficient catalyst is CrCl3.6H2O.•The most efficient solvent is 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([BMIM]Cl).•The maximum HMF yield from biomass is 79mol%.•The activation energy for producing HMF is calculated to be around 74kJ/mol.
An efficient production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) from raw lignocellulosic biomass is achieved through combinational treatments of diluted acid/base-assisted pretreatment and catalytic conversion. Remarkably, an HMF yield of around 79mol% could be achieved when the raw lignocellulosic biomass (wood chips) was pre-treated in diluted NaOH solution (3wt%) and then catalyzed in the system using CrCl3·6H2O as the catalyst and 1-butyl-3-methyl imidazolium chloride ([BMIM]Cl) as the solvent at 120°C for 2h. In addition, the activation energy for producing HMF was calcuted to be around 74kJ/mol in our system. The combinational treatments proposed in this study demonstrate an effective transformation of raw lignocellulosic biomass into HMF with a high yield.