An Effective and Stable HfP/SiO2 Catalyst for the Production of Furfural from Xylan

Silica-supported hafinum phosphide (HfP/SiO2) was prepared and applied as an effective solid acid catalyst to drive furfural production from xylan. Various characterizations were employed to analyze the intrinsic properties of the HfP/SiO2 catalyst, and the effects of process parameters on its performance were investigated in detail. The results showed that the performance of the HfP/SiO2 catalyst was excellent, which allowed up to 85% of the furfural yield to be achieved at 180 °C for 60 min in the water(NaCl)/THF biphasic system. There was no significant decrease in the performance of the HfP/SiO2 catalyst after seven consecutive cycles. Characterization analysis of the recovered catalyst revealed that its elemental composition and total acidity were maintained, indicating the desired hydrothermal stability of the HfP/SiO2 catalyst. In addition, by-products produced during xylan conversion were identified as humins and soluble molecular fragments or polymers.