Synthesis of sulfonated chitosan-derived carbon-based catalysts and their applications in the production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural

A novel sulfonated chitosan-derived carbon-based catalyst was successfully prepared via isoamyl nitrite-assisted sulfanilic acid sulfonation , and its catalytic activity was examined using dehydration of fructose. The structural and chemical properties of sulfonated chitosan-derived carbon were characterized by SEM, FTIR, XRD, XPS , element analysis, N 2 adsorption-desorption experiment, and acid-base titration experiment. KOH was used as activating agent in the synthesizing of carbon supports, and it was found that properly increasing the dose of KOH during activation stage had a positive effect on the subsequent sulfonation of prepared activated carbon. 4KSCC, with the highest sulfonation degree (2.04 mmol/g), exhibited high performance for the conversion of fructose to HMF in various solvent, and an optimal HMF yield of 80.9% was obtained at 140 °C in 40 min. In addition, the reusability of 4KSCC for fructose dehydration was fairly good.