Efficient synthesis of furfural over mZSM-5@SO42-/mSiO2 core-shell catalyst by targeted regulating B/L acids

A core-shell catalyst mZSM-5@SO42-/mSiO2 composed of mZSM-5 core and SO42-/mSiO2 shell was prepared by the soft template method. Core-shell structure could promote the building of Bronsted -Lewis (B -L) acids interface and significantly improve the synergistic effect of B -L. In this paper, the Bronsted/Lewis (B/L) of mZSM-5@SO42-/ mSiO2 was targeted regulating by innovatively introducing Bronsted acid (BA) sites into the shell. The optimal mZSM-5@SO42-/mSiO2 catalyst (B/L = 0.142) could achieve 72.1 % furfural yield at 140 degrees C for 1 h. In addition, 70.2 % furfural yield could be obtained after the catalyst was recycled and regenerated for 5 times. Combining In -situ IR and 13C NMR, the reaction path was revealed in detail: xylose was first isomerized to xylulose and then dehydrated to furfural. This paper provides a research idea for the directional regulation of dual active sites of cascade reaction catalysts.