Synthesis of furfural from sugarcane bagasse by hydrolysis method using magnetic sulfonated graphene oxide catalyst

Abstract

Furfural, an important compound applied in many areas, could be synthesized from biomass which is inexpensive and abundant. In this study, magnetic sulfonated graphene oxide (Fe₃O₄/SGO) was synthesized and used as a catalyst for producing furfural from sugarcane bagasse by co-precipitation method. The characteristics of the catalyst material were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray distraction, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller specific surface area, and the vibrating-sample magnetometer. The results showed that Fe₃O₄/SGO was successfully synthesized with a specific surface area of 121.8 m2/g. The empirical data indicated that under the condition of 190°C, 90 mins of reaction, the furfural synthesis efficiency could reach 14.07 %. According to the results, Fe₃O₄/SGO is highly promising for furfural production from biomass.