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

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 diffraction, 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 oC, 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.