Efficient conversion of cellulose into biofuel precursor 5-hydroxymethylfurfural in dimethyl sulfoxide–ionic liquid mixtures

•Conversion of cellulose into HMF was developed in DMSO catalyzed by AlCl3.•HMF yield of 20.5% was obtained from cellulose in DMSO.•Ionic liquid [BMIM]Cl largely promoted the conversion of cellulose into HMF in DMSO.•High HMF yield of 54.9% was obtained in a mixed solvent DMSO-[BMIM]Cl (10 wt.%). In recent years, cellulose has received increasing attention as a potential material for the production of biofuels and bio-based chemicals. In this study, a new process for the efficient conversion of cellulose into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) was developed by the use of AlCl3 as the catalyst in DMSO–ionic liquid ([BMIM]Cl) mixtures. Various reaction parameters such as reaction time, reaction temperature, solvent and catalyst dosage were investigated in detail. A high HMF yield of 54.9% was obtained from cellulose at 150°C after 9h in a mixed solvent of DMSO–[BMIM]Cl (10wt.%). More importantly, the catalytic system could be reused for several times despite of the slight loss of its catalytic activity.