Conversion of biomass components to methyl levulinate over an ultra-high performance fiber catalyst in impellers of the agitation system

An ultra-high performance fiber, serving as a novel material for heterogeneous-acid catalyst for the conversion of biomass components to methyl levulinate, is presented. The catalyst was prepared conveniently from commercially available polyphenylene sulfide fiber by sulfonation, and characterized detailedly by elemental analysis, FTIR spectroscopy, SEM and mechanical strength at different stages. Moreover, the catalyst exhibited higher activity for biomass components transforming into methyl levulinate (52–96%), and prominent ability to be reused with good recyclability and stability. Furthermore, the effective large-scale process with fiber catalyst in impellers of the agitation system is very attractive for the industrial applications.