The synthesis of 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF) from cellulose via a two-step process was investigated. To optimize reaction conditions, the separate conversion of cellulose and glucose was first performed in tetrahydrofuran (THF) and N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) via a one-step process using hosphotungstic acid (PHA) as catalyst. The direct conversion of cellulose to HMF was then performed via the two-step process. The first step and the second step were carried out in THF and the mixture solvent composed of THF/DMF, respectively. Cellulose was converted to HMF and glucose in the first step in...
