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• The kinetics of furfural production from Eucalyptus sawdust catalyzed by H-SAPO-34 were well studied. • The maximum yield of furfural of 99.28% was obtained in this study. • H-SAPO-34 possesses efficient catalytic activity for conversion of Eucalyptus sawdust into furfural. • Prediction of furfural yield from the generalized model at 210 °C was present in 3D bars and 2D contour plots. The production of platform chemicals from lignocellulosic biomass is scientifically valuable but technologically challenging. With the aim to establish a green reaction system for the production of furfural from lignocellulosic biomass, in the current work, H-SAPO-34 was investigated for catalysis of the conversion of Eucalyptus sawdust to furfural in γ-valerolactone (GVL). H-SAPO-34 was prepared and characterized by XRD, SEM, FTIR, BET, TGA and ammonia adsorbed FTIR. H-SAPO-34 possesses Brønsted and Lewis acid sites and a large specific surface area. The average pore diameter of H-SAPO-34 was 0.86 nm, which is beneficial for the spread of xylose and furfural and the inhibition of humin production. In this work, a peak furfural yield of 99.28% from Eucalyptus was achieved at 210 °C in 120 min with 30 g/L H-SAPO-34. The Brønsted/Lewis acid bifunctionality and the solvent effect of γ-valerolactone possibly contributed to the high furfural yield from real biomass. The kinetics of the conversion of Eucalyptus sawdust to furfural was also studied, and the activation energy for furfural production was calculated. Additionally, the catalytic activity and stability of the regenerated catalyst were estimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• SAPO-18 zeolites with Brønsted and Lewis acid sites were used as bifunctional catalyst. • Brønsted to Lewis acid site ratios were adjusted by modifying the Si/Al ratios. • Lower Brønsted to Lewis acid site ratios enhanced furfural production. • Higher Brønsted to Lewis acid site ratios facilitated levulinic acid formation. • The effect of Brønsted to Lewis acid site ratios on the kinetics was investigated. A one-step process was proposed for valorization of corn stover into furfural and levulinic acid catalyzed by SAPO-18 zeolites. With the aim to produce furfural and levulinic acid, the Brønsted to Lewis acid site ratios of SAPO-18 were modified. The influence of reaction temperature, time and the ratios of Brønsted to Lewis acid site on the valorization of corn stover were investigated. At the fixed catalyst concentration of 20 g/L, a furfural yield of 95.1% was observed at 205 °C for 40 min using SAPO-18 with Brønsted to Lewis acid site ratio of 0.11, and a levulinic acid yield of 70.2% achieved at 190 °C for 80 min using SAPO-18 with Brønsted to Lewis acid site ratio of 0.17. The Brønsted to Lewis acid site ratios of SAPO-18 were adjusted by altering the framework Si/Al ratio of SAPO-18. The SAPO-18 with lower Brønsted to Lewis acid site ratios showed higher activity for furfural production from corn stover and that with higher ratios exhibit superior catalytic effect for levulinic acid formation. The kinetic models considering the effect of Brønsted to Lewis acid site ratios agreed with the experiment values well, which provided detailed insights on the conversion of hemicellulose and cellulose fraction of corn stover into furfural and levulinic acid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]