Production of furfural from biomass

1. A process comprising:

a) providing an aqueous solution comprising a metal halide, a water-miscible organic solvent, a mineral acid, and water;

b) providing a feedstock comprising at least one selected from:

i) lignocellulosic feedstock containing glucan and xylan,

ii) hemicellulosic material,

iii) C 5 sugar monomers and —C 5 oligomers;

c) contacting the feedstock with the aqueous solution to form a reaction mixture, wherein

i) the concentration of water-miscible organic solvent is from about 10 weight percent to about 80 weight percent,

ii) the concentration of metal halide is from about 0.1 weight percent to about 2 weight percent,

iii) the mineral acid concentration is from about 0.5 to about 4 weight percent; and

iv) the feedstock is present at about 1 to about 50 weight percent,

wherein the weight percentages are based on the total weight of the reaction mixture;

and

d) heating the reaction mixture at a temperature in the range of about 140° C. to about 190° C. for a time sufficient to effect a reaction to produce furfural, wherein the aqueous solution remains monophasic at the reaction temperature and at the completion of the reaction.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the metal halide is an alkali halide.

3. The process of claim 2 wherein the alkali halide is NaCl, NaBr, NaI, or a mixture of two or more thereof.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein the metal halide is an alkaline earth halide.

5. The process of claim 4 wherein the alkaline earth halide is CaCl 2 , MgBr 2 or a mixture thereof.

6. The process of claim 1 wherein the metal halide is a transition metal halide.

7. The process of claim 6 wherein the transition metal halide is NiBr 2 , MnBr 2 , or a mixture of any of these.

8. The process of claim 1 wherein the mineral acid is HCl, H 2 SO 4 , or HNO 3 .

9. The process of claim 1 wherein the water-miscible organic solvent is an ether.

10. The process of claim 9 wherein the ether is THF, dimethyl ether, 2-methoxy-methylethoxy-propanol, or 1,4-dioxane,

from about 50 weight percent to about 80 weight percent, based on the weight of the reaction mixture.

11. The process of claim 9 wherein the ether is THF and the concentration of the ether is from about 70 weight percent to about 80 weight percent, based on the weight of the reaction mixture.

12. The process of claim 1 wherein the feedstock comprises one or more selected from the group consisting of: corn cobs, corn husks, corn stover, grasses, wheat, wheat straw, barley, barley straw, hay, rice straw, switchgrass, sugar cane bagasse, sorghum, soy, trees, branches, roots, leaves, wood chips, sawdust, shrubs, bushes, vegetables, fruits, flowers.

13. The process of claim 1 wherein the feedstock comprises corn cob, the metal halide is NaCl, the water-miscible organic solvent is THF and the mineral acid is 1% sulfuric acid.