Abstract:The extensive consumption of traditional fossil energy has led to increasingly severe energy shortages and environmental pollution. Biomass, a widely available and abundant renewable resource, exhibits significant potential as a substitute for traditional fossil energy. A critical step in the efficient utilization of biomass is its catalytic conversion into platform molecules, such as furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). These platform molecules can undergo catalytic upgrading to produce high-value chemicals, playing a pivotal role in promoting the development of green and sustainable energy. Previous research on biomass conversion has mainly focused on maximizing the yield of a single product, which has limited the comprehensive utilization of biomass. In this study, agricultural waste corn stalk was used as the feedstock, with dilute sulfuric acid as the catalyst for the homogeneous catalytic conversion of corn stalk into furfural and HMF. A synergistic optimization strategy was employed to simultaneously enhance the yields of both furfural and HMF. The effects of temperature, acid concentration, solid-to-liquid ratio, and solvent on the reaction were thoroughly investigated. The results demonstrated that dilute sulfuric acid exhibited excellent homogeneous catalytic activity in a γ-valerolactone-water system. Under the conditions of a solid-to-liquid ratio of 1∶20 and 20% water content, the yield of furfural reached a maximum of 62.4% after 60 min at 180 ℃, while the yield of HMF reached a maximum of 24.9% after 100 min. Further studies on product stability revealed that furfural exhibited better stability than HMF in the γ-valerolactone-water system. This study systematically reveals the reaction mechanisms of the homogeneous catalytic conversion of corn stalk into furfural and HMF using dilute sulfuric acid, providing valuable insights for the high-value utilization of biomass resources. Close-