Valorization of Chitosan as Food Waste of Aquatic Organisms into 5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural by Sulfamic Acid‐Catalyzed Conversion Process

Abstract Chitosan is a potential renewable marine‐derived resource for bioenergy production. In this study, sulfamic acid, which has dual active sites and a green catalyst, was introduced for the conversion of chitosan, which can be recovered from crustacean shells as food waste of aquatic organisms, into platform chemicals, such as 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural and levulinic acid. By optimization of sulfamic acid‐catalyzed hydrothermal conversion conditions, a 21.48 % 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural yield was achieved under the 200 °C, 3 % (w/w) chitosan, 0.7 M sulfamic acid, 2 min condition. Under the same conditions, a 0.48 % yield of levulinic acid was obtained. These results demonstrate the potential of sulfamic acid and chitosan for applications in the field of bioenergy production.