Production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and levulinic acid from lignocellulosic biomass and catalytic upgradation

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and levulinic acid (LA), produced from lignocellulosic biomass, can be catalytically upgraded to valuable chemicals and fuels. Lignocellulosic biomass has been considered as an alternative carbon resource for fossil. This work reviews the recent development of HMF and LA production from lignocellulosic biomass, which focuses on pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass, preparation principle for HMF and LA and the upgrading application. Traditionally, the preparation of HMF and LA is catalyzed by mineral acids in aqueous solutions. Recently, using organic solvents as reaction medium have been investigated in many reports. We carefully summary the production process of HMF and LA with homogeneous or heterogeneous catalysts in organic solvents; meanwhile, the advantages and challenges in different reaction systems are also pointed out. Furthermore, the applications of HMF and LA are described in details.