The potential of heteropoly acid H 3 PW 12 O 40 to catalyze the hydrolysis of cellulose to glucose under hydrothermal conditions was explored. This technology could contribute to sustainable societies in the future by using cellulose biomass. A study to optimize the reaction conditions, such as the amount of catalyst, reaction time, temperature, and the amount of cellulose used, was performed. A remarkably high yield of glucose (50.5%) and selectivity higher than 90% at 453 K for 2 h with a mass ratio of cellulose to H 3 PW 12 O 40 of 0.42 were achieved. This was attributed to the high hydrothermal stability and the excellent catalytic properties, such as the strong Brønsted acid sites. This homogeneous catalyst can be recycled for reuse by extraction with diethyl ether. The results illustrate that H 3 PW 12 O 40 is an environmentally benign acid catalyst for the hydrolysis of cellulose.

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A Brønsted-Lewis-surfactant-combined heteropolyacid (HPA) Cr[(DS)H(2)PW(12)O(40)](3) has been synthesized, and is used as a heterogeneous catalyst for the conversion of cellulose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural in one pot within 2 h at 150 °C with 77.1% conversion and 52.7% yield. This micellar HPA catalyst shows stability and can be recycled by simple separation process.

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