Biomass is the unique organic renewable resource on earth which can be converted into gas, liquid and solid fuels. The conversion of hemicellulose and cellulose content in the lignocellulose into cellulosic alcohol fuel is the researching hotspots in the field of biomass utilization. The popular method for hydrolysis of lignocellulose is combined by pretreatment of lignocellulose and then enzymatic hydrolysis of treated residue. Hence, how to deconstruct the tight structure of lignocellulose through an effective and sustainable pretreatment process remains a research hotspot. Solid acid is a new kind of catalyst used for pretreatment of lignocellulose. However, how to synthesized a solid acid catalyst with high catalytic activity, high selectivity and stability in aqueous through a simple process is a difficulty. 

A stable solid acid catalyst, SCPR140-1, was synthesized from chloromethyl polystyrene resin (CPR) and used for the catalytic pretreatment of corncob in the aqueous solution. Under the optimized pretreatment condition, 73.07% of xylose was directly obtained, and the enzymatic digestibility of treated residue reached up to 94.65%, indicating that the SCPR140-1 had high selectivity for xylose production and effectively deconstructed the structure of corncob. The -CH₂Cl group of CPR was substituted by -SO₃H through the sulfonation, and the -SO₃H was stably bound on the catalyst during the pretreatment process. Compared with other similar reports, the SCPR140-1 was not only synthesized through a simple process but also had a mor stable catalytic activity during multiple recycling runs. 

The research team led by Prof. QI Wei works on the biorefinery of lignocellulose to establish fermentable sugar and its utilization for bio-fuel and other valued chemicals for many years. Under the supports of many national basic and applying research programs, many effective sustainable pretreatment methods for decomposition of lignocellulose, effective enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation system, effective cellulase producing strains were obtained and applied in the demo plant.