Synthesis of a Stable Solid Acid Catalyst from Chloromethyl Polystyrene through a Simple Sulfonation for Pretreatment of Lignocellulose in Aqueous Solution

A stable solid acid catalyst, SCPR140‐1, was synthesized from chloromethyl polystyrene resin (CPR) and used for catalytic pretreatment of corncob in 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 −CH 2 Cl group of CPR was substituted by −SO 3 H through the sulfonation, and the −SO 3 H was stably bound on the catalyst during the pretreatment process. Compared with other similar reports, the SCPR140‐1 was not only synthesized through a simpler process but also had a more stable catalytic activity during multiple recycling runs.