Sustainable levulinic acid production from inulin via hydrothermal conversion

This study investigates the hydrothermal conversion of inulin using potassium pyrosulfate to levulinic acid (LA). The Box–Behnken design approach was applied to optimize the conversion parameters and analyze the interactions influencing LA yield. Optimal LA yield was obtained at mid‐range temperatures in combination with medium to high catalyst concentrations and reaction times. An LA yield of 35.69% was obtained under optimal conditions of 15.3% biomass loading, 1.2 M potassium pyrosulfate at 170 °C for 60 min. Concurrently, formic acid was obtained at a yield of 15.7%, whereas the formations of 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural and fructose remained negligible, each yielding below 2%. These results indicate that when used as a feedstock with potassium pyrosulfate, inulin has considerable potential for the sustainable synthesis of high‐value platform chemicals.