Green Production of Phthalic Anhydride from Biobased Furan and Maleic Anhydride by an Acid Resin Catalyst

The production of chemicals such as phthalic anhydride (PA) from renewable biomass is of crucial significance for sustainable social development. Herein, we demonstrate that a 99.0 mol % yield of PA can be achieved from a Diels–Alder adduct of furan and maleic anhydride on an acid resin catalyst. The active sites on the catalyst were produced by pretreating the resin with acetic anhydride. The excellent performance of the resin catalyst is attributed to its surface enrichment effect on the reactant and good ability to suppress the side reactions. Moreover, the catalyst deactivation mechanism was clarified to be the destruction of the resin skeleton during the reaction. These results will provide a practical route for the future industrial production of PA from renewable biomass.