Selectively catalytic hydrothermal pretreatment of corncob into xylose and furfural has been developed in this work using solid acid catalyst (SO42-/TiO2-ZrO2/La3+). The effects of corncob-to-water ratio, reaction temperature and residence time on the performance of catalytic hydrothermal pretreatment were investigated. Results showed that the solid residues contained mainly lignin and cellulose, which was indicative of the efficient removal of hemicelluloses from corncob by hydrothermal method. The prepared catalyst with high thermal stability and strong acid sites originated from the acid functional groups was confirmed to contribute to the hydrolysis of polysaccharides into monosaccharides followed by dehydration into furfural. Highest furfural yield (6.18 g/100 g) could be obtained at 180 degrees C for 120 min with 6.80 g/100 g xylose yield when the corncob/water ratio of was 10:100. Therefore, selectively catalytic hydrothermal pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass into important platform chemicals by solid acids is considered to be a potential treatment for biodiesel and chemical production. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.