A novel and efficient process for levulinic acid/ester production from non-edible cassava is proposed via a one-pot cascade processes of prehydrolysis and delignification. The intensification effect of monosaccharide formation (prehydrolysis) and the solvent effect for delignification were investigated extensively. The influences of reaction conditions, such as, reaction temperature, time and catalyst concentration, were examined. The results show that prehydrolysis and delignification have significant promotional effects on levulinic acid/ester production. 60.36% levulinic acid/ester yield at a process efficiency of 88.90% can be obtained at 160 degrees C for 3.0 h when cassava is pretreated at 100 degrees C for 1.0 h. However, only 32.18% yield and 46.98% process efficiency are observed without prehydrolysis. Characterization of the starting feedstock and residues using compositional analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and elemental analysis demonstrate that efficient lignin removal has a positive influence for levulinic acid/ester formation. Moreover, this process is robust and suitable for scale-up, indicating that it has a great potential for industrial levulinic acid/ester production. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.