5-Hydroxymethylfurfural is an important bio-based chemical that shows broad application potential. In the present study, the use of chitosan nanoparticles was proposed to adsorb and recycle chromium ions from aqueous solution with Cr(III) and Cr(VI) removal rates of up to 97.5% and 81.2%, respectively. A chromium-based ceramic powder catalyst was designed and synthesized, the structural properties of the catalyst were characterized, and the catalytic performances of the catalyst were evaluated. The results showed that after chromium was doped into the blank ceramic, the main lattice structure of the ceramic was preserved. Both the specific surface area and pore diameter decreased, and a portion of the Cr(VI) was transformed to Cr(lll). The chromium-based ceramic powder and sulfuric acid co-catalyzed the one pot synthesis of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from glucose in the water/dimethyl sulfoxide system, with the product yield reaching 64.7%. After the catalyst was reused 5 times, the product yield was still close to 60%. Thus, the catalyst exhibited good recyclability. The results of this study provide a good example of the one-step synthesis of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from glucose. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.