Selective p -xylene production from biomass-derived dimethylfuran and ethylene over zeolite beta nanosponge catalysts

•Cycloaddition of dimethylfuran for renewable p-xylene with zeolite beta nanosponge (NSP-BEA) catalyst.•NSP-BEA catalyst exhibit better catalytic performance than commercial Beta zeolite.•The better catalytic activity of NSP-BEA is attributed to mesopores and many external Brønsted acid sites.•Various reaction conditions for production p-xylene are studied.