Selective catalytic synthesis of bio-based high value chemical of benzoic acid from xylan with Co2MnO4@MCM-41 catalyst

•Selective synthesis approach of bio-based benzoic acid from xylan was developed.•3wt%ZnO/HZSM-5 catalyst had good performance for forming toluene intermediate.•10wt%Co2MnO4@MCM41 catalyst showed superior performance in benzoic acid synthesis.•High benzoic acid selectivity of 88.3 % with high conversion of 90.5 % was achieved.