Effective conversion of sugarcane bagasse to furfural by coconut shell activated carbon-based solid acid for enhancing whole-cell biosynthesis of furfurylamine

•Sugarcane bagasse was tandemly converted to furfurylamine via chemoenzymatic route.•Coconut shell activated carbon was used as biobased carrier of solid acid.•Alkalic-pretreated sugarcane bagasse was converted to furfural at 49.3 % yield.•Escherichia coli CV-PRSFDuet whole cell transformed fufural at 30 °C and pH 7.5.•Biomass-derived furfural (103 mM) was wholly converted to furfurylamine within 72 h.