Screening of mono- and bi-functional catalysts for the one-pot conversion of cellobiose into sorbitol

• Published in: Catalysis today Vol. 279; pp. 187 - 193
• Main Authors: Almeida, J.M.A.R., Da Vià, L., Demma Carà, P., Carvalho, Y., Romano, P.N., Peña, J.A.O., Smith, L., Sousa-Aguiar, E.F., Lopez-Sanchez, J.A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.01.2017
• Subjects: Cellobiose hydrolysis; Glucose hydrogenation; One-pot sorbitol synthesis; Ru nanoparticles; Ru/C; SBA-15 and Amberlyst hydrothermal stability; Ru/C; SBA-15 and Amberlyst hydrothermal stability; Ru nanoparticles; One-pot sorbitol synthesis; Cellobiose hydrolysis; Glucose hydrogenation
• ISSN: 0920-5861; 1873-4308
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cattod.2016.06.017

[Display omitted] •Stability and recyclability of acid functionalized SBA-15 and Amberlyst 15 are evaluated.•One-pot conversion of cellobiose into sorbitol with a bi-functional Ru catalyst.•Performances of physical mixture and the bifunctional catalyst were compared. With the ultimate goal of producing robust catalysts for the one-pot conversion of cellulose to sorbitol, a number of solid acids were first investigated for the hydrolysis of cellobiose (model compound). In particular, acid functionalization, catalyst recyclability and hydrothermal stability were evaluated for SBA-15. In the second part of the work, the impregnation of Ru nanoparticles (RuNPs) on the Amberlyst 15 (A15) for the preparation of the bi-functional catalyst 3% RuNPs/A15 for the one-pot conversion of cellobiose into sorbitol is described. The performances of the bi-functional catalyst, 5% Ru/C and the physical mixture of the 5% Ru/C and A15 were evaluated for the conversion of cellobiose to sorbitol. When the bi-functional catalyst was employed, 81% yield of sorbitol was obtained after 5h of reaction. In contrast, the best result with the physical mixture gave less than 53% yield of sorbitol after 5h, indicating that the bi-functionality of the 3% RuNPs/Amberlyst 15 catalyst plays a major role in this reaction.