Ru-containing catalysts on polymer supports for converting cellulose into polyols

• Published in: Catalysis in industry 2014-04, Vol.6 (2), p.150-157
• Main Authors: Manaenkov, O. V., Filatova, A. E., Makeeva, O. Yu, Kislitsa, O. V., Doluda, V. Yu, Sidorov, A. I., Matveeva, V. G., Sul’man, E. M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biocatalysis; Catalysis; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science
• ISSN: 2070-0504; 2070-0555
• DOI: 10.1134/S2070050414020081

Ru-containing catalysts on hyper-cross-linked polystyrene (MN 270) and its functionalized analogs (MN 100 and MN 500) are used in the hydrolytic hydrogenation of cellulose for the first time. The texture characteristics of the polymer supports and the catalysts are determined via low-temperature nitrogen adsorption. Experiments on converting cellulose into polyols are performed in a 50 cm 3 steel reactor in subcritical water at 245°C, a partial pressure of hydrogen of 6 MPa, and a stirrer velocity of 600 rpm. The morphological parameters of the supports correlate with the activity of the catalysts. The 1.0% Ru/HPS MN 270 catalyst displays the highest activity. The total yield of sorbitol and mannitol is 50% on average at a cellulose conversion of 85%, which is comparable to the figures for more complex and expensive catalysts. The parameters of cellulose conversion can be further optimized and the proposed catalysts improved to develop a highly effective procedure for processing cellulose biomass into raw materials for chemical synthesis and the production of second-generation biofuels.