Glucose production from hydrolysis of cellulose over a novel silica catalyst under hydrothermal conditions

• Published in: Journal of environmental sciences (China) 2012-03, Vol.24 (3), p.473-478
• Main Authors: Wang, Huayu, Zhang, Changbin, He, Hong, Wang, Lian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: acidity; aluminum oxide; ammonia; biomass; Carbohydrate Conformation; Catalysis; catalysts; catalytic activity; cellulose; Cellulose - chemistry; desorption; glucose; Glucose - chemistry; Hot Temperature; hydrogen; Hydrolysis; hydrothermal; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; NH3-TPD; silica; silica catalyst; Silicon Dioxide - chemistry; synergism; titanium dioxide; transmission electron microscopy; X-ray diffraction; 催化剂; 水热条件; 硅胶; 程序升温脱附; 纤维素水解; 葡萄糖生产; 透射电子显微镜
• ISSN: 1001-0742; 1878-7320
• DOI: 10.1016/S1001-0742(11)60795-X

A novel silica catalyst was synthesized by evaporation-induced self-assembly （EISA） method and tested for the catalytic selective hydrolysis of cellulose to glucose. This silica catalyst exhibited a higher catalytic activity than other oxides prepared by the same method, such as ZrO2, TiO2, and Al2O3. Using silica as a catalyst, cellulose was selectively hydrolyzed into glucose with a glucose yield as high as 50% under hydrothermal conditions without hydrogen gas. The silica catalyst was characterized by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller （BET）, X-ray diffraction （XRD） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The results of temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia （NH3-TPD） and textural properties indicated that the synergistic effect between strong acidity and a suitable pore diameter of the silica catalyst may be responsible for its high activity. In addition, the catalyst was recyclable and showed excellent stability during the recycle catalytic runs.