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A comparative study on direct production of ethyl levulinate from glucose in ethanol media catalysed by different acid catalysts

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Abstract

Direct production of ethyl levulinate (EL) from glucose catalysed by a liquid acid catalyst (sulfuric acid) and a solid acid zeolite catalyst USY NKF-7 (USY) in ethanol media was investigated in this study. Effects of the initial glucose concentration (C G0), reaction temperature (T), amount of acid catalyst, and water addition on the yields of EL were compared, respectively. The results show that higher yield of EL can be obtained at lower C G0. Higher temperature and acid concentration can accelerate the reaction rate, but the formation rate of the by-products increases more quickly than that of EL. Water addition also can result in the decrease of the yield of EL. Although sulfuric acid is efficient in the production of EL, the USY is more efficient in converting glucose to 5-ethoxymethyl-2-furaldehyde. Moreover, the use of USY can limit the diethyl ether production, and it can be reused for multiple times.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Henan Agricultural University, Wenhua Road 95, Zhengzhou, 450002, China

    Gui-Zhuan Xu

  2. School of Chemical Engineering and Energy, Zhengzhou University, Science Road 100, Zhengzhou, 450001, China

    Chun Chang, Wei-Na Zhu, Bo Li & Xiao-Jian Ma

  3. State Key Laboratory of Motor Vehicle Biofuel Technology, Tianguan Avenue 1, Nanyang, 473000, China

    Chun Chang & Feng-Guang Du

Authors
  1. Gui-Zhuan Xu
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  2. Chun Chang
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  3. Wei-Na Zhu
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  4. Bo Li
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  5. Xiao-Jian Ma
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  6. Feng-Guang Du
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Correspondence to Chun Chang.

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Xu, GZ., Chang, C., Zhu, WN. et al. A comparative study on direct production of ethyl levulinate from glucose in ethanol media catalysed by different acid catalysts. Chem. Pap. 67, 1355–1363 (2013). https://doi.org/10.2478/s11696-013-0410-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s11696-013-0410-0

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