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Glucose-based carbon materials as supports for the efficient catalytic transformation of cellulose directly to ethylene glycol

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Abstract

Glucose-derived carbon materials were synthesized and used to support Ru–W bimetallic catalysts that provide the one-pot conversion of cellulose to ethylene glycol (EG). The catalysts prepared on the carbonized glucose (after hydrothermal synthesis and carbonization) were the most efficient for the production of EG, with yields around 30% after 5 h. Moreover, the addition of oxygenated groups to the carbon material surface enhanced the yield of EG (48% after 3 h), possibly as a result of the preferential hydrolysis of cellulose to glucose and suppressing of glucose isomerization to fructose. Furthermore, the catalytic system showed excellent stability after repeated uses, at least up to three cycles. As a result, the synthesized catalysts seem to be promising alternatives in order to produce EG directly from cellulose by a more economical (supports derived from biomass), faster (one-pot reaction) and easier (combined catalyst synthesis) process.

Graphic abstract

Glucose-derived carbon materials were presented as efficient and cheaper alternatives to carbon nanotubes as supports of Ru–W catalysts for the production of EG directly from cellulose.

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Abbreviations

BET:

Brunauer–Emmett–Teller

CG:

Carbonized glucose

CNT:

Carbon nanotubes

EG:

Ethylene glycol

ERY:

Erythritol

GA:

Glycolaldehyde

GLU:

Glucose

GLY:

Glycerol

HMF:

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural

HPLC:

High performance liquid chromatography

HTC:

Hydrothermal carbonization

PG:

Propylene glycol

RAC:

Retro-aldol condensation

RI:

Refractive index

SOR:

Sorbitol

TG:

Thermogravimetry

TOC:

Total organic carbon

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by Project “AIProcMat@N2020 - Advanced Industrial Processes and Materials for a Sustainable Northern Region of Portugal 2020”, with the reference NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000006, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF); Associate Laboratory LSRE-LCM - UID/EQU/50020/2019 - funded by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC); project “UniRCell” with the reference POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016422. The authors are indebted to Dr. Carlos M. Sá (CEMUP) for assistance with the XPS analyses.

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  1. Lucília Sousa Ribeiro and Natalia Rey-Raap authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratório de Processos de Separação e Reação - Laboratório de Catálise e Materiais (LSRE-LCM), Departamento de Engenharia Química, Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal

    Lucília Sousa Ribeiro, Natalia Rey-Raap, José L. Figueiredo, José J. Melo Órfão & Manuel Fernando Ribeiro Pereira

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  1. Lucília Sousa Ribeiro
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  2. Natalia Rey-Raap
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  3. José L. Figueiredo
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  4. José J. Melo Órfão
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Ribeiro, L.S., Rey-Raap, N., Figueiredo, J.L. et al. Glucose-based carbon materials as supports for the efficient catalytic transformation of cellulose directly to ethylene glycol. Cellulose 26, 7337–7353 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-019-02583-x

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