Bifunctional Nanostructured Catalytic Materials for the Conversion of Cellulose into Sugar Alcohols

The catalytic conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into intermediates that can be used to produce fuels and high-value chemicals, as well as substitutes for petroleum-based feedstocks, in an integrated biorefinery is a novel technology that can help meet the growing energy demand while dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This work presents the development of bifunctional nanostructured materials for the catalytic conversion of cellulose into sugar alcohols that can be used as a sustainable source of renewable biorefinery feedstock. Mainly sorbitol and mannitol are obtained by the hydrolysis of cellulose to glucose followed by the corresponding reduction. Supported Ru catalysts were prepared by evaporative deposition on various ordered mesoporous silica (SBA-15) with different functionalities. The catalysts were characterized using surface area determination (BET), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The activity and selectivity of the bifunctional catalysts were studied by monitoring the cellulose conversion and production of sugar and sugar alcohols in a batch reactor. These results were compared to the effectiveness of samples with single functionality. The effect of acidity on conversion and selectivity will be discussed.