Enhanced Ni/W/Ti Catalyst Stability from Ti–O–W Linkage for Effective Conversion of Cellulose into Ethylene Glycol

Abstract

Direct conversion of cellulose into ethylene glycol is a promising route for transforming sustainable biomass resources into high-value chemicals. Although numerous attempts have been made to exploit tungsten-based hydrogenolysis catalysts in the catalytic conversion of cellulose to ethylene glycol for high conversion rate and selectivity, maintaining catalyst stability remains challenging. Herein, we have developed a Ni−W/M catalyst with good catalytic performance and stability, which were obtained by calcining Ni−W/MIL-125(Ti) precursor. The synthesized catalyst showed good cellulose conversion rate (100%) and ethylene glycol yield (68.7%). The tungsten species was linked to the TiO 2 support by Ti−O−W bonds to reduce loss of the active tungsten component. The formation of new bonds enhanced the catalyst stability and durability, enabling the catalysts to retain high catalytic activity during recycling.

Recyclable Cu Salt-Derived Brønsted Acids for Hydrolytic Hydrogenation of Cellulose on Ru Catalyst

“…Cellulose is the most abundant, non-edible biomass on earth, and represents a reliable carbon-neutral resource for sustainable production of bio-fuels and chemicals. [1][2][3][4][5][6] To this end, as a linear homopolysaccharide of Dglucose units linked by β-1,4-glycosidic bonds, cellulose can be efficiently converted via a hydrolytic hydrogenation route, involving its hydrolysis to glucose and subsequent glucose hydrogenation, to a wide range of products, exemplified by sorbitol, [7][8][9][10][11][12] ethylene glycol, [13][14][15][16][17] propylene glycol [18][19][20][21] , ethanol [22][23][24] and isosorbide. 25,26 The hydrolytic hydrogenation route of cellulose is limited by its hydrolysis, which is conventionally catalyzed by mineral acids, such as H 3 PO 4 and H 2 SO 4 .…”

Synergistic Effect of Ni/W/Cu on MgAl2O4 for One-Pot Hydrogenolysis of Cellulose to Ethylene Glycol at a Low H2 Pressure

“…From the position of the W 4f level, the catalyst samples were deconvoluted by a curve-fitting procedure to distinguish WO x species in the different chemical states. The peaks at 35.2 and 37.4 eV were attributed to W 5+ species, while the peaks at 36.1 and 38.2 eV were attributed to W 6+ species. − As reported by Hamdy, the existence of W 5+ might be attributed to the presence of oxygen vacancies, leading to a defect in the WO 3 structure. When Ni 2+ or Cu + (or even positively charged oxygen vacancies from the spinel) are present, the cations of the WO 3 association with a lower oxidation state than W 6+ , producing oxygen vacancies.…”

Ni-Based multifunctional catalysts derived from layered double hydroxides for the catalytic conversion of cellulose to polyols

“…This shows that the hydrolysis of cellulose by protons in hot water was the rate-limiting step in this temperature range. 33 At 240 °C, maximum polyol yield was obtained. Further increase in temperature to 250 °C led to a decrease in the polyol yield and formation of some smaller gaseous products such as CO, CO 2 , and CH 4 , which may be due to the decomposition of C6 sugars at higher temperatures.…”