A glass
fiber-epoxy resin (GFER) framework derived from mixed waste
printed circuit boards (MWPCBs) was utilized to prepare a cost-effective,
reusable Mo–Cu bimetallic Bronsted–Lewis solid acid
catalyst through wet-impregnation under near-infrared radiation (NIRR)
activation. The efficacy of the novel Mo–Cu catalyst was assessed
in the synthesis of glucose through hydrolysis of jute (
Corchorus olitorius
) fiber, and the process parameters
were optimized (Mo precursor loading: 1.0 wt %, catalyst concentration:
5 wt %, hydrolysis temperature: 80 °C, and hydrolysis time: 10
min) through Taguchi orthogonal design. The GFER support and the prepared
catalysts were characterized through thermogravimetric, X-ray diffraction
(XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller
(BET)–density functional theory, and TPD analyses. The optimal
Mo–Cu catalyst and the GFER support possessed 45.377 and 7.049
m
2
/g BET area, 0.04408 and 0.02317 cc/g pore volume, 1.9334
and 0.7482 nm modal pore size, and surface acidity of 0.48 and 0.40
mmol NH
3
/g catalyst, respectively. X-ray photoelectron
spectroscopy bands confirmed the coexistence of Mo
6+
and
Cu
2+
species; XRD and FTIR analyses indicated the presence
of MoO
3
and CuO crystalline phases in all prepared catalysts.
The optimal catalyst prepared through NIRR (wavelength 0.75–1.4
μm)-activated hydrothermal treatment resulted in a significantly
greater glucose yield (75.84 mol %) than that achieved (53.64 mol
%) using a conventionally prepared catalyst. Thus, an energy-efficient
application of NIRR (100 W) could significantly improve catalytic
properties over conventional hydrothermal treatment (500 W). The present
investigation provides an innovative application of MWPCB-derived
GFER as a promising cost-effective support for the preparation of
highly efficient inexpensive solid catalysts for sustainable synthesis
of glucose from low-cost waste jute fiber.