Chapter 9 - Sustainable production of sorbitol—a potential hexitol

Abstract

This chapter describes in detail the various catalytic strategies employed for the production of sorbitol from glucose and cellulose with metal-containing catalysts in aqueous conditions. The current production scale of sorbitol and its market volume and demand are discussed in brief in the introduction. Advantages and disadvantages of the applied heterogeneous catalysts system on the yield of sorbitol from glucose are elaborately delineated based on previously reported articles. The direct conversion of cellulose to sorbitol via an intermediate step, that is, hydrolysis, with various catalysts is included. The cause of deactivation of the employed metal-containing catalysts for the conversion of glucose/cellulose to sorbitol is also briefly covered to provide a better understanding of how a robust catalyst can be synthesized, and further, long-term stability of used materials is also included. Finally, this chapter ends with a conclusion and perspectives on how the heterogeneous catalysts system can be improved to enhance the efficiency of the process without compromising the yield and selectivity of sorbitol.