Organic Acids from Glucose—Heterogeneous Catalysis with the Participation of Natural Zeolite

Abstract

In this paper, we present the results of a one-pot process for converting, utilizing a modified clinoptilolite catalyst. Iron, cobalt, and copper were introduced into the zeolite structure as active centers. The modified clinoptilolite catalyst was characterized in terms of phase composition, structure, and microstructure (using XRD, BET, FT-IR, and DRS UV-VIS), as well as the speciation of introduced metals. The catalytic process was conducted at a temperature of 250 °C for 1–5 h. Depending on the catalyst used and the specific process conditions, the reaction mixture exhibited the formation of various organic acids, including lactic acid (100% yield after 1 h using CLI), levulinic acid (40.3% yield after 5 h using Fe-H-CLI), formic acid (15.8% yield after 3 h using Fe-H-CLI), and acrylic acid (11.9% yield after 5 h using Fe-CLI).