Abstract
In this study, activated carbon-supported Sn and Zn oxide catalysts were prepared from hydrolysis lignin and used for the conversion of model solutions of trioses, hexoses, and lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysates to ethyl lactate. Both catalysts, SnO2@AC and ZnO@AC, were able to produce ethyl lactate in high yields. SnO2@AC was a more active and selective catalyst in triose (dihydroxyacetone) conversion, providing 99% yield to ethyl lactate. ZnO@AC, by contrast, was more selective in glucose and hydrolysate conversion, with a yield of 60% and 85%, respectively. The ethyl lactate yields were significantly higher than those from the optimized model solution experiments when using ZnO@AC catalyst. These findings indicate that milder acidity of the ZnO@AC catalyst together with Na+ and SO42- in hydrolysate favored ethyl lactate production, preventing byproduct, furan derivatives and acetal, formation. Moreover, the catalysts were able to maintain their catalytic activity in recycling experiments.
Highlights
Development of novel heterogeneous catalysts for the conversion of biomass to high-value chemicals and materials is attractive from envi ronmental and industrial perspectives
When metal salts were impregnated on AC, catalysts SnO2@AC and zinc oxide (ZnO)@AC had rather similar high BET surface areas and pore volumes, which decreased from the original AC during the impregnation process, indicating the metal addition on the surface and mesopores
Biomass-based carbon-supported Sn and Zn oxide catalysts were prepared from hydrolysis lignin and tested for conversion of model solutions of trioses and hexoses and real biomass hydrolysates of lignocellulosic biomass to ethyl lactate
Summary
Development of novel heterogeneous catalysts for the conversion of biomass to high-value chemicals and materials is attractive from envi ronmental and industrial perspectives. Growing industrial interest in the production of chemicals from biomass resources, such as lactic acid and its esters, alkyl lactates, has attracted much attention in recent years since they can be considered as one of the most promising building block monomers and green solvents today. Alkyl lactate hydrolysis is one of the methods used to obtain lactic acid [1,3] Alkyl lactates such as methyl and ethyl lactate can be used as promising bio-based, renewable, non-carcinogenic, and biodegradable green solvents [1,4,5,6]. These could be used as substitutes for several environment-damaging halogenated and toxic solvents [7,8,9]. The most prominent alkyl lactate is ethyl lactate, a short chain ester that combines a high boiling point, low vapor pressure, and low surface tension with its renewable origin [1,10,11]
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