Saccharification of natural lignocellulose biomass and polysaccharides by highly negatively charged heteropolyacids in concentrated aqueous solution

Supported H8PV5Mo7O40 on activated carbon: Synthesis and Investigation of influencing factors for catalytic performance

Polyoxometalates (POMs), in particular the Keggin-type HPA-5 (H8PV5Mo7O40) are widely established as effective catalysts for acid- and redox-catalyzed reactions. Yet, they are mainly used as homogeneous catalysts, which poses challenges regarding catalyst separation. This study explores the synthesis of supported HPA-5, and its application as a heterogeneous catalyst for biomass conversion, focusing on activated carbons with diverse chemical and physical properties as support materials. Characterization of these carbons gives insights into the influence of surface area, oxygen content, and acidity on HPA adsorption and stability. Activated carbon CW20, was found to be the best support due to its high vanadium loading and effective preservation of the HPA-5 structure. It underwent various pre- and post-treatments, and the obtained supported catalysts were evaluated for their catalytic performance in converting glucose under both oxidative (OxFA process) and inert (Retro-Aldol condensation) conditions. Notably, HPA-5 supported on CW20 emerged as an exceptional catalyst for the retro-aldol condensation of glucose to lactic acid, achieving a selectivity of 15% and a conversion rate of 71%, with only minimal vanadium leaching.

Enhanced catalysis of a vanadium-substituted Keggin-type polyoxomolybdate supported on the M3O4/C (M = Fe or Co) surface enables efficient and recyclable oxidation of HMF to DFF

In the reaction of oxidizing 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), attaining high efficiency and selectivity in the conversion of HMF into DFF presents a challenge due to the possibility of forming multiple products. Polyoxometalates are considered highly active catalysts for HMF oxidation. However, the over-oxidation of products poses a challenge, leading to decreased purity and yield. In this work, metal-organic framework-derived Fe3O4/C and Co3O4/C were designed as carriers for the vanadium-substituted Keggin-type polyoxomolybdate H5PMo10V2O40·35H2O (PMo10V2). In this complex system, spinel oxides can effectively adsorb HMF molecules and cooperate with PMo10V2 to catalyze the aerobic oxidation of HMF. As a result, the as-prepared PMo10V2@Fe3O4/C and PMo10V2@Co3O4/C catalysts can achieve efficient conversion of HMF into DFF with almost 100% selectivity. Among them, PMo10V2@Fe3O4/C exhibits a higher conversion rate (99.1%) under milder reaction conditions (oxygen pressure of 0.8 MPa). Both catalysts exhibited exceptional stability and retained their activity and selectivity even after undergoing multiple cycles. Studies on mechanisms by in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that the V5+ and Mo6+ in PMo10V2, together with the metal ions in the spinel oxides, act as active centers for the catalytic conversion of HMF. Therefore, it is proposed that PMo10V2 and M3O4/C (M = Fe, Co) cooperatively catalyze the transformation of HMF into DFF via a proton-coupled electron transfer mechanism. This study offers an innovative approach for designing highly selective and recyclable biomass oxidation catalysts.

Direct and efficient conversion of cellulose to levulinic acid catalyzed by carbon foam-supported heteropolyacid with Brønsted-Lewis dual-acidic sites

This study aimed to produce bio-based levulinic acid (LA) via direct and efficient conversion of cellulose catalyzed by a sustainable solid acid. A carbon foam (CF)-supported aluminotungstic acid (HAlW/CF) catalyst with Brønsted-Lewis dual-acidic sites was creatively engineered by a hydrothermal impregnation method. The activity of the HAlW/CF catalyst was determined via the hydrolysis and conversion of cellulose to prepare LA in aqueous system. The cooperative effect of Brønsted and Lewis acids in HAlW/CF resulted in high cellulose conversion (89.4%) and LA yield (60.9%) at 180 °C for 4 h, which were greater than the combined catalytic efficiencies of single HAlW and CF under the same conditions. The HAlW/CF catalyst in block form exhibited superior catalytic activity, facile separation from reaction system, and favorable reusability. This work offers novel perspectives for the development of recyclable dual-acidic catalysts to achieve one-pot catalytic conversion of biomass to value-added chemicals.

Fabrication and application of amphiphilic polyoxometalate catalyst (CTA)nH5-nPMo10V2O40 for transformation of lignin into aromatic chemicals

Conversion of renewable lignin into bio-aromatic chemicals offers a sustainable pathway to increase biorefinery profitability. However, the catalytic transformation of lignin into monomers remains a highly challenging task due to the complexity and stability of the lignin structure. In this study, a series of micellar molybdovanadophosphoric polyoxometalate (POM) catalysts, (CTA)_nH_5-nPMo₁₀V₂O₄₀ (n = 1-5), were prepared by the ion exchange method and applied as oxidative catalysts for birch lignin depolymerization. These catalysts showed efficient cleavage of C-O/C-C bonds in lignin, and the introduction of an amphiphilic structure facilitated the generation of monomer products. The best catalytic activity was observed at 150 °C within 150 min under a 1.5 MPa oxygen atmosphere over (CTA)₁H₄PMo₁₀V₂O₄₀, which yielded a maximum lignin oil yield of 48.7 % and lignin monomer yield of 13.5 %. We also employed phenolic and nonphenolic lignin dimer model compounds to explore the reaction pathway and demonstrated the selective cleavage of CC and/or CO lignin bonds. Moreover, these micellar catalysts have excellent recyclability and stability as heterogeneous catalysts, which can be used up to five times. The application of amphiphilic polyoxometalate catalysts facilitates the valorization of lignin, and we expect to develop a novel and practical strategy for harvesting aromatic compounds.

Removal of inorganic toxic contaminants from wastewater using sustainable biomass: A review

Lignocellulosic biomass is most abundant, ecofriendly and sustainable material on this green planet which has received great attention due to exhaustion of petroleum reserves and various environmental complications. Due to its abundance and sustainability, it has been opted in number of advanced applications i.e. synthesis of green chemicals, biofuels, paper, packaging, biocomposite and for discharge of toxic contaminants from wastewaters. Utilization of sustainable biomass for removal of toxic pollutants from wastewater is robust technique due to its low-cost and easy availability. In this review, we have summarized removal of inorganic pollutants by sustainable lignocellulosic biomass in their natural as well as in chemically functionalized form. Various techniques for modification of sustainable biomass have been discussed and it was found that modified biomass showed better biosorption ability as compared to natural biomass. We conclude that modified biomass biosorbents are useful for removal of toxic inorganic pollutants to deficient levels. Several modification strategies can improve the qualities of biosorbent, however grafting is the most successful among them, as demonstrated in this work. The numerous grafting methods using a free radical grafting process are also summarized in this review article. This review also gathers studies comparing sorption capabilities with and without modification using modified and unmodified biosorbents. Chemically modified cellulosic biomass is favoured over untreated biomass because it has a higher adsorption efficiency, which is favoured by a large number of reactive binding sites, improved ion-exchange characteristics, and more functional groups available after modification.

Stabilization of acid-rich bio-oil by catalytic mild hydrotreating

Although liquid products derived from the pyrolysis of biomass are promising for the production of petroleum-like hydrocarbon fuels, the catalytic burden of hydrodeoxygenation must be reduced to achieve feasible upgrading processes. Herein, mild hydrotreating of an acid-rich biomass pyrolysis oil (bio-oil) with an unusually high total acid number (588 mg KOH/g bio-oil) was performed to stabilize the low-quality bio-oil. Ru-added TiO₂-supported transition metal catalysts stabilized the bio-oil by reducing its acidity more compared to what could be achieved by Ru-free catalysts; this process also leads to lower loss of organic compounds compared to when using a Ru/TiO₂ catalyst. Based on the performance of transition metal catalysts, including Ni, Co, and Cu, supported on TiO₂, tungstate-zirconia, or SiO₂, supported bimetallic catalysts were prepared by adding Ru to the TiO₂-supported metal catalysts. The bimetallic catalysts Ru/Ni/TiO₂ and Ru/Co/TiO₂ exhibited good decarboxylation activity for the removal of carboxylic acids and a higher yield of organic compounds compared to that provided by Ru, which can be deemed appropriate for feedstocks when hydrodeoxygenation needs to suppress the loss of organic reactants. Using these catalysts, the carboxylic acid concentration was reduced to 319-323 mg KOH/g bio-oil with organic yields of 62-63 wt% at reaction temperatures 150-170 °C lower than the temperature required for direct conversion of carboxylic acids to alcohols or deoxygenates. The improved catalytic hydrotreating activity of Ru-added transition metals can be attributed to the high acid site densities of these catalysts along with their improved hydrogenation activities.

Mechanochemical Preparation of a H3PO4-Based Solid Catalyst for Heterogeneous Hydrolysis of Cellulose

Cellulose saccharification to produce glucose is considered as an important approach for application of biomass resources. Solid acids as catalysts for this purpose have attracted much attention with the advantages of environmental friendliness, easy separation of products, and recyclability. In this work, a new method was introduced to prepare a H₃PO₄-based solid acid catalyst by simply grinding with kaolinite. Characterizations of the prepared products based on a set of analytical methods as well as cellulose hydrolysis were investigated and optimized. Loading H₃PO₄ on kaolinite with a mass ratio of 20% was used as a high-stability green catalyst. Cellulose hydrolysis occurred on the prepared catalyst even at much mild conditions with a low temperature of 343 K, and a yield of glucose products at 6.85% was achieved at optimized conditions. A catalytic activity of 82% remained after three cycles of use. The possible hydrolysis of cellulose under very low temperature demonstrates a potential approach for promoting biomass conversion into useful materials.

Heteropoly Acid-Based Catalysts for Hydrolytic Depolymerization of Cellulosic Biomass

Cellulose is the most abundant source of biomass, which can be converted into monosaccharide or other chemical platform molecules for the sustainable production of chemicals and fuels. Acid catalysts can promote hydrolytic degradation of cellulose into valuable platform molecules, which is of great significance in the development of chemicals and biofuels. However, there are still some shortcomings and limitations of the catalysts for the hydrolytic degradation of cellulosic biomass. Heteropoly acid (HPA), as a green catalyst, seems to be more conducive to the degradation of cellulosic biomass due to its extreme acidity. HPAs can be designed in homogeneous and heterogeneous systems. Moreover, they can be easily separated from the products in both systems by a simple extraction process. According to the unique properties of HPAs (e.g., good solubility, high thermal stability, and strong acidity), using heteropoly acid-based catalysts to depolymerize and convert cellulose into value-added chemicals and biofuels has become one of the most remarkable processes in chemistry for sustainability. In this review, the characteristics, advantages, and applications of HPAs in different categories for cellulose degradation, especially hydrolysis hydrolytic degradation, are summarized. Moreover, the mechanisms of HPAs catalysts in the effective degradation of cellulosic biomass are discussed. This review provides more avenues for the development of renewed and robust HPAs for cellulose degradation in the future.

A New Environmentally-Friendly System for Extracting Cellulose from Corn Straw: The Low Temperature Laccase System

Corn straw is an agricultural waste. The system for extracting cellulose from corn straw at a high temperature has been widely reported by researchers. However, the system for extracting cellulose from corn straw at a low temperature has been rarely reported. In this paper, a new system for extracting cellulose from corn straw at a low temperature was reported for the first time. This new system is designated as the low temperature laccase system (LTLS). Cellulose was successfully extracted from corn straw by the LTLS, and the used solution could be recycled. Therefore, the low temperature laccase system is an environmentally-friendly system. The cellulose content in corn straw is 30–40%. The yield of cellulose extracted by LTLS was 33%. The obtained cellulose product was creamy white. The extracted cellulose samples were characterized by using infrared spectroscopy (IR), thermogravimetry (TG), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results were consistent with that of standard cellulose. We confirmed that the LTLS extracted cellulose from corn straw with high purity.

Synthesis of 5-hydroxymethyl furfural from cellulose via a two-step process in polar aprotic solvent

The synthesis of 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF) from cellulose via a two-step process was investigated. To optimize reaction conditions, the separate conversion of cellulose and glucose was first performed in tetrahydrofuran (THF) and N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) via a one-step process using hosphotungstic acid (PHA) as catalyst. The direct conversion of cellulose to HMF was then performed via the two-step process. The first step and the second step were carried out in THF and the mixture solvent composed of THF/DMF, respectively. Cellulose was converted to HMF and glucose in the first step in THF. Both of cellulose and the as-formed glucose were then converted to HMF in the second step. The conversion of cellulose to HMF and glucose were significantly improved by the two-step process, and the total yield of HMF and glucose was elevated from 52.1 to 97.0%. A possible mechanism for the formation of HMF from cellulose via the two-step process was also proposed.

Microwaves in the Catalytic Valorisation of Biomass Derivatives

The application of microwave irradiation in the transformation of biomass has been receiving particular interest in recent years due to the use of polar media in such processes and it is now well-known that for biomass conversion, and particularly for lignocellulose hydrolysis, microwave irradiation can dramatically increase reaction rates with no negative consequences on product selectivity. However, it is only in the last ten years that the utilisation of microwaves has been coupled with catalysis aiming towards valorising biomass components or their derivatives via a range of reactions where high selectivity is required in addition to enhanced conversions. The reduced reaction times and superior yields are particularly attractive as they might facilitate the transition towards flow reactors and intensified production. As a consequence, several reports now describe the catalytic transformation of biomass derivatives via hydrogenation, oxidation, dehydration, esterification and transesterification using microwaves. Clearly, this technology has a huge potential for biomass conversion towards chemicals and fuels and will be an important tool within the biorefinery toolkit. The aim of this chapter is to give the reader an overview of the exciting scientific work carried out to date where microwave reactors and catalysis are combined in the transformation of biomass and its derivatives to higher value molecules and products.

Evans–Showell-type polyoxometalate constructing novel 3D inorganic architectures with alkaline earth metal linkers: syntheses, structures and catalytic properties

Two 3D frameworks and two 2D networks with an excellent catalytic effect of cyanosilylation were successfully obtained, originating from Evans–Showell-type polyoxoanions [Co₂Mo₁₀H₄O₃₈]⁶⁻ and alkaline earth metal cations (Sr²⁺, Ba²⁺).

A practical and efficient synthesis of methyl levulinate from cellulosic biomass catalyzed by an aluminum-based mixed acid catalyst system

A combination of aluminum compounds and organic sulfonic acids was an efficient catalyst system for direct methyl levulinate synthesis from both microcrystalline cellulose and wood powder.

A heteropoly acid ionic crystal containing Cr as an active catalyst for dehydration of monosaccharides to produce 5-HMF in water

Cs₂[Cr₃O(OOCC₂H₅)₆(H₂O)₃]₂[α-SiW₁₂O₄₀], a chromium-based heteropoly acid (HPA) ionic crystal, was demonstrated to be an active heterogeneous catalyst for production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) from fructose or glucose.

Hydrolysis and alcoholysis of polysaccharides with high efficiency catalyzed by a (C16TA)xH6−xP2W18O62 nanoassembly

Wells–Dawson structured heteropolyacid (HPA) H₆P₂W₁₈O₆₂ was first used as a precursor to fabricate a micellar assembly, [C₁₆H₃₃N(CH₃)₃]_xH_6−xP₂W₁₈O₆₂ (abbreviated as (C₁₆TA)_xH_6−xP₂W₁₈O₆₂).

Sustainable conversion of cellulosic biomass to chemicals under visible-light irradiation

Plasmonic nanostructure: a high conversion (>60%) of crystalline cellulose to chemicals was achieved with enhanced electromagnetic fields, E/E₀ = 10³ to 10⁶ times.

Direct conversion of cellulose into C6 alditols over Ru/C combined with H+-released boron phosphate in an aqueous phase

Non-edible cellulose has considerable attention to be converted into valuable platform chemicals.

Acetalization of aldehydes and ketones over H4[SiW12O40] and H4[SiW12O40]/SiO2

A Keggin cluster of H₄[SiW₁₂O₄₀] (H-SiW₁₂) has been developed to catalyze the acetalization of aldehydes and ketones under solvent-free conditions, and could be recycled at least ten times without an obvious decrease in catalytic activity.

Tuning the acid/metal balance of carbon nanofiber-supported nickel catalysts for hydrolytic hydrogenation of cellulose

Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) are a class of graphitic support materials with considerable potential for catalytic conversion of biomass. Earlier, we demonstrated the hydrolytic hydrogenation of cellulose over reshaped nickel particles attached at the tip of CNFs. The aim of this follow-up study was to find a relationship between the acid/metal balance of the Ni/CNFs and their performance in the catalytic conversion of cellulose. After oxidation and incipient wetness impregnation with Ni, the Ni/CNFs were characterized by various analytical methods. To prepare a selective Ni/CNF catalyst, the influences of the nature of oxidation agent, Ni activation, and Ni loading were investigated. Under the applied reaction conditions, the best result, that is, 76 % yield in hexitols with 69 % sorbitol selectivity at 93 % conversion of cellulose, was obtained on a 7.5 wt % Ni/CNF catalyst prepared by chemical vapor deposition of CH(4) on a Ni/γ-Al(2)O(3) catalyst, followed by oxidation in HNO(3) (twice for 1 h at 383 K), incipient wetness impregnation, and reduction at 773 K under H(2). This preparation method leads to a properly balanced Ni/CNF catalyst in terms of Ni dispersion and hydrogenation capacity on the one hand, and the number of acidic surface-oxygen groups responsible for the acid-catalyzed hydrolysis on the other.