Multiple-SO3H functionalized ionic liquid as efficient catalyst for direct conversion of carbohydrate biomass into levulinic acid

Orientated inhibition of humin formation in efficient production of levulinic acid from cellulose with high substrate loading: Synergistic role of additives

The main bottleneck in the direct conversion of cellulose to levulinic acid (LA), a promising bio-based platform chemical, lies in the severe formation of humins, especially at high substrate loading (>10 wt%). Herein, we report an efficient catalytic system consisting of a 2-methyltetrahydrofuran/water (MTHF/H₂O) biphasic solvent with NaCl and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as additives for converting cellulose (15 wt%) to LA in the presence of a benzenesulfonic acid catalyst. We show that both NaCl and CTAB accelerated the depolymerization of cellulose and formation of LA. However, NaCl favored the humin formation via degradative condensations, whereas CTAB inhibited humin formation by restraining the routes of both degradative and dehydrated condensations. A synergistic role of NaCl and CTAB on suppressing humin formations is illustrated. The combined use of NaCl and CTAB led to an increased LA yield (60.8 mol%) from microcrystalline cellulose in MTHF/H₂O (V_MTHF/V_H2O = 2/1) at 453 K for 2 h. Moreover, it was efficient for converting cellulose fractioned from several kinds of lignocellulosic biomass, wherein a high LA yield of 81.0 mol% was achieved from wheat straw cellulose. This work presents a new strategy for advancing LA biorefinery by synergistically promoting cellulose depolymerization with orientated inhibition of undesired humin formation.

Comparative study of the hydrogen bonding interactions between ester-functionalized/non-functionalized imidazolium-based ionic liquids and DMSO

There have been some studies on the microscopic properties of ester-functionalized ionic liquids (ILs), but the microscopic properties of their mixtures with co-solvents have seldom been reported. In practical applications, ILs are usually used together with co-solvents. Therefore, it is very important to study the microstructure of ester-functionalized ILs and co-solvents. In this work, the hydrogen bonding interactions between ester-functionalized IL 1-acetoxyethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (AOEMIMBF₄) and DMSO were studied using spectroscopic methods and quantum chemical calculations. Non-functionalized IL 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (BMIMBF₄) and DMSO were used for comparison. The results indicate that (1) by adding DMSO, the hydrogen bonding interactions of ν(C2-H) were enhanced, and DMSO could form hydrogen bonds with anions and cations simultaneously. (2) The incorporation of an ester group could enhance the hydrogen bonding interactions. (3) Both the stretching vibration of C2-H and CO indicated changes in the microscopic structure: AOEMIMBF₄ ion clusters first interacted with DMSO, then broke into AOEMIMBF₄-DMSO complexes and finally existed as [AOEMIM]⁺/[BF₄]^--DMSO complexes.

Size controllable synthesis of ZSM-5 zeolite and its catalytic performance in the reaction of methanol conversion to aromatics

ZSM-5 zeolites were hydrothermally synthesized with commercial silica sol, and the crystal size was controlled by adding silicalite-1 seed in the synthetic system. The crystal size of ZSM-5 was affected by the crystallization time of seed, seed content and seed size. ZSM-5 zeolites with controllable particle size in the range of 200-2200 nm could be obtained. The prepared samples with different particle sizes were used for the reaction of methanol conversion to aromatics (MTA). The results suggested that the HZSM-5 catalyst with small crystal size showed much longer catalyst lifetime and higher selectivity for C5 + hydrocarbons and aromatics, especially C9 + aromatics in the MTA reaction. Moreover, the introduction of zinc (Zn) into the HZSM-5 zeolites can considerably promote the selectivity to aromatics in the products. Zn modified HZSM-5 zeolites with different Zn loading amounts were prepared by the incipient wetness impregnation method, and the highest aromatics selectivity was obtained when the Zn loading was 1.0%. The improvement of methanol aromatization was ascribed to the synergistic effect of Brønsted acid sites and the newly formed Zn-Lewis acid sites.

Polyamine-functionalized imidazolyl poly(ionic liquid)s for the efficient conversion of CO2 into cyclic carbonates

The synergistic effect of polyamine groups and nucleophile (Br−) significantly improved the catalytic performance of N4-PIL-2, which can convert epoxides into cyclic carbonates with excellent yields and selectivity under ambient pressure.

Production of valuable chemicals from glycerol using carbon fiber catalysts derived from ethylene

Ethylene was thermocatalytically transformed into carbon products via a CCVD process. The filamentous carbon obtained was further modified with concentrated sulfuric acid or 4-benzenediazonium sulfonate (BDS) to produce acid-type catalysts. The as-prepared samples were characterized by SEM and TEM techniques to confirm their morphological features. TG, XRD, elemental, and porosity analyses were also performed to assess the quality of these materials. The fabricated carbons were tested in eco-friendly green synthesis of value-added fuel bio-additives, namely in glycerol esterification. The reaction of glycerol transformation was performed with acetic acid at 80 °C using different glycerol to acetic acid (Gly/AA) molar ratios. The samples functionalized with diazonium salt showed better performance in the above process than those modified with H₂SO₄, and this was found to be directly related to the degree of surface functionalization with acidic sites. BDS-modified carbon fibers allowed obtaining acceptable results within 6 h when the reaction was performed with a Gly/AA molar ratio of 1:6, however, the dominant products in this case were mono- and diacetins. Extended reaction time altered the distribution of products. Finally, the combined selectivity to the targeted acetins (i.e., DA and TA) was about 75.5%. A direct correlation between the content of -SO₃H groups of CNFs and the yield of higher acetins was found.

Synthesis of hierarchical ZSM-5 nano-aggregated microspheres for application in enhancing the stability of n-hexane aromatization

Hierarchical ZSM-5 nano-aggregated microspheres were directly synthesized without any mesoporous templates and exhibited improved catalytic stability in n-hexane aromatization.