New catalyst with multiple active sites for selective hydrogenolysis of cellulose to ethylene glycol

Abstract

Three different metals were successfully incorporated into the mesoporous siliceous material, TUD-1, for the first time. One-pot synthesis was applied to incorporate isolated Al³⁺, nanoparticles of WO₃, and nanoparticles of metallic Ni with different loadings into TUD-1. The prepared materials were characterized by means of elemental analysis, XRD, N₂ physisorption, NH₃-TPD, SEM, EDX and TEM. Characterization data confirmed the incorporation of isolated Al³⁺ ions in the framework of TUD-1, in addition to metallic Ni (3–5 nm) and WO₃ (10–15 nm) nanoparticles inside the pores of TUD-1 matrix. Moreover, extra-framework WO₃ particles (0.5–1 μm) were also detected. The catalytic activity of the prepared samples was evaluated in the selective hydrogenolysis of cellulose into ethylene glycol at 503 K under 4 MPa of H₂ pressure in the presence of water as a solvent. The catalyst with the multiple active sites exhibited the highest cellulose conversion (100%) after reaction for 90 min and the ethylene glycol yield was 76%.