Solvent-Assisted Adsorption of Cellulose on a Carbon Catalyst as a Pretreatment Method for Hydrolysis to Glucose

Cellulose hydrolysis to glucose using a heterogeneous catalyst is necessary step in producing bio-based chemicals and polymers. The requirement for energy-intensive pretreatments, such as ball milling, increase the reactivity of cellulose one major issues this area. Here, we show that by solvent-assisted adsorption pretreatment step, can be adsorbed on surface carbon catalyst. For pretreatment, phosphoric acid (H3PO4) performed better than other solvents sulfuric (H2SO4), tetrabutylammonium fluoride/dimethyl sulfoxide (TBAF/DMSO) 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([BMMI]Cl). Hydrolysis after removal H3PO4 produced 73% yield glucose. Partial before increased final yield. was proportional number weakly acidic functional groups catalyst, indicating reaction heterogeneously catalyzed. In preliminary lab-scale life-cycle analysis (LCA), greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per kg through were calculated. H3PO4-assisted notably reduces GHG compared previously reported milling pretreatment.