Ru on N-doped ordered mesoporous carbon support for conversion of glucose to sorbitol via in-situ generated hydrogen species: A greener approach

Jibril Goli Buta, Zelalem Tumsa Tefera and Melakuu Tesfaye Alemea

Renewable Energy, 2025, vol. 240, issue C

Abstract: Synthesis of bio-based polyol; sorbitol is the subject of many research studies. However, what remains a huge challenge in industrial development is the difficulty in controlling product selectivity and the issue of catalytic stability. For the first time, hereby we reported the catalytic conversion of glucose to sorbitol over ruthenium (Ru) supported on nitrogen(N)-doped ordered mesoporous carbon (CMK-1) via catalytic transfer hydrogenation (CTH) route in i-propanol as hydrogen donor. The synthesized catalysts were characterized by various characterization tools such as XRD, FTIR, N2-sorption, CO2-sorption, TEM, TGA, Elemental analysis, ICP-EAS, and the acid-base back titration method. The effects of support types, metal loading, substrate concentration, reaction temperature, reaction time, solvent ratio, and agitation speed were systematically addressed and optimum conditions were achieved. The results of catalyst characterization and reaction tests of Ru-containing catalytic materials evidenced the beneficial influence of N-containing supports to boost the catalytic performance and prevent the aggregation of Ru nanoparticles (NPs) during CTH tests. The as-synthesized 2%Ru-N-CMK-1 catalyst provided 100 % glucose conversion with quantitative yield in sorbitol (99.58 %) via CTH and exhibited exceptional stability and recyclability in which sorbitol yield remained above 99 % after 5th reaction cycles with negligible leaching of Ru. This exceptional performance and stability of functional catalyst was attributed to the stabilization of Ru NPs due to the alkaline environment inherited by N-dopant on ordered mesoporous carbon support that could positively promote efficient and selective hydrogenation of glucose to sorbitol. Furthermore, the reaction mechanism was also proposed based on the experimental and kinetics study. This work provides new understandings of the rational design of real-world Ru-based solid catalysts for sustainable and efficient production of sugar alcohols from lignocellulosic biomass-derived glucose molecules.

Keywords: Heterogeneous catalysis; Mesoporous carbon; N-doped porous carbon; Ru; Glucose; Sorbitol; Biofuel precursor; Catalytic transfer hydrogenation; Green chemistry (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:240:y:2025:i:c:s0960148124022936

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2024.122225

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