The conversion of various biomass feeds to methyl levulinate (ML) using solid metal oxides has become increasingly studied due to the advantageous properties of these heterogeneous catalysts.  Specifically, sulfated metal oxides have been noted to include exceptionally high selectivity with remarkable yields.  Herein, a novel sulfated nano-TiO2 catalyst was studied providing yields as high as 81% ML from fructose with selectivity up to 98% at 473 K with 0.1 g catalyst loading.  All biomass and carbohydrate sources revealed similar results with cellulose reaching yields of 45% and wood 19% ML.  The catalyst can successfully be recycled five times without losing catalytic activity.  After calcination, the catalyst can be regenerated back to original conditions.  The addition of hydrogen to the reaction vessel also provides both an increase in activity as well as the avoidance of catalyst degradation during recycling.  Optimal conditions and their effect on various biomass feeds are reported.

Novel solid nano-particles for low temperature selective synthesis of methyl levulinate from carbohydrates and biomass resourses

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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