Magnetically Recoverable Catalysts for Cellulose and Inulin Conversion

A new Ru-containing catalyst based on Fe3O4-SiO2 particles that exhibit magnetic properties is proposed for the hydrogenolysis of cellulose to glycols and the hydrolytic hydrogenation of inulin to mannitol. Here, we also report utilisation of a magnetically recoverable catalyst in the inulin hydrolytic hydrogenation to mannitol. The effect of process parameters on the selectivity toward the main products is studied. In the hydrogenolysis of cellulose, the highest selectivities for EG (19.1 %) and PG (20.9 %) are achieved within 50 min under conditions of 255 °C, H2 60 bar. The conversion of cellulose is 100 %. In the hydrolytic hydrogenation of inulin, maximum mannitol selectivity (44.3 %) is reached within 45 min under conditions of 150 °C, H2 60 bar. The conversion of inulin is 100 %.The catalyst used in this work is stable under hydrothermal conditions of the process. It can be easily magnetically separated from the reaction mixture and reused without any loss of selectivity and activity, making this catalyst promising for practical applications in biomass conversion.