Enhancing the sugars production yield by supporting H3PW12O40 heteropoly acid on activated carbon for use as catalyst in hydrolysis of cellulose

Resumo

In this work, two catalysts were produced to be used in hydrolysis of cellulose reactions to obtain glucose, a
raw material used in the production of bioethanol. The heteropoly acid, H3PW12O40 (HPW), reported as
strong and thermally stable acid, was supported on activated carbon (AC) in a ratio varying from 1:1 to 2:1 to
produce the catalysts AC-HPW (1:1) and AC-HPW (2:1). The catalysts were tested in cellulose hydrolysis
evaluating some reaction variables and the results show the remarkable dependence of reaction temperature,
amount and acidity of the catalyst. The results indicate the advantage of supporting HPW on carbonaceous
material for using as catalyst in hydrolysis of cellulose, showing better conversion rate into sugars comparing
with unsupported HPW.
Keywords: heteropoly acid; activated carbon support; hydrolysis of cellulose.