title: Catalytic fast pyrolysis of cellulose to prepare levoglucosenone using sulfated zirconia.
abstract: Sulfated zirconia was employed as catalyst for fast pyrolysis of cellulose to prepare levoglucosenone (LGO), a very important anhydrosugar for organic synthesis. The yield and the selectivity of LGO were studied in a fixed-bed reactor at different temperatures and cellulose/catalyst mass ratios. The experiments of catalyst recycling were also carried out. The results displayed that from 290 to 400 °C, the liquid and solid accounted for more than 95 wt % of products, and the higher temperature led to more liquid and less solid products. The introduction of SO₄²⁻/ZrO₂ could promote cellulose conversion and LGO production. The temperature had a similar effect on the yield and selectivity of LGO at different cellulose/catalyst mass ratios. The maximum yield was obtained at 335 °C. Although the structure of the parent ZrO₂ was retained after recycles, which was confirmed by X-ray diffraction and N₂ adsorption-desorption measurements, the activity of SO₄²⁻/ZrO₂ could only be partially recovered by simply calcination. The catalytic activity decrease could be mainly attributed to SO₄²⁻ leaching, and the activity could be restored by further impregnation of H₂SO₄.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China.
authors.forename: Zhi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Xi-Feng
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D019086:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic / Q000737:chemistry*; D002384:Catalysis; D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry*; D005947:Glucose / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry; D007700:Kinetics; D013464:Sulfuric Acids / Q000737:chemistry*; D013696:Temperature; D015040:Zirconium / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D019086:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic; D013464:Sulfuric Acids; D002482:Cellulose; C512757:1,6-anhydro-3,4-dideoxyhex-3-enopyran-2-ulose; D015040:Zirconium; D005947:Glucose; C033158:sulfuric acid; C028541:zirconium oxide