Production of Levulinic Acid via Cellulose Conversion Over Metal Oxide-Loaded MOF Catalysts in Aqueous Medium

Abstract In this study, Zr-MOF material (UiO-66) was modified with different metal oxides (CeO 2 , Ga 2 O 3 , and CoO) and employed in the conversion of cellulose to levulinic acid (LA) in aqueous medium. The research results showed that the introduction of the metal oxides increased the acid content of the catalysts, especially in medium-strong acid. The selectivity of LA was related to the type of metal oxide and the content of medium-strong acid. Due to the activity of Ga 2 O 3 and more medium-strong acid, the yield of LA reaches a maximum yield of 32.0 mol% at 513 K for 360 min when Ga 2 O 3 -UiO-66 was employed as the catalysts. The combination of metal oxide and UiO-66 enables the reaction to proceed, providing a new direction for the conversion of cellulose to LA in the aqueous phase. Graphic Abstract In this study, Zr-MOFs material (UiO-66) was modified with different metal oxides (CeO 2 , Ga 2 O 3 , and CoO) and employed in the conversion of cellulose to levulinic acid in aqueous medium. The results indicated that the addition of metal oxides changes the acidity of UiO-66, which improves the catalytic activity. The selectivity of LA was related to the type of metal oxide and the content of medium-strong acid.