Enhanced levoglucosan production by graphene oxide-catalyzed pyrolysis of biomass

Pyrolysis of modern biomass is a sustainable technique to produce chemicals, yet efficient and selective conversion remains challenging. We studied biomass pyrolysis catalyzed by graphene oxide for the production of levoglucosan, a chemical with potential applications in biodegradable plastics and surfactants. We tested model compounds containing 40–100 wt% cellulose, poplar biomass, and we modelled the role of graphene oxide by calculations using the density functional theory. Results for model compounds show that levoglucosan production is higher for compounds containing less than 50% cellulose. By contrast, levoglucosan yield are reduced for model compounds having more than 60 wt% cellulose, because graphene oxide induced the breakdown of levoglucosan. Experiments show that pyrolysis of poplar biomass with 5 wt% graphene oxide increased about three times the yield of levoglucosan, compared to non-catalyzed pyrolysis. Enhanced levoglucosan formation is explained by the formation of a six-membered ring intermediate.