Ytterbium triflate immobilized on sulfo-functionalized SBA-15 catalyzed conversion of cellulose to lactic acid

The catalytic performance of Yb(OTf) 2 –SO 3 –SBA-15 in the transformation of cellulose into lactic acid was investigated in this paper. The sol–gel technique and the chemical grafting approach were introduced to obtain the SBA-15 and Yb(OTf) 2 –SO 3 –SBA-15, respectively. Yb(OTf) 2 –SO 3 –SBA-15 catalysts were characterized by elemental analysis, ICP-OES, XRD, N 2 adsorption, FTIR, TGA, 29 Si-MAS NMR, SEM and TEM. It is found that the Yb(OTf) 2 –SO 3 –SBA-15 catalyst can catalyze the transformation of cellulose into lactic acid effectively. When the temperature is 220 °C and the reaction time is 60 min, the maximum yield of lactic acid can reach 74.06%. Yb(OTf) 2 –SO 3 –SBA-15 catalyst can be recycled for more than five times without noticeable loss in activity.