The influence of pore structure and Si/Al ratio of HZSM-5 zeolites on the product distributions of α-cellulose hydrolysis

The catalytic behavior of a series of MFI catalysts with different Si/Al ratio (25–300) in the direct aqueous-phase hydrolysis of α-cellulose was studied. The effects ultrasonic pretreatment time, ZnCl 2 content, zeolite pore structure and acid-basic properties on catalyst activity and products distribution were systematically investigated. The results indicated that HZSM-5 with lower Si/Al ratio was beneficial for production of glucose and LA from α-cellulose. Ultrasonic pretreatment could decrease the degree of crystallinity and polymerization of α-cellulose, enhance the accessibility of acid sites and ZnCl 2 to the loosened amorphous regions of α-cellulose in water, and improve the hydrolysis efficiency of α-cellulose. The desilicated ZSM-5 (HZSM-5-DS(0.2)) showed much higher catalytic activities as compared to commercial ZSM-5 and α-cellulose conversion reached 76.5% over HZSM-5-DS(0.2) at 200   °C. Catalytic conversion of α-cellulose consisted of at least three important parallel reactions under the present hydrothermal conditions and a plausible pathway was proposed. Effective control of these reactions would be helpful to further maximize the target product yield during the catalytic conversion of α-cellulose.