The hydrogenolysis of sorbitol into 1,2-propanediol (PD), ethylene glycol (EG) and glycerol (G) was investigated over Ni, Pt and Ru supported on NaY at 220 °C and 60 bar in a batch reactor. Ni(6 %)-NaY was investigated in detail at different process conditions, including its recyclability. Attempts have been made to rationalize the experimentally observed conversion and product selectivity obtained over the different catalysts with results of Density Functional Theory calculations of adsorption energy and bond length changes in sorbitol adsorbed over various planes of Ni, Pt and Ru. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012.

Marimuthu Banu

Balasubramanian Viswanathan

Subramanian Sivasanker

1 ,2-PROPANEDIOL

Adsorption energies

Density functional theory calculations

NI-NAY

Process condition

Product selectivities

PT-NAY

recyclability

RU-NAY

Sorbitol

Adsorption

Batch reactors

Catalyst selectivity

Density functional theory

Ethylene glycol

Glycerol

Glycols

hydrogenolysis

Hydrolysis

Platinum

IIT Madras is a public technical and research university located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Founded in 1959, it is recognised as an Institute of National Importance.

IIT Madras has been ranked as the top engineering institute in India for four years in a row by the National Institutional Ranking Framework of the MHRD

It currently offers undergraduate, postgraduate and research degrees across 16 disciplines in Engineering, Sciences, Humanities and Management. About 596 faculty belonging to science and engineering departments and centres of the Institute are engaged in teaching, research and industrial consultancy.

IIT Madras

Topics in Catalysis

Hydrogenolysis of sorbitol into glycols and alcohols has been carried out in an aqueous medium using Ni (3, 6 and 10 wt%) supported on fly ash, an 'industrial waste'. The reaction was carried out in an aqueous medium using a 15 wt% solution (40 g) of sorbitol and 0.2 g of the reduced catalyst in a stirred high pressure reactor at different temperatures and pressures in H2. The major products of the reaction at 60 bars and 200 °C were 1,2-propanediol, glycerol and ethylene glycol. Adding Ca(OH)2 (0.2 g) to the reaction medium increased sorbitol conversion and selectivity for propanediol, and also appeared to prolong catalyst activity. Conversion increased with increasing amounts of Ni (3-10%), the increase in conversion being not so significant beyond 6% Ni. The 6% Ni catalyst was investigated in greater detail at different temperatures (160-220 °C) and pressures (40-80 bars). Ni(6%)/fly ash was reusable many times with only a minor activity loss. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering

Fly ash based Ni catalyst for conversion of sorbitol into glycols

The hydrogenolysis of sorbitol (15% aqueous solution) was carried out at 60 bar pressure at 220 °C in a stirred batch reactor using Ni-NaY (2, 4, 6 wt.% Ni) with and without added Pt(1 wt.%). 1,2-Propanediol was the major product over Ni-NaY and glycerol was the main product over Pt(1 wt.%)-NaY. The addition of 1 wt.% Pt to the Ni-catalysts had only a marginal effect on conversion and selectivity of the catalysts. Addition of Ca(OH)2 as the promoter to both Ni and Pt catalysts increased the conversion significantly without any significant effect on selectivity. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Catalysis Communications

Hydrogenolysis of sorbitol over Ni and Pt loaded on NaY

Renewable Energy

High efficient conversion of cellulose to polyols with Ru/CNTs as catalyst

Catalysis Today

Valorization of cellulose over metal supported mesoporous materials

Chinese Journal of Catalysis

Recent Developments in the Catalytic Conversion of Cellulose into Valuable Chemicals

Green Chem.

Synthesis of sugar alcohols by hydrolytic hydrogenation of cellulose over supported metal catalysts

Sorbitol hydrogenolysis over Ni, Pt and Ru supported on NaY

Journal	Topics in Catalysis
ISSN	10225528
Open Access	No