Highly efficient microwave driven assisted hydrolysis of cellulose to sugar with the utilization of ZrO2 to inhibit recrystallization of cellulose

Ying Qiao; Chengkai Zhai; Fei Liu; Lai Chen; Haining Na; Jing Chen; Jin Zhu

doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2019.115358

Highly efficient microwave driven assisted hydrolysis of cellulose to sugar with the utilization of ZrO₂ to inhibit recrystallization of cellulose

Carbohydr Polym. 2020 Jan 15:228:115358. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2019.115358. Epub 2019 Sep 23.

Authors

Ying Qiao¹, Chengkai Zhai², Fei Liu², Lai Chen³, Haining Na⁴, Jing Chen², Jin Zhu⁵

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Bio-Based Polymeric Materials of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315201, China; Department of Polymer, College of Material Science and Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, China.
² Key Laboratory of Bio-Based Polymeric Materials of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315201, China.
³ Department of Polymer, College of Material Science and Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, China.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Bio-Based Polymeric Materials of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315201, China. Electronic address: nahaining@nimte.ac.cn.
⁵ Key Laboratory of Bio-Based Polymeric Materials of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315201, China. Electronic address: jzhu@nimte.ac.cn.

PMID: 31635727
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2019.115358

Abstract

Following the main idea of a two-step method, microcrystalline cellulose is firstly pretreated to prepare regenerated cellulose (RC) with low crystallinity. Then, RC is continuously hydrolyzed to sugar in aqueous system by microwave driving. With the establishment of ZrO₂ contained low acid catalytic system, an advanced route driven by microwave radiation to induce highly efficient hydrolysis of RC to sugar is formed. Due to the effect of ZrO₂ on the molecular chain of cellulose, the recrystallization of RC is obviously weakened, and higher hydrolysis reactivity is achieved. Under the optimal conditions, the average conversion of RC and the yield of total reducing sugar highly reach 98.4 ± 0.5% and 97.9 ± 0.6%, respectively. The result is extremely superior to the efficiency of hydrolysis initiated only by pure acid. As a result, a novel and simple thinking to establish an advanced two-step methodology to hydrolyze cellulose to sugar with high efficiency is achieved.

Keywords: Cellulose; Hydrolysis; Microwave driving.