木质纤维素中C–O键选择性活化和高效转化制化学品（英文）

高效转化来源丰富且可再生的木质纤维素制备化学品和燃料对建立可持续发展社会具有重要意义.木质纤维素利用的一条理想途径是将其主要成分纤维素、半纤维素和木质素在温和条件下高选择性地催化转化为关键平台化学品.本文综述了近年报道的有关纤维素、半纤维素和木质素或其模型分子中C–O键选择性活化生成葡萄糖、葡萄糖衍生物(包括葡萄糖苷、六元醇和葡萄糖酸)、木糖、阿拉伯糖和芳香化合物的新催化剂和新策略,阐述了决定催化性能的关键因素.本文还讨论了相关反应机理以深入理解C–O键选择性活化.纤维素由葡萄糖单元通过β-1,4-糖苷键连接而成,通过水解反应,选择性切断这些糖苷键可以获得葡萄糖或其低聚物.鉴于葡萄糖在水热条件下不稳定,发展纤维素温和条件下水解的酸催化剂至关重要.众多研究表明,均相酸催化剂(如无机酸,杂多酸等)具有强Br?nsted酸,在该水解反应中显示高的催化活性.另一方面,拥有强酸性基团-SO3H的固体酸也表现出优异的水解糖苷键性能,但是-SO3H官能团易于流失,限制了这类固体酸催化剂的循环使用.最近研究显示,一些催化剂尤其是碳材料上引入能够与纤维素形成氢键的官能团时,其催化纤维素水解性能显著增强.设计合成这类具备酸性位和氢键位协同效应的稳定固体酸催化剂是纤维素水解转化的一个颇具前景的研究方向.以醇替代水为溶剂实施纤维素醇解制葡萄糖苷是高效活化糖苷键的有效策略.杂多酸被证实为该醇解反应的高性能催化剂.在相同反应条件下,醇解产物葡萄糖苷较水解产物葡萄糖更为稳定,因此可以获得高的葡萄糖苷收率.开发稳定可重复利用的固体酸催化剂是纤维素醇解的关键.耦合水解与加氢或氧化反应可以直接将纤维素转化为相对稳定且具有广泛用途的多元醇或有机酸.目前已有一系列双功能催化剂被报道,这些催化剂通常组合了具备水解功能的液体酸或固体酸和具备加氢或氧化功能的贵金属或过渡金属(譬如Ru,Pt,Ni和Au).其中杂多酸盐或含有磺酸官能团的固体酸负载Ru或Au双功能催化剂显示出优异的生成六元醇或葡萄糖酸的催化性能.半纤维素由葡萄糖、甘露糖、木糖、阿拉伯糖、半乳糖等单糖单元通过糖苷键连接而成,糖苷键选择性活化可生成各种单糖混合物.硫酸可以有效水解半纤维素,但是同时也易于催化所生成的单糖深度转化为呋喃及其衍生物.较之硫酸,酸性较弱的有机酸特别是二元羧酸(例如马来酸、草酸等)具有较高的单糖选择性.固体酸如酸性树脂,分子筛等亦可催化半纤维素水解反应,但树脂类催化剂中官能团的流失问题有待解决.木质素是由含甲氧基等取代基的苯丙烷单元通过一系列化学键连接而成的复杂大分子,其芳香单元间包括β-O-4,α-O-4和4-O-5等三种主要连接方式,选择性切断这些C–O键可获得高附加值的芳香化合物.水解和氢解是两类普遍用以活化木质素及其模型化合物C–O键的反应.酸和碱均可催化木质素及其模型化合物水解,但是通常需要苛刻条件获取高转化率.近期研究显示,通过对木质素Cα-OH预氧化,再以HCOOH/HCOONa实施水解反应,可以成功实现温和条件下有机溶剂提取木质素及其模型化合物的高效转化.另一方面,均相金属络合物(如Ni,Fe和Ru)或多相负载型金属催化剂(如Ni,Cu,Mo,Pt,Ru,Pd或Ru等)均可有效催化木质素及其模型化合物中C–O键氢解,获得芳烃化合物.在部分多相催化剂体系中,除C–O键活化断裂外,还伴随芳环深度加氢反应,产生较多环己烷衍生物.因此,设计合成具备氢解功能同时抑制过度加氢功能的催化剂是获得芳烃化合物的关键.     

Cu催化羟基自由基氧化断裂纤维二糖分子糖苷键反应及其在纤维素低温解聚中的应用

纤维素是葡萄糖通过β-1,4-糖苷键链接而成的高聚物,在木质纤维素中含量最高,结构稳定,较难水解.糖苷键的解聚主要有三种方式:酶水解、酸水解以及碱降解.酶解的优点是反应条件温和、副产物少,但存在成本高、活性低等缺点,限制了其大规模的工业化生产.碱水解纤维素的同时伴随着葡萄糖的peeling-off反应得到异变糖酸,需要消耗大量的碱,并且强碱也存在腐蚀性强和回收难等问题.酸水解是目前工业上常用的纤维素水解方法,在保持较高葡萄糖选择性的同时,通过对反应条件的控制(提高反应温度和酸浓度)来提高纤维素的水解效率,但是硫酸对设备的腐蚀性强,也难以回收,不符合绿色化学的发展要求.固体酸是近年来研究较多的纤维素水解催化剂.固体酸虽然腐蚀性弱、易回收,但是其活性低,水热稳定性较差,目前还不具备大规模生产的条件.本文发展了一种羟基自由基活化断裂糖苷键的方法,利用羟基自由基的高活性在低温下实现糖苷键的选择性断裂,同时羟基自由基与糖苷键作用后转化为无毒无害的水和氧气,将不会对环境造成污染.我们首先以纤维二糖作为纤维素的模型分子,通过羟基自由基能够优先与糖苷键反应得到葡萄糖和葡萄糖酸的实验证实所提出的方法的可行性.实验表明,来自H2O2的·OH自由基能够在铜基催化剂作用下选择性氧化断裂其糖苷键,生成葡萄糖和葡萄糖酸.比如:采用均相CuSO4体系,纤维二糖转化率约为20%时,葡萄糖和葡萄糖酸的选择性分别为28.5%和32.3%.采用多相CuO/SiO2(4 wt%CuO)体系,纤维二糖转化率约为20%时,葡萄糖和葡萄糖酸的选择性约分别为23.3%和25.7%,并且该催化剂具有良好的循环使用性能.与·OH类似,CuSO4催化过硫酸钾生成的·SO4-自由基也能够有效转化纤维二糖,在纤维二糖转化率为20%时,葡萄糖和葡萄糖酸的选择性分别为36.6%和39.9%.利用这种·OH和·SO4-自由基氧化的方法,也能够在较低温度下(333 K)解聚纤维素中的糖苷键.我们发展了H2O2浸渍预处理纤维浸渍预处理纤维素的方法,通过部分破坏纤维素糖苷键,提高了纤维素的水解活性.比如:处理后的纤维素在413 K条件下反应12 h,纤维素转化率和葡萄糖选择性分别达到约36.1%和42.5%.XRD结果表明,处理后的纤维素的晶体结构未发生明显的变化.FT-IR表征结果显示处理后的纤维素表面生成了大量的羧酸基团.     

Cu催化羟基自由基氧化断裂纤维二糖分子糖苷键反应及其在纤维素低温解聚中的应用（英文）

纤维素是葡萄糖通过β-1,4-糖苷键链接而成的高聚物,在木质纤维素中含量最高,结构稳定,较难水解.糖苷键的解聚主要有三种方式:酶水解、酸水解以及碱降解.酶解的优点是反应条件温和、副产物少,但存在成本高、活性低等缺点,限制了其大规模的工业化生产.碱水解纤维素的同时伴随着葡萄糖的peeling-off反应得到异变糖酸,需要消耗大量的碱,并且强碱也存在腐蚀性强和回收难等问题.酸水解是目前工业上常用的纤维素水解方法,在保持较高葡萄糖选择性的同时,通过对反应条件的控制(提高反应温度和酸浓度)来提高纤维素的水解效率,但是硫酸对设备的腐蚀性强,也难以回收,不符合绿色化学的发展要求.固体酸是近年来研究较多的纤维素水解催化剂.固体酸虽然腐蚀性弱、易回收,但是其活性低,水热稳定性较差,目前还不具备大规模生产的条件.本文发展了一种羟基自由基活化断裂糖苷键的方法,利用羟基自由基的高活性在低温下实现糖苷键的选择性断裂,同时羟基自由基与糖苷键作用后转化为无毒无害的水和氧气,将不会对环境造成污染.我们首先以纤维二糖作为纤维素的模型分子,通过羟基自由基能够优先与糖苷键反应得到葡萄糖和葡萄糖酸的实验证实所提出的方法的可行性.实验表明,来自H_2O_2的·OH自由基能够在铜基催化剂作用下选择性氧化断裂其糖苷键,生成葡萄糖和葡萄糖酸.比如:采用均相Cu SO_4体系,纤维二糖转化率约为20%时,葡萄糖和葡萄糖酸的选择性分别为28.5%和32.3%.采用多相CuO/SiO_2(4 wt%CuO)体系,纤维二糖转化率约为20%时,葡萄糖和葡萄糖酸的选择性约分别为23.3%和25.7%,并且该催化剂具有良好的循环使用性能.与·OH类似,CuSO_4催化过硫酸钾生成的·SO_4~?自由基也能够有效转化纤维二糖,在纤维二糖转化率为20%时,葡萄糖和葡萄糖酸的选择性分别为36.6%和39.9%.利用这种·OH和·SO_4~?自由基氧化的方法,也能够在较低温度下(333 K)解聚纤维素中的糖苷键.我们发展了H_2O_2浸渍预处理纤维浸渍预处理纤维素的方法,通过部分破坏纤维素糖苷键,提高了纤维素的水解活性.比如:处理后的纤维素在413 K条件下反应12 h,纤维素转化率和葡萄糖选择性分别达到约36.1%和42.5%.XRD结果表明,处理后的纤维素的晶体结构未发生明显的变化.FT-IR表征结果显示处理后的纤维素表面生成了大量的羧酸基团.     

木质素在不同Ru/Nb基催化剂上解聚和脱氧加氢制芳烃化合物

木质素高效转化为芳烃是木质素利用的一个非常重要的过程,一般通过解聚和脱氧加氢反应来实现.我们曾发现NbOx物种在木质素及其模型化合物的C–O键活化和断裂的过程中发挥了至关重要的作用.本文分别选择两种商业的铌基材料(HY-340和NbPO-CBMM)和实验室自制的具有层状结构的氧化铌材料(Nb_2O_5-Layer)为载体,制备了负载型Ru催化剂,将其用于木质素及其模型化合物的催化转化.同时,为了尽量避免Ru与铌基载体相互作用的影响,制备了较为均匀的Ru纳米胶粒并吸附于铌基载体上,得到Ru@铌基催化剂,并用于木质素模型化合物—对甲酚的催化转化反应中.研究表明,木质素在所有的Ru/铌基催化剂上都可以得到比较高的C7–C9碳氢化合物的收率.其中,在Ru/Nb_2O_5-Layer催化剂上C_7–C_9碳氢化合物的摩尔收率为99.1%,选择性为88.0%.采用X射线衍射、N_2吸附-脱附、热重分析、吡啶吸附红外光谱(Py-FTIR)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)以及CO化学吸附等技术表征了Ru/铌基催化剂的性能与铌基材料的性质、金属Ru颗粒大小及其表面电子状态之间的关系.Py-FTIR结果表明, Nb_2O_5-Layer材料上几乎没有Br?nsted酸,但含有最多的Lewis酸,而NbPO-CBMM上的Lewis酸量最低.结合催化性能数据发现,单体产物收率与铌基载体的Lewis量成正相关关系,其中以Ru/Nb_2O_5-Layer催化剂上最高.CO化学吸附和XPS结果表明,不同的铌基载体负载的金属Ru的分散度和电子状态都有差异.在Ru/Nb_2O_5-Layer上Ru的分散度最好,颗粒尺寸最小,木质素转化得到的芳烃选择性最好;在Ru/HY-340和Ru/NbPO-CBMM上,虽然Ru的分散度相近,但其表面电子状态不同, Ru/HY-340上的金属态Ru带有更多的正电荷δ+,其得到芳烃的选择性高于Ru/Nb PO-CBMM.由此可见, Ru的颗粒尺寸和表面电子状态会影响芳烃选择性.对甲酚催化转化反应结果表明, Ru颗粒大小相同时,铌基载体性质会影响对甲酚转化率;而同一铌基载体上, Ru颗粒大小则影响芳烃选择性,较小的Ru颗粒有利于芳烃的生成.     

微波辅助的金属氯化物Lewis酸催化纤维素水解

研究了微波辐射下四种金属氯化物Lewis酸的催化纤维素酸水解反应性能,发现CuCl₂的催化性能最好。反应温度、反应时间、微波功率、催化剂用量和酸种类对纤维素水解转化率、葡萄糖和5-羟甲基糠醛(5-HMF)的选择性均有明显影响。与传统热反应相比,微波辐射明显加快纤维素酸水解速率,提高葡萄糖的选择性。0.5g纤维素和15g水,在微波功率800W,温度到达225℃时立即停止反应的条件下,当CuCl₂用量为0.05mmol时,纤维素转化率和葡萄糖选择性达72.6%和62.3%;当CuCl₂用量为0.15mmol时,5-HMF的选择性最高为13.2%;当CuCl₂用量为0.30mmol时,纤维素的转化率高达90.6%,但葡萄糖选择性只有6.7%。     

Murai反应中芳香酮邻位C–H键活化的区域选择性的理论研究

钌催化剂RuH_2(CO)(PPh_3)_3使Murai反应中芳香酮β位C–H键的催化活化反应具有极高的产率与选择性.本文采用密度泛函(DFT)方法研究了钌配合物催化芳香酮邻位C–H键活化的反应机理,剖析了芳香酮C–H键活化反应中产生区域选择性的原因.计算结果表明,C–H键的活化位垒为1.1 kcal/mol,从反应动态学角度很好地解释了该反应的区域选择性.通过路径a与路径b的比较,发现C=C双键更容易插入到Ru–H键而不是Ru–C键中.另外,无论C–C键形成(C–C活化过程)出现在路径a的烯烃插入基元反应,还是出现在路径b的还原消除基元反应,C–C键形成步骤都是整个催化反应的决速步骤.与路径a和b比较,反应路径c中C–C键形成过程的空间位阻较大,能垒也更高.     

生物质半纤维素稀酸水解反应*

半纤维素是木质纤维素类生物质中第二大组分,半纤维素的高效、低成本转化是实现木质纤维素类生物质转化工艺实用化的一个技术关键。稀酸水解技术被广泛应用于水解生物质半纤维素,其对半纤维素糖的转化率高,得到的糖可进一步发酵生产燃料乙醇等。半纤维素还可直接水解制低聚糖等功能性食品和糠醛等化工产品。本文综述了半纤维素稀酸水解反应的研究进展。介绍了半纤维素的基本结构特征,解析了稀酸催化半纤维素水解的反应机理及反应网络,评述了半纤维素水解过程中反应条件等对目标产物的影响,并总结了半纤维素稀酸水解动力学模型。在此基础上,对今后半纤维素稀酸水解反应的研究方向与水解产物的利用进行了展望。     

纤维素及其衍生物催化脱氧转化制化学品

纤维素是木质纤维素生物质中最为丰富的组分,将其催化转化制备高附加值化学品在生物质资源化利用中占据极为重要的一席之地。由于纤维素中氧含量过高,需选择性地脱除部分氧原子才可获得满足当前化学工业对各类高值化学品的要求。近年来,针对纤维素以及由其衍生的关键平台分子葡萄糖和5-羟甲基糠醛(HMF)等催化脱氧的研究已引起广泛关注,并取得诸多重要进展。在此,我们总结了具有代表性的多相催化剂体系,讨论了利用氢解或脱水脱氧策略分别将纤维素和葡萄糖等分子中一个或多个C―O键裁剪制备乙醇、烯烃或己二酸等的研究。我们还着重介绍了HMF和其衍生的呋喃化合物选择性剪切C―OH/C＝O键或呋喃环中的C―O―C键分别制备二甲基呋喃和1, 6-己二醇等催化体系。此外,对各多相催化剂的作用机制和特定C―O断键机理也分别进行了探讨,以期深入理解纤维素及其衍生物的催化脱氧反应。     

氧化钽及钽钨复合氧化物固体酸催化己糖脱水制备5-羟甲基糠醛以及非等计量比的甲酸和乙酰丙酸（英文）

5-羟甲基糠醛(HMF)是最具应用前景的平台化合物之一, HMF制备的研究越来越成为热点,并且已经取得了令人瞩目的研究成果.尽管如此,在现阶段利用固体酸催化剂催化碳水化合物制备HMF的研究仍然面临许多挑战,以葡萄糖为原料制备HMF时产物选择性普遍较低.因此,合成制备高活性催化糖类化合物脱水制HMF的固体酸催化剂,并且研究固体酸催化剂表面酸性质比如酸密度、酸强度以及Br?nsted/Lewis酸比值等对糖类化合物制HMF反应中各反应产物选择性的影响,对新型高效催化剂的开发设计具有重要意义.本文通过溶剂挥发自组装法合成了一系列介孔Ta及Ta-W氧化物固体酸催化剂,并用于催化果糖和葡萄糖脱水制备5-羟甲基糠醛.以三甲基膦(TMP)为探针分子,利用31P固体核磁共振谱技术表征催化剂表面酸性质,考察复合金属氧化物固体酸催化剂酸量、酸强度以及酸类型对催化果糖和葡萄糖制备HMF反应性能的影响,为高效催化剂的设计提供一定的理论指导.另外,我们还通过引入2-丁醇构建有机溶剂/水体系,考察有机溶剂对葡萄糖脱水制HMF反应中所用催化剂活性和产物选择性的影响.31P固体核磁共振技术表征样品的酸性质发现,随着W掺杂量的增加,系列Ta及Ta-W氧化物的酸强度和Br?nsted/Lewis酸量比值逐渐增加.催化反应结果表明,以介孔Ta及Ta-W复合氧化物为催化剂时,果糖和葡萄糖脱水制HMF反应的催化活性和HMF选择性与所用催化剂的酸量、酸类型和酸强度有关.介孔Ta及Ta-W复合氧化物催化剂表面的B/L比值越高,催化反应过程中的己糖转化率也越高, HMF选择性也普遍越高.具有较高Br?nsted酸强度的催化剂在水溶液中更易降低HMF产物选择性,归结于HMF的再水解和葡萄糖的非选择性脱水等副反应.实验结果发现,产物甲酸(FA)的选择性远高于乙酰丙酸(LA),说明过量FA很可能来自果糖在Lewis酸位上的分解.2-丁醇的引入能够提高己糖转化率和HMF选择性,并且在B/L比值越高的催化剂上提升的效果越显著.其中, Ta_7W_3氧化物为催化剂时, HMF选择性最高可达54%,并且该催化剂具有良好的催化稳定性,这主要是因为2-丁醇的加入能够有效地抑制反应中胡敏素等聚合物的生成,防止后者在催化剂表面附着导致催化活性降低,进而提高了催化剂在催化反应中的稳定性.     

双功能催化剂Ru/（AC-SO3H）催化转化菊芋根茎制备六元醇

甘露醇和山梨醇等六元醇是重要的多元醇,广泛用于食品、医药和化工等领域,尤其山梨醇被美国能源部定为一种重要的平台化合物.工业上,六元醇通常由果糖、葡萄糖和蔗糖加氢得到,此路线存在与人争粮争地的问题.菊芋是一种来源广泛、价格低廉的生物质资源,它富含果糖基多糖(菊糖),菊糖的含量占菊芋根茎干重的70%–90%,由生物质菊芋出发催化转化制备六元醇具有重要意义.由菊芋根茎催化转化制备六元醇是一个串联反应过程,菊芋根茎先经过水解得到糖类,然后经过加氢反应得到六元醇.我们用磺化活性炭AC-SO3H代替AC载体以促进菊芋根茎水解反应. AC经磺化后,比表面积由原来的768增至1020 m2/g,酸强度由原来的0.21增至0.68 mmol/g,表明磺化过程不仅除去了AC中的杂质,也在其表面固定了大量的-SO3H,-COOH,-OH等酸性基团.透射电镜结果表明,1%Ru/AC和1%Ru/(AC-SO3H)催化剂上Ru高度分散. CO化学吸附表明,上述两种催化剂Ru的分散度分别为30.9%和74.2%,表明AC经磺化后产生了更多的固定位点,使得Ru可以更好地分散在载体上.在温和条件下(100oC,6 MPa H2,5 h)将菊芋根茎转化为六元醇,1%Ru/AC催化剂上六元醇收率为52.7%,而1%Ru/(AC-SO3H)催化剂上可达84.1%.这归因于后者的酸强度和Ru分散度较大：其表面的酸性基团-SO3H,-COOH,-OH促进了菊芋根茎的水解,高分散度的Ru则促进了糖加氢反应的进行.将Ru的负载量提高至3%,六元醇产率高达92.6%.以1%Ru/AC和1%Ru/(AC-SO3H)为催化剂,分别以果糖和菊粉为原料制备六元醇.结果表明,以果糖为原料时两种催化剂性能相同;以菊粉为原料时,1%Ru/AC的催化性能远低于1%Ru/(AC-SO3H).这表明菊粉和菊芋根茎转化反应,速控步骤是水解反应,而磺化过程引入的酸性基团可以促进水解过程的进行.在N2气氛下反应,主要产物为果糖和葡萄糖,表明菊芋根茎水解反应是主要的反应路径.在H2气氛下反应,糖类产率在1 h内达到最大值,然后开始逐渐降低,同时加氢产物逐渐增加.因此, H2气氛下反应过程中生成的糖类是中间产物.以菊芋根茎为原料,1%Ru/(AC-SO3H)催化剂循环使用4次后六元醇产率由87%降至55%;而以菊粉为原料,循环4次后六元醇产率略有降低. ICP测试表明, Ru催化剂并未流失,3次循环后催化剂的CO化学吸附表明, Ru的分散度由74.2%降至17.8%.这表明催化剂失活是由菊芋根茎中的杂质毒化Ru活性位点导致的.     

Xylan hydrolysis in zinc chloride solution

Xylan is the major component of hemicellulose, which consists of up to one-third of the lignocellulosic biomass. When the zinc chloride solution was used as a pretreatment agent to facilitate cellulose hydrolysis, hemicellulose was hydrolyzed during the pretreatment stage. In this study, xylan was used as a model to study the hydrolysis of hemicellulose in zinc chloride solution. The degradation of xylose that is released from xylan was reduced by the formation of zinc-xylose complex. The xylose yield was >90% (w/w) at 70°C. The yield and rate of hydrolysis were a function of temperature and the concentration of zinc chloride. The ratio of zinc chloride can be decreased from 9 to 1.3 (w/w). At this ratio, 76% of xylose yield was obtained. When wheat straw was pretreated with a concentrated zinc chloride solution, the hemicellulose hydrolysate contained only xylose and trace amounts of arabinose and oligosaccharides. With this approach, the hemicellulose hydrolysate can be separated from cellulose residue, which would be hydrolyzed subsequently to glucose by acid or enzymes to produce glucose. This production scheme provided a method to produce glucose and xylose in different streams, which can be fermented in separated fermenters.     

纤维素及其衍生物催化脱氧转化制化学品

Biomass, as a renewable carbon resource in nature, has been considered as an ideal starting feedstock to produce various valuable chemicals, fuels, and materials, and thus, can help build a sustainable chemical industry. Because cellulose is one of the richest components in lignocellulosic biomass, the efficient transformation of cellulose plays a crucial role in biomass utilization. However, there are many oxygen-containing groups in cellulose, and therefore, the selective removal of particular functional groups from cellulose becomes an essential step in the synthesis of the chemicals or fuels that can meet the requirements set by current chemical industries. In the past decades, several efficient catalytic systems have been developed to selectively split the C―O bonds inside cellulose and its derivatives, thereby producing various valuable chemicals. In this review article, we highlight recent progress made in the selective deoxygenation of cellulose and its derived key platforms such as glucose and 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF) into ethanol, dimethyl furfural (DMF), 1, 6-hexanediol (1, 6-HD), and adipic acid. The selection of these reactions is primarily because these chemicals are of great significance in chemical industries. More importantly, the formation of these chemicals represents the cleavage of different C―O bonds in biomass molecules. For instance, the synthesis of ethanol requires cleaving of only one C―O bond and two C―C bonds of the glucose unit inside cellulose. If two or more C―O bonds in the sugar or sugar acids are cleaved, olefins, oxygen-reduced sugars, and adipic acid will be attained. HMF has a furan ring linked by hydroxyl/carbonyl groups, and hence, either a furanic compound (e.g., DMF) or linear products (e.g., 1, 6-HD and adipic acid) can be synthesized by selective removal of hydroxyl/carbonyl oxygen or ring oxygen atoms. This article focuses on the selective cleavage of particular C―O bonds via heterogeneous catalysis. Efficient catalytic systems using hydrogenolysis and/or deoxydehydration strategies for these transformations are discussed. Moreover, the functions of typical catalysts and reaction mechanisms are presented to obtain insight into the C―O bond cleavage in these biomass molecules. Additionally, other factors such as reaction conditions that also influence the deoxygenation performance are analyzed. We hope that these knowledge gained on the catalytic deoxygenation of cellulose and its derived platforms will promote the rational design of effective strategies or catalysts in the future utilization of lignocellulosic biomass.     

生物质转化中C―O/C―C键的活化断裂

生物质作为自然界中唯一可持续的有机碳来源,在解决环境和能源问题、创建一个碳中和的社会方面展现出巨大的潜力。木质生物质是由具有C―O/C―C键的基本结构单元构成的高分子化合物,活化、断裂这些C―O/C―C键是生物质高值化利用的关键,因此在过去十年中受到了广泛的关注。本文首先简要综述了生物质转化中C―O/C―C键催化断裂的现状,主要关注C―O/C―C键断裂的关键挑战和现有策略。我们的目标不是全面概述C―O/C―C键活化断裂的现况,而是提出与C―O/C―C键断裂相关的核心问题并且对未来的研究作出展望。我们选择了碳水化合物和木质素中几种具有代表性的C―O/C―C键来讨论它们在不同情况下协同催化断裂的机理,然后对未来的研究提出自己的见解。     

生物质转化中C―O/C―C键的活化断裂

Sustainable fuels and chemicals are receiving unprecedented attention worldwide in the context of achieving global carbon neutrality. Biomass, as the only natural and sustainable carbon-based source, shows great potential in addressing our current environmental/energy problems and in creating a carbon-neutral society. Lignocellulosic biomass is made up of basic structural units containing C―O/C―C bonds, and the catalytic cleavage of these C―O/C―C bonds is the key for biomass valorization; thus, garnering considerable attention in the past decade. This viewpoint begins with a brief report on the current status of catalytic activation/cleavage of C―O/C―C bonds during biomass conversion, and then goes on to discuss the key challenges experienced and possible strategies that can be implemented using cooperative catalysis. Our goal is not to provide a comprehensive overview of the activation/cleavage of the C―O/C―C bonds in biomass, but rather to highlight the core questions and challenges related to this process and the requirements for future investigations. We selected several representative C―O/C―C bonds in carbohydrates and lignin to discuss their catalytic mechanism in terms of total/selective bond cleavage, and then present our own insights for future studies. Therefore, this article mainly discusses the following two aspects: (1) The activation and cleavage of C―O bonds, which includes total and selective C―O bond cleavage in furan-based fuel precursors and lignin. When aiming to produce liquid fuels, including alkanes and arenes from biomass, the total cleavage of C―O bonds is essential. During the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of furan-based fuel precursors, various C―O bonds need to be cleaved, especially the C―O bond of each tetrahydrofuran ring, which has the highest bond energy. When compared with the total HDO of fuel precursors, the removal of the phenolic hydroxyl groups in lignin to produce arenes is more challenging because of the competition between the over-hydrogenation of the benzene rings and the cleavage of phenolic C―O bonds. The selective or partial cleavage of C―O/C―C bonds to form highly functionalized chemicals has recently attracted great interest and is believed to be a dynamic future research avenue. For example, the production of phenol from lignin or lignin-model compounds, through the selective removal of methoxy groups and para-side-chain groups, while preserving the phenolic hydroxyl groups, has been extensively explored in the past few years. (2) The other important aspect of this article is the cleavage of the C―C bonds in carbohydrates and lignin. The cleavage of carbohydrate C―C bonds occurs via retro-aldol condensation, which produces propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, ethanol, and lactic acid. The cleavage of C―C bonds in lignin is challenging because the bond energy of the C―C bonds is generally higher than that of the C―O bonds in lignin. Therefore, in this section, we discuss the cleavage of the strongest 5―5' bond in lignin. Finally, some subjective perspectives and future directions are provided, also highlighting several major challenges in this field.      

Polyoxometalates as efficient catalysts for transformations of cellulose into platform chemicals

Efficient utilisation of renewable biomass resources, particularly lignocellulosic biomass, for the production of chemicals and fuels has attracted much attention in recent years. The catalytic conversion of cellulose, the main component of lignocellulosic biomass, selectively into a platform chemical such as glucose, 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF), sorbitol or gluconic acid under mild conditions is the most desirable route. Acid catalysis plays a crucial role in the conversion of cellulose via the cleavage of its glycosidic bonds. Owing to their unique features such as strong acidity, water-tolerance, low corrosiveness and recoverability, polyoxometalates have shown promising performances in transformations of cellulose into platform chemicals both in homogeneous and heterogeneous systems. This article highlights recent studies on polyoxometalates and polyoxometalate-based bifunctional catalysts or catalytic systems for the selective conversions of cellulose and cellobiose, a model molecule of cellulose, into platform chemicals.     

Pt/NbPWO双功能催化剂的制备及氢解碱木质素制备芳香单体

木质素是一种天然芳香族聚合物,约占木质纤维素的30%,是唯一通过裂解C―O醚键和C―C键生产芳香族化学品或液体燃料的可再生芳香族资源。迄今为止,对木质素氢解制备有价值化合物的研究主要集中在相对不稳定的C―O键的裂解上,这限制了木质素氢解的效率。采用水热法和湿浸渍法制备了多功能Pt/NbPWO催化剂。通过破坏碱木质素中的C―O键和C―C键,可以得到产率为18.02%的芳香族单体。该反应不仅可以断裂木质素聚合物中醚键,同时也可以断裂部分关键的C―C键。其氢解机理可能是丰富的Brønsted酸和Lewis酸位点参与了C―C的活化。此外,重点分析载体和Pt物种在Pt/NbPWO催化剂中的协同作用。     

Pt/NbPWO双功能催化剂的制备及氢解碱木质素制备芳香单体

Lignin is a natural aromatic polymer that accounts for nearly 30% of lignocellulose and is considered the only renewable aromatic (re)source for producing aromatic chemicals or liquid fuels via the cleavage of C―O ether bonds and C―C bonds. Thus far, the majority of investigations involving the production of valuable compounds via lignin hydrogenolysis have focused on the cleavage of relatively labile C―O bonds only, which restricts the efficiency of hydrogenolysis. Therefore, in this work, a bifunctional Pt/NbPWO catalyst was synthesized using hydrothermal and wet impregnation methods. It was found that aromatic monomers with a yield of 18.02% could be obtained by breaking the C―O and C―C bonds in alkali lignin. This reaction was applicable to breaking the key C―C bonds when the C―O ether bonds were broken in lignin polymers. The hydrogenolysis mechanism most likely involves the abundant Brønsted acid and Lewis acid sites on the catalyst that facilitate C―C bond activation. Additionally, the synergy between the support and Pt species in the Pt/NbPWO catalyst was primarily emphasized.     

Py-GC/MS characterization of a wild and a selected clone of Arundo donax,and of its residues after catalytic hydrothermal conversion to high added-value products

Two analytical procedures based on gas chromatography and mass spectrometry were used to study the compositions of a wild population and a selected clone (Torviscosa) of giant reed (Arundo donax L.), one of the most promising biomass both in terms of energy and fine chemicals production. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was used to characterize and quantitatively determine the monosaccharide composition. Pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS), using hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) as a derivatising agent, was used to characterize the lignocellulosic polymers. Analytical pyrolysis was also used to study the composition of residues left after the catalytic hydrolysis used to convert cellulose to levulinic acid and hemicellulose to furfural.GC/MS allowed us to determine the monosaccharide composition and polysaccharide content of the giant reed samples, highlighting that there was no significant difference between the wild population and the selected clone. GC/MS also highlighted that the giant reed leaves have a higher percentage (roughly 60%) of polysaccharide material than the stalks, which contain approximately 50%.Py-GC/MS, following the disappearance of the pyrolysis products of polysaccharides, showed that 150 °C and 190 °C are the best temperatures to obtain the complete catalytic conversion of hemicellulose and cellulose, respectively. Analytical pyrolysis also highlighted that in the course of catalytic hydrothermal conversion a partial depolymerisation of lignin was obtained. In particular, the formation of lignin units containing free phenol groups via the cleavage of the β-aryl ether bonds was demonstrated. The presence of these free phenols in the lignin network suggests the possible exploitation of lignin residues as antioxidant components or in high value biopolymer industries rather than the traditional use as low-value fuel for energy production.     

Separation of glucose and pentose sugars by selective enzyme hydrolysis of AFEX-treated corn fiber

A process was developed to fractionate corn fiber into glucose- and pentose-rich fractions. Corn fiber was ammonia fiber explosion treated at 90 degrees C, using 1 g anhydrous ammonia pergram of drybiomass, 60% moisture, and 30-min residence time. Twenty four hour hydrolysis of ammonia fiber explosion-treated corn fiber with cellulase converted 83% of available glucanto-glucose. In this hydrolysis the hemicellulose was partially broken down with 81% of the xylan and 68% of the arabinan being contained in the hydrolysate after filtration to remove lignin and other insoluble material. Addition of ethanol was used to precipitate and recover the solubilized hemicellulose from the hydrolysate, followed by hydrolysis with 2% (v/v) sulfuric acid to convert the recovered xylan and arabinan to monomeric sugars. Using this method, 57% of xylose and 54% of arabinose available in corn fiber were recovered in a pentose-rich stream. The carbohydrate composition of the pentose-enriched stream was 5% glucose, 57% xylose, 27% arabinose, and 11% galactose. The carbohydrate composition of the glucose-enriched stream was 87% glucose, 5% xylose, 6% arabinose, and 1% galactose, and contained 83% of glucose available from the corn fiber.