Effect of Adsorption of ZrO2 in Catalysts on the Efficiency of Hydrolysisof Cellulose to Sugar in Aqueous System under Microwave Radiation

Five types of ZrO₂ are used to simply establish an effective aqueous catalytic system with sulfuric acid for the hydrolysis of cellulose to sugar, respectively. By adjusting surface roughness and particle size of ZrO₂, different adsorption is produced. Accordingly, following the thought to inhibit the self‐aggregation nature of cellulose, after the introduction of ZrO₂ with adsorption in catalysts, the efficiency of the hydrolysis of cellulose to sugar is improved. The results show different ZrO₂ can produce different effects during the hydrolysis of the cellulose with relatively low crystallinity. Under the optimal conditions, the conversion of cellulose and TRS yield reaches 95.5% and 93.6%, respectively. Through this research, it reveals the critical point to organize a feasible and useful way for the hydrolysis of cellulose to sugar with high efficiency in an aqueous system. An important theoretical and technical support is also provided for the conversion and utilization of cellulose in the future.