Hydrogenation of Glucose to Sorbitol by Using Nickel Hydroxyapatite Catalyst

A series of nickel hydroxyapatite catalysts were synthesized by the co-precipitation method followed by calcination and reduction. These catalysts were employed for the aqueous phase hydrogenation of glucose to sorbitol. The Ni-HAP catalyst with comparatively high surface area and acid-base strength gave high sorbitol selectivity in 1 h. Ni-HAP-4 catalyst with moderate Ni (3.5 wt. %) content having smaller and highly dispersed nickel particles gives an excellent yield of sorbitol, 97 % in 1 h. The Ni-HAP-4 catalyst works well with other polar protic solvents. Different characterization techniques like XRD, TEM, SEM-EDS, BET, NH₃-TPD, and CO₂-TPD were employed to analyze the Ni-HAP-4 catalyst.