Kinetic study of cellulose hydrolysis with tungsten-based acid catalysts

Tungsten plays an important role in transforming cellulose to C2-C3 polyols. In previous reports, the research focus was mainly on the C-C cleavage reactions of cellulose catalyzed by various tungsten-containing catalysts, but less on its catalytic role in cellulose hydrolysis although it is usually considered as the rate-determining step in cellulose conversion. In this article, the method of determining kinetics parameters for hydrolyzing cellulose into glucose was developed. The effects of reaction temperature, different tungsten-based acid catalysts, and H+ concentration on reaction rate of hydrolyzing cellulose into glucose were quantitatively addressed. The relevant reaction rate equations with using H3O40PW12, H4O40SiW12, and H2WO4 as tungsten acid catalysts were obtained in developed batch continuous stirred tank reactors and validated by experimental data. The simulating analysis indicates that the reaction mechanism of cellulose hydrolysis can change with the temperature. H3O40PW12 is the best candidate catalyst for obtaining the maximum glucose concentration.