Catalytic conversion of cellulose to long-chain alkanes/furans without extra hydrogen via rational design of Au nanoparticle on TS-1

The conversion of biomass into fuels or chemicals without additional hydrogen remains a challenge. The rational design of catalysts is important for the selective production of fuels or chemicals. Herein, an effective method to produce long-chain alkanes (LCAs) or furans over Au/TS-1 under mild conditions was reported via rational design of the size of Au nanoparticle on TS-1. It is shown that the average size of Au nanoparticle on IMP-Au/TS1, DPU-Au/TS-1, and SEI-Au/TS-1 is 11.38 nm, 18.58 nm, and 5.79 nm, respectively. The conversion of cellulose without extra hydrogen over prepared Au/TS-1 catalysts was investigated to produce LCAs and furans. Due to the different sizes of Au nanoparticle, the highest selectivity and yield of LCAs (Carbon number ranging from C10 to C21) were 73.17 % and 28.01 wt% on IMP-Au/TS-1, respectively. Meanwhile higher selectivity and yield of furans were achieved with 30.52 % and 14.42 wt%, respectively, on DPU-Au/TS-1. This work provides a new strategy for the preparation of liquid fuel or valuable oxygen-containing chemicals from biomass under mild conditions.