Selective catalytic transformation of cellulose into bio-based cresol with CuCr2O4@MCM-41 catalyst

This work aims to demonstrate that cresol, an important high added value chemical in petrochemical industry, can be directionally produced using cellulose. This novel controllable transformation process was achieved by selective catalytic pyrolysis of cellulose and catalytic oxidation. The zinc oxide-doped strong acidic zeolite catalyst promoted the formation of toluene intermediate in the catalytic pyrolysis of cellulose. The CuCr2O4@MCM-41 catalyst exhibited high activity and good reusability in the catalytic oxidation process. The highest cresol selectivity of 87.5% with conversion of 83.0% was obtained using the CuCr2O4@MCM-41 catalyst and hydrogen peroxide as a green oxidant under the optimized reaction conditions (60 degrees C, 4 h). Based on the study of the model compounds and catalyst characterizations, the reaction pathways and possible reaction mechanism for the catalytic transformation of cellulose to bio-based cresol have been proposed.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates the directional production of cresol from cellulose through selective catalytic pyrolysis and catalytic oxidation. The proposed reaction pathways and mechanism provide insights into the transformation of cellulose into bio-based cresol.