One-pot catalytic conversion of carbohydrate biomass to lactic acid using an ErCl3 catalyst

Cellulose was hydrothermally converted into lactic acid in the presence of an ErCl3 catalyst. Lactic acid yields as high as 91.1% were obtained when reacting 0.1 g cellulose, 0.05 g catalyst and 30 mL water at 240 degrees C under 2 MPa N-2 for 30 nun, Other carbohydrate biomass materials could also be converted into lactic acid effectively under the same reaction conditions. Materials tested included monosaccharides, disaccharides, polysaccharides, and raw biomass such as corn stalks, wheat stems and rice straw. The ErCl3 catalyst could be reused at least five times without any obvious loss of activity. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.