High yield production of levulinic acid by catalytic partial oxidation of cellulose in aqueous media

A high yield of levulinic acid was produced by directly converting cellulose over a ZrO2 catalyst by a one-pot catalytic aqueous phase partial oxidation (APPO) process. Compared to conventional acid hydrolysis, APPO is a highly selective and environmentally benign process with merits of easy recovery and re-use of heterogeneous catalysts.