Molecularly imprinted photocatalyst for glyceraldehyde production

In this work, a ZnO-based molecularly imprinted photocatalyst (MIP) bearing acid Lewis sites (Al) was evaluated for photocatalytic oxidation of glycerol. The MIP was characterized by porosimetry using nitrogen adsorption/desorption, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Characterization provided evidence of the presence of zincide crystalline phase and Al-O-Si bonds. Experiments were carried out in a batch reactor (slurry) under UV radiation. The oxidation products were analysed by HPLC. Until 1h of reaction under UV-light, the molar fraction of glyceraldehyde (GAD) was 4.5% with formation of minor subproducts (carboxylic acid). Compared to the control samples (NIP), the presence of imprinted sites has enhanced the GAD production. The MIP was shown to be highly selective for glyceraldehyde until 1h of reaction, since no other degradation products, such as glycolaldehyde and 1,3-dihydroxyacetone, were produced. Graphical abstract shows glyceraldehyde (GAD) and 1,2-dihydroxycetone DHA molar fraction obtained from glycerol oxidation using Molecularly Imprinted Polymer (MIP). [GRAPHICS] .