Synthesis of a Stable Solid Acid Catalyst from Chloromethyl Polystyrene through a Simple Sulfonation for Pretreatment of Lignocellulose in Aqueous Solution

A stable solid acid catalyst, SCPR140-1, was synthesized from chloromethyl polystyrene resin (CPR) and used for catalytic pretreatment of corncob in aqueous solution. Under the optimized pretreatment condition, 73.07 % of xylose was directly obtained, and the enzymatic digestibility of treated residue reached up to 94.65 %, indicating that the SCPR140-1 had high selectivity for xylose production and effectively deconstructed the structure of corncob. The -CH2Cl group of CPR was substituted by -SO3H through the sulfonation, and the -SO3H was stably bound on the catalyst during the pretreatment process. Compared with other similar reports, the SCPR140-1 was not only synthesized through a simpler process but also had a more stable catalytic activity during multiple recycling runs.

Automated summary

SCPR140-1, a stable solid acid catalyst synthesized from chloromethyl polystyrene resin, showed high selectivity for xylose production and effectively deconstructed the structure of corncob during catalytic pretreatment. Compared to other similar reports, SCPR140-1 was not only synthesized through a simpler process but also demonstrated more stable catalytic activity during multiple recycling runs.