Low temperature upgrading glucose to aromatics via a H2-free melting-catalysis strategy

Converting biomass into valuable aromatics is a desirable way to alleviate global energy crisis but is currently challenged by massive energy consumption. Herein, a H2-free melting-catalysis strategy is proposed for direct converting glucose into aromatics under mild conditions by nano-sized mesoporous ZSM-5. We demonstrate that the melting of glucose promotes the accessibility to catalytic sites and enhances subsequent catalytic processes. The introduction of inter-crystalline mesopores facilitates diffusion of molecules, and the moderate acidity favors the deoxygenation of oxygenated intermediates, both of which promote aromatics formation. Consequently, 10ZSM-5-80 with abundant inter-crystalline mesopores and optimum acidity achieves a maximum aromatics selectivity of 95.4 area% at 280 degrees C, of which 70.2% are monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Furthermore, a possible mechanism is proposed based on experimental and online TG-FTIR-MS results. Our findings provide a new pathway for the selective generation of aromatics from glucose, which is expected to advance nextgeneration biomass utilization.

Automated summary

A H2-free melting-catalysis strategy using nano-sized mesoporous ZSM-5 catalyst was proposed to directly convert glucose into aromatics under mild conditions. The melting of glucose increased the accessibility to catalytic sites and enhanced subsequent catalytic processes. The introduction of inter-crystalline mesopores and moderate acidity promoted the diffusion of molecules and deoxygenation of intermediates, respectively, leading to increased aromatics formation. This study provides a new pathway for selective aromatics generation from glucose, contributing to the advancement of next-generation biomass utilization.