Hydrolytic hydrogenation of cellulose to ethylene glycol over carbon nanotubes supported Ru-W bimetallic catalysts

Ru and W mono- and bimetallic catalysts supported on carbon nanotubes were prepared and characterized by different techniques. The prepared catalysts were then tested for the one-pot conversion of cellulose to ethylene glycol. The influence of several factors, such as nature of metal, metal loading, amount of catalyst, catalytic support, hydrogen pressure, reaction temperature and stirring rate, was investigated. When Ru was incorporated into the supported tungsten catalyst a promoting effect was observed, with a great increase in the yield of ethylene glycol, which was explained by the interaction between both metals. The results showed that cellulose could be efficiently converted into ethylene glycol with a yield of 40% after just 3 h of reaction using 0.8%Ru-30%W/CNT as catalyst, at a temperature of 205 A degrees C and H-2 pressure of 50 bar. Moreover, the catalyst showed good stability after repeated use, at least up to four cycles, and no tungsten leaching to solution was observed. [GRAPHICS] .