Facile construction of a stable biomass-derived carbon-supported AlZr composite with crystalline solid solution and Brønsted-Lewis dual acidity for efficient catalytic conversion of cellulose.

Exploiting cellulose-derived levulinic acid (LA) in biorefinery has potential application prospects, and the development of efficient and stable catalysts is crucial yet challenging. In this study, a bimetallic synergy strategy was proposed to construct an efficient and durable solid acid catalyst with crystalline solid solution by a totally solid-phase method. Mechanical activation (MA)-treated precursor (metal salts, starch, and urea) was calcined to obtain a stable biomass-derived carbon (BC)-supported AlZr (MA-AZ/BC) composite, which was applied for catalytic conversion of cellulose to LA in aqueous-phase system.

Construction of a stable biochar-supported amorphous aluminum solid acid catalyst with Brønsted-Lewis dual acid sites for efficient conversion of cellulose.

The development of sustainable catalysts for the efficient conversion of biomass to desirable chemicals is significant and challenging. Herein, a stable biochar (BC)-supported amorphous aluminum solid acid catalyst with Brønsted-Lewis dual acid sites was constructed through one-step calcination of a mechanical activation (MA)-treated precursor (starch, urea, and Al(NO)). The as-prepared N-doped BC (N-BC)-supported Al composite (MA-Al/N-BC) was used for the selective catalytic conversion of cellulose to produce levulinic acid (LA).