Polyoxometalate-supported ruthenium nanoparticles as bifunctional heterogeneous catalysts for the conversions of cellobiose and cellulose into sorbitol under mild conditions

Abstract

Ru nanoparticles loaded on a Keggin-type polyoxometalate (Cs(3)PW(12)O(40)), which did not possess strong intrinsic acidity, efficiently catalysed the conversions of cellobiose and cellulose into sorbitol in water medium in H(2) at ≤433 K. The Brønsted acid sites generated in situ from H(2) have been demonstrated to play a key role in the formation of sorbitol.