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Catalytic Hydrogenation of Macroalgae‐Derived Alginic Acid into Sugar Alcohols
Author(s) -
Ban Chunghyeon,
Jeon Wonjin,
Woo Hee Chul,
Kim Do Heui
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
chemsuschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.412
H-Index - 157
eISSN - 1864-564X
pISSN - 1864-5631
DOI - 10.1002/cssc.201701860
Subject(s) - alginic acid , chemistry , sorbitol , organic chemistry , sugar alcohol , xylose , catalysis , sugar , hydrolysis , mannitol , polyol , biochemistry , fermentation , polyurethane
Alginic acid, a major constituent of macroalgae, iss hydrogenated into sugar alcohols over carbon‐supported noble metals for the first time. Mannitol and sorbitol are the major products of the catalytic hydrogenation of alginic acid, which consists of two epimeric uronic acids. The main reaction pathway is the consecutive hydrogenations of the aldehyde and carboxyl ends of alginic acid dimers, followed by the cleavage of the C−O−C linkage into monomeric units by hydrolysis. The highest yield of C 6 sugar alcohols is 61 % (sorbitol: 29 %; mannitol: 28 %; galactitol: 4 %). The low sorbitol/mannitol ratio is in contrast to that from cellulose hydrogenation, owing to the composition of alginic acid and isomerization between sugar alcohols under the catalytic system. This new green route to producing sugar alcohols from alginic acid might provide opportunities to diversify biomass resources.