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Sustainable Synthesis of Oxalic and Succinic Acid through Aerobic Oxidation of C6 Polyols Under Mild Conditions
Author(s) -
Ventura Maria,
Williamson David,
Lobefaro Francesco,
Jones Matthew D.,
Mattia Davide,
Nocito Francesco,
Aresta Michele,
Dibenedetto Angela
Publication year - 2018
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.201702347
Subject(s) - chemistry , formic acid , oxalic acid , succinic acid , cellulosic ethanol , organic chemistry , carbon fibers , yield (engineering) , biomass (ecology) , cellulose , materials science , composite number , metallurgy , composite material , oceanography , geology
The sustainable chemical industry encompasses a shift from the use of fossil carbon to renewable carbon. The synthesis of chemicals from nonedible biomass (cellulosic or oil) represents one of the key steps for “greening” the chemical industry. In this paper, we report the aerobic oxidative cleavage of C6 polyols (5‐HMF, glucose, fructose and sucrose) to oxalic acid (OA) and succinic acid (SA) in water under mild conditions using M@CNT and M@NCNT (M=Fe, V; CNT=carbon nanotubes; NCNT=N‐doped CNT), which, under suitable conditions, were recoverable and reusable without any loss of efficiency. The influence of the temperature, O 2 pressure ( PO2), reaction time and stirring rate are discussed and the best reaction conditions are determined for an almost complete conversion of the starting material and a good OA yield of 48 %. SA and formic acid were the only co‐products. The former could be further converted into OA by oxidation in the presence of formic acid, resulting in an overall OA yield of >62 %. This process was clean and did not produce organic waste nor gas emissions.