Preparation of a bagasse-based solid catalyst loaded with phosphotungstic acid and its catalytic activity in the conversion of monosaccharide

This study successfully prepared a solid acid catalyst derived from bagasse with phosphotungstic acid and applied it to the sugar degradation reaction. The optimum temperature and catalyst loading were found to be 423 K and 200 mg/5 mL, respectively, at a 150 mg/mL substrate concentration with an optimum reaction time of 8 h and a 56.2% yield of fructose. The optimum 5-hydroxymethyl furfural and furfural yield were 57.3% and 63.3%, respectively. The specific surface area of the PTA@Bagasse catalyst obtained was about 4.32 m 2 /g and was properly recycled. The catalytic activity recovery was good even after 5 batch reactions. Under optimal reaction conditions, the catalyst showed particular advantage in catalyzing the reaction of glucose isomerization. These results suggest that bagasse-based solid catalyst loaded with phosphotungstic acid is environmentally and economically promising for biorefinery and may find wide applications. Graphic abstract This paper reported a novel catalyst highly selective conversion of glucose to fructose under mild reaction conditions by replacing sulfuric acid with environmentally friendly phosphotungstic acid and using mesoporous carbon material prepared from cheap bagasse as a carrier. The prepared PTA@Bagasse catalyst showed excellent catalytic activity and fructose selectivity in the glucose isomerization reaction.