Solid Acid Catalyst Mesoporous Sulfated Zirconia with Metal Oxide Promoter and Its Application on Hydrolysis of Cellulose into Fermentable Glucose

Sulfated zirconia mesopore was synthesized via template-assisted sol-gel method followed by impregnation of metal oxide (Al and Fe) as promoters in various amount. These solid acids were applied on cellulose hydrolysis at several condition and seek glucose yield as the desired product. The resulting catalysts were characterized by using XRD, gas sorption analyzer, FTIR, SEM-EDS and TEM. Sulfated zirconia impregnated with Al2O3 and Fe2O3 show tetragonal phase based on five peaks (2θ at 30.4°, 35.3°, 50.3°, 60.5° and 63.2°) that appear for both, which are closely referred to (111), (200), (220), (311) and (222) reflections of tetragonal ZrO2. FTIR spectra reveals S=O stretching vibrations between 1300 and 1450 cm-1 which is identified as sulfate group whereas sulfate bonds to zirconia surface is identified at wavenumber 900-1150 cm-1. The porosity property of Al5-MZS and Fe5-MZS are enhanced as represent by large surface area (170 and 180 m2/g). The as prepared catalysts display active catalytic at long hydrolysis time (16-24 h). The catalyst show promising potential future use in glucose production from cellulose hydrolysis.