Tungsten oxide decorated silica-supported iridium catalysts combined with HZSM-5 toward the selective conversion of cellulose to C6 alkanes

Herein, WO x –decorated Ir/SiO 2 (W/Ir = 0.06) and HZSM-5 were coupled to selectively convert microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) into C 6 alkanes. A 92.8% yield of liquid alkanes including an 85.3% yield of C 6 alkanes was produced at 210 °C. Cellulose hydrolysis, glucose hydrogenation and sorbitol hydrodeoxygenation were integrated to produce alkanes via a sorbitol route. Ir-WO x /SiO 2 showed high performance for hydrogenation and hydrodeoxygenation reactions after hydrolysis catalyzed by HZSM-5. The intimate contact between WO x and Ir enhanced the synergistic interaction through the electron transfer from Ir to WO x . The interaction strengthened the reduction capability of Ir for hydrogenations, as well as improved the adsorption and activation of C-O bonds on reduced WO x for deoxygenations. The monotungstate WO x species provided moderate Lewis acids to cooperate with Ir to accelerate hydrodeoxygenations with alleviated retro -aldol condensation to yield more C 6 alkanes.