Author(s)

S. Van de Vyver, J. Geboers, L. Peng, F. de Clippel, M. Dusselier, T. Vosch, L. Zhang, G. Van Tendeloo, C. J. Gommes, B. Goderis, P. A. Jacobs & B. F. Sels

Abstract

Although cellulosic biomass offers a promising alternative as an abundant renewable resource in the production of biofuels and platform chemicals, so far only a few studies have reported its aqueous-phase conversion into glucose or sugar alcohols using solid chemocatalysts. The principal reason is that these polymeric biomolecules with semi-crystalline structure cannot penetrate the pores of conventional heterogeneous chemocatalysts. New advances in the conversion of cellulose thus require the design of efficient multifunctional catalytic systems with sterically accessible acid and metal sites. Keywords: biomass, carbon nanofibers, cellulose, glucose, heterogeneous catalysis, hydrogenation, hydrolysis, nanocomposites, nickel, sugar alcohols. 1 Introduction Environmental concerns about the depletion of fossil fuel reserves, the impact of anthropogenic CO2 emissions and increasing energy demands have encouraged the exploration of new catalytic methods for converting cellulose into valuable

Keywords

biomass, carbon nanofibers, cellulose, glucose, heterogeneous catalysis, hydrogenation, hydrolysis, nanocomposites, nickel, sugar alcohols