LAUSR

The direct hydrogenolysis of cellulose on bimetallic catalysts represented a promising route for polyols' production. The development of a catalyst system that could control the promotion of the selectivity of polyols for the conversion cellulose into polyols was highly desirable. In this work, we realized the production of ethylene glycol (EG) and 1,2-propylene glycol (1,2-PG) by adopting nano-Sn species with different valences in combination with Ni catalysts, and the catalysts were prepared by the incipient-wetness impregnation method. The catalyst 10%Ni–15%Sn/SBA-15 achieved the highest yield of C2-C3 polyols, yielding up to 67.2% with a higher selectivity to 1,2-PG. The Ni and Sn species and some NiSn alloys were found to be the active sites for the EG and PG as evidenced by control experiments and characterization including X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The catalytic particles were located on the outer surface of SBA-15 (pore size = 6–10 n...