Enhanced Catalytic Activity of Modified ZSM‐5 Towards Glucose Isomerization to Fructose

Abstract The present study focuses on generating mesopores within H−ZSM‐5 (H−Z) zeolite via desilication and dealumination to incorporate Lewis acidic metal, such as Sn, into the framework (Sn 4 ZS 180 A 15 ) to catalyse glucose isomerisation. Sn 4 ZS 180 A 15 possesses enhanced surface area (457 m 2 g −1 ), mesopore volume (0.585 cm 3 g −1 ) and a high weak‐medium to strong acidic sites ratio, compared to parent H−Z (395 m 2 g −1 ; 0.174 cm 3 g −1 ). DRS‐UV‐Vis and XPS results corroborate Sn incorporation into the framework of Sn 4 ZS 180 A 15 , based on the absorbance peak around 200–220 nm and peaks appearing at 495.8 and 487.4 eV, respectively. Sn 4 ZS 180 A 15 exhibits higher catalytic activity towards glucose isomerisation in ethanol−water at 110 °C, yielding 44.2 % fructose with 80.0 % selectivity. Conversely, the parent H−Z afforded negligible glucose conversion with a fructose yield of <1 % under identical conditions. Moreover, Sn‐incorporated on dealuminated (Sn 4 ZS 0 A 15 ) and desilicated (Sn 4 ZS 180 A 0 ) catalysts give a low yield of fructose (7–10 %), signifying the requirement of the desilication‐dealumination process before incorporating Sn into the framework.