Chemocatalytic Conversion of Cellulosic Biomass to Methyl Glycolate, Ethylene Glycol, and Ethanol

Production of chemicals and fuels from renewable cellulosic biomass is important for the creation of a sustainable society, and it critically relies on the development of new and efficient transformation routes starting from cellulose. Here, a chemocatalytic conversion route from cellulosic biomass to methyl glycolate (MG), ethylene glycol (EG), and ethanol (EtOH) is reported. By using a tungsten-based catalyst, cellulose is converted into MG with a yield as high as 57.7 C % in a one-pot reaction in methanol at 240 °C and 1 MPa O2 , and the obtained MG can be easily separated by distillation. Afterwards, it can be nearly quantitatively converted to EG at 200 °C and to EtOH at 280 °C with a selectivity of 50 % through hydrogenation over a Cu/SiO2 catalyst. By this approach, the fine chemical MG, the bulk chemical EG, and the fuel additive EtOH can all be efficiently produced from renewable cellulosic materials, thus providing a new pathway towards mitigating the dependence on fossil resources.