ROLE OF SUPPORTED HETEROGENEOUS METAL CATALYST FOR LACTIC ACID PRODUCTION IN A MICROWAVE ASSISTED REACTIONS

Abstract

The conversion of biomass derived compounds such as glucose into platform chemicals is significant for sustainable and green chemistry. The role of platform chemical lactic acid is widely observed in many applications such as precursor for polylactic acid, cosmetic industry and food technology. The synthesis of lactic acid from lignocellulosic biomass can be achieved via series of chemical reactions using heterogeneous catalyst in the microwave reactor. Notably, the fast and direct heating mechanism of microwave reactor leads to suppression of by-product formation. The conventional methods are often associated with formation of by-products thereby compromising the selectivity of the product. Herein, our study describes the synergistic effect of silver metal loaded on reduced graphene oxide (Ag-rGO) catalyst and alkaline medium for the conversion of glucose into lactic acid in a microwave reactor for 2hr at 160oC. In typical reaction results, the study has achieved 80-95% conversion of glucose. Here we achieved maximum yield of lactic acid is 73.7% in the concentration of NaOH is 16.7 mmol and formic, acetic acid and other glycolic acid is 3.9 %, 10.4 % and 3.9 %.