Glucose conversion process to methyl lactate catalyzed by SnCl4-based homogeneous catalysis

Abstract

Biomass is a renewable alternative to fossil fuels and a valuable source of chemicals. In this study, a facile and efficient method was established to improve the selectivity of methyl lactate (MLA) for the homogeneous Lewis acid catalyzed chemical conversion of glucose and methanol. The effects of catalyst dosage, reaction temperature, and reaction time were systematically investigated, with an emphasis on the variation trends of MLA and other by-products. Through process optimization, the best catalyst molar ratio was 0.075 to 0.1, the reaction temperature was 170 to 180 °C, and the reaction time was 3 h. Under these conditions, the conversion of glucose in methanol exceeded 98%, and the yield of MLA was greater than 40%.