Solid Sulfamic acid Catalyst for Glucose Production

Silica from rice husk ash was immobilized with sulfamic acid to form strong solid acid catalyst labeled as RHANS (RH = Rice Husk). The spectroscopic evidence confirms that the sulfamic acid was heterogenized onto silica. The XPS with the elemental analysis shows the presence of C, N, S, O, and Si onto RHANS. The FT-IR spectra supported both XPS and elemental analysis via showing the presence of NH₂, SO₂, CH₂, and Si-O-Si functional groups which include the elements showing by XPS and elemental analysis. The RHANS had 139 m² g⁻¹ as a specific surface area with thermal stability reached to 252°C according to the TGA. The AFM, TEM and SEM showed that the RHANS had nano shape. The RHANS was efficient catalyst for cellulose hydrolysis to glucose. Approximately 96% of glucose was formed with in 2 h at 140°C over RHANS. The repeatable catalyst was stable during the cellulose hydrolysis without a significant loss of its catalytic activity. (paper)