Domestic researchers developed an eco-friendly catalyst and sustainable separation process that produces xylose simultaneously with valuable components, xylonate and xylitol, at room temperature without external hydrogen supply.
Researchers Hwang Young-kyu, Kim Ji-hoon, and Oh Kyung-ryul from the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT) utilized a platinum (Pt) catalyst-based transfer hydrogenation reaction, converting xylose into valuable organic acids and sugar alcohols simultaneously, they noted on the 29th. This achievement was published in the international journals, ChemSusChem and ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, in March and April, respectively.
Recently, methods for producing chemical products using bio-resources such as agricultural waste have gained attention. Among them, the sugar called 'xylose', obtained from corn cobs and birch bark, is used as an intermediate raw material in various chemical products. In particular, producing xylitol and xylonate from xylose raw materials allows for extensive applications as sugar substitute sweeteners, bioplastics, and pharmaceuticals. However, existing xylose-based processes generally require high temperature and pressure conditions, relying on external hydrogen or oxygen input, thus demanding high energy.
The researchers succeeded in producing xylitol and xylonate from xylose simultaneously through 'transfer hydrogenation-based batch reaction' technology. Firstly, in their paper published in March this year, they introduced a catalyst with platinum nanoparticles evenly dispersed on a zirconia (ZrO₂) support. The zirconia plays a role in well-anchoring platinum, maintaining a high conversion rate of over 80% even after more than five cycles of reuse, demonstrating excellent catalyst longevity compared to conventional carbon supports.
Using the new catalyst, xylonate and xylitol can be produced simultaneously by reacting water, potassium hydroxide, and a high-concentration xylose solution at room temperature and pressure. In this process, a hydrogen transfer efficiency of 100% was recorded. This means that just as broth is reused in cooking, the hydrogen produced during the xylose separation process is entirely recycled to create xylitol, theoretically achieving the highest efficiency.
In April of this year, through follow-up research, they also developed a low-energy integrated process. After the reaction, a mixture is generated where xylonate, xylitol, and base are mixed together like ingredients, broth, and seasoning. The researchers developed a process to separate these in one step, and over 90% of the recovered base can be reused in the reaction.
The integrated reaction-separation process using the new catalyst showed a rapid productivity of 37.5 g/L for both xylonate and xylitol within an hour. This process is 1.5 to 6 times faster than existing thermal catalysts, photocatalysts, and biocatalysts. Moreover, it reduced energy consumption by up to 46.4%.
The researchers plan to expand into a continuous system through follow-up studies and aim to demonstrate carbon-neutral bio-chemical processes. Hwang Young-kyu, head of the Chemical Research Center, said, "Based on the biomass conversion catalyst technology and eco-friendly separation process developed this time, research on unused biomass and waste plastic utilization in our country will become more active," and, "It will greatly impact the conversion processes of biomass, waste plastic, and carbon dioxide, which are future carbon sources."
References
ChemSusChem (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202401651
ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.5c00612