Scientists from Tomsk State University, together with colleagues from the Indian Institute of Technology (Indore), have developed catalysts for the production of hydrogen, gluconic and glucaric acids. These compounds are needed in various fields – pharmaceuticals, household chemicals and agrochemistry, metallurgy and energy. Organic waste will also be used as raw materials. The introduction of proprietary approaches for the production of gluconic, glucaric acids and hydrogen will reduce the dependence of the Russian chemical and energy industries on imports.
"As part of our joint Russian-Indian project, we are developing a new approach for the efficient production of gluconic acid, glucaric acid and hydrogen using heterogeneous catalysts," says the project leader, Professor of Chemistry at TSU, Director of the Institute of Smart Materials and Technologies Irina Kurzina. – Previously, European countries were the main supplier of these products to Russia. Now these supplies have been practically stopped.
Over two years of joint research, the Russian-Indian scientific group has developed a line of catalysts for producing high-margin products. In particular, TSU chemists have created a technology for converting glucose into gluconic acid. The advantage of the new approach is that it allows you to obtain a pure product that does not have to be separated from by-products.
Indian scientists have developed palladium-bismuth, palladium-iron and nickel-iron systems, thanks to which hydrogen can be obtained during the processing of biomass by electrolytic decomposition of gluconic and glucaric acids. In the course of the research, corn stalks, sugar cane and wheat straw were used for this purpose.
A special feature of the catalysts created within the framework of an international project is the possibility of their reusable use. Unlike foreign analogues, new catalytic materials do not leach out the active component. The possibility of reuse of catalysts in several cycles significantly increases the profitability of production.
The results of the study have been accepted for publication in the journal Inorganics (Q2).
According to the scientists, the final stage of the project involves finalizing experimental data, systematizing the results obtained and identifying the most effective samples that contribute to the production of gluconic acid, glucaric acid and hydrogen with the highest yield.
Let's add that Russia has huge reserves of forest resources (wood, sawdust, wood chips) and agricultural waste (straw, corn stalks, sunflower husks). India is a major producer of agricultural products (rice, sugarcane, cotton, and cereals). Most agricultural waste can be efficiently processed into valuable products.
In case of effective implementation of new developments, Russia and India can become major exporters of gluconic acid, glucaric acid and hydrogen obtained from plant raw materials on the world market.
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