A new nano-catalyst for sawdust hydrolysis

A one-step strategy was used to obtain GO_Ru/Fe3O4@CA nanoparticles, constituted of graphene oxide (GO) supporting Ru/Fe3O4 NPs functionalized by citric acid (CA). The new nanomaterial consists of: (i) high surface area, and moieties enriched GO, stabilizing and supporting (ii) magnetic NPs exposing additional functional groups for -SO3H modification and catalysis; and, (iii) further Ru Bronsted acid sites. In particular, the results evidence that sawdust can be directly hydrolyzed in water, thanks to the size and its mixed nature, without the need for expensive solvents and pre-treatments. The yields of glucose, xylose, and TRS, during hydrolysis, at 1 mgcatalyst/mgbiomass and 190 °C, increased up to 44.5 %, 83.2 % and 60.6 %, after 4 h, and up to 56.2 %, 97.0 % and 71.4 %, after 6 h, respectively; while at 150 °C and after 4 h, they increased up to 35.4 %, 67.2 %, 50 %, respectively. The GO_Ru/Fe3O4@CA@SO3H catalyst shows the ability to produce valuable products and high stability.