The effect of rare earth catalysts for the conversion of sucrose to lactic acid

Utilizing sucrose, a readily accessible disaccharide, to produce the versatile platform chemical lactic acid offers advantages over monosaccharides. This study introduced a novel catalyst comprising Beta zeolites modified with the rare earth elements Yttrium (Y) and Ytterbium (Yb). Under optimal hydrothermal conditions (210 °C, 4 h), the 1 mmol/g Y/Yb Beta catalyst achieves yields of up to 45.2% and 47.1% for the conversion of sucrose to lactic acid. The yield of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is approximately 10%. Py-IR analysis confirmed that compared to Beta, the 1 mmol/g Y/Yb Beta catalyst has more Lewis acid sites, which promote lactate production and inhibit the production of HMF byproducts. This work speculated possible reaction pathways based on experimental results and acid characterization.