Chemocatalytic Conversion of Cellulosic Biomass to Methyl Glycolate, Ethylene Glycol, and Ethanol
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Updated: Mar 6, 2026

Fractionation of Lignocellulosic Biomass using the OrganoCat Process
Published on: June 5, 2021
Gang Xu1,2, Aiqin Wang1, Jifeng Pang1
1State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, iChEM, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials), Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 457 Zhongshan Road, Dalian, 116023, P. R. China.
Abstract:
Production of chemicals and fuels from renewable cellulosic biomass is important for the creation of a sustainable society, and it critically relies on the development of new and efficient transformation routes starting from cellulose. Here, a chemocatalytic conversion route from cellulosic biomass to methyl glycolate (MG), ethylene glycol (EG), and ethanol (EtOH) is reported. By using a tungsten-based catalyst, cellulose is converted into MG with a yield as high as 57.7 C % in a one-pot reaction in methanol at 240 °C and 1 MPa O2 , and the obtained MG can be easily separated by distillation. Afterwards, it can be nearly quantitatively converted to EG at 200 °C and to EtOH at 280 °C with a selectivity of 50 % through hydrogenation over a Cu/SiO2 catalyst. By this approach, the fine chemical MG, the bulk chemical EG, and the fuel additive EtOH can all be efficiently produced from renewable cellulosic materials, thus providing a new pathway towards mitigating the dependence on fossil resources.
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