Printed Circuit Board-Derived Glass Fiber-Epoxy Resin-Supported Mo-Cu Bimetallic Catalyst for Glucose Synthesis

A glass fiber-epoxy resin (GFER) framework derived from mixed waste printed circuit boards (MWPCBs) was utilized to prepare a cost-effective, reusable Mo-Cu bimetallic Bronsted-Lewis solid acid catalyst through wet-impregnation under near-infrared radiation (NIRR) activation. The efficacy of the novel Mo-Cu catalyst was assessed in the synthesis of glucose through hydrolysis of jute (Corchorus olitorius) fiber, and the process parameters were optimized (Mo precursor loading: 1.0 wt %, catalyst concentration: 5 wt %, hydrolysis temperature: 80 °C, and hydrolysis time: 10 min) through Taguchi orthogonal design. The GFER support and the prepared catalysts were characterized through thermogravimetric, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET)-density functional theory, and TPD analyses. The optimal Mo-Cu catalyst and the GFER support possessed 45.377 and 7.049 m²/g BET area, 0.04408 and 0.02317 cc/g pore volume, 1.9334 and 0.7482 nm modal pore size, and surface acidity of 0.48 and 0.40 mmol NH₃/g catalyst, respectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy bands confirmed the coexistence of Mo⁶⁺ and Cu²⁺ species; XRD and FTIR analyses indicated the presence of MoO₃ and CuO crystalline phases in all prepared catalysts. The optimal catalyst prepared through NIRR (wavelength 0.75-1.4 μm)-activated hydrothermal treatment resulted in a significantly greater glucose yield (75.84 mol %) than that achieved (53.64 mol %) using a conventionally prepared catalyst. Thus, an energy-efficient application of NIRR (100 W) could significantly improve catalytic properties over conventional hydrothermal treatment (500 W). The present investigation provides an innovative application of MWPCB-derived GFER as a promising cost-effective support for the preparation of highly efficient inexpensive solid catalysts for sustainable synthesis of glucose from low-cost waste jute fiber.