Critical Review on Enzymatic and Chemo-Catalytic Oxidation of Glucose Into Sugar Acids

The catalytic conversion of biomass is recognized as a promising sustainable strategy for synthesis of high-value organic acids, which is conducive to alleviating the fossil energy and mitigating environmental pollution. The sugar acids such as gluconic acid and glucaric acid serve as efficient metal chelators, key comonomers, and essential additives in the food, medical, and industrial fields, exhibiting broad market prospects and high application value. This review summarizes the research progress of glucose oxidation to sugar acids via enzymatic and chemical catalytic systems. It focuses on the catalyst synthesis, structural characteristics, and catalytic performance of supported metal catalysts with different types of supports. The structure-activity relationships of these catalysts and their intrinsic reaction mechanisms in glucose oxidation are analyzed and discussed. Furthermore, the potential of emerging catalytic technologies (e.g., photocatalytic oxidation and electrocatalytic oxidation) is highlighted, as these technologies enable milder operating conditions compared to traditional heterogeneous catalytic oxidation systems. The industrial application potential of different processes for oxidation of glucose to sugar acid is evaluated, and the challenges, bottlenecks, and future research directions are discussed. This review aims to provide theoretical guidance and technical support for the sustainable and efficient production of sugar acids from biomass-derived glucose.