Selective production of formic acid by hydrothermal alkaline oxidation of carbohydrates

摘要

Formic acid is a familiar product in hydrothermal oxidation of carbohydrates and is an important organic compound. In this study, the production of formic acid from the hydrothermal oxidation of glucose with and without the addition of alkali was investigated with temperature varying from 250 to 300 degrees C, reaction time varying from 30 s to 240 s, and oxygen supply varying from 60 % to 140 %. Results showed that the highest yield of formic acid was only about 24 % in hydrothermal oxidation of glucose without the addition of alkali. It is very interest that the oxidation of glucose with the addition of alkali showed a high selective and effective for the production of formic acid. An excellent formic acid yield of about 74 % was achieved, which occurred at 250 degrees C for 60 s with 120 % oxygen supply and the KOH concentration of 1.25 M.