10.57647/ijc.2026.1601.02

Synthesis of Iron and Nickel- Based Catalysts for Levulinic Acid Production from Cellulose and Glucose

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  • Zulkipli Nor Akhlisah*1,
  • W.A.K.G Wan Azlina1,
  • Robiah Yunus1,
  • Yun Hin Taufiq-Yap2,
  • Umer Rashid3,
  • G. Abdulkareem Alsultan2,
  • Nurul Asikin-Mijan4,
  1. Sustainable Process Engineering Research Centre (SPERC), Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
  2. Center of Excellence for Catalysis Sciences and Technology, Faculty of Sciences, University Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
  3. Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, University Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
  4. Department of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia

Received: 2025-03-27

Revised: 2025-09-30

Accepted: 2025-11-04

Published in Issue 2026-03-31

Published Online: 2025-11-25

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Akhlisah, Z. N., Azlina, W. W., Yunus, R., Taufiq-Yap, Y. H., Rashid, U., Alsultan, G. A., & Asikin-Mijan, N. (2026). Synthesis of Iron and Nickel- Based Catalysts for Levulinic Acid Production from Cellulose and Glucose. Iranian Journal of Catalysis, 16(1 (March 2026). https://doi.org/10.57647/ijc.2026.1601.02
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Abstract

The study explores the catalytic performance of nickel (Ni) and iron (Fe)-based catalysts synthesized through precipitation, activation by hydrothermal reaction, and calcination for the conversion of cellulose and glucose into levulinic acid (LA). Characterization of the catalysts was conducted using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses, which confirmed the formation of metal oxides, specifically NiO and Fe2O3, in the synthesized catalysts. The key experimental parameters, including catalyst loading, reaction temperature, and time, were optimized to improve the LA yield. The Fe. 75Ni catalyst achieved the highest catalytic activity, yielding 46.18% based on the theoretical yield or a weight percentage of 29.72 wt.% at a reaction time of 5 hours and 200°C reaction temperature using 0.30g of catalyst. The study highlights the importance of catalyst acidity, good surface area, and thermal stability in enhancing LA production and suggests that the Fe. 75Ni catalyst holds significant potential for efficient conversion of biomass.

Highlights

·       Fe.75Ni catalyst achieved highest levulinic acid yield of 32.32% from glucose

·       High acidity and good surface area enhanced catalytic activity of Fe.75Ni

·       XRD and FTIR confirmed Fe2O3 and NiO existent in catalysts

·       Stability of catalysts confirmed by TGA and DTG up to 200 ºC

·       BET analysis showed Fe.75Ni and Ni had higher surface areas and pore volume

Keywords

  • Conversion, Characterization, Heterogeneous catalyst, Levulinic acid, Metal oxide,
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