Facile Synthesis of Silanol Group Rich Sn‐Beta for Highly Efficient Isomerization of Glucose to Fructose

Abstract The isomerization of glucose to fructose is an important process in the conversion of biomass into valuable fuels and chemicals. Development of efficient catalyst for this reaction has attracted much attention. In this study, Sn‐Beta zeolites with rich silanols were synthesized for glucose isomerization by solid‐state ion‐exchange method, where Si‐Beta zeolites with different amounts of silanols were applied as the precursors. It is confirmed that open Sn sites show much higher catalytic performance than closed Sn sites for glucose isomerization (about 2.1 times). The silanol amount in Si‐Beta not only affects the formation of framework Sn sites in Sn‐Beta but also influences the isomerization reaction. More silanols in the catalyst can promote the 1,2‐H shift in isomerization and reduce the side reactions of formation of mannose and C3 products. Over 3Sn‐Beta‐3h with rich silanols, 64 % of fructose yield was obtained. Furthermore, the prepared Sn‐Beta catalyst is stable and recyclable. High fructose yield and facile synthesis method of Sn‐Beta reported in this work will contribute to the development of biomass and sugar industry.