Catalytic conversion of glucose into sorbitol over niobium oxide supported Ru catalysts

Sorbitol is a sugar alcohol of great importance in cosmetic, food and pharmaceutical industry as well as the production of biopolymers. This work aimed at the synthesis of sorbitol from the hydrogenation of glucose using Ru/Nb2O5 catalysts in the amorphous and crystalline phases. The catalysts were synthesized from the wet impregnation method and characterized by N2 adsorption isotherms, TGA/DTG, EDXRF, XRD, TPR-H2, XPS and SEM. The catalytic...