Systematic investigation of the mechanocatalytic partial depolymerization of cellulose towards oligomeric glycans

The selective depolymerization of cellulose is a major challenge and usually leads to the formation of monosaccharides as main products. Once depolymerized, various platform chemicals such as 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and furfural can be obtained from cellulose. Our work aims to convert cellulose selectively into oligomeric glycans as more valuable products compared to sugars, by using mechanocatalysis in a planetary ball mill. In this work, reaction parameters such as acid content, filling level, rotational speed and grinding duration were investigated systematically and optimized towards a maximum amount of soluble oligomeric species and a minimum of monosaccharides. The systematic investigation of the mechanocatalytic partial depolymerization resulted in a nearly full-soluble fraction containing oligomeric glycans.