A new process for the production of formic acid from corncob waste was constructed by using MnCeO/NbO catalyst. Among pristine hemicellulose, cellulose or lignin in corncob, hemicellulose gave the maximum formic acid yield (61.2 %). Dilute hydrochloric acid (0.37 wt%) assisted-ball milling pretreatment of pristine cellulose reduced its crystallinity and increased formic acid yield from 2.6 % to 40.2 %, while lignin was hardly converted into formic acid (<7 %). In the assessment of Mn and Ce in MnCeO/NbO, a synergistic effect was observed in formic acid formation. Formic acid yield obtained over MnCeO/NbO was 1.5-fold higher that obtained over MnO/NbO. Formic acid yield as high as 0.56 g/g could be obtained directly from pretreated corncob, demonstrating potential for converting agro-waste biomass into formic acid over MnCeO/NbO catalyst. Mechanistic studies revealed that arabinose, glyceric acid and glycolic acid were main intermediates in the conversion of corncob to formic acid.

中文翻译：

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使用双功能 MnCeOx/Nb2O5 催化剂将玉米芯高效一锅转化为甲酸


采用MnCeO/NbO催化剂，构建了玉米芯废料生产甲酸的新工艺。在玉米芯中的原始半纤维素、纤维素或木质素中，半纤维素的甲酸产量最高（61.2%）。稀盐酸（0.37 wt%）辅助球磨预处理原始纤维素降低了其结晶度，并将甲酸产率从 2.6% 提高到 40.2%，而木质素几乎不转化为甲酸（<7%）。在评估 MnCeO/NbO 中的 Mn 和 Ce 时，观察到在甲酸形成中存在协同效应。 MnCeO/NbO 获得的甲酸产率是 MnO/NbO 获得的甲酸产率的 1.5 倍。可以直接从预处理的玉米芯中获得高达 0.56 g/g 的甲酸产量，这表明通过 MnCeO/NbO 催化剂将农业废弃物生物质转化为甲酸的潜力。机理研究表明，阿拉伯糖、甘油酸和乙醇酸是玉米芯转化为甲酸的主要中间体。