Printed Circuit Board-Derived Glass Fiber-Epoxy Resin-Supported Mo–Cu Bimetallic Catalyst for Glucose Synthesis

[Image: see text] A glass fiber-epoxy resin (GFER) framework derived from mixed waste printed circuit boards (MWPCBs) was utilized to prepare a cost-effective, reusable Mo–Cu bimetallic Bronsted–Lewis solid acid catalyst through wet-impregnation under near-infrared radiation (NIRR) activation. The efficacy of the novel Mo–Cu catalyst was assessed in the synthesis of glucose through hydrolysis of jute (Corchorus olitorius) fiber, and the process parameters were optimized (Mo precursor loading: 1.0 wt %, catalyst concentration: 5 wt %, hydrolysis temperature: 80 °C, and hydrolysis time: 10 min) through Taguchi orthogonal design. The GFER support and the prepared catalysts were characterized through thermogravimetric, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET)–density functional theory, and TPD analyses. The optimal Mo–Cu catalyst and the GFER support possessed 45.377 and 7.049 m(2)/g BET area, 0.04408 and 0.02317 cc/g pore volume, 1.9334 and 0.7482 nm modal pore size, and surface acidity of 0.48 and 0.40 mmol NH(3)/g catalyst, respectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy bands confirmed the coexistence of Mo(6+) and Cu(2+) species; XRD and FTIR analyses indicated the presence of MoO(3) and CuO crystalline phases in all prepared catalysts. The optimal catalyst prepared through NIRR (wavelength 0.75–1.4 μm)-activated hydrothermal treatment resulted in a significantly greater glucose yield (75.84 mol %) than that achieved (53.64 mol %) using a conventionally prepared catalyst. Thus, an energy-efficient application of NIRR (100 W) could significantly improve catalytic properties over conventional hydrothermal treatment (500 W). The present investigation provides an innovative application of MWPCB-derived GFER as a promising cost-effective support for the preparation of highly efficient inexpensive solid catalysts for sustainable synthesis of glucose from low-cost waste jute fiber.