Sulfonic-acid-functionalized carbon fiber from waste newspaper as a recyclable carbon based solid acid catalyst for the hydrolysis of cellulose

Waste newspaper is one of the most common cellulosic materials. Therefore, effective utilization of this commonly available biomass resource to prepare high-value carbon-based solid acid catalysts is an interesting and meaningful task. In this study we propose a new route for waste newspaper valorization, in which sulfonic-acid-functionalized carbon fiber can be directly produced from waste newspaper as a recyclable carbon based solid acid catalyst (WCSA) for the hydrolysis of cellulose. The as-prepared sulfonic-acid-functionalized carbon fiber contained –SO(3)H, –COOH, and phenolic –OH groups and exhibited good catalytic activity for the hydrolysis of cellulose. WCSA prepared under sulfonation conditions at a temperature of 100 °C and for a duration of 10 h has a higher sulfonic acid content. A total reducing sugars (TRS) yield of 58.2% was obtained with a catalyst/microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) ratio of 4 at 150 °C using a reaction time of 6 h. The recycling performance of the WCSA catalyst indicated that the TRS remained almost stable for five cycles during the hydrolysis of cellulose.