The 15th Global Conference on Materials Science and Engineering (CMSE 2026)

Abstract: Carbon material with hierarchical structure prepared from sustainable resource-biomass has attracted more and more attention due to their promising potential for a wide applications as functional materials such as electric capacitor etc. Also, they could be used as environmentally friendly support and/or catalysts. The present study aims to develop novel methods to prepare diverse carbon materials with hierarchical structure using various templates and carbon resource. Furthermore, these carbon materials were utilized to prepare various carbon-based solid acid catalysts for saccharification of lignocellulosic biomass. (1) Using dual templates of poly-methyl-methacrylate (PMMA) and Pluronic-123, we synthesized a series of hierarchically structured macro-mesoporous carbon materials, and investigated the effect of PMMA loadings and the particle size, and carbon resource such as sucrose on the microstructural properties of the carbon material. Subsequently, we subjected this hierarchically structured carbon material to a sulfonation treatment to functionalize it as a solid acid catalyst; (2) Various metal oxides, such as Fe₃O₄, with different particle sizes were used as rigid templates to prepare lignin-derived carbon materials and/or catalysts, which were then sulfonated using concentrated sulfuric acid. We also investigated the effects of sulfonation conditions, such as temperature and time etc., on the microstructural properties of the carbon materials and/or catalysts. The porous structures of all the samples were characterized by using SEM, and N₂- adsorption-desorption measurement, and XRD. In addition, changes in surface functional groups were observed using FT-I and TEM. Finally, the catalytic performance of corresponding carbon-based solid acid catalyst was elucidated in the hydrolysis of cellulose and practical lignocellulosic biomass such as rice straw and corn stem etc. Based on the findings in the present study, a method for preparing carbon materials and solid acid catalysts with a novel hierarchical structure was established.

Keywords: Carbon material, hierarchical structure, solid acid catalyst, lignocellulosic biomass, saccharification.

Biography: Dr Eika Weihua Qian is a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology (TUAT) in Japan. He received his B.S. degree from Tsinghua University in China in 1984 and Ph.D. degree from TUAT in 1995. From 1995 to 1996, he worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Institute of Reaction Chemistry, Tohoku University in Japan, and worked as assistant professor, associate professor and professor in Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology (TUAT) since 1996. Dr. Qian was a visiting professor from 2002 to 2003 at University of Albert in Canada. Dr. Qian has authored over 160 peer-reviewed papers about hydrotreating catalysts and process for petroleum, coal and biomass, and hydrogenation of CO and CO₂, etc. Dr. Qian has received various award included the Noguchi Memory Incentive Award (Japan Petroleum Institute), and Best Paper Award. He also serves as an Editor Board member of Journal of Chemical Engineering of Japan, and Journal of the Japan Institute of Energy.