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Lactose, a carbohydrate commonly recovered as a byproduct in whey protein separation, presents a sustainable feedstock for producing value-added derivatives. Traditionally, the conversion of lactose to lactitol requires high-pressure hydrogenation and the use of costly noble metal catalysts (e.g., Ni, Pd, Ru), making the process economically and environmentally inefficient. In a novel catalytic approach, lactose was successfully transformed into lactitol using MIL-101(Fe), an iron-based metal-organic framework (MOF) featuring Lewis acid sites.
This transformation occurred under ambient pressure and without the need for exogenous hydrogen gas. The catalytic system achieved an impressive 97.66% lactose conversion rate and an extraordinary 99.99% selectivity toward lactitol. Mechanistic analysis revealed that MIL-101(Fe)'s Lewis acidic Fe sites activated the C(1)-O(5) bond within the glucose moiety of lactose. Simultaneously, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) facilitated hydrogen transfer by interacting with Fe-OH groups and promoting H˙ delivery from water to the glycosidic oxygen, thus initiating ring-opening and subsequent reduction to lactitol.
Furthermore, the catalyst exhibited excellent reusability, maintaining its high activity over five consecutive cycles without noticeable deactivation. This study not only highlights lactose as a versatile renewable substrate but also establishes MIL-101(Fe) as a green and cost-effective catalyst for its conversion to lactitol, significantly reducing reliance on high-pressure hydrogenation and precious metals.

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