One-pot catalytic conversion of carbohydrate biomass to lactic acid using an ErCl3 catalyst

•Lactic acid was obtained by the conversion of various carbohydrate biomasses.•Erbium chloride is a highly efficient catalyst.•91.1% lactic acid yield was obtained using cellulose feedstock.•This catalyst could be used repeatedly.

Cellulose was hydrothermally converted into lactic acid in the presence of an ErCl3 catalyst. Lactic acid yields as high as 91.1% were obtained when reacting 0.1 g cellulose, 0.05 g catalyst and 30 mL water at 240 °C under 2 MPa N2 for 30 min. Other carbohydrate biomass materials could also be converted into lactic acid effectively under the same reaction conditions. Materials tested included monosaccharides, disaccharides, polysaccharides, and raw biomass such as corn stalks, wheat stems and rice straw. The ErCl3 catalyst could be reused at least five times without any obvious loss of activity.

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