Recent advances in catalytic production of sugar alcohols and their applications

Conversion of non-edible biomass into fuels and value-added chemicals has achieved great attention to cope the world’s energy requirements. Lignocellulose based sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, and erythritol can be potentially used as emerging fuels and chemicals. These sugar alcohols can be converted into widely used products (e.g. polymer synthesis, food and pharmaceuticals industry). The heterogeneous catalytic production of sugar alcohols from renewable biomass provides a safe and sustainable approach. Hydrolysis, coupled with hydrogenation and hydrogenolysis has been proved to be more effective strategy for sugar alcohols production from biomass. This review summarizes the recent advances in biomass upgrading reactions for the production of sugar alcohols and their comprehensive applications.