The ability to determine the quantity of solid reactant that has been transformed after a catalytic reaction
is fundamental in accurately defining the conversion of the catalyst. This quantity is also central
when investigating the recyclability of a solid catalyst as well as process control in an industrial catalytic
application. However, when using carbon-supported catalysts for the conversion of cellulose this value is
difficult to obtain using only a gravimetric method. The difficulty lies in weighing errors caused by loss of
the solid mixture (catalyst and non-converted cellulose) after the reaction and/or moisture adsorption by
the substrate. These errors are then propagated into the conversion calculation giving erroneous results.
Thus, a quantitative method using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) has been developed to determine
the quantity of cellulose after a catalytic reaction by using a tungsten carbide catalyst supported on activated
carbon. Stepped separation of TGA curves was used for quantitative analysis where three thermal
events were identified: moisture loss, cellulose decomposition and CO/CO2 formation. An analytical curve
was derived and applied to quantify the residual cellulose after catalytic reactions which were performed
at various temperatures and reaction times. The catalytic conversion was calculated and compared to the
standard gravimetric method. Results showed that catalytic cellulose conversion can be determined using
TGA and exhibits lower uncertainty (±2%) when compared to gravimetric determination (±5%). Therefore,
it is a simple and relatively inexpensive method to determine catalytic conversion for scientific and
industrial applications