KRICT Achieves World-First Circular Low-Carbon Production of Essential Chemicals Using Glucose and Internal Hydrogen Transfer

KRICT develops a world-first circular technology producing gluconic acid and sorbitol from glucose at room temperature without external hydrogen.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 26, 2026, 4:50 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from the National Research Council of Science & Technology and the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT).

A Paradigm Shift in Biomass Processing

The global chemical industry is currently facing immense pressure to transition from petroleum-based feedstocks to sustainable biomass alternatives. In a major breakthrough, a research team led by Dr. Young Kyu Hwang, Dr. Kyung-Ryul Oh, and Dr. Jihoon Kim has developed a "circular" technology that maximizes resource efficiency. By using only glucose as a starting material, the KRICT team can co-produce gluconic acid—used in pharmaceuticals and detergents—and sorbitol, a staple in the food and cosmetic industries. This dual-track production marks a departure from conventional methods that require separate, resource-heavy pathways for each chemical.

The Innovation of Internal Hydrogen Transfer

The core technical achievement of the KRICT study is the implementation of an internal hydrogen transfer mechanism. In traditional chemical synthesis, converting glucose to sorbitol requires the addition of high-pressure external hydrogen gas. However, the KRICT process harvests the hydrogen naturally generated during the dehydrogenation of glucose into gluconic acid. This "internal" hydrogen is immediately transferred to neighboring glucose molecules within the system, converting them into sorbitol. This self-sustaining cycle functions similarly to a bicycle mechanism, where internal energy is recycled to drive the next stage of the process without external interference.

Engineering the Bifunctional Pt-Sn Catalyst

To achieve this precise chemical hand-off, researchers engineered a specialized bifunctional catalyst composed of platinum and tin ($Pt-Sn$) supported on zirconium dioxide ($ZrO_2$). The team discovered that a specific $3:1$ ratio of platinum to tin was the "sweet spot" for the reaction. While pure platinum typically causes excessive hydrogen to leak out of the system, the addition of tin modulates the reaction kinetics. This ensures that 100% of the generated hydrogen remains within the process, resulting in a perfect stoichiometric yield: for every 100 molecules of glucose processed, the system produces exactly 50 molecules of gluconic acid and 50 molecules of sorbitol.