Synthesis of Cellulose Acetates. Part I: Acetylation of Cellulose under Acid Catalysis

The studies of acid-catalyzed production of cellulose acetates derived from various types of biomass are reviewed in this work. Conventional acetylation methods in the presence of strong inorganic acids, transition metal salts, iodine or polyoxometalates are considered. Their disadvantages are corrosive activity and poor environmental performance (for example, formation of wastewater that requires disposal). The promising areas for further studies are the development of new regenerable catalysts and the regulation of the degree of substitution during acetylation in their use. Such systems may yield materials for their use in separators for energy storage devices, including supercapacitors.