Patent ID: 7772412

Claim:
A method of dehydration of a sugar or sugar alcohol, comprising: providing a dehydration catalyst within a reactor, the dehydration catalyst being selected from the group consisting of solid acid catalysts and mineral acid catalysts; providing a co-catalyst comprising a support material and a metal within the reactor; introducing a sugar or sugar alcohol to the reactor in the absence of any solvent; flowing H 2 through the reactor; and exposing the sugar or sugar alcohol to the catalyst in the presence of the co-catalyst at a H 2 pressure of less than or equal to about 300 psig to convert at least some of the sugar or sugar alcohol into a bicyclic ether anhydrosugar product, the exposing being conducted at an overall pressure of less than or equal to 500 psig, the flowing H 2 through the reactor removing all water from the reactor during the exposing.