Biomass is one of importantly renewable resources produced by photosynthesis in nature,and presents the obvious advantages as the vast production,easy availability,and low cost [1].Therefore,production of biomass-derived chemicals showed attractive perspective and stimulated increasing research interests in recent years [2,3].In the current work,the solid acid zirconium phosphate(ZrP)with large surface,mesoporous volume and size was prepared.Its catalytic performance was evaluated in hydrolytic hydrogenation of cellulose to sorbitol/mannitol combined with the commercial Ru/C.The significantly enhanced sorbitol/mannitol yield was obtained as comparing with the water soluble acidic metal phosphates and buffer solution of potassium acid phthalate combined with the same Ru/C,perhaps due to that the synergistic effect induced by the Lewis and Br?nsted acid on ZrP could improve its absorption and activation for cellulose and accelerate the rate-determined hydrolysis step.The maximal sorbitol/mannitol yield of 63%and 81%could be obtained by using microcrystalline and ball milling cellulose as the feedstock,respectively.The ZrP combined with Ru/C was adaptable to the high concentrated cellulose and got 5.8 wt%of sorbitol/mannitol concentration.The remarkably enhanced cellulose hydrolysis by ZrP sharply decreased the use of Ru/C,which is significant for the essential application.If pretreatment was carried out by direct mixing cellulose and ZrP and ball milling for 2 h,more than 90%of sorbitol/mannitol yield could be obtained,which is the highest value as compared with the previous reports in literature.The promoted effect depends on the fact that co-ball milling of cellulose and ZrP enhanced the intimate contact of the two and accelerated the rate determined hydrolysis step of cellulose.