?-valerolactone (GVL) is a versatile bio-based chemical that can be prepared in good yields from cellulose (~70% of theoretical) through catalytic conversion via intermediate formation of levulinic (LA) and formic acids.  As a platform, GVL offers many processing options to various fuels and chemicals.  Of immediate interest is its role in facilitating production of cellulosic jet fuels.Catalytic decarboxylation of GVL delivers butene monomers in nearly quantitative yields, and butenes can be coupled through acid-catalyzed oligomerization to form branched, higher molecular weight olefins.  Here, we consider the kinetics and mechanism of GVL decarboxylation as well as varied product distributions achieved via oligomerization.  Further, although GVL preparation (via LA hydrogenation) is straightforward, large scale accessibility is limited due to the cost of LA purification and mineral acid recovery. We therefore also consider recent developments which employ bimetallic catalysts to streamline LA purification (and thus GVL production) and further enable downstream technologies.

Integrated, catalytic strategy to enable production of cellulosic jet fuels

244th National Meeting (2012)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.