Conducting chemical reactions in water can provide a pathway for greener processes to make the fuels, chemicals, and materials that society demands. Water at elevated temperatures and pressures has properties that are very different from those at ambient temperature. It is a good solvent for small organic chemicals and it has a much higher ion product, and thereby accelerates acid-catalyzed reactions. For example, hot compressed water can be used as the reaction medium for the synthesis of terephthalic acid, a bulk commodity chemical. By doing so, one can reduce emissions of toxic material, eliminate environmental impacts associated with manufacture of organic solvent, and eliminate the need for a large distillation column. Hydrothermal conditions can also be used for the synthesis of semiconductor nanoparticles and for the conversion of biomass to renewable liquid and gaseous fuels. For example, hydrothermal liquefaction of microalgae can produce a crude bio-oil that can be upgraded to a hydrocarbon mixture that might be suitable for blending with petroleum in a refinery. Hydrothermal carbonization can be used to recover lipids from algal biomass and produce biodiesel. Using hydrothermal conditions is a more energy efficient approach as the biomass drying step is eliminated. This presentation will illustrate these examples and provide some general principles regarding the use of hydrothermal chemistry for green chemistry and reaction engineering.

Chemistry in hot water: Hydrothermal synthesis of biofuels, nanomaterials, and chemicals

246th National Meeting (2013)

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