The conversion of biomass to biofuels and value-added chemicals has attracted numerous attention in terms of less dependence on fossil fuel and increasing concerns on environmental problems. Hydrocarbon fuels such as diesel and jet fuel (C8-C21) have an advantage because of compatibility with the current infrastructure and a higher energy density suitable for truck and jet engines. Many routes have extensively studied to produce hydrocarbon fuels using furfural-based chemicals as the starting materials. Herein, we reported new approach for the synthesis of hydrocarbon fuels (C8 and C16) using abundant biomass-derived chemicals isoprene and acrolein as the starting materials. C8 hydrocarbon can be prepared directly by two-step reaction including a Diels-Alder reaction between isoprene and acrolein to form 4-methyl-cyclohex-3-enecarbaldehyde followed by a hydrodeoxygenation reaction with up to 57% total yield. The transition metal catalysts such as Pt/C, Pd/C, Fe/SiO2 and Ni/SiO2 were screened to optimize the product yield. Furthermore, a long chain C16 hydrocarbon was also synthesized by a sequence of Diels-Alder reaction, reductive coupling, and hydrodeoxygenation from isoprene and acrolein as well.

From sustainable chemical blocks to fuel: Synthesis of hydrocarbons from isoprene and acrolein

249th National Meeting (2015)

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