The production of chemicals and fuels by renewable-sourced carbon is a tremendous challenge facing researchers today. The heavy vehicle transportation sector has perhaps the greatest need for petroleum alternatives as it will be the most difficult to electrify. Presently, the liquid fuel market is supplemented and improved by biomass-based ethanol and biodiesel. Although these options diversify our fuel sources towards renewable, domestically-produced materials, these fuels compete with food production resources. A crucial component of next-generation renewable fuels will be to use cellulosic biomass as feedstock, but also presents a significant technical challenge due to its chemical dissimilarity with traditional petroleum.<br/><br/>The pyrolysis of woody biomass offers a promising route to liquid fuels as it occurs at moderate temperatures and produces a densified, liquid product with potential for catalytic upgrading. However, the high degree of oxygen present in the pyrolysis oil is a significant challenge towards integration with today’s hydrocarbon-oriented infrastructure. Furthermore, the cost of deoxygenation increases rapidly as the final product approaches oxygen content comparable to crude oil or finished motor fuels.<br/><br/>This goal of this work is to identify the opportunities for beneficial oxygen incorporation in liquid fuels that increase the potential for cellulosic fuels. We approach this problem both through analysis of today’s hydrocarbon- and renewable-based fuel specifications and through selective catalytic chemistries that can be used to tailor the upgraded pyrolysis oil product. The outcome of this work will promote a more diverse and sustainable energy future for heavy vehicle transportation and direct further research into catalytic processes for pyrolysis oil upgrading by selective oxygen removal.

From fields to fuels: Setting the target for oxygenates in liquid fuels

249th National Meeting (2015)

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