Biomass offers a potentially sustainable source of carbon for the production of fuels and lubricants. The most promising starting materials for such applications are the carbohydrate component of lignocellosic biomass (cellulose and hemicellulose) and fatty acids. Hydrolysis of the cellulose and hemicellulose produces primarily glucose and xylose, which can be converted into alcohols and ketones by fermentation or furanics by dehydrations. These products can be converted to fuels and lubricants by aldol condensation and hydrodeoxygenation. Fatty acids can be converted to final products by ketonic decarboxylation, condensation, and hydrogenation. This talk will illustrate the types of catalysts that have been found to be most effective for each of the reactions noted and will use this knowledge to identify what are the key chemical and structural properties required to achieve high activity and selectivity. The deductions drawn from such studies can then be used to guide the search for superior materials by more structured approaches.

Design of catalysts for the conversion of biomass to fuels and lubricants

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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