Lignocellulosic sugars can be biologically converted to short-chain anaerobic acids, which provide access to performance-advantaged diesel fuel bioblendstocks through catalytic upgrading. From a fuel property standpoint, an optimal diesel blendstock rapidly ignites and exhibits high energy density, burns cleanly with minimal soot formation, possesses a high flashpoint to decrease flammability risks, and is water insoluble. However, biomass conversion routes are typically not designed with fuel properties in mind <i>a priori</i>, and significant data gaps remain with regards to their comprehensive fuel properties, particularly in the context of novel chemical structures. In this presentation, we will discuss a “fuel property first” design approach to produce tailored bioblendstocks from short chain carboxylic acids. Two independent conversion routes were evaluated that target hydrocarbon and ether chemical families, respectively. Candidate fuel molecules were down-selected based on computational pre-screening of critical fuel properties, as well as a literature-based evaluation of efficient conversion routes. Experimentally, carboxylic acids were catalytically converted to both hydrocarbon and ether blendstocks for fuel property testing, and critical areas for further process development were identified. Computationally predicted fuel properties were then validated against measured values, and bioblendstocks were incorporated into diesel fuel to confirm advantaged performance. Overall, this approach shows promise for reducing the development time for generating advantaged bioblendstocks from biomass and highlights the applicability of carboxylic acids as precursors for diesel applications.

Fuel property first design of advantaged diesel blendstocks from biologically derived short chain carboxylic acids

2019 Spring National Meeting

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