Carbohydrates from lignocellulosic biomass represent an abundant source of carbon that can be transformed into transportation fuel precursors through cellulose and hemicellulose depolymerization and hydrolysis to pentoses and hexoses. Dehydration of the sugars under acidic conditions results in formation of furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, which can then be used in carbon chain extension reactions to form oxygenated precursors to jet- and diesel-range fuels. There has been significant on-going interest in developing carbon-carbon coupling routes for such sugar-derived furans. The main purpose of our work has been to develop catalytic transformation routes that more efficiently upgrade sugar-derived intermediates into fuel products or value-added co-products. The fuel products are paraffins with excellent properties for blending into jet and diesel fuels (cetane number &gt;60, boiling point 150 - 350 oC, and a freezing point &lt;-60 oC giving them very good Cloud Point properties). This research, therefore, directly supports the DOE’s Bioenergy Technology Office’s goals to demonstrate conversion of biomass-derived intermediates into hydrocarbons that can be used as advanced drop-in biofuels. There are several potential routes for converting furanics via condensation reactions with other bio-derived molecules to form intermediates that can then be further converted into jet/diesel fuel blendstocks by hydrodeoxygenation (HDO). Mixtures of furfurals have been condensed via alkali catalyzed aldol reactions with other bio-derived molecules to produce intermediates with between 8 and 16 carbon atoms. This presentation will describe the research to optimize HDO of the furfural-derived intermediates, increasing catalyst activity, selectivity, and stability. Work has also been performed to investigate the effects of using biomass-derived furfurals on the heterogeneous catalysts. Catalysts have been characterized before and after use to identify the biomass-derived poisons leading to catalyst deactivation.

Hydrodeoxygenation of biomass-derived intermediates to paraffins for blending into jet or diesel fuels

2019 Spring National Meeting

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