The conversion of alcohols derived from biomass fermentation persists as a prominent pathway to generate renewable transportation fuels. 2,3-Butanediol (BDO) is one such alcohol that can be produced at high titers, yet the conversion of BDO to transportation fuels is bottlenecked by the cost-prohibitive separation of BDO from aqueous fermentation broth. Here, we present our work on a BDO conversion pathway utilizing dioxolane synthons prior to form olefin compounds as precursors to longer carbon chain hydrocarbons and specialty chemicals. Dioxolanes are formed from BDO and various aldehydes over a solid acid catalyst (i.e., Amberlyst-15, Nafion) and readily phase separate from the aqueous solution, effectively utilizing a reactive separation approach to mitigate the need for expensive distillation or other separation processes. These formed dioxolanes can be isolated and converted over a bifunctional catalyst (i.e., Cu/ZSM-5) to generate olefins from both dioxolane carbon chains. Reaction conditions were investigated to shift between the formation of mono-olefins (&gt;90%), methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), and the aldehydes used in dioxolane formation, allowing for additional cost reduction through aldehyde recycle. The choice of aldehydes and the corresponding dioxolane functional groups were also explored to identify useful and renewably generated candidates for increased biorefinery interactions.

Selective conversion of 2,3-butanediol to C<sub>4+</sub> olefins using dioxolane intermediates

ACS Spring 2022

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Selective conversion of 2,3-butanediol to C4+ olefins using dioxolane intermediates

Selective conversion of 2,3-butanediol to C₄₊ olefins using dioxolane intermediates