Chemicals from Biomass: Combining Ring-Opening Tautomerization and Hydrogenation Reactions to Produce 1,5-Pentanediol from Furfural

A process for the synthesis of 1,5-pentanediol (1,5-PD) with 84 % yield from furfural is developed, utilizing dehydration/hydration, ring-opening tautomerization, and hydrogenation reactions. Although this process has more reaction steps than the traditional direct hydrogenolysis of tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol (THFA), techno-economic analyses demonstrate that this process is the economically preferred route for the synthesis of biorenewable 1,5-PD. 2-Hydroxytetrahydropyran (2-HY-THP) is the key reaction pathway intermediate that allows for a decrease in the minimum selling price of 1,5-PD. The reactivity of 2-HY-THP is 80 times greater than that of THFA over a bimetallic hydrogenolysis catalyst. This enhanced reactivity is a result of the ring-opening tautomerization to 5-hydoxyvaleraldehyde and subsequent hydrogenation to 1,5-PD.

Kinetics of Levoglucosenone Isomerization

We studied the acid-catalyzed isomerization of levoglucosenone (LGO) to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and developed a reaction kinetics model that describes the experimental data across a range of conditions (100-150 °C, 50-100 mm H₂ SO₄ , 50-150 mm LGO). LGO and its hydrated derivative exist in equilibrium under these reaction conditions. Thermal and catalytic degradation of HMF are the major sources of carbon loss. Within the range of conditions studied, higher temperatures and shorter reaction times favor the production of HMF. The yields of HMF and levulinic acid decrease monotonically as tetrahydrofuran is added to the aqueous solvent system, indicating that water plays a role in the LGO isomerization reaction. Initial-rate analyses show that HMF is produced solely from LGO rather than from the hydrated derivative of LGO. The results of this study are consistent with a mechanism for LGO isomerization that proceeds through hydration of the anhydro bridge, followed by ring rearrangement analogous to the isomerization of glucose to fructose.

New catalytic strategies for α,ω-diols production from lignocellulosic biomass

Catalytic strategies for the synthesis of 1,5-pentanediol (PDO) with 69% yield from hemicellulose and the synthesis of 1,6-hexanediol (HDO) with 28% yield from cellulose are presented. Fractionation of lignocellulosic biomass (white birch wood chips) in gamma-valerolactone (GVL)/H₂O generates a pure cellulose solid and a liquid stream containing hemicellulose and lignin, which is further dehydrated to furfural with 85% yield. Furfural is converted to PDO with sequential dehydration, hydration, ring-opening tautomerization, and hydrogenation reactions. Acid-catalyzed cellulose dehydration in tetrahydrofuran (THF)/H₂O produces a mixture of levoglucosenone (LGO) and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), which are converted with hydrogen to tetrahydrofuran-dimethanol (THFDM). HDO is then obtained from hydrogenolysis of THFDM. Techno-economic analysis demonstrates that this approach can produce HDO and PDO at a minimum selling price of $4090 per ton.

Effect of carbon supports on RhRe bifunctional catalysts for selective hydrogenolysis of tetrahydropyran-2-methanol

Orders-of-magnitude differences in hydrogenolysis activity were observed between RhRe/C catalysts with different carbon supports, which is due to the types of bimetallic particles that are formed on the different carbon supports.

Tuning Acid-Base Properties Using Mg-Al Oxide Atomic Layer Deposition

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) was used to coat γ-Al2O3 particles with oxide films of varying Mg/Al atomic ratios, which resulted in systematic variation of the acid and base site areal densities. Variation of Mg/Al also affected morphological features such as crystalline phase, pore size distribution, and base site proximity. Areal base site density increased with increasing Mg content, while acid site density went through a maximum with a similar number of Mg and Al atoms in the coating. This behavior leads to nonlinearity in the relationship between Mg/Al and acid/base site ratio. The physical and chemical properties were elucidated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), N2 physisorption, and CO2 and NH3 temperature-programmed desorption (TPD). Fluorescence emission spectroscopy of samples grafted with 1-pyrenebutyric acid (PBA) was used for analysis of base site proximity. The degree of base site clustering was correlated to acid site density. Catalytic activity in the self-condensation of acetone was dependent on sample base site density and independent of acid site density.

Microwave-assisted fast conversion of lignin model compounds and organosolv lignin over methyltrioxorhenium in ionic liquids

Fast depolymerization of β-O-4 model compounds and organosolv lignin to aromatic chemicals over methyltrioxorhenium in ionic liquids without oxidant/reducing agent under microwave irradiation is developed.

Plasmon-enhanced reverse water gas shift reaction over oxide supported Au catalysts

Visible light driven plasmon-enhanced reverse water gas shift reaction over Au/TiO₂catalysts for CO₂conversion.

Plasmon-enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting with size-controllable gold nanodot arrays

Size-controllable Au nanodot arrays (50, 63, and 83 nm dot size) with a narrow size distribution (± 5%) were prepared by a direct contact printing method on an indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate. Titania was added to the Au nanodots using TiO(2) sols of 2-3 nm in size. This created a precisely controlled Au nanodot with 110 nm of TiO(2) overcoats. Using these precisely controlled nanodot arrays, the effects of Au nanodot size and TiO(2) overcoats were investigated for photoelectrochemical water splitting using a three-electrode system with a fiber-optic visible light source. From UV-vis measurement, the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peak energy (ELSPR) increased and the LSPR line width (Γ) decreased with decreasing Au nanodot size. The generated plasmonic enhancement for the photoelectrochemical water splitting reaction increased with decreasing Au particle size. The measured plasmonic enhancement for light on/off experiments was 25 times for the 50 nm Au size and 10 times for the 83 nm Au nanodot size. The activity of each catalyst increased by a factor of 6 when TiO2 was added to the Au nanodots for all the samples. The activity of the catalyst was proportional to the quality factor (defined as Q = E(LSPR)/Γ) of the plasmonic metal nanostructure. The enhanced water splitting performance with the decreased Au nanodot size is probably due to more generated charge carriers (electron/hole pair) by local field enhancement as the quality factor increases.

Selective glycerol oxidation by electrocatalytic dehydrogenation

This study demonstrates that an electrochemical dehydrogenation process can be used to oxidize glycerol to glyceraldehyde and glyceric acid even without using stoichiometric chemical oxidants. A glyceric acid selectivity of 87.0 % at 91.8 % glycerol conversion was obtained in an electrocatalytic batch reactor. A continuous-flow electrocatalytic reactor had over an 80 % high glyceric acid selectivity at 10 % glycerol conversion, as well as greater reaction rates than either an electrocatalytic or a conventional catalytic batch reactor.

Electrocatalytic reduction of acetone in a proton-exchange-membrane reactor: a model reaction for the electrocatalytic reduction of biomass

Acetone was electrocatalytically reduced to isopropanol in a proton-exchange-membrane (PEM) reactor on an unsupported platinum cathode. Protons needed for the reduction were produced on the unsupported Pt-Ru anode from either hydrogen gas or electrolysis of water. The current efficiency (the ratio of current contributing to the desired chemical reaction to the overall current) and reaction rate for acetone conversion increased with increasing temperature or applied voltage for the electrocatalytic acetone/water system. The reaction rate and current efficiency went through a maximum with respect to acetone concentration. The reaction rate for acetone conversion increased with increasing temperature for the electrocatalytic acetone/hydrogen system. Increasing the applied voltage for the electrocatalytic acetone/hydrogen system decreased the current efficiency due to production of hydrogen gas. Results from this study demonstrate the commercial feasibility of using PEM reactors to electrocatalytically reduce biomass-derived oxygenates into renewable fuels and chemicals.

Kinetics and reaction engineering of levulinic acid production from aqueous glucose solutions

We have developed a kinetic model for aqueous-phase production of levulinic acid from glucose using a homogeneous acid catalyst. The proposed model shows a good fit with experimental data collected in this study in a batch reactor. The model was also fitted to steady-state data obtained in a plug flow reactor (PFR) and a continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR). The kinetic model consists of four key steps: (1) glucose dehydration to form 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF); (2) glucose reversion/degradation reactions to produce humins (highly polymerized insoluble carbonaceous species); (3) HMF rehydration to form levulinic acid and formic acid; and (4) HMF degradation to form humins. We use our model to predict the optimal reactor design and operating conditions for HMF and levulinic acid production in a continuous reactor system. Higher temperatures (180-200 °C) and shorter reaction times (less than 1 min) are essential to maximize the HMF content. In contrast, relatively low temperatures (140-160 °C) and longer residence times (above 100 min) are essential for maximum levulinic acid yield. We estimate that a maximum HMF carbon yield of 14% can be obtained in a PFR at 200 °C and a reaction time of 10 s. Levulinic acid can be produced at 57% carbon yield (68% of the theoretical yield) in a PFR at 149 °C and a residence time of 500 min. A system of two consecutive PFR reactors shows a higher performance than a PFR and CSTR combination. However, compared to a single PFR, there is no distinct advantage to implement a system of two consecutive reactors.

Renewable Chemical Commodity Feedstocks from Integrated Catalytic Processing of Pyrolysis Oils

Fast pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass produces a renewable liquid fuel called pyrolysis oil that is the cheapest liquid fuel produced from biomass today. Here we show that pyrolysis oils can be converted into industrial commodity chemical feedstocks using an integrated catalytic approach that combines hydroprocessing with zeolite catalysis. The hydroprocessing increases the intrinsic hydrogen content of the pyrolysis oil, producing polyols and alcohols. The zeolite catalyst then converts these hydrogenated products into light olefins and aromatic hydrocarbons in a yield as much as three times higher than that produced with the pure pyrolysis oil. The yield of aromatic hydrocarbons and light olefins from the biomass conversion over zeolite is proportional to the intrinsic amount of hydrogen added to the biomass feedstock during hydroprocessing. The total product yield can be adjusted depending on market values of the chemical feedstocks and the relative prices of the hydrogen and biomass.