Benzenoid Aromatics from Renewable Resources

In this Review, all known chemical methods for the conversion of renewable resources into benzenoid aromatics are summarized. The raw materials that were taken into consideration are CO2; lignocellulose and its constituents cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin; carbohydrates, mostly glucose, fructose, and xylose; chitin; fats and oils; terpenes; and materials that are easily obtained via fermentation, such as biogas, bioethanol, acetone, and many more. There are roughly two directions. One much used method is catalytic fast pyrolysis carried out at high temperatures (between 300 and 700 °C depending on the raw material), which leads to the formation of biochar; gases, such as CO, CO2, H2, and CH4; and an oil which is a mixture of hydrocarbons, mostly aromatics. The carbon selectivities of this method can be reasonably high when defined small molecules such as methanol or hexane are used but are rather low when highly oxygenated compounds such as lignocellulose are used. The other direction is largely based on the multistep conversion of platform chemicals obtained from lignocellulose, cellulose, or sugars and a limited number of fats and terpenes. Much research has focused on furan compounds such as furfural, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, and 5-chloromethylfurfural. The conversion of lignocellulose to xylene via 5-chloromethylfurfural and dimethylfuran has led to the construction of two large-scale plants, one of which has been operational since 2023.

Construction of a tandem HZSM-5 with CuZnAl catalyst for alkylation of benzene with syngas

A bifunctional catalyst composed of ZSM-5 and Cu–Zn–Al shows an outstanding catalytic performance in the alkylation reaction of benzene with syngas.

The effect of Si/Al ratio on the catalytic performance of hierarchical porous ZSM-5 for catalyzing benzene alkylation with methanol

High suppression of ethylbenzene formation could be successfully achieved by adjusting the Si/Al ratio of hierarchical porous ZSM-5.

Nature-inspired optimization of hierarchical porous media for catalytic and separation processes

Nature-inspired structuring at the meso-scale: broad macropores separate the mesoporous catalyst grains.

Promoting effects of MgO and Pd modification on the catalytic performance of hierarchical porous ZSM-5 for catalyzing benzene alkylation with methanol

The dual modification catalyst (MgO and Pd) could effectively combine the effect of MgO for suppressing the side reaction of methanol to olefins and the effect of Pd for inhibiting the formation of ethylbenzene and coke.