The 6th International Conference on Biomass Energy (ICBE2018)

438 / 2018-09-01 17:00:24

Commodity Chemicals from Biomass: Catalytic Conversion of Biomass into α,ω-diols

Plenary track > C. Liquid Biofuel

In this presentation we describe a multi-step catalytic approach for conversion of cellulose into 1,6-hexanediol and hemicellulose into 1,5 pentanediol. These α,ω-diols are high-volume (130,000 tons/year), high value ($4,600/ton) commodity chemicals used in the polymer industry. Cellulose is first converted levoglucosan which is then dehydrated into levoglucosenone (LGO) in the condensed phase with dilute acid (5-20 mM acid concentration) using a polar, aprotic solvent. The product selectivity is a function of the water concentration, the solvent type and the cellulose loading. Increasing the water content leads to the production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural. The LGO is then hydrogenated into dihydrolevoglucosenone, levoglucosanol, and tetrahydropyran-2-methanol (THPM). The THPM then undergoes selective C-O-C hydrogenolysis to produce 1,6-hexanediol using a bifunctional (reducible metal with an oxophilic promoter) catalyst with > 90% selectivity to 1,6 hexanediol. The hemicellulose is converted into furfural which then undergoes a series of reactions to produce 1,5 pentanediol. We will outline the catalytic chemistry that happens in each of these steps and the catalytic challenges for production of new biomass based commodity chemicals.