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Catalytic Conversion of Biomass to Added Value Chemicals

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A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomass Catalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 December 2023) | Viewed by 12682

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Karine De Oliveira Vigier

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Guest Editor

IC2MP, UMR, CNRS, Université de Poitiers 7285, ENSIP 1 Rue Marcel Doré, TSA 41195, CEDEX 9, 86073 Poitiers, France
Interests: catalytic conversion of carbohydrates and furanic derivatives; control of the selectivity by using alternative media (DESs, ball milling, etc.)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Mickael Capron

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Guest Editor

UCCS, UMR CNRS 8181, Université de Lille, 59655 Villeneuve D’Ascq, France
Interests: biomass valorization for fine chemicals starting from polyols
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Due to the decrease of fossil carbon raw materials and to environmental concerns, the scientific community is trying to find an alternative to produce fine chemicals and fuels. Hence, the valorization of renewable resources such as lignocellulosic biomass and vegetable oils have been widely studied. From these raw materials, carbohydrates, furan derivatives, glycerol and fatty acids/esters are interesting molecules that can be converted into a wide range of chemicals. In this chemistry, the nature of the catalyst and the productivity are of prime interest to develop a process that can be used at an industrial level. Many reactions such as amination, oxidation, hydrogenation are used to convert carbohydrates, furan derivatives, glycerol and fatty acids/esters to added value chemicals. These reactions can be combined and bi- or multi-functional catalysts are used.

This Special Issue welcomes the submission of original papers or reviews related to the field of catalytic conversion of biomass and aims to cover scientific works dealing with the use of catalysts (homogeneous and heterogeneous and enzyme catalysts).

Prof. Dr. Karine De Oliveira Vigier
Dr. Mickael Capron
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Catalysts is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

biomass
catalyst
carbohydrates
lignocellulose
glycerol
fatty acids/esters

Related Special Issue

Catalytic Conversion of Biomass Derived Compounds (Carbohydrates, Furanic Derivatives, and Glycerol) in Catalysts (7 articles)

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 7009 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Improved Light Hydrocarbon, Furans, and BTEX Production from the Catalytic Assisted Pyrolysis of Agave salmiana Bagasse over Silica Mesoporous Catalysts

by Leoncio Santiago-Martínez, César Irán González-Falcón, Jaime Reyes-Hernández, Brent E. Handy and María-Guadalupe Cárdenas-Galindo

Catalysts 2023, 13(3), 548; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal13030548 - 9 Mar 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1451

Abstract

The pyrolysis of the biomass Agave salmiana bagasse (10 K/min, ambient to 700 °C) was investigated in the absence and presence of Aerosil and MCM-41 catalysts. MCM-41 was synthetized using a typical hydrothermal method and characterized with XRD, SAXS, SEM, TEM, and nitrogen physisorption to confirm the presence of unidimensional 3.4 nm diameter pores. Pyrolysis products were monitored online with mass spectrometry (MS), analyzing the production of 29 different compounds, clustered in several groups, namely, olefins (ethene, 2-butene, 1,3-butadiene), oxygenated compounds (methanol, 2-methylbutanol, acetic acid), furan derivatives (furan, furfural, 2-methylfurane), and aromatic compounds (BTEX). Complete decomposition of the cellulose and hemicellulose content of the biomass was observed at temperatures below 400 °C. Lignin decomposition was completed by 550 °C. Catalyst-assisted pyrolysis showed reduced acetic acid and methanol formation with Aerosil and MCM-41. The use of Aerosil does not affect the overall production of olefins, yet increases benzene yield, while reducing the production of phenol, furan, and furan derivatives. With MCM-41, there is increased production of olefins, furan, furan derivatives, cyclohexanone and BTEX, yet phenol production is decreased. At temperatures below 400 °C, the product formation pattern is comparable to non-catalytic pyrolysis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalytic Conversion of Biomass to Added Value Chemicals)

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16 pages, 3031 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Synthesis of Hollow Mesoporous Silica Nanospheroids with O/W Emulsion and Al(III) Incorporation and Its Catalytic Activity for the Synthesis of 5-HMF from Carbohydrates

by Anirban Ghosh, Biswajit Chowdhury and Asim Bhaumik

Catalysts 2023, 13(2), 354; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal13020354 - 5 Feb 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2223

Abstract

Controlling the particle size as well as porosity and shape of silica nanoparticles is always a big challenge while tuning their properties. Here, we designed a cost-effective, novel, green synthetic method for the preparation of perforated hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (PHMS-1) using a very minute amount of cationic surfactant in o/w-type (castor oil in water) emulsion at room temperature. The grafting of Al(III) through post-synthetic modification onto this silica framework (PHMS-2, Si/Al ~20 atomic percentage) makes this a very efficient solid acid catalyst for the conversion of monosaccharides to 5-HMF. Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area for the pure silica and Al-doped mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) were found to be 866 and 660 m²g⁻¹, respectively. Powder XRD, BET and TEM images confirm the mesoporosity of these materials. Again, the perforated hollow morphology was investigated using scanning electron microscopic analysis. Al-doped hollow MSNs were tested for acid catalytic-biomass conversion reactions. Our results show that PHMS-2 has much higher catalytic efficiency than contemporary aluminosilicate frameworks (83.7% of 5-HMF yield in 25 min at 160 °C for fructose under microwave irradiation). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalytic Conversion of Biomass to Added Value Chemicals)

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13 pages, 2932 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Catalytic Transformation of Biomass-Derived Hemicellulose Sugars by the One-Pot Method into Oxalic, Lactic, and Levulinic Acids Using a Homogeneous H₂SO₄ Catalyst

by Natalia Sobuś and Izabela Czekaj

Catalysts 2023, 13(2), 349; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal13020349 - 3 Feb 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1579

Abstract

This article presents the conditions for the conversion of hemicellulose with different contents of C6 and C5 carbohydrates and uronic acids based on the OrganoCat process, and the abbreviations M1, M2, and M3 are used. Homogenous catalysis with sulfuric acid (VI) in the concentration range of 0.1–1 M was used in the study to determine its activity on the ability to transform a hemicellulose mixture. The process was carried out using the one-pot technique in the temperature range of 100–250 °C for 1–5 h. Based on the use of the chromatographic technique (HPLC-RID) together with a comparison with standard substances, the resulting chemical compounds were determined and identified from the post-reaction mixtures. The degree of covalence of the raw material, the selectivity of the obtained chemical compounds, and the yield of lactic acid were also determined. Based on the obtained results, lactic acid with the highest yield (64.57%) was obtained after 1 h of the process from the M1 mixture at the temperature of 100 °C with 0.1 M sulfuric acid (VI) as a catalyst. The formation of oxalic acid was also observed, which is present in all post-reaction mixtures, regardless of the composition of the raw material, temperature, and time. Its efficiency was determined at an average level of 90%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalytic Conversion of Biomass to Added Value Chemicals)

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17 pages, 3713 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework Decorated Molybdenum Carbide Catalysts for Hydrodeoxygenation of Guaiacol to Phenol

by Jintu Francis Kurisingal, Shinjae Lee, Jun Gyeong Lee and Kwangjin An

Catalysts 2022, 12(12), 1605; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal12121605 - 7 Dec 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1639

Abstract

Bimetallic zeolitic imidazolate framework (BMZIF)-decorated Mo carbide catalysts were designed for the catalytic hydrodeoxygenation of guaiacol to produce phenol with high selectivity. A uniform layer of BMZIF was systematically coated onto the surface of the MoO₃ nanorods. During carbonization at 700 °C for 4 h, BMZIF generated active species (ZnO, CoO) on highly dispersed N-doped carbons, creating a porous shell structure. Simultaneously, the MoO₃ nanorod was transformed into the Mo₂C phase. The resulting core@shell type Mo₂C@BMZIF-700 °C (4 h) catalyst promoted a 97% guaiacol conversion and 70% phenol selectivity under 4 MPa of H₂ at 330 °C for 4 h, which was not achieved by other supported catalysts. The catalyst also showed excellent selective cleavage of the methoxy group of lignin derivatives (syringol and vanillin), which makes it suitable for selective demethoxylation in future biomass catalysis. Moreover, it exhibits excellent recyclability and stability without changing the structure or active species. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalytic Conversion of Biomass to Added Value Chemicals)

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11 pages, 3429 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hydrogenation of Xylose to Xylitol in the Presence of Bimetallic Nanoparticles Ni₃Fe Catalyst in the Presence of Choline Chloride

by Naseeb Ullah, François Jérôme and Karine De Oliveira Vigier

Catalysts 2022, 12(8), 841; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal12080841 - 30 Jul 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2076

Abstract

Hydrogenation of sugars to sugars alcohols is of prime interest for food applications for instance. Xylose obtained from the hemicellulose fraction of lignocellulosic biomass can be hydrogenated to xylitol. Herein, we conducted catalytic hydrogenation reactions in a non-conventional media approach by using choline chloride, a non-toxic naturally occurring organic compound that can form a deep eutectic solvent with xylose. Acknowledging the benefits of cost-effective transition metal-based alloys, Ni₃Fe₁ bimetallic nanoparticles were utilized as a hetero-catalyst. Under optimized reaction conditions (110 °C, 3 h and 30 bar H₂), a highly concentrated feed of xylose (76 wt.%) was converted to 80% of xylitol, showing the benefit of using choline chloride. Overall, the catalytic conversion activity and the product selectivity in the substrate-assisted DES media are relatively high but, the recyclability of the catalyst should be improved in the presence of such media. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalytic Conversion of Biomass to Added Value Chemicals)

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25 pages, 10139 KiB

Open AccessArticle

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural Oxidation to 2,5-Furandicarboxylic Acid on Noble Metal-Free Nanocrystalline Mixed Oxide Catalysts

by Atif Emre Demet, Olinda Gimello, Rossella Arletti, Nathalie Tanchoux, Moulay Tahar Sougrati, Lorenzo Stievano, Françoise Quignard, Gabriele Centi, Siglinda Perathoner and Francesco Di Renzo

Catalysts 2022, 12(8), 814; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal12080814 - 25 Jul 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2795

Abstract

Noble metal-free catalysts based on earth-abundant and inexpensive mixed oxides are active catalysts of all steps of the reaction cascade leading from 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) using tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) as oxidation agent. Catalysts covering the whole range of composition in the Cu-Mn and Co-Fe series have been prepared and characterised. The nature and composition of the catalyst strongly affect conversion and selectivity. The distribution of products indicates that radical-type oxygen species, deriving from the activation of TBHP, play a determining role in the reaction. The early steps of reaction mainly follow the pattern expected for heterogeneous Fenton catalysts. Mixed oxide catalysts are the most effective in further oxidation steps, leading to the formation of FDCA, both in the Cu-Mn and Co-Fe systems. This behaviour can be related to the distribution of charge in the mixed oxides, suggesting a possible implication of the lattice oxygen in the last reaction steps. The results provide indications on how to optimize the reaction and minimize the formation of byproducts (humins and oligomers). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalytic Conversion of Biomass to Added Value Chemicals)

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