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Catalysts
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Catalytic Biomass Conversions into Fuels and Materials—Sustainable Technologies and Applications
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Catalytic Biomass Conversions into Fuels and Materials—Sustainable Technologies and Applications

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 4143

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Francesco Nocito

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, University of Bari, Via Orabona 4, 70125 Bari, Italy
Interests: homogeneous catalysis; heterogeneous catalysis; CO2 conversion; biomass conversion; inorganic chemistry; material chemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

To meet the ever-increasing global energy demand and the need for sustainable chemical processes, the adoption of the circular economy model within the biorefinery concept is becoming essential. The use of feedstocks derived from both lignocellulosic and oily biomass, the latter extracted from terrestrial and/or algal species, is considered a potential source of clean energy, especially due to their abundance and cheapness to use in industrial settings; however, there is a significant challenge to fully utilize this form of biomass in industry.

In order to improve output efficiency to ensure low production costs, the development of new catalytic processes (thermal, electro-, photo- or their combination) for renewable solid/liquid source conversion into bio-fuels and bio-materials is becoming a key factor in the reduction of fossil raw materials utilization and the emission of greenhouse gasses. In addition, this integrated biological and catalytic methodology is increasing interest in academic and industrial biomass applications. This Special Issue provides a comprehensive overview description of recent catalytic technologies and processes involved in biomass and biomass-derived conversion towards next generation energy products (bio-fuels) and valuable bio-chemical products (hydrogen, alcohols, organic acids, etc.), or bio-materials like monomers for bioplastics, with emphasis on platform molecules production and conversion.

Dr. Francesco Nocito
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • biomass conversion
  • catalysis
  • integrated bio-catalysis
  • bio fuels
  • bio-materials
  • platform molecules

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 650 KB  
Article
Hydrothermal Upgrading of Industrial Hemp Waste: Effect of Cultivars and Fibre Sheath Presence on Bio-Oil Yield
by Jiří Hájek, Vladimir Hönig, Nikita Šarkov, Jakub Frątczak, Ivana Hradecká, Jan Jenčík, Jose Miguel Hidalgo Herrador and Tomáš Herink
Catalysts 2025, 15(10), 917; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15100917 - 24 Sep 2025
Abstract
Industrial hemp is an abundant agricultural residue with potential for sustainable fuel production. In this work, stalks of two hemp cultivars (Futura-75 and Fedora-17), considered either before or after fibre extraction (with and without fibre sheath), were processed by hydrothermal upgrading (HTU) to [...] Read more.
Industrial hemp is an abundant agricultural residue with potential for sustainable fuel production. In this work, stalks of two hemp cultivars (Futura-75 and Fedora-17), considered either before or after fibre extraction (with and without fibre sheath), were processed by hydrothermal upgrading (HTU) to obtain bio-oil. A total of twelve autoclave reactions were conducted using 10 g of biomass and 2–4 g of potassium carbonate as a catalyst. The resulting bio-oils exhibited significantly reduced oxygen content (26–36%) compared to the raw feedstock (47%) and achieved higher heating values of 25.9–32.1 MJ/kg versus 17.7–17.9 MJ/kg for the untreated biomass. Fractionation analysis revealed that the main products were high-boiling (>360 °C) and diesel-range fractions, while overall yields ranged from 21.3% to 32.8%. The highest yield was obtained from Fedora-17 with the fibre sheath and 2 g of catalyst. Overall, the study highlights the potential of hemp waste as a renewable feedstock for liquid fuel production and demonstrates how fibre content and cultivar type influence both yield and product quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalytic Biomass Conversions into Fuels and Materials—Sustainable Technologies and Applications)
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18 pages, 7664 KB  
Article
Single-Atom and Sub-Nano Ruthenium Cluster Catalysts—Application to Biomass Upgrading into Biofuel Additive
by Chaima Z. Tabet-Zatla, Sumeya Bedrane, José Juan Calvino, Miguel Ángel Cauqui, Fayçal Dergal, Redouane Bachir, Chewki Ziani-Cherif and Juan Carlos Hernández-Garrido
Catalysts 2025, 15(5), 449; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15050449 - 3 May 2025
Viewed by 1032
Abstract
Sub-nano metal clusters have important physicochemical features that lead to a wide range of applications. Herein, we point out an unfailing reproducible protocol to synthesize ruthenium single-atom catalysts and ultra-small clusters supported on various silica–alumina mixed oxides. The catalysts were synthesized via a [...] Read more.
Sub-nano metal clusters have important physicochemical features that lead to a wide range of applications. Herein, we point out an unfailing reproducible protocol to synthesize ruthenium single-atom catalysts and ultra-small clusters supported on various silica–alumina mixed oxides. The catalysts were synthesized via a dendrimer-free, sonication-assisted route, with ruthenium loadings up to 2 wt%. Raman spectroscopy mapping revealed a wide coverage of the materials’ surfaces by ruthenium, while HAADF-STEM evidenced that 100% of the ruthenium was at the sub-nano scale, with up to 74% of the single atoms and metal clusters having an average size between 0.3 and 0.7 nm, independently of the support or the metal’s loading. These materials exhibited highly selective size-dependent catalytic performances in upgrading biomass-derived furfural into transportation biofuel additive 2,2′-difurfurylether, with turnover frequencies up to 1148 h−1. Ruthenium single atoms and sub-nano clusters showed an exceptional resistance to sintering, with a size variation of ±0.1 nm before and after reaction, and no metal leaching was observed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalytic Biomass Conversions into Fuels and Materials—Sustainable Technologies and Applications)
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16 pages, 2145 KB  
Article
Highly Selective Oxidation of 1,2-Propanediol to Lactic Acid Using Pd Nanoparticles Supported on Functionalized Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes
by Zhiqing Wang, Xiong Xiong, Aiqian Jin, Lingqin Shen and Hengbo Yin
Catalysts 2025, 15(1), 53; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15010053 - 9 Jan 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1128
Abstract
1,2-Propanediol, with its highly functionalized molecular structure and abundant availability, serves as a viable feedstock for high-value chemicals. The oxidation of 1,2-propanediol can potentially yield lactic acid, an important commodity chemical. Herein, we report the catalytic oxidation of 1,2-propanediol in the presence of [...] Read more.
1,2-Propanediol, with its highly functionalized molecular structure and abundant availability, serves as a viable feedstock for high-value chemicals. The oxidation of 1,2-propanediol can potentially yield lactic acid, an important commodity chemical. Herein, we report the catalytic oxidation of 1,2-propanediol in the presence of NaOH, using Pd nanoparticles (NPs) supported on various functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Both single-factor experiments and the response surface methodology were employed to investigate the optimal operating parameters. It was found that nitrogen doping promotes strong metal–support interactions between the active components and the support. Under optimal reaction conditions (123 °C, 1.25 MPa O2 pressure, 4 h, and a NaOH/1,2-PDO molar ratio of 4.0), a high lactic acid yield of 68.3% was achieved using nitrogen-doped MWCNT-supported Pd nanoparticles as the catalyst. The selectivity for lactic acid decreased with increasing reaction time, temperature, NaOH/1,2-PDO molar ratio, and O2 pressure, while the conversion rate increased correspondingly. After five cycles, the conversion of 1,2-PDO slightly decreased to 76.2%, while the LA selectivity remained high at 84.9%. Additionally, the reaction pathway was further investigated, confirming the formation mechanism of lactic acid. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalytic Biomass Conversions into Fuels and Materials—Sustainable Technologies and Applications)
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Review

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34 pages, 1661 KB  
Review
Algae to Biofuels: Catalytic Strategies and Sustainable Technologies for Green Energy Conversion
by Shushil Kumar Rai, Gyungmin Kim and Hua Song
Catalysts 2025, 15(9), 806; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15090806 - 25 Aug 2025
Viewed by 1446
Abstract
The global population surge and continuously rising energy demand have led to the rapid depletion of fossil fuel reserves. Over-exploitation of non-renewable fuels is responsible for the emission of greenhouse gases, air pollution, and global warming, which causes serious health issues and ecological [...] Read more.
The global population surge and continuously rising energy demand have led to the rapid depletion of fossil fuel reserves. Over-exploitation of non-renewable fuels is responsible for the emission of greenhouse gases, air pollution, and global warming, which causes serious health issues and ecological imbalance. The present study focuses on the potential of algae-based biofuel as an alternative energy source for fossil fuels. Algal biofuels are more environmentally friendly and economically reasonable to produce on a pilot scale compared to lignocellulosic-derived biofuels. Algae can be cultivated in closed, open, and hybrid photobioreactors. Notably, high-rate raceway ponds with the ability to recycle nutrients can reduce freshwater consumption by 60% compared to closed systems. The algal strain along with various factors such as light, temperature, nutrients, carbon dioxide, and pH is responsible for the growth of biomass and biofuel production. Algal biomass conversion through hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) can achieve higher energy return on investments (EROI) than conventional techniques, making it a promising Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5–6 pathway toward circular biorefineries. Therefore, algal-based biofuel production offers numerous benefits in terms of socio-economic growth. This review highlights the basic cultivation, dewatering, and processing of algae to produce biofuels using various methods. A simplified multicriteria evaluation strategy was used to compare various catalytic processes based on multiple performance indicators. We also conferred various advantages of an integrated biorefinery system and current technological advancements for algal biofuel production. In addition to this, policies and market regulations are discussed briefly. At the end, critical challenges and future perspectives of algal biorefineries are reviewed. Algal biofuels are environmentally friendly as well as economically sustainable and usually offer more benefits compared to fossil fuels. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalytic Biomass Conversions into Fuels and Materials—Sustainable Technologies and Applications)
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