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Catalysts
Special Issues
Catalytic Biomass Upgrading
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Catalytic Biomass Upgrading

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 8605

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Maria Fernanda Neira D'Angelo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Laboratory of Chemical Reactor Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Interests: novel reactor concepts (e.g., foam-based, spinning disc and microreactors) and catalysts (e.g., multifunctional catalysts and coatings), bio-based economy, utilizing the entire lignocellulose fractions (sugars and lignin).

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The global concerns about sustainability have drawn our attention to biomass, the only renewable and abundant source of carbon, as a replacement of fossil feedstocks for the chemical industry. Along with a shift in raw materials, an entire new set of conversion pathways, processes, and reaction media prompts the development and rational design of novel (often multifunctional) catalytic materials. Catalysts such as highly porous zeolites with tailored acidity and porosity or (non-noble) bimetallic nanostructures, etc. have proved active for the conversion of biomass feedstocks to high-added-value chemicals such as biopolymers or pharmaceutical ingredients. Although myriad transformations have been investigated in the last two decades, including the novel lignin-first biomass fractionation approaches and the chemocatalytic upgrading of biomass-derived building blocks such as furfural or HMF via oxidation or hydrogenation, most of them are still in a very early stage of development. Challenges such as product selectivity, stability, or technological scalability remain as relevant topics of research.

The aim of this Special Issue is to cover the most recent advances on the highly important and challenging field of the catalytic conversion of biomass. In particular, this Special Issue focuses on insights on selectivity, stability, and technological applicability, among others. Manuscripts that propose the use of greener methods (e.g., sustainable feeds) are especially welcome.  

I invite you all to contribute your valuable research to this Special Issue.

Dr. Maria Fernanda Neira D'Angelo
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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
  • lignocellulose
  • bio-refinery
  • continuous processing
  • heterogeneous catalyst
  • stability
  • selectivity

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 9040 KiB  
Article
Photoelectrochemical Oxidation in Ambient Conditions Using Earth-Abundant Hematite Anode: A Green Route for the Synthesis of Biobased Polymer Building Blocks
by Anurag Kawde, Mahmoud Sayed, Qi Shi, Jens Uhlig, Tönu Pullerits and Rajni Hatti-Kaul
Catalysts 2021, 11(8), 969; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11080969 - 13 Aug 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2358
Abstract
This study demonstrates the use of a photoelectrochemical device comprising earth-abundant hematite photoanode for the oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), a versatile bio-based platform chemical, under ambient conditions in the presence of an electron mediator. The results obtained in this study showed that the [...] Read more.
This study demonstrates the use of a photoelectrochemical device comprising earth-abundant hematite photoanode for the oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), a versatile bio-based platform chemical, under ambient conditions in the presence of an electron mediator. The results obtained in this study showed that the hematite photoanode, upon doping with fluorine, can oxidize water even at lower pH (4.5 and 9.0). For 5-HMF oxidation, three different pH conditions were investigated, and complete oxidation to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) via 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furancarboxylic acid (HMFCA) was achieved at pH above 12. At lower pH, the oxidation followed another route via 2,5-diformylfuran (DFF), yielding 5-formyl-2-furancarboxylic acid (FFCA) as the main product. Using the oxidized intermediates as substrates showed DFF to be most efficiently oxidized to FDCA. We also show that, at pH 4.5, the addition of the laccase enzyme promoted the oxidation of 5-HMF to FFCA. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalytic Biomass Upgrading)
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15 pages, 4714 KiB  
Article
Recyclable Ir Nanoparticles for the Catalytic Hydrogenation of Biomass-Derived Carbonyl Compounds
by Roberto Sole, Chiara Buranello, Noemi Bardella, Alessandro Di Michele, Stefano Paganelli and Valentina Beghetto
Catalysts 2021, 11(8), 914; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11080914 - 28 Jul 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2078
Abstract
The valorisation of biomass-derived platform chemicals via catalytic hydrogenation is an eco-friendly tool which allows us to recover bio-based building blocks and produce fine chemicals with high industrial appeal. In the present study, a novel surfactant-type triazolyl-thioether ligand was prepared, showing excellent catalytic [...] Read more.
The valorisation of biomass-derived platform chemicals via catalytic hydrogenation is an eco-friendly tool which allows us to recover bio-based building blocks and produce fine chemicals with high industrial appeal. In the present study, a novel surfactant-type triazolyl-thioether ligand was prepared, showing excellent catalytic activity in the presence of bis(1,5-cyclooctadiene)diiridium(I) dichloride [Ir(COD)Cl]2 for the hydrogenation of furfural, cinnamaldehyde, levulinic acid, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, vanillin, and citral. Easy recovery by liquid/liquid extraction allowed us to recover the catalyst, which could then be efficiently recycled up to 11 times for the hydrogenation of furfural. In-depth analysis revealed the formation of spherical structures with metal nanoparticles as big as 2–6 nm surrounded by the anionic ligand, preventing iridium nanoparticle degradation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalytic Biomass Upgrading)
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17 pages, 1673 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Biomass and Acid Loading on Methanolysis during Two-Step Lignin-First Processing of Birchwood
by Panos D. Kouris, Xiaoming Huang, Xianhong Ouyang, Dannie J. G. P. van Osch, Geert J. W. Cremers, Michael D. Boot and Emiel J. M. Hensen
Catalysts 2021, 11(6), 750; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11060750 - 19 Jun 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3275
Abstract
We optimized the solvolysis step in methanol for two-step lignin-first upgrading of woody biomass. Birchwood was first converted via sulfuric acid methanolysis to cellulose pulp and a lignin oil intermediate, which comprises a mixture of lignin oligomers and C5 sugars in the methanol [...] Read more.
We optimized the solvolysis step in methanol for two-step lignin-first upgrading of woody biomass. Birchwood was first converted via sulfuric acid methanolysis to cellulose pulp and a lignin oil intermediate, which comprises a mixture of lignin oligomers and C5 sugars in the methanol solvent. The impact of reaction temperature (140–200 °C), acid loading (0.24–0.81 wt%, dry biomass), methanol/biomass ratio (2.3/1–15.8/1 w/w) and reaction time (2 h and 0.5 h) was investigated. At high biomass loadings (ratio < 6.3/1 w/w), operation at elevated pressure facilitates delignification by keeping methanol in the liquid phase. A high degree of delignification goes together to a large extent with C5 sugar release, mostly in the form of methyl xylosides. Gel permeation chromatography and heteronuclear single quantum coherence NMR of lignin fractions obtained at high acid (0.81 wt%) and low biomass (15.8/1 w/w) loading revealed extensive cleavage of β-O-4′ bonds during acidolysis at 180 °C for 2 h. At an optimized methanol/biomass ratio of 2.3/1 w/w and acid loading (0.24 wt%), more β-O-4′ bonds could be preserved, i.e., about 33% after 2 h and 47% after 0.5 h. The high reactivity of the extracted lignin fragments was confirmed by a second hydrogenolysis step. Reductive treatment with Pd/C under mild conditions led to disappearance of ether linkages and molecular weight reduction in the hydrotreated lignin oil. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalytic Biomass Upgrading)
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