A new process for
the production of 1,5-pentanediol (1,5-PDO) from
biomass-derived furfural is studied. In this process, furfural is
converted to 1,5-PDO in a high overall yield (80%) over inexpensive
catalysts via multiple steps involving hydrogenation, dehydration,
hydration, and hydrogenation subsequently. To effectively recycle
H2 as well as recover 1,5-PDO, detailed separation subsystems
have been designed and integrated with reaction subsystems. Furthermore,
a pioneer plant analysis is performed to estimate the risk on the
cost growth and plant performance shortfalls. The integrated process
leads to a minimum selling price of $1973 ton–1 for
1,5-PDO, which suggests that it could be a promising approach for
converting biomass into oxygenated commodity chemicals, which are
difficult to produce from petroleum-derived feedstocks. The sensitivity
analysis also identifies that the most important economic parameters
for the process include the furfural feedstock price and plant size.
A process for the synthesis of 1,5-pentanediol (1,5-PD) with 84 % yield from furfural is developed, utilizing dehydration/hydration, ring-opening tautomerization, and hydrogenation reactions. Although this process has more reaction steps than the traditional direct hydrogenolysis of tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol (THFA), techno-economic analyses demonstrate that this process is the economically preferred route for the synthesis of biorenewable 1,5-PD. 2-Hydroxytetrahydropyran (2-HY-THP) is the key reaction pathway intermediate that allows for a decrease in the minimum selling price of 1,5-PD. The reactivity of 2-HY-THP is 80 times greater than that of THFA over a bimetallic hydrogenolysis catalyst. This enhanced reactivity is a result of the ring-opening tautomerization to 5-hydoxyvaleraldehyde and subsequent hydrogenation to 1,5-PD.
Exceptionally high hydrogen permselectivity, exceeding that of any polymeric or porous inorganic systems, is achieved using an ionically crosslinked multilayer polymer thin film.
The hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of bio‐oil derived from white oak wood using non‐sulfided catalysts was studied in a two zone continuous flow trickle bed reactor system. The major organic components of the pyrolysis oil were pyrolytic lignin (large phenolic polymers), xylose, levoglucosan, organic acids (primarily acetic acid), and hydroxyacetaldehyde. The first zone was a low temperature zone (130 °C) that contained a Ru/C catalyst. In this zone, carbonyl groups were hydrogenated, producing propylene glycol (from hydroxyacetone), ethylene glycol (from hydroxyacetaldehyde), and sorbitol (from levoglucosan). A more severe hydrotreatment was performed in a second zone containing a bifunctional Pt/ZrP catalyst at a temperature between 300 and 400 °C. In the two‐stage HDO, an organic phase was produced that consisted of a distribution of hydrocarbons that were primarily cyclic alkanes (naphthenes) ranging from C7 to C24. The organic phase carbon yield decreased with increasing reaction temperature in the second zone. Catalyst deactivation and reactor plugging by coking occurred under all reaction conditions after 55–72 h time on stream (TOS). After ≈55 h TOS, more than 25 % of the carbon in the original bio‐oil was accumulated as coke, with increasing amounts for higher temperatures in the second zone. Hydrotreatment gave rise to >C5 hydrocarbon (gasoline and distillate‐range fuel) overall yields between ≈30 and 47 carbon % for all experiments compared to the 79.5 % theoretical yield calculated for the bio‐oil feedstock. Coke formation and undesired cracking to C1–C4 hydrocarbon gases were the main causes of lower fuel carbon yields.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.