In this work some relevant processes for the preparation of liquid hydrocarbon fuels and fuel additives from cellulose, hemicellulose and triglycerides derived platform molecules are discussed. Thus, it is shown that a series of platform molecules such as levulinic acid, furans, fatty acids and polyols can be converted into a variety of fuel additives through catalytic transformations that include reduction, esterification, etherification, and acetalization reactions. Moreover, we will show that liquid hydrocarbon fuels can be obtained by combining oxygen removal processes (e.g. dehydration, hydrogenolysis, hydrogenation, decarbonylation/descarboxylation etc.) with the adjustment of the molecular weight via C-C coupling reactions (e.g. aldol condensation, hydroxyalkylation, oligomerization, ketonization) of the reactive platform molecules.

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In this Critical Review, we discuss how carbohydrates can be transformed into a variety of chemicals through heterogeneous catalysis. We focus particularly on oxidation, reduction and dehydration of hexoses, as well as one-pot reactions of di-and polysaccharides. Most of the reactions involve heterogeneous catalysts, although some interesting homogeneously catalyzed processes are also included.