CORRIGENDUM The editorial team of ChemCatChem would like to correct mistakes in Schemes 1 and 2. In Scheme 1, the most important change is that there should be no carbon-carbon double bond in levulinic acid. In Scheme 2 there are two mistakes concerning the structure of molecules (g-valerolactone and 4-hydroxypentanoic acid), and the transformation from 4-hydroxypentanoic acid to g-valerolactone should proceed through dehydration not through reduction. Please see the corrected schemes below. The authors and the editors of ChemCatChem apologize for this oversight.

Recently, research on the production and transformation of sorbitol has become exciting in chemical industry and in catalysis studies for its broad applications. It opens up a new path for achieving sustainable energy supply and chemicals production. Here we mainly review the catalytic routes for the synthesis of sorbitol and conversion of sorbitol into high value-added compounds such as lower alcohols, paraffins, isosorbide, and other derivatives. Meanwhile, some promising and valuable research directions are suggested based on the major challenges emerged in current research, such as the development of efficient magnetic catalysts, microwave heating, and other hydrogen sources.

In the case of development and utilization of bio-oils, a quantitative chemical characterization is necessary to evaluate its actual desired characteristics for downstream production. This paper describes an analytical approach for the determination of families of lightweight chemicals from bio-oils by using GC-MS techniques. And on this basis, new explorations in the field of influence factors, such as feedstocks, pyrolysis temperatures, and low-temperature pretreatment, on the composition and products yields of bio-oil were further investigated. Up to 40% (wt.%) of the bio-oil is successfully quantified by the current method. Chemical functionalities in the bio-oil correlate strongly with the original feedstocks because of their different chemical compositions and structure. Pyrolysis temperature plays a vital role in the yields of value-added compounds, both overall and individually. Higher temperature favored the generation of small aldehydes and acids, accompanied by a reduction of phenols. The optimal temperatures for maximum furans and ketones yields were 520 and 550°C, respectively. The low-temperature pretreatment of biomass has a good enrichment for the lightweight components of the bio-oils. In this case, much higher amounts of compounds, such as furans, ketones, and phenols were produced. Such a determination would contribute greatly to a deeper understanding of the chemical efficiency of the pyrolysis reaction and how the bio-oils could be more properly utilized.

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