Selective Hydrogenation of Biomass‐Derived Succinic Acid: Reaction Network and Kinetics

Abstract

The conversion of bio‐based succinic acid (SA) to the value‐added chemicals 1,4‐butanediol (BDO), γ‐butyrolactone (GBL), and tetrahydrofuran (THF) can replace the corresponding petrochemical production routes to achieve a sustainable process. The reaction network for aqueous‐phase catalytic hydrogenation of succinic acid over a supported Re‐Pd catalyst was identified and the reaction kinetics was determined. With the developed kinetic model, the composition of the product mixture regarding the desired products (BDO, GBL, THF) can be described as a function of educt concentration, temperature, and pressure. The maximum BDO yield was achieved at high pressure and low temperature, while low pressure and high temperature favored GBL and THF production.

Selective Hydrogenolysis of Biomass‐Derived Xylitol to Glycols: Reaction Network and Kinetics

“…The hydrogenation experiments were carried out in the same laboratory plant supplied by Mothes Hochdrucktechnik GmbH that was described in our previous work 40. The plant consists of a heatable double‐jacket stirred‐tank reactor with 4 L volume equipped with an agitator with a magnetic driver, a gassing stirrer, a pressure control system, and a liquid sample line.…”

“…Since no solubility data of hydrogen in aqueous XYL solutions for the considered ranges of pressure and temperature are available, the solubility data of hydrogen in water were calculated according to Schäfer 42 (see our previous work 40). This simplification is justified as the solubility of hydrogen in an aqueous XYL solution is comparable to its solubility in water (see Sect.…”

“…With regard to the availability of hydrogen, the possible influence of mass transport limitations was determined for the external mass transfer, using standard Sherwood correlations, and for the internal mass transfer, using a simplified Thiele modulus approach (see our previous work 40). For simplification, it is assumed that the conversion of XYL is a first‐order reaction.…”

Polymers without Petrochemicals: Sustainable Routes to Conventional Monomers

“…The main problem with using succinic acid as a feedstock for γ-butyrolactone production is that of catalyst selectivity. Succinic acid can be transformed into other chemicals such as 1,4-butanediol, maleic anhydride, and succinic anhydride amongst others, and therefore reaction optimization is important . Hence, many of the reactions use high temperatures and high pressures, as well as less environmentally preferred solvents, all of which are disadvantageous in terms of the overall sustainability of γ-butyrolactone production.…”

Making Persistent Plastics Degradable

“…[87] Although the most widely applied synthetic procedure is still fossil based, there are intensive efforts to develop PBS synthetic methodology using environmental benign, renewable feedstocks including fermentation and catalytic methods. [88][89][90][91] PBS is a highly biodegradable polymer. It is used not only for "green" packaging but also for in many biomedical application.…”