The Aerobic Oxidation of<scp><i>p</i></scp>‐Xylene to Terephthalic acid: A Classic Case of Green Chemistry in Action

Methylbenzenes are among the most important organic chemicals today and, among them, p-xylene deserves particular attention because of its production volume and its application in the manufacture of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). There is great interest in producing this commodity chemical more sustainably from biomass sources, particularly driven by manufacturers willing to produce more sustainable synthetic fibres and PET bottles for beverages. A renewable source for p-xylene would allow achieving this goal with minimal disruption to existing processes for PET production. Despite the fact that recently some routes to renewable p-xylene have been identified, there is no clear consensus on their feasibility or implications. We have critically reviewed the current state-of-the-art with focus on catalytic routes and possible outlook for commercialisation. Pathways to obtain p-xylene from a biomass-derived route include methanol-to-aromatics (MTA), ethanol dehydration, ethylene dimerization, furan cycloaddition or catalytic fast pyrolysis and hydrotreating of lignin. Some of the processes identified suggest near-future possibilities, but also more speculative or longer-term sources for synthesis of p-xylene are highlighted.

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Biomass‐Derived Renewable Aromatics: Selective Routes and Outlook for p‐Xylene Commercialisation

Maneffa

2016

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Green chemistry: what is the way forward?

Bourne

Poliakoff

2011

Mendeleev Communications

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Valorization of Biomass: Deriving More Value from Waste

Tuck

Pérez

Horváth

et al. 2012

Science

1,874

1,246

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Most of the carbon-based compounds currently manufactured by the chemical industry are derived from petroleum. The rising cost and dwindling supply of oil have been focusing attention on possible routes to making chemicals, fuels, and solvents from biomass instead. In this context, many recent studies have assessed the relative merits of applying different dedicated crops to chemical production. Here, we highlight the opportunities for diverting existing residual biomass--the by-products of present agricultural and food-processing streams--to this end.

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The Aerobic Oxidation ofp‐Xylene to Terephthalic acid: A Classic Case of Green Chemistry in Action

Cited by 3 publications

References 46 publications

Biomass‐Derived Renewable Aromatics: Selective Routes and Outlook for p‐Xylene Commercialisation

Biomass‐Derived Renewable Aromatics: Selective Routes and Outlook for p‐Xylene Commercialisation

Green chemistry: what is the way forward?

Valorization of Biomass: Deriving More Value from Waste

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