Catalytic Production of Value-Added Chemicals and Liquid Fuels from Lignocellulosic Biomass

Abstract

The efficient utilization of lignocellulosic biomass has tremendous potential to reduce the excessive dependence on fossil fuels. Here, we provide an overview on the recent achievements in the catalytic production of value-added chemicals and fuels. When targeting chemicals, a key objective is to maximize the product selectivity to favor the subsequent separation. This can be achieved through the design of catalysts and optimization of catalytic systems based on the deep understanding of the catalytic mechanism. For production of fuels, attention should be paid to the establishment of an energy-efficient process for high-quality fuels. This can be realized through the design of C-C coupling reactions and the development of multifunctional catalysts to minimize the reaction steps from lignocellulose to fuels. In addition, the full utilization of lignocellulose into biofuels and chemicals in a single process is separately introduced. Finally, several personal perspectives on the opportunities and challenges within this promising field are discussed.

Chemicals from Lignin: A Review of Catalytic Conversion Involving Hydrogen

“…The synthesis of phenol from lignin or lignin model compounds has been intensively investigated in the past three years and is becoming a hot area of lignin valorization . Guaiacol or 4‐propylguaiacol is generally employed as a prototype molecule to represent lignin‐derived monomers to study the selective cleavage of C−O bonds because both of them incorporate methoxy groups, the phenolic hydroxy groups, and aromatic rings.…”

Product‐oriented Direct Cleavage of Chemical Linkages in Lignin

“…The product distribution of lignin depolymerization strongly depends on the kind of linkages cleaved, and selective cleavage of different linkages is crucial to improve the yield and selectivity of lignin depolymerization into specific aromatic compounds . Specific compounds, such as aromatic hydrocarbons, phenol, guaiacol, vanillin, ethylbenzene, and aromatic/aliphatic acid, have been produced by selectively breaking various carbon‐oxygen and carbon‐carbon linkages in lignin and lignin monomers . Related reports are highly desirable for readers, but have not been systematically reviewed.…”

A sustainable system for maleic acid synthesis from biomass‐derived sugar

“…A series of coordinated complex [(metal cation) α (Ch + ) β (Cl − ) γ (COOH − ) δ ] n ‐ , [(metal cation) α (Cl − ) β ] − and [(metal cation) α (Ch + ) β (Cl − ) γ ] − appeared in the ESI‐MS spectra of ChCl–Fa–metal chloride as shown in Supporting Information Figs S1–S7, which might contribute to the isomerization of xylose to xylulose. Particularly, [(metal cation) α (Ch + ) β (Cl − ) γ (COOH − ) δ ] n ‐ species own strong Brønsted and Lewis acid sites, and the excessive catalytic sites in ChCl–Fa–AlCl 3 , ChCl–Fa–CeCl 3 ·7H 2 O, and ChCl–Fa–ZrCl 4 system will lead to the formation of undesired humins and reduce the selectivity of furfural . Figure (a) shows that AlCl 3 , CeCl 3 ·7H 2 O and ZrCl 4 gave the highest yields of furfural with 39.8%, 39.1%, and 32.8% in the first 30 min, and then the value decreased with reaction time, even though the conversion of xylose was 100% (Fig.…”