Ethanol to diesel: a sustainable alternative for the heavy-duty transportation sector

Abstract

In this work, we explore the catalytic upgrading of ethanol into diesel following an approach based on the initial Guerbet coupling of ethanol followed by etherification. The results presented are...

Production of drop-in biodiesel blendstocks via competitive acid-catalyzed dehydration reactions using ethanol oligomerization products

“…1, the actual products of the alcohol oligomerization reactor also include small concentrations of esters. 2 Depending on the conversion of the oligomerization reactor, the ester concentration can range from less than 2%, to over 10%. Therefore, in this section, the introduction of esters in the dehydration reactor is analyzed to determine if these esters can also be upgraded into diesel-range molecules.…”

“…Tuning the incoming alcohol feedstock to higher carbon numbers can lead to an increase in the diesel #2 yield, as fuel yield is an important economic factor in the ethanol to diesel process. 2 Our research team has shown that the C 10+ ethers can be maximized by feeding in a mixture of ethanol and butanol into the Guerbet reactor. 23 Fig.…”

“…2 Our research team has shown that the C 10+ ethers can be maximized by feeding in a mixture of ethanol and butanol into the Guerbet reactor. 23 Fig. 8 shows the products from the Guerbet reaction for MG-12, MG-67 and ethanol/butanol (EtOH/ ButOH) oligomerization.…”

“…9 We have previously proposed a three-step process to convert ethanol into distillate-range ethers as outlined in Scheme 1. 2 The process rst involves ethanol oligomerization to C 4+ oxygenates which is rich in alcohols over a Cu/Mg x Al y O catalyst. 10 This process creates a distribution of oxygenate molecules consisting of C 4+ alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, and esters.…”

H2 Pressure Dependence in the Homogeneously Catalyzed Guerbet Reaction of Ethanol to Butanol using Mn(I) and Ru(II)

“…[1,2,16] Besides the use as solvent or building block for plasticizers, [18,19] also an application of the obtained mixture of C 4 + alcohols as a direct source for bio-based fuels with high octane numbers that can for example directly be used in diesel engines is discussed. [1][2][3]11,20] Side-reactions include (transition metal-catalyzed) Cannizzaro and Tishchenko reactions, which both result in a steady consumption of base and, thus, a decline of reactivity. [1,2,16] A part of the network of reactions is shown in Scheme 1.…”