< Back to previous page

Project

Liquid phase catalysts for selective hydrodeoxygenation of (biobased) polyols to linear olefins

Biomass promises to be a sustainable feedstock for industrial organic chemistry; but the most abundant starting materials, like (hemi)cellulose and the derived hexoses and pentoses, are severely overfunctionalized. There is a need for direct routes from biomass to building blocks that industry could work with as drop-in replacements, like olefins. The applicants have recently discovered an innovative reaction that converts polyols with 4 or more carbon atoms (such as tetritols, pentitols, ..) directly into olefins with the corresponding carbon number. Mechanistically, the reaction must encompass a series of dehydrations and hydrogenations. Remarkably, even if a hydrogenation catalyst is used, mono-olefins are stable end products of the reaction. The particular nature of the liquid catalyst phase requires reactor engineering to design an appropriate reactor to provide a ready-to-go technological solution for industrial partners.
Date:1 Oct 2018 →  30 Sep 2020
Keywords:olefins, reactor engineering, catalysis, biobased chemistry
Disciplines:Analytical chemistry, Macromolecular and materials chemistry