| Speaker: |
Professor Jim Dumesic |
| From: |
University of Wisconsin, Madison |
| Title: |
Catalytic Approaches for Conversion of Biomass to Liquid Fuels and Chemicals. |
| Type: |
PIRE-ECCI Seminar |
| Date: |
12/02/09 |
| Time: |
3:00 pm |
| Location: |
MSB 1302 |
| Abstract: |
Environmental and political issues created by our dependence on fossil fuels, such
as global warming and national security, combined with diminishing petroleum resources
are causing our society to search for new renewable sources of energy and chemicals, and
an important sustainable source of organic fuels, chemicals and materials is plant biomass.
We present an integrated catalytic approach for the conversion of carbohydrates to
specific classes of hydrocarbons for use as liquid transportation fuels. This approach is
based on the integration of two flow reactors operated in a cascade mode, where the
effluent from the first reactor is fed to the second reactor, and can be tuned either for
production of highly branched hydrocarbons and aromatic compounds in gasoline, or for
production of longer chain, less highly branched hydrocarbons in diesel and jet fuels.
This two-reactor approach provides further processing flexibility because the effluent
stream from the first flow reactor produces a liquid organic stream containing monofunctional
compounds, such as alcohols, ketones, carboxylic acids, and heterocycles that
can also be used to provide reactive intermediates for the lower-volume, but higher value,
fine chemicals and polymers markets. We also present a cascade approach for the
conversion of solid cellulose to liquid hydrocarbons, involving the intermediate
production of levulinic acid. |
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