Abstract
A sustainable hydrocarbon biorefinery is crucial to reduce dependency on petroleum. This chapter presents different types of biomass with their availability and chemical structure, various biorefinery approaches, and a diverse range of biofuels. The sugar and starch, triglycerides, and lignocellulose are traditional biorefineries. These biorefineries produce a vast range of oxygenated biofuels (biodiesel, bioethanol, biobutanol, and dimethyl ether) and fuel-additives (γ-valerolactone, alkyl levulinates, furanic compounds, and glycerol acetals). On the other hand, a hydrocarbon biorefinery produces biofuels similar to current transportation fuels, known as hydrocarbon biofuels. These biofuels are compatible with existing refinery facilities. This biorefinery is thus vital to circumvent huge capital investment. This chapter presents a comprehensive overview of three different routes of hydrocarbon biorefinery: chemical and thermochemical, biological and biochemical, and conversion of biomass-derived compounds. This chapter further provides an overview of the role of heterogeneous catalysis in the hydrocarbon biorefinery.
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