Abstract
Decreasing oil supplies and increasing energy demand provide incentives to find alternative fuels. First, the valorisation of edible crops for ethanol and biodiesel production led to first generation biofuels. Nowadays, research is focused on lignocellulosic biomass as a source of renewable carbon (second generation biofuels). Whereas the cellulosic ethanol production is in progress, a new way consisting of the transformation of ex-lignocellulose sugars and polyols towards light hydrocarbons by heterogeneous catalysis in aqueous phase has been recently described.This process is performed under mild conditions (T < 300 °C and P < 50 bar). It requires on one hand hydrogen formation by catalytic reforming of carbohydrates in aqueous phase and on the other hand, the dehydration/hydrogenation of polyols leading to alkanes by selective C-O bond cleavages. The challenge here is to conceive multifunctional catalytic systems that are stable, active and selective under the reaction conditions.The aim of this article is to present the involved reactions, the catalytic systems described in literature for that kind of transformation and examples of industrial applications.
Highlights
The scientific community currently acknowledges increasing oil prices and decreasing oil supplies as well as global warming caused by GreenHouse Gases (GHG) emissions produced by fossil fuels
This review presents the current state of knowledge on the transformation of lignocellulosic polyols by heterogeneous catalysis into compounds to be used as raw materials for the fuel or chemical industries, with results on the reactivity of sorbitol, the most representative model molecule of polyols and the mechanisms proposed in the literature
The last part of this review examines the lignocellulosic biomass transformation processes used in industry, based on the polyols reactivity
Summary
Deuxième et troisième génération de biocarburants : développement durable et compétitivité. 841 > Transformation of Sorbitol to Biofuels by Heterogeneous Catalysis: Chemical and Industrial Considerations Transformation du sorbitol en biocarburants par catalyse hétérogène : considérations chimiques et industrielles L. Alors que la filière de l’éthanol cellulosique est en plein développement, une nouvelle voie consistant à transformer des sucres et polyols d’origine lignocellulosique en alcanes légers par catalyse hétérogène bifonctionnelle en phase aqueuse a été récemment décrite. Whereas the cellulosic ethanol production is in progress, a new way consisting of the transformation of ex-lignocellulose sugars and polyols towards light hydrocarbons by heterogeneous catalysis in aqueous phase has been recently described. This process is performed under mild conditions (T < 300°C and P < 50 bar).
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