Direct Catalytic Conversion of Biomass-Derived Furan and Ethanol to Ethylbenzene

Analysis of pyrolysis index and reaction mechanism in microwave-assisted ex-situ catalytic co-pyrolysis of agro-residual and plastic wastes

Catalytic and non-catalytic microwave-assisted co-pyrolysis of biomass with plastics was performed to understand the interactions. An ex-situ configuration was adopted for performing catalytic co-pyrolysis experiments with ZSM-5 as a catalyst. Co-pyrolysis promoted cracking of vapors resulting in enhanced gas yields. ZSM-5 further enhanced the secondary cracking which resulted in low oil yields. The oil fraction collected from the pyrolysis of plastics was rich in hydrocarbons, whereas biomass pyrolysis led to the formation of oxygenated compounds in the oil. A plausible reaction mechanism scheme is proposed to understand the formation of major pyrolysis products via different pathways during different pyrolysis processes investigated. Also, a new parameter, the pyrolysis index is introduced to understand the pyrolysis intensity by utilizing the feedstock conversion, pyrolysis time, heating value, mass of feedstock, and energy consumption. The value of the pyrolysis index was found to be higher for plastics pyrolysis than biomass pyrolysis. Co-pyrolysis further increased the pyrolysis index due to the synergistic interactions.

The Interplay between Kinetics and Thermodynamics in Furan Diels-Alder Chemistry for Sustainable Chemicals Production

Biomass‐derived furanic platform molecules have emerged as promising building blocks for renewable chemicals and functional materials. To this aim, the Diels–Alder (DA) cycloaddition stands out as a versatile strategy to convert these renewable resources in highly atom‐efficient ways. Despite nearly a century worth of examples of furan DA chemistry, clear structure–reactivity–stability relationships are still to be established. Detailed understanding of the intricate interplay between kinetics and thermodynamics in these very particular [4+2] cycloadditions is essential to push further development and truly expand the scope beyond the ubiquitous addend combinations of electron‐rich furans and electron‐deficient olefins. Herein, we provide pertinent examples of DA chemistry, taken from various fields, to highlight trends, establish correlations and answer open questions in the field with the aim to support future efforts in the sustainable chemicals and materials production.

Advances in Diels-Alder/aromatization of biomass furan derivatives towards renewable aromatic hydrocarbons

The effective upgrading of renewable resources into high value-added chemicals is of great significance to achieve the sustainable economic development, as well as the implementation of carbon neutral technologies practically....

Copper dual-atom catalyst mediated C3–H amination of indoles at room temperature

An efficient zeolite supported copper dual-atom catalyst for C–H amination of indoles has been developed for the green synthesis of 3-diarylaminoindoles.

Probing Monomer and Dimer Adsorption Trends in the MFI Framework

Porous aluminosilicates such as zeolites are ubiquitous catalysts for the production of high-value and industrially relevant commodity chemicals, including the conversion of hydrocarbons, amines, alcohols, and others. Bimolecular reactions are an important subclass of reactions that can occur on Brønsted acid sites of a zeolite catalyst. Kinetic modeling of these systems at the process scale requires the interaction energetics of reactants and the active sites to be described accurately. It is generally known that adsorption is a coverage-dependent phenomenon, with lower heats of adsorption observed for molecules at higher coverage. However, few studies have systematically investigated the coadsorption of molecules on a single active site, specifically focusing on the strength of interaction of the second adsorbate after the initial adsorption step. In this work, we quantify the unimolecular and bimolecular adsorption energies of varying adsorbates, including paraffins, olefins, alcohols, amines, and noncondensible gases in the acidic and siliceous ZSM-5 frameworks. As a special case, olefin adsorption was examined for physisorption and chemisorption regimes, characterized by π-complex, framework alkoxide and carbenium ion adsorption, respectively. The effects of functional groups and molecular size were quantified, and correlations that relate the adsorption of the second adsorbate identity to that of the first adsorbate are provided.

Recent Advances in the Engineering of Single-Atom Catalysts Through Metal-Organic Frameworks

This mini-review highlights some recent progress in the engineering of single-atom catalysts (SACs) through metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and derivatives. The inherent molecular and chemical specificities within the MOFs and derivatives can offer stabilisation of the SACs with high atomic isolation and dispersion. As MOFs are often considered an infinite array of self-assembled molecular catalysts, specifically designed structures can provide further functionalities to suit the needs of different catalytic applications. In brief, we can divide the preparation approaches into three main categories: (1) fabrication onto functional groups of the ligands, (2) fabrication onto Lewis acid sites of nodal centres, and (3) synthesis via a pyrolysis-mediated technique. Through these approaches, strong metal-support interactions can be established to aid the fine-tuning of the catalytic properties. We also discuss how recent progress in the development of state-of-the-art microscopic, spectroscopic, and crystallographic techniques has enabled scientists to elucidate the structure-activity relationship.

New (and Old) Monomers from Biorefineries to Make Polymer Chemistry More Sustainable

This opinion article describes recent approaches to use the "biorefinery" concept to lower the carbon footprint of typical mass polymers, by replacing parts of the fossil monomers with similar or even the same monomer made from regrowing dendritic biomass. Herein, the new and green catalytic synthetic routes are for lactic acid (LA), isosorbide (IS), 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), and p-xylene (pXL). Furthermore, the synthesis of two unconventional lignocellulosic biomass derivable monomers, i.e., α-methylene-γ-valerolactone (MeGVL) and levoglucosenol (LG), are presented. All those have the potential to enter in a cost-effective way, also the mass market and thereby recover lost areas for polymer materials. The differences of catalytic unit operations of the biorefinery are also discussed and the challenges that must be addressed along the synthesis path of each monomers.

Pd Modification and Supporting Effects on Catalytic Dehydration of Ethanol to Ethylene and Diethyl Ether over W/TiO2 Catalysts

In the present work, the palladium (Pd) modification and supporting effect of W/TiO₂ catalysts on catalytic ethanol dehydration to ethylene and diethyl ether were investigated. The Pd modification with different sequence of Pd and W impregnation on the catalysts was prepared by the incipient wetness impregnation technique. The catalyst characterization and activity testing revealed that the different sequence during impregnation influenced the physicochemical properties and ethanol conversion of catalyst. The differences in structure and surface properties were investigated by XRD, BET, SEM, EDX, XPS and NH₃-TPD. Upon the reaction temperature between 200 to 400°C, it was found that the conversion increased with increasing of temperature for all catalysts. The Pd incorporated into catalysts enhanced the ethanol conversion depending on the sequence of impregnation. At low temperature (ca. 200 to 300°C), diethyl ether is a major product and the Pd modification over W/TiO₂ catalyst resulted in increased diethyl ether yield. This is because an increase of ethanol conversion was obtained with Pd modification, while diethyl ether selectivity did not change. This can be attributed to the higher amount of weak acids sites present after Pd modification into catalyst. Among all catalysts, the PdW/TiO₂ catalyst (coimpregnation) achieved the highest diethyl ether yield of 41.4% at 300℃. At high temperature (ca. 350 to 400°C), ethylene is the major product. The W/Pd/TiO₂ catalyst (with sequential impregnation of Pd on TiO₂ followed by W) exhibited the highest ethylene yield of 68.1% at 400°C. It can be concluded that the modification of Pd onto W/TiO₂ upon different sequence of Pd and W impregnation can improve the diethyl ether and ethylene yield in catalytic ethanol dehydration.

Biochar as a catalytic material for the production of 1,4-butanediol and tetrahydrofuran from furan

Biomass valorization is emerging as a new trend for the synthesis of materials for various environmental applications. In this connection, a biochar resulting from pyrolysis of rice straw was employed as a catalytic material for the conversion of hemicellulose-derived furan into value-added platform chemicals such as 1,4-butanediol (1,4-BD) and tetrahydrofuran (THF). The biochar was used as catalyst support of bifunctional Ru-Re catalyst. Two different catalysts were prepared: a conventional activated carbon (AC)-supported Ru-Re catalyst (Ru-Re/AC) and a biochar-supported Ru-Re catalyst (Ru-Re/biochar). The Ru-Re/biochar had a different form of Re species from the Ru-Re/AC, resulting in different reducibility. The difference of reducibility between the two was attributed to alkali metal present in the biochar such as potassium. The Ru-Re/biochar had a 17 times lower metal dispersion on the surface than the Ru-Re/AC, ascribed to a lower surface area of the biochar than the AC. Catalytic activities of the catalysts with regard to reaction rate per available surface active site for transforming furan to 1,4-BD and THF were measured. The Ru-Re/AC was 3 times less active than the Ru-Re/biochar. This study not only provides a way to efficiently use biomass both for environmental catalysts and for feedstock of producing value-added platform chemicals, but also shows potential of biochar for the replacement of typical catalysts employed in biorefinery.

Multiple cluster CH activations and transformations of furan by triosmium carbonyl complexes

Reaction of Os3(CO)10(NCMe)2 with the triosmium furyne complex Os3(CO)9(μ3,η2-C4H2O)(μ-H)2, 1 yielded the bis-triosmium complex 2 containing a bridging furyenyl ligand by CH activation at the uncoordinated C-C double bond. Heating 2 led to additional CH activation with formation of the first furdiyne C4O ligand in the complex Os3(CO)9(μ-H)2(μ3-η2-2,3-μ3-η2-4,5-C4O)Os3(CO)9(μ-H)2, 3. The furdiyne ligand in 3 was subsequently ring-opened and decarbonylated to yield products 4 and 5 containing novel bridging C3 ligands. Complex 2 also undergoes ring opening to yield an intermediate Os3(CO)9(μ-H)(μ3-η2-μ-η2-CH-C-CH-C[double bond, length as m-dash]O)Os3(CO)10(μ-H), 6 which was also decarbonylated thermally to yield 4 and 5. All products were characterized by a combination of IR, NMR, mass spec and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses.

Inert competitive adsorption for the inhibition of oligomerization of alkenes during alcohol dehydration

Inert competitive adsorbents inhibit secondary undesired reactions.