Biomass supercritical fluid conversion

Supercritical fluid solvents have been tested for reactive extractions of liquid and gaseous fuels from heavy oils, coal, oil shale, and biomass. In some cases the solvent participates in the reactions, as in the hydrolysis of coal and heavy oils with water. Related applications include conversion of cellulose to glucose in water, dehgnincation of wood with ammonia, and liquefaction of lignin in water. 

More polymerization reactions carried out at supercritical conditions, select biomass conversion supercritical fluid technologies for hydrogen production, wider use of supercritical water oxidation processes, portfolio of self-assembly applications, a spate of opportunities in process intensification, many supercritical fluid aided materials synthesis applications, and numerous reactions for synthesis of specialty chemicals are expected for years to come. 

Supercritical fluids have been utilized as a reaction medium from basic industries such as syn-fuels, biomass conversion, environmental remediation to high-value-added specialty chemicals and materials. An exposition of the underlying mechanism along with application domain will follow in this section. Homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions will be followed by biochemical and polymerization reactions, all... 

A variety of chemical and biological reactions involving supercritical fluid technology are being explored and developed. They include polymerization reactions, biomass conversion, hydrogen production, applications of supercritical water oxidation, self-assembly applications, synthesis of specialty chemicals, manufacture of materials with tailored properties, and much more. These developments and new ones are expected to mature and be commercially deployed in years to come. 

Vick Roy, J.R. Converse, A.O. Biomass hydrolysis with sulfur dioxide and water in the region of the critical point. In Supercritical Fluid Technology, Penniger, J.M.L., Radosz, M., McHugh, M.A., Krukonis, V.J., Eds. Elsevier Amsterdam, 1985 397-414. 

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