Liquid fuels biomass polymer

Utilization of wood-biomass residues as well as waste polymers is the important direction of recent research activities. It is known that direct catalytic liquefaction of plant biomass can be used to produce liquid fuels and chemicals [1,2]. Co-pyrolysis and co-hydropyrolysis processes have the potential for the environmentally friendly transformation of lignocellulosic and plastic waste to valuable chemicals. 

As shown in Figure 7.4, there are three general paths for converting biomass polymers (solid phase) to small-molecule fuels (liquid phase) (1) solid gas liquid (S G L), (2) solid liquid (S L), and (3) solid -> gas and liquid liquid (S GL L). The reactions in path 3 are equivalent to the combined reactions from paths 1 and 2. In the following sections, we review specific biomass conversion methods that fall in the categories of path 1 and path 2. 

Designing effective, low-cost, robust, and sustainable catalysts for converting biomass polymers into liquid fuels remains a major challenge and opportunity area for applications of biomass in renewable energy. 

If we assume a 1% per year increase in yield for corn (versus 3% per year over the past 50 years) and no change in the planted acreage, then the annual increase in corn produced is about 100 million bushels per year, or over 2 million metric tons of new com every year. The Cargill-Dow Polymers plant being opened in Blair, Nebraska, in late 2001 will produce 140,000 metric tons per year of polylactic acid from approximately 200,000 metric tons of corn. That is, a new large scale plant for bioplastics wiU only use about 10% of one year s increase in the com crop. Thus it seems unlikely that biomass use for chemicals and materials will really have much effect on grain supplies and prices. However, this does not hold frue for new large scale liquid fuel uses of biomass. 

Liquid phase catalytic processing is a promising biorefinery process that produces functionalized hydrocarbons from biomass-derived intermediates (e.g., intermediate hydroxymethylfurfural or HMF). Renewable furan derivatives can be used as substitute building blocks for fossil fuels, plastics, and fine chemicals, ° or to develop biofuels based on C5 and C6 carbohydrates (sugars, hemicellulose, cellulose). Currently, Avantium Chemicals in the Netherlands is developing chemical catalytic routes to generate furanics for renewable polymers, bulk and specialty chemicals, and biofuels. ... 

The conventional raw materials used in chemical process are derived predominantly from fossil fuels. Alternate raw materials such as biomass can be employed to promote greener processing. In this direction, the concept of biorefineries is quite relevant [27]. The future biorefineries can employ operations such as extractive distillation with ionic liquids and hyper-branched polymers. 

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