Phenol, biomass-derived

Since the early 1980s, zeolites have been considered for the upgrading of biomass-derived fluids into aromatic fuels [74, 75], Researchers of the Univerite Laval (Quebec, Canada) performed pioneering work on model compounds (phenols and furans) [76, 77]. A recent study investigating the transformation of alco-... 

The structures of the lignins are amenable to conversion to several classes of substituted phenols by thermochemical and thermal degradation methods. The displacement of pyroligneous tars by coal tars eliminated much of the demand that existed for the lignin-based products. Creosote oil or cresylic acid, a mixture of o-, m-, and p-cresols, is now manufactured mainly from coal tars, while only small amounts of cresols are made from wood tars. The use of wood tars and other biomass-derived tars as substitutes for a major portion of the phenol and formaldehyde in phenol-formaldehyde resins could reverse this trend (Himmelblau, 1995). The key to this process seems to be that the... 

Two types of biomass-derived oils have been studied at PNL. The first type of oil is produced by high pressure liquefaction at relatively long residence times. Oils identified as TR7 and TR12 in Table I were produced by this type of process at the Albany, Oregon Biomass Liquefaction Experimental Facility. These highly viscous oils consist primarily of substituted phenols and naphthols (1-2). The other type of oil is produced by low-pressure, flash pyrolysis at somewhat higher temperature and very short residence times. 

Given that biomass can be converted to a liquid product that is primarily phenolic, then oxygen removal and molecular weight reduction are necessary to produce usable hydrocarbon fuels. Upgrading biomass-derived oils differs from processing petroleum fractions or coal liquids because of the importance of deoxygenation. This topic has received only limited attention in the literature (6-11). 

Other natural phenolics are derived from biomass pyrolysis. These oils are chemically complex but have more reactive sites on an individual phenolic ring and can be recovered in relatively high yields (5-9). Thus, the use of phenolic-rich oils isolated from biomass pyrolysis offers a way to overcome the limitations of lignins and tannins as replacements for phenol. 

Studies on the reactivity of phenolic model compounds are useful in understanding the reactivity of biomass-derived phenolic compounds with formaldehyde under various reaction conditions. Studies over a 40-year period have shown that the reaction of phenol with formaldehyde followed second-order kinetics (10,11). A series of kinetic studies of the reactions of 3-methylphenol,... 

Oxygen can be present in naphthenic acids, phenols and furan (analogue structures to thiophene and pyrrole) and higher derivatives. Oxygenated compounds give rise to corrosion and product deterioration. Hydrodeoxygenation is particularly important in the upgrading of biomass. 

The complete elimination of functional groups is often an undesirable side reaction in organic synthesis, but on the other hand it is a possibility for the recycling of environmentally harmful compounds, for example phenols and haloarenes such as polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs or dioxins ). For example, aryl chlorides can be effectively dechlorinated with Pd(0) NPs in tetra-butylammonium salts with almost quantitative conversions also after 19 runs (entry H, Table 1.4) [96]. On the other hand, a C-0 bond cleavage reaction also seems suitable for the fragmentation of sugar-based biomass such as cellulose or cello-biose in that way, sugar monomers and bioalcohol can be derived from renewable resources (entry F, Table 1.4) [164]. 

Previous studies in conventional reactor setups at Philip Morris USA have demonstrated the significant effectiveness of nanoparticle iron oxide on the oxidation of carbon monoxide when compared to the conventional, micron-sized iron oxide, " as well as its effect on the combustion and pyrolysis of biomass and biomass model compounds.These effects are derived from a higher reactivity of nanoparticles that are attributed to a higher BET surface area as well as the coordination of unsaturated sites on the surfaces. The chemical and electronic properties of nanoparticle iron oxide could also contribute to its higher reactivity. In this work, we present the possibility of using nanoparticle iron oxide as a catalyst for the decomposition of phenolic compounds. 

Pyrolysis of biomass is known to produce a complex mixture of phenolic compounds, which are derived primarily from the lignin fraction of the biomass (1-4) Elder and Soltes (5, 6) have investigated a phenolic fraction obtained from pyrolysis oils made in an updraft gasifier by TECH AIR as a source of phenolic adhesives a phenolics fraction was separated by solubility differences of oil fractions based on solubility of acids in aqueous bicarbonate solutions and... 

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