Platform molecules succinic acid

Succinic acid has been identified as an important platform chemical that can be produced from renewable carbon sources. The molecules that can be derived from... 

This chapter is an overview of architectures adopted for the catalytic/biocatalytic composites used in wide applications like the biomass valorization or fine chemical industry. On this perspective, the chapter updates the reader with the most fresh examples of construction designs and concepts considered for the synthesis of such composites. Their catalytic properties result from the introduction of catalytic functionalities and vary from inorganic metal species e.g., Ru, Ir, Pd, or Rh) to well-organized biochemical structures like enzymes e.g., lipase, peroxidase, (3-galactosidase) or whole cells. Catalytic/biocatalytic procedures for the biomass conversion into platform molecules e.g., glucose, GVL, Me-THF, sorbitol, succinic acid, and glycerol) and their further transformation into value-added products are detailed in order to make understandable the utility of these complex architectures and to associate the composite properties to their performances, versatility, and robustness. 

In addition to the extractable functional molecules found in biomass, we can also make additional useful functional molecules or platform molecules , such as succinic acid, lactic acid and levoglucosenone, by biochemical or thermochemical processing of the bulk cellulosic components of many types of biomass. A biorefinery is an analogue to the current petro-refinery in the sense that it produces energy and chemicals. The major differences lies in the raw material it will use, ranging from biomass to waste (Figure 1.2). 

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