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Catalytic Conversion of Biomass to Biofuels
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Catalytic Conversion of Biomass to Biofuels

A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomass Catalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 July 2023) | Viewed by 8570

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Junaid Ahmad

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Guest Editor
Center of Excellence, Catalysis for Bioenergy and Renewable Chemicals (CBRC), Department of Chemical Technology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Interests: biofuels; carbon-based materials; pyrolysis; heterogeneous catalysts; biomass conversion into biofuels and biochemicals
Prof. Dr. Chawalit Ngamcharussrivichai

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Guest Editor
Center of Excellence in Catalysis for Bioenergy and Renewable Chemicals, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Phyathai Rd., Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Interests: heterogeneous catalysis; adsorption; biomass conversion into biofuels and biochemicals
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Rayya Ahmed Al-Balushi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Basic Science, College of Applied and Health Sciences, A’Sharqiyah University, P.O. Box 42, Ibra 400, Oman
Interests: organometallics; coordination compounds; polyynes; diynes; photovoltaic applications
Prof. Dr. Umer Rashid

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Guest Editor
Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ION2), Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
Interests: catalysts; photocatalysis; nano-composites; wastewater treatment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biomass is considered to be the fourth largest source of energy on Earth, having gained sizable consideration as a sustainable, renewable and carbon-neutral feedstock able to be used to produce energy and replace fossil fuels in energy production. There are multiple ways to convert biomass into biofuels, such as thermochemical, biochemical, and physiochemical conversion. Biofuels, such as biodiesel, biogas, and bioethanol, have been recognized as novel alternatives for overcoming the energy crisis, due to the availability of feedstocks (nonedible oils, animal fats, and biomass wastes) for the conversion of biofuels through different chemical processes and technologies. Biomass can be converted into biofuel through the use of various methods, but catalysts play a vital role in all conversion processes, with the catalytic conversion of biomass into biofuel gaining considerable attention over recent years and multiple types of catalysts having been explored for the production of biofuels. Catalysts produced from waste materials have especially garnered huge attraction because of the circular economy concept. Waste biomass-based catalysts (carbon-based catalysts) have been widely explored in all fields, receiving great attention due to its silent features, such as porosity, high surface area, higher thermal and mechanical stability, easily tunable properties, and low cost, as compared to metal-based catalysts. This Special Issue aims to provide a platform for researchers from different backgrounds to published their original research and review paper, short communications, and brief reports concerning the catalytic conversion of biomass to biofuel.

Dr. Junaid Ahmad
Prof. Dr. Chawalit Ngamcharussrivichai 
Dr. Rayya Ahmed Al-Balushi
Dr. Umer Rashid
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Catalysts is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biofuels
  • biomass conversion
  • catalysts
  • sustainable development goal
  • circular economy
  • waste to energy

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 3270 KiB  
Article
Synthesis and Characterization of Acid-Activated Carbon Prepared from Sugarcane Bagasse for Furfural Production in Aqueous Media
by Thiago Alves Lopes Silva, Adilson Candido da Silva and Daniel Pasquini
Catalysts 2023, 13(10), 1372; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal13101372 - 17 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1573
Abstract
Furfural is a platform molecule obtained from hemicellulosic monosaccharides present in lignocellulosic biomass. Due to the possibility of converting this molecule into several value-added chemicals and the need to search for more sustainable production processes, the present work aimed to produce and characterize [...] Read more.
Furfural is a platform molecule obtained from hemicellulosic monosaccharides present in lignocellulosic biomass. Due to the possibility of converting this molecule into several value-added chemicals and the need to search for more sustainable production processes, the present work aimed to produce and characterize different sulfonated activated carbons (AC-S) from sugarcane bagasse (SCB) for application in furfural production in aqueous media. ACs were produced by chemical activation using salts of ZnCl2, NiCl2, and CuCl2 and a temperature and activation time of 550 °C and 3 h under nitrogen flow, respectively. Sulfonation was carried out with H2SO4 (98%) at a solid/liquid ratio of 1:10 at 160 °C for 2 h. Catalytic tests were performed using 5% catalyst mass regarding xylose, a temperature of 180 °C, and a reaction time of 2 h. ACs with high surface areas, ranging from 290 to 1100 m2 g−1, were produced. All catalysts had an increased sulfur content and total acidity after sulfonation, indicating the successful attachment of the sulfonic group (-SO3H) in the carbon matrix of the CAs. The AC-S/CuCl2 catalyst achieved the best catalytic performance compared to AC-S/ZnCl2, AC-S/NiCl2, and other acidic solids reported in the literature, achieving yield and selectivity of 55.96% and 83.93%, respectively. These results evidence the importance of the synergy between the Lewis and Brønsted acid sites on selective xylose dehydration and make AC-S/CuCl2 a promising acid catalyst for converting xylose to furfural in an aqueous medium. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalytic Conversion of Biomass to Biofuels)
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17 pages, 10236 KiB  
Article
Mesoporous Copper-Cerium Mixed Oxide Catalysts for Aerobic Oxidation of Vanillyl Alcohol
by Silligandla Nazeer, Palli Sitaramulu, Kamma Yogendra, Palnati Manoj Kumar, Benjaram M. Reddy and Tumula Venkateshwar Rao
Catalysts 2023, 13(7), 1058; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal13071058 - 30 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1128
Abstract
The production of vanillin from lignin-derived vanillyl alcohol poses a great deal of research interest because of the availability of renewable lignin in abundant quantities. In the present study, a series of copper-doped ceria (CeO2) catalysts were prepared by a modified [...] Read more.
The production of vanillin from lignin-derived vanillyl alcohol poses a great deal of research interest because of the availability of renewable lignin in abundant quantities. In the present study, a series of copper-doped ceria (CeO2) catalysts were prepared by a modified template-assisted method, characterized by various techniques, and explored for the oxidation of vanillyl alcohol to vanillin with molecular oxygen as the oxidant at normal atmospheric pressure. Interestingly, a 10% Cu-doped ceria (Cu0.1Ce0.9O2−δ) catalyst exhibited superior catalytic activity for the oxidation of vanillyl alcohol with 95% and 100% conversions at atmospheric and moderate pressures, respectively, with 100% vanillin selectivity in both cases. A thorough characterization (XRD, BET surface area, Raman spectroscopy, SEM, TEM, XPS, and H2-TPR) of the synthesized mesoporous oxides (CuO, CeO2, Cu0.05Ce0.95O2−δ, Cu0.1Ce0.9O2−δ, and Cu0.15Ce0.85O2−δ) revealed that mixed oxide catalysts exhibit more oxygen vacancies and better redox behavior in comparison to the single oxides, which lead to improved catalytic activity and selectivity. Reaction parameters, such as reaction temperature, reaction time, catalyst amount, and the solvent, were also optimized for the reaction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalytic Conversion of Biomass to Biofuels)
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17 pages, 3615 KiB  
Article
Mild Dealumination of H-ZSM-5 Zeolite for Enhanced Conversion of Glucose into 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural in a Biphasic Solvent System
by Oluwaseyi Ojelabi, Satit Yousatit, Umer Rashid and Chawalit Ngamcharussrivichai
Catalysts 2023, 13(6), 982; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal13060982 - 08 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1385
Abstract
Transformation of lignocellulosic biomass into high-value chemicals is a viable strategy for sustainable development of a bio-based economy. 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is one of potential platform bio-chemicals for the manufacture of various renewable products. In this work, a commercial H-ZSM-5 zeolite was used as [...] Read more.
Transformation of lignocellulosic biomass into high-value chemicals is a viable strategy for sustainable development of a bio-based economy. 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is one of potential platform bio-chemicals for the manufacture of various renewable products. In this work, a commercial H-ZSM-5 zeolite was used as a starting material for preparing a series of acid catalysts with bifunctionality for direct dehydration of glucose to HMF in a biphasic water/tetrahydrofuran system. The pristine H-ZSM-5 was mildly dealuminated by refluxing with dilute nitric acid solutions to adjust its acid properties. Although the acid treatment slightly altered the elemental composition, textural properties, and morphology of zeolite, the total acidity and distribution of acid sites were significantly modified. Some non-framework aluminum (Al) oxide clusters were removed from the parent H-ZSM-5 simultaneously with a partial hydrolysis of zeolitic framework. An increased fraction of coordinatively unsaturated framework Al species enhanced the number of Lewis acid sites. Using 0.1 M solution in the treatment provided the suitable catalyst (0.1DeAl.H-ZSM-5), giving a glucose conversion and HMF yield of >99% and 64.7%, respectively, and a good reusability under the optimized reaction conditions. These results show the industrial potential of the proposed method for simple but efficient preparation of H-ZSM-5 catalysts for producing HMF via the catalytic dehydration of glucose. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalytic Conversion of Biomass to Biofuels)
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15 pages, 2448 KiB  
Article
Balance between Catalyst Acidity and Hydrophilicity in Biofuel Production from Fatty Acid Esterification over Al-SBA-15
by Simone J. Canhaci, Elise M. Albuquerque, Camila C. Lopes, Vinícius W. Faria, Luiz Silvino Chinelatto Junior, Andréa M. Duarte de Farias, Cristina B. Quitete and Marco A. Fraga
Catalysts 2023, 13(5), 827; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal13050827 - 30 Apr 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1300
Abstract
A collection of Al-SBA-15 mesoporous catalysts (Si/Al = 13–174) was investigated to overcome typical accessibility constraints of microporous solids. 27Al MAS NMR confirmed the existence of tetrahedrally coordinated Al in the catalyst’s framework, and the fraction of such species increased as the [...] Read more.
A collection of Al-SBA-15 mesoporous catalysts (Si/Al = 13–174) was investigated to overcome typical accessibility constraints of microporous solids. 27Al MAS NMR confirmed the existence of tetrahedrally coordinated Al in the catalyst’s framework, and the fraction of such species increased as the Si/Al ratio decreased. Brønsted acidity followed the same pattern found using n-propylamine thermodecomposition. Mesoporous catalysts with lower Si/Al ratios exhibited a higher affinity to water as quantitatively determined using water adsorption experiments. Those surface properties were correlated to the catalytic performance on oleic acid esterification. The introduction of Al into the SBA-15 framework significantly improved esterification activity, leading to conversions ranging from 70 to 93%. This was explained by the acidity engendered upon Si substitution by Al. However, a turning point from which activity started dropping was registered and it was proposed to be associated with catalyst hydrophilicity. The balance between acidity and hydrophilicity was unveiled to be of paramount importance to accomplish the best catalytic efficiency and uppermost biofuel yield. Catalyst activity was also assessed for the esterification of stearic and linoleic acids. Higher conversion rates were accomplished with unsaturated fatty acids (oleic acid > linoleic acid > stearic acid) due to the higher reactivity of the carboxylic acid moieties as a consequence of the polarity of the double bonds in the carbon chain. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalytic Conversion of Biomass to Biofuels)
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Review

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45 pages, 1448 KiB  
Review
Sustainable Biorefineries Based on Catalytic Biomass Conversion: A Review
by Juan Camilo Solarte-Toro, Mariana Ortiz-Sanchez, Pablo-José Inocencio-García and Carlos Ariel Cardona Alzate
Catalysts 2023, 13(5), 902; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal13050902 - 17 May 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2130
Abstract
Biorefineries have been profiled as potential alternatives to increase biomass use at the industrial level. However, more efforts are required to improve the sustainability of these facilities through process improvement and product portfolio increase. The catalytic conversion of biomass to chemicals and energy [...] Read more.
Biorefineries have been profiled as potential alternatives to increase biomass use at the industrial level. However, more efforts are required to improve the sustainability of these facilities through process improvement and product portfolio increase. The catalytic conversion of biomass to chemicals and energy vectors is one of the most studied research lines today. The open literature has described catalytic pathways for producing biofuels and platform molecules using this renewable resource. Nevertheless, few literature reviews have aimed to analyze the role of the catalytic conversion of biomass in biorefineries while considering the following items: (i) biocatalysis, (ii) carbon dioxide conversion, (iii) design based on catalytic biomass upgrading, and (iv) sustainability metrics. This paper reviews several processes where catalysis has been applied to improve yields and conversion to elucidate the potential of this research field to boost biomass implementation in different productive sectors. This paper provides an overview of the catalytic conversion of biomass into a series of biofuels and high-value-added products, involving key topics related to catalyst performance, use, applications, and recent trends. In addition, several research gaps and ideas are highlighted based on previous studies. In conclusion, the catalytic conversion of biomass has the potential to increase biorefineries’ sustainability. Nevertheless, more studies focused on (i) the production of new catalysts using renewable resources, (ii) the techno-economic and environmental assessment of processes involving catalysis, and (iii) the influence of involving biomass valorization via heterogeneous catalysis in existing facilities are required to obtain a real understanding of catalytic upgrades’ benefits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalytic Conversion of Biomass to Biofuels)
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