Simple, Inexpensive, High-Yield Process for the Production of Motor Fuels from Cellulose

University Of California-Davis, Davis CA

Investigators

Abstract

0932391 Mascal Summary Intellectual Merits: The cost-effective conversion of plant biomass into liquid motor fuels with the capacity to impact the nation's petroleum demand has become a central scientific and economic objective. Although research is being done in this area and progress made, no economically sustainable approach to the mass production of biofuels has yet emerged. This proposal addresses this challenge by efficiently deriving high-energy furan-based liquids from glucose, sucrose, glucitol, cellulose, and raw lignocellulosic biomass. The proposal is founded on preliminary data which demonstrates the proof-of-principle, i.e. that simple sugars and cellulose can be converted in a biphasic acid//solvent reactor into furanic materials with demonstrated biofuel potential in remarkably good yield. From there, the first project (a) undertakes a study of the interrelationship between the reaction parameters (concentration, extraction rate, extracting solvent, and agitation) and its effect on the reaction kinetics. Since waste biomass is our ultimate focus, in part (b) we study the scaled up process using corn stover, wood chips, straw, and newsprint as the raw material for conversion to fuels. In many approaches to the exploitation of plant biomass, the potential of the hemicellulose component is not effectively realized. To draw on this vast resource, we adapt our process to co-convert the C5 sugar fraction into furfural, thereby achieving total glycan utilization of biomass in the production of both liquid fuels and value-added products. In part (c), we consider whether furfurals, with their multiple degrees of unsaturation, may prove to be credible media for chemical "hydrogen storage." The C-C coupling of sugars to give chain extended C12 molecules is a key goal in the eventual sourcing of useful hydrocarbons from saccharides, and this is explored via reductive electrochemical coupling of the C=O functions of our derived furfural products in part (d). Finally, our biphasic dehydration-halogen-substitution chemistry is applied to glucitol and its cyclization products, potentially leading to new generations of furanic biofuels. Broader Impacts: The broader impacts resulting from the proposed activity are manifold. First, its bearing on the alternative energy landscape and hence on society as a whole will be substantial. Research which brings to the fore the relevance of chemistry in tackling real-world problems is ideal for integration into high school research projects (Project SEED), undergraduate research, freshman seminars, undergraduate laboratory courses, and public K-12 science outreach lectures. The PI and co-PI are committed to aggressive educational outreach activities as well as encouraging the participation of underrepresented groups through this research program. Finally, this research also lends itself well to eventual partnerships with the private sector. The mentoring dimension of this proposal is broad. Specific activities include postdoc co-supervision of junior members of the group, co-drafting of publications and grant proposals, attending grant-writing workshops, formal training in professional ethics, and participation in the UC Davis Professors of the Future (PFTF) program.