Biomass to biofuels: Catalytic conversion of biomass-derived synthesis gas to oxygenates

Biomass can be converted to useful fuels and chemicals via two methods, i.e., biological (bio) and thermochemical. Conversion of biomass to ethanol via the thermochemical pathway requires development of highly efficient catalysts to achieve total carbon utility and produce ethanol economically. Since methanol can be produced selectively and in high yields by catalyzed reaction of syngas at low temperatures, the catalysts that can efficiently convert methanol into ethanol were studied. The reaction must undergo C-C coupling (homologation). First, Rh-based catalysts were used because Rh is known to promote methanol homologation to ethanol at 200°C. The reaction was conducted in a 300 mL Parr batch reactor for fast catalyst screening. This is an abstract of a paper presented at the 2008 AIChE Spring National Meeting (New Orleans, LA 4/6-10/2008).