Biomass to Chemicals: Sustainable Chemistry
Presentation Type
Poster/Portfolio
Presenter Major(s)
Biology
Mentor Information
Dalila Kovacs
Department
Chemistry
Location
Henry Hall Atrium 22
Start Date
11-4-2012 9:00 AM
Keywords
Information, Innovation, and Technology, Changing Ideas/Changing Worlds, Sustainability
Abstract
Biomass provides fuel. However, biomass can be also converted to chemicals. The multitude of complex processes for conversion are similar in scope and scale with the operation of oil refineries. Depletion of petroleum supplies level the field for competition of bio- with oil-refineries. Biomass is plant material, vegetation, or agricultural waste used mainly as energy source; however biomass has a bigger potential as raw material for chemicals. Green chemistry principles promotes conversion of biomass to value-added chemicals, like 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF), a platform molecules that opens multiple pathways to synthesis. Many processes are already known to convert biomass to useful chemicals, including hydrogenation, oxidation, and hydrolysis. Heterogeneous catalytic conversions of biomass into value-added products via hydrogenation is presented here as a viable alternatives to those from petroleum industry.
Biomass to Chemicals: Sustainable Chemistry
Henry Hall Atrium 22
Biomass provides fuel. However, biomass can be also converted to chemicals. The multitude of complex processes for conversion are similar in scope and scale with the operation of oil refineries. Depletion of petroleum supplies level the field for competition of bio- with oil-refineries. Biomass is plant material, vegetation, or agricultural waste used mainly as energy source; however biomass has a bigger potential as raw material for chemicals. Green chemistry principles promotes conversion of biomass to value-added chemicals, like 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF), a platform molecules that opens multiple pathways to synthesis. Many processes are already known to convert biomass to useful chemicals, including hydrogenation, oxidation, and hydrolysis. Heterogeneous catalytic conversions of biomass into value-added products via hydrogenation is presented here as a viable alternatives to those from petroleum industry.