Catalytic application of hierarchical structured OPT materials for biomass conversion into chemical commodities: 1,5-pentanediol; 1,6-hexanediol, levoglucosenone and levulinic acid

• Grant number: 22/14186-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: July 30, 2023
• End date: July 19, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering - Chemical Technology
• Principal Investigator: Jose Geraldo Nery
• Grantee: Vinicius Litrenta Medeiros
• Supervisor: George Huber
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas (IBILCE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São José do Rio Preto. São José do Rio Preto , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 20/10737-4 - Development of hierarchically structured heterogeneous catalysts with mixed crystallographic structure for potential production of biomass-derived levulinic acid, BP.DR

Abstract

In the current energetic and chemical industry scenario, the search for new and renewable feed-stock sources is extremally necessary for this demand can be supplied. Among the possible feed-stock sources, biomass stand out. Biomass can be use for energy, fuels, chemical commodities, and other high value-added products. Chemical commodities are molecules used by chemical industry as starting point for production of a lot of chemical products. But chemical commodities production by biomass conversion needs the use of catalyst, so to develop a new catalyst with good efficiency in this conversion process is a challenge task. In this project new hierarchical structured OPT materials, like chromium silicate, germanium silicate, niobium silicate, tin silicate, vanadium silicate, and zirconium silicate will be tested as heterogeneous catalyst for production of different chemical commodities, like 1,5-pentanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, levoglucosanose, levulinic acid. The catalytic tests will make in different types of reactors, like batch reactor, fixed bed reactor. The product of the catalytic reactions will be analyzed by HPLC, FTIR-ATR, 13C-NMR, and other techniques. (AU)