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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 271 records · Page 15
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

Insights into the Ring‐Opening of Biomass‐Derived Furanics over Carbon‐Supported Ruthenium

Abstract The selective ring‐opening of cellulose‐derived furanic molecules is a promising pathway for the production of industrially relevant linear oxygenates, such as 1,6‐hexanediol. 2,5‐Dimethylfuran (DMF) is employed as a model compound in a combined experimental and computational investigation to provide insights into the metal‐catalyzed ring‐opening. Ring‐opening to 2‐hexanol and 2‐hexanone and ring‐saturation to 2,5‐dimethyltetrahydrofuran (DMTHF) are identified as two main parallel pathways. DFT calculations and microkinetic modeling indicate that DMF adsorbs on Ru in an open‐ring configuration, which is potentially a common surface intermediate that leads to both ring‐opening and ring‐saturation products. Although the activation barriers for the two pathways are comparable, the formation of DMTHF is more thermodynamically favorable. In addition, steric interactions with co‐adsorbed 2‐propoxyl, derived from the solvent, and the oxophilic nature of Ru play key roles to determine the product distribution: the former favors less bulky, that is, ring‐closed, intermediates, and the latter retards O−H bond formation. Finally, we show that the hydrodeoxygenation of oxygenated furanics, such as 5‐methylfurfural and (5‐methyl‐2‐furyl)methanol, on Ru occurs preferentially at oxygen‐containing side groups to form DMF, followed by either ring‐opening or ring‐saturation.

Gilkey, Matthew J.↗
DOE OSTI2017

One-Pot Process for Hydrodeoxygenation of Lignin to Alkanes Using Ru-Based Bimetallic and Bifunctional Catalysts Supported on Zeolite Y

The synthesis of high-efficiency and low-cost multifunctional catalysts for hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of waste lignin into advanced biofuels is crucial for enhancing current biorefinery processes. Inexpensive transition metals, including Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, were severally co-loaded with Ru on HY zeolite to form bimetallic and bifunctional catalysts. These catalysts were subsequently tested for HDO conversion of softwood lignin and several lignin model compounds. Results indicated that the inexpensive earth abundant metals could modulate the hydrogenolysis activity of Ru and decrease the yield of low molecular weight gaseous side-products. Among all the prepared catalysts, Ru-Cu/HY showed the best HDO performance, giving the highest selectivity to hydrocarbon products. The improved catalytic performance of Ru-Cu/HY was probably due to the following three factors: (1) high total and strong acid sites, (2) good dispersion of metal species and limited segregation, (3) high adsorption capacity for polar fractions, including hydroxyl groups and ether bonds. Moreover, all the bifunctional catalysts were proven to be superior over the combination catalysts of Ru/Al2O3 and HY zeolite, and this could be attributed to the “intimacy criterion”. The practical use of the designed catalysts would be promising in lignin valorization.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Nitrogen derived from Combined Algal Processing supports algae cultivation for biofuels

Algae biomass, a biofuel feedstock with potential to reduce global CO 2 emissions, is currently too expensive Nitrogen, a significant input and life cycle cost, requires research on recycling and additional sources to reduce costs. Integral to nitrogen recycling is the knowledge of actual nitrogen requirements in outdoor ponds, thus data from the Unified Field Studies of the Algae Testbed Public-Private Partnership was analyzed. The data showed that Nannochloropsis oceanica used 14–24 mg/L NH 4 + per harvest cycle for robust growth. Nitrogen recycled directly from the algae conversion process will likely be the primary source of nitrogen for algae cultivation. Harvested algae can be fractionated via Combined Algal Processing (CAP), where algae are pretreated, fermented, and the fuel feedstocks (e. g. ethanol, lipids) are removed leaving a nitrogen rich slurry. Chlorella vulgaris grew robustly in nitrogen-free media supplemented with CAP residues through 4 harvest cycles with no inhibition. The amount of nitrogen as free ammonium available for recycling directly without further processing was insufficient (~4% of total needed), thus the nitrogen fixing bacteria, Azotobacter vinelandii, was investigated as a means for increasing ammonium concentration in CAP residues. This organism was shown to be proficient at growth on sugars liberated from algae biomass during pretreatment and sustained algae growth using A. vinelandii supernatants was also demonstrated. Using Azotobacter to increase ammonium concentrations on-site using an inexpensive biological process to generate the necessary ammonium for outdoor algae cultivation improves sustainability of algae biofuels by avoiding the energy intensive steps of typical ammonium production and transport. Furthermore, these results show that byproducts of algae conversion begin to close nitrogen demand and, with further supplementation by diazotrophic bacteria or protein hydrolysis, may completely replace current energyintensive and costly industrial nitrogen sources offering a path to increased economic feasibility and improved life cycle analysis of algae-based biofuels.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗