Fundamentals of bifunctional catalysis for transforming biomass-related compounds into chemicals and biofuels.- Characterization methods for heterogeneous catalysts and their application to cellulose conversion mechanisms.- Brønsted-Lewis acids for efficient conversion of renewables.- Design of bifunctional solid catalysts for conversion of biomass-derived syngas into biofuels.- Reductive conversion of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural in aqueous solutions by furan ring opening and rearrangement.- Catalytic cascade transformations of biomass into polyols.- Production and upgrading of γ-valerolactone with bifunctional catalytic processes.- Production of furanic biofuels with zeolite and metal oxide bifunctional catalysts for energy- and product-driven biorefineries.- Upgrading of biomass-derived furans into value-added chemicals.- Production of biodiesel via simultaneous esterification and transesterification.- Biodiesel production from waste oil in multiphase reactors with bifunctional catalyst for sustainable energy.- Conversion of biomass using simultaneous chemo- and bio-catalysis.
Dr. Zhen Fang is Professor in Bioenergy, Leader and founder of biomass group, College of Engineering, Nanjing Agricultural University, China.
Dr. Richard L Smith, Jr. is Professor of Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Research Center of Supercritical Fluid Technology, Tohoku University, Japan.
Dr. Hu Li is Researcher in biofuel and catalyst synthesis, biomass group, College of Engineering, Nanjing Agricultural University, China.
Bifunctional catalysts integrate sequential catalytic steps to efficiently transform raw materials into chemical products. Bifunctional catalysts avoid by-product formation and costly separation steps so that their design and application are seen as the next generation of chemical technology. This text provides state-of-the-art reviews, current research, prospects and challenges of the production of biofuels and chemicals such as furanic biofuels, biodiesel, carboxylic acids, polyols and others from lignocellulosic biomass, furfurals, syngas and γ-valerolactone with bifunctional catalysts, including catalytic, electrocatalytic, and combined biological and chemical catalysis processes. The bifunctionality of catalytic materials is a concept of not only using multifunctional solid materials as activators, but in such a way that the catalytic materials have synergistic characteristics that promote a cascade of transformations which reduces or eliminates reaction and separation steps. The book will be useful for students, researchers, academicians and industrialists in the field of biotechnology, biochemistry and energy.