Tunable Production of Diesel Bio-Blendstock by Rhenium-Catalyzed Hydrogenation of Crude Hexanoic Acid from Grape Pomace Fermentation

The transition from fossil resources to renewable ones represents a pressing need. The acidogenic fermentation of biomass-derived ethanol to carboxylic acids represents a novel and smart possibility, opening the way for the production of further value-added bio-products through cascade chemical appr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Catalysts 2022-12, Vol.12 (12), p.1550
Main Authors: Licursi, Domenico, Raspolli Galletti, Anna Maria, Antonetti, Claudia, Martinez, Gonzalo A., Jones, Emma, Bertin, Lorenzo, Di Fidio, Nicola, Fulignati, Sara, Pasini, Gianluca, Frigo, Stefano
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acids
Additives
Air quality management
Alcohol
Biodiesel fuels
Carboxylic acids
Catalysts
Chemical reactions
diesel blendstock
Diesel fuels
Energy minerals
Esters
Ethanol
Fermentation
Fossil fuels
grape pomace
Grapes
Hexanoic acid
Hydrogenation
Investigations
Metals
Mixtures
Niobium
Phosphates
Recyclability
Rhenium
rhenium catalysts
Saturated fatty acids
Selectivity
Soot
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Summary:The transition from fossil resources to renewable ones represents a pressing need. The acidogenic fermentation of biomass-derived ethanol to carboxylic acids represents a novel and smart possibility, opening the way for the production of further value-added bio-products through cascade chemical approaches. In this work, the hydrogenation of commercial hexanoic acid to give 1-hexanol/hexyl hexanoate mixtures was preliminary studied in the presence of commercial rhenium catalysts (Re2O7 and 5 wt% Re/C), which resulted as mainly active and selective towards 1-hexanol. On the other hand, the use of niobium phosphate as the acid co-catalyst markedly shifted the selectivity towards hexyl hexanoate. Moreover, 5 wt% Re/C and physical mixtures of (5 wt% Re/C + niobium phosphate) were further tested for the hydrogenation of crude hexanoic acid obtained through fermentation of white grape pomace, confirming the promising performance of these catalytic systems and their recyclability. For the first time, the employment of 1-hexanol/hexyl hexanoate mixtures as a diesel blendstock was evaluated, highlighting a significant reduction of soot and CO emissions, without any significant change in the engine performance. The promising properties of these oxygenated additives are favorable for the partial replacement of traditional fossil fuels, in accordance with the short-term goals of EU countries.
ISSN:2073-4344
2073-4344
DOI:10.3390/catal12121550