Progress in converting furfural into hydrocarbons for blending into jet and diesel fuels

Transformation of biomass into components compatible with hydrocarbon fuels requires two transformations to occur, deoxygenation and carbon chain extension.  Deoxygenation is necessary to increase energy content and to compatibilize components with existing petroleum-derived fuels.  Chain extension is needed to convert intermediates derived from five and six carbon sugars, into components with the correct boiling range for blending with specific fuels.  Through these transformations it becomes possible to produce drop-in fuels that are transparent to the consumer, have unlimited blendability, and can utilize existing infrastructure for storage and transportation. 

The development of transformation routes that efficiently convert biomass-derived intermediates into products that are compatible with the existing fuel infrastructure, is currently an area of intense research interest.  The potential routes for decreasing the oxygen content of biomass intermediates include dehydration, hydrodeoxygenation and decarboxylation.  Furfural is a well-known product of the dehydration of xylose and other five carbon sugars, which can be converted into methyl furan in high yield (<95%) under mild hydrogenation conditions (250 ^oC, 1 bar hydrogen, with copper based catalysts).  Recent advances in the conversion of methyl furan, through chain extension reactions and hydrodeoxygenation, provide a route to the production of hydrocarbons that have very beneficial properties for blending into jet and diesel fuels.  Results on the conversion of pentoses in biomass hydrolyzates into furfural in yields over 75%, and the conversion of methyl furan into hydrocarbons will be presented to demonstrate progress in the production of advanced biofuels from sugars.