Geobiofuels: Organic geochemistry as a novel platform for the synthesis of fuels and chemicals from biomass.

Prevailing methods for making fuels and chemicals from biomass are based on metabolism and thermo-catalysis, reaction pathways that coincide with low-temperature (<100ºC) and hightemperature (>200ºC) conditions, respectively. Organic geochemistry on the other hand involves the biological and chemical transformation of biomass to petroleum, a set of reactions that take place between 0 and 200ºC. A review of the literature suggests that the methods of advanced biotechnology and biomass processing could be employed to investigate specific relationships between biological precursors and kerogen-like intermediates, improving the understanding of petroleum paleobiology and early maturation. Likewise, complete pathway characterization from biomass to kerogen and on to petroleum could someday allow for interception and acceleration of those same pathways with optimized compositions and mixtures of biological precursors, held at particular temperatures for the shortest effective durations. In effect, organic geochemistry could hold the key to the production of non-fossil petroleum from biomass, a branch of inquiry herein termed Geobiofuels.