5. Miscellaneous Publications
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Item Catalytic synthesis of renewable p-xylene from biomass-derived 2,5-dimethylfuran: a mini review(2020) Dutta, Saikat; Bhat N.S.In this work, the renewable synthesis of p-xylene (PX) from biomass-derived carbohydrates has been reviewed. PX is a crucial chemical feedstock and an essential starting material of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). PX can be produced selectively by the Diels-Alder reaction between ethylene and 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF) followed by catalytic dehydration of the oxanorbornene adduct. DMF is primarily produced by the catalytic hydrogenation of 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF), a furanic intermediate produced by the acid-catalyzed hydrolysis/dehydration of biomass-derived hexoses. With ethylene being sourced by dehydrating bioethanol, PET can be made biorenewable in its entirety. The atom economy and carbon efficiency of converting glucose into PX have been calculated. The existing literature (both theoretical and experimental) on the catalytic production of PX from DMF and ethylene are summarized, and future directions on this research have been proposed. The effect of Brønsted and Lewis acidity, porosity, and surface area of the heterogeneous catalysts on the selectivity and yield of PX have been highlighted. In addition, the techno-economic analysis of renewable PET, its future prospects based on the petroleum market, and the possibility of a circular economy of PET using chemical and enzymatic recycling strategies have been discussed. © 2020, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.Item Recent advances in the preparation of levulinic esters from biomass-derived furanic and levulinic chemical platforms using heteropoly acid (HPA) catalysts(2021) Bhat N.S.; Mal S.S.; Dutta, SaikatThe esters of biomass-derived levulinic acid (LA) have several potential applications, including cleaner-burning fuel additive, green solvent, fragrance ingredient, and a renewable chemical intermediate for downstream value addition. The levulinic esters (LEs) can be prepared by the acid-catalyzed alcoholysis of the biomass-derived furanic and levulinic chemical platforms such as LA, furfuryl alcohol (FAL), 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF), and angelica lactone (AGL). The acid-catalyzed deconstruction of carbohydrates in an alcoholic medium affords the one-pot preparation of LEs. Choosing the right catalyst is of paramount importance for synthesizing LEs from both the economic and environmental perspectives. In this regard, heteropoly acids (HPAs), a class of polyoxometalates (POMs) bearing protons as the counter cation, have found widespread applications as acid catalysts in various organic transformations. HPAs are blessed with conducive properties such as controlled Brønsted and Lewis acidity, high thermal stability, robust structural features, non-toxic nature, tunable solubility, and less corrosiveness. Over the past several years, HPAs have found extensive applications as efficient and environment-friendly catalysts in biorefinery operations, including the synthesis of LEs. At this juncture, it is imperative to ascertain the achievements in this field to date and re-evaluate the challenges. This review attempts to provide up-to-date information about the preparation of LEs using HPA-based catalysts, critically analyze the literature cited, draw conclusions, and propose future prospects. © 2021 Elsevier B.V.Item Recent advances in the production and value addition of selected hydrophobic analogs of biomass-derived 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural(2021) Anchan H.N.; Dutta, Saikat5-(Hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF), produced by the acid-catalyzed dehydration of biomass-derived hexoses, is a well-recognized renewable chemical intermediate in the biorefinery research for the productions of fuels, chemicals, and materials. However, the inherent hydrophilicity and poor stability of HMF continue to disfavor its production and value addition from an economic standpoint. In this regard, the superior thermal and hydrolytic stability of the hydrophobic analogs of HMF simplify their isolation and purification from the aqueous (or polar) reaction media while enhancing their shelf life. The analogs show promises in supplanting HMF from its derivative chemistry. The halogenated derivatives of HMF, such as 5-(chloromethyl)furfural (CMF) and 5-(bromomethyl)furfural (BMF), can be produced directly from biomass in good isolated yields. The non-halogenated, hydrophobic derivatives of HMF include esters such as 5-(formyloxymethyl)furfural (FMF) and 5-(acetoxymethyl)furfural (AMF), obtained by the dehydration of carbohydrates in suitable carboxylic acids. The ethers of HMF, such as 5-(ethoxymethyl)furfural (EMF), can be produced directly by the acid-catalyzed alcoholysis of biomass. In addition, partially oxidized or reduced derivatives of HMF, such as 2,5-diformylfuran (DFF) and 5-methylfurfural (5MF), have also found significant interests as hydrophobic analogs of HMF. The production and value addition of various lipophilic analogs of HMF are rather scattered in the literature, and no comprehensive review is available in this area to date. This technical review attempts to fill that gap with up-to-date information with a critical analysis of the achievements and challenges. In this review, the production and derivative chemistry of various hydrophobic analogs of HMF have been discussed. The relative advantages and challenges associated with the preparation and value addition of various hydrophobic analogs of HMF are highlighted. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.] © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE part of Springer Nature.Item Synthesis of highly-branched alkanes for renewable gasoline(2020) Mascal M.; Dutta, SaikatThe gasoline market in the US is nearly twice that of diesel and jet fuel combined, and yet, nearly all research efforts to produce synthetic, biobased fuels center around these latter products. The reason for this is that a major component of gasoline is highly branched alkanes which, unlike straight chained products, are not readily derived from either fatty acid- or carbohydrate-based feedstocks. This review unpacks the motivations behind renewable gasoline synthesis and examines representative approaches to the targeted, de novo synthesis of densely-branched, high-octane isoalkanes and cycloalkanes employing chemocatalytic methods, as contrasted with the catalytic refining of biomass-derived feeds using petrochemical technologies. © 2019 Elsevier B.V.