Catalytic synthesis of renewable chemicals from carbohydrates following pot, atom, and step-economy (PASE): An overview

Abstract

Pot, atom, and step-economy (PASE) help to improve the sustainability of synthesizing organic chemicals by reducing capital and operational expenditure, optimizing energy and materials input, and minimizing waste generation. Applying PASE to the catalytic conversion of biomass-derived carbohydrates into renewable organic chemicals could offer substantial societal, economic, and environmental incentives. This review article overviews recent developments in synthesizing selected high-value chemicals (e.g., furanics, alcohols, carboxylic acids, and esters) from biomass-derived carbohydrates following PASE. The discussion on catalysts, reaction parameters, mechanistic insights, and green metrics for specific biorenewable chemicals came intuitively. Competitive synthetic routes of carbohydrate-derived chemicals have been evaluated based on green metrics, influences of PASE on their commercial prospects have been highlighted, and future research directions have been proposed for the sustainable functioning of a carbohydrate-centric biorefinery. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd