A German-Chinese research team has found a new synthetic route to produce biofuel from biomass. The chemists converted the substance 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) produced from biomass into 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF), which could be suitable as a biofuel. Compared to previous methods, they achieved a higher yield and selectivity under milder reaction conditions.

The team led by Dr. Baoxiang Peng and Professor Martin Muhler from the Laboratory of Industrial Chemistry at Ruhr-Universitat Bochum (RUB) and the group led by Professor Christof Hattig from the RUB Chair for Theoretical Chemistry described the method together with colleagues from Changzhou, China, in the journal Angewandte Chemie. The final version of the article has been online since 22 January 2021.

The work was part of the German-Chinese research cooperation "Novel Functional Materials for Sustainable Chemistry", which is supported by the German Research Foundation.

Better fuel than ethanol
"DMF would be well-suited as a biofuel, as it has a higher octane number than ethanol, a better energy intensity and an ideal boiling point of 92 to 94 degree Celsius," explains Baoxiang Peng. Although the conversion from HMF into DMF has been researched intensively, there are several hurdles.

DMF production requires relatively harsh reaction conditions, such as high hydrogen pressure, and often only creates a small quantity of the desired product, while also forming unwanted by-products. Researchers are thus looking for new ways to efficiently trigger the reaction under milder conditions. This was achieved in the current work.

Formic acid as the key to success
The team carried out the reaction in the presence of formic acid and hydrogen. Palladium nanoparticles were used as a catalyst. In doing so, the chemists achieved a five-times larger reaction rate than those reported with previous methods. The addition of formic acid, in particular, played a crucial role in creating favourable reaction conditions, as shown by the researchers in their detailed investigations.

They performed the reaction with various additives and compared the yield and selectivity, which were best in the presence of formic acid. The substance facilitates a faster reaction pathway and also prevents the occurrence of unwanted side reactions.

Research paper

Related Links
Ruhr-University Bochum
Bio Fuel Technology and Application News

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

British Airways eyes greener jet fuel from 2022
London (AFP) Feb 9, 2021
British Airways on Tuesday unveiled a partnership with US startup LanzaJet to produce jet fuel aimed at cutting carbon emissions from 2022. The announcement comes as the global aviation industry is looking to bounce back from a collapse in demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic grounding planes. "Despite the crisis in global aviation, it is vital for our future that we continue to address climate change and we remain focused on playing our part to reduce the impact we have on the planet," BA ... read more