505
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
K. K. Pant et al. (eds.), Catalysis for Clean Energy and Environmental
Sustainability, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65017-9_16
Catalytic Conversion of Alcohols into
Value-Added Products
R. Vinayagamoorthi, B. Viswanathan, and K. R. Krishnamurthy
Abstract Alcohols belong to an important class of oxygenates, containing highly
versatile hydroxyl (–OH) functional group(s) which are capable of undergoing a
variety of chemical transformations, yielding fuels, fuel additives and a wide range
of highly useful chemicals and chemical intermediates. Production of methanol,
bioethanol and other higher alcohols in plenty, through various biomass conversion
processes, has rendered them renewable and carbon-neutral in character and highly
useful as platform chemicals. Novel catalytic processes for the conversion of aliphatic C 1 -C 4 alcohols to C 2 -C 4 olefins/building block chemicals, like ethylene, propylene, isobutene and butadiene, and oxygenates like aldehydes, esters and ethers
and gasoline range hydrocarbons have been developed. Catalytic coupling of ethanol to higher alcohols followed by dehydration, oligomerization and hydrogenation
to yield jet fuel and middle distillates results in the production of low-carbon renewable/sustainable fuels. Steam reforming and aqueous phase reforming of alcohols to
produce hydrogen is yet another process option available for the transformation of
alcohols that has several advantages over conventional, non-renewable methane
steam reforming. Significant progress has been reported in the catalytic α-alkylation
of ketone esters and amides with alcohols and aldol condensation of alcohols with
other oxygenates like acetone/ketones. Catalytic upgradation of biomass-derived
glycerol, furfuryl alcohol and sugar-derived alcohols like sorbitol, mannitol and
xylitol results in a range of value-added products. The origin of such processes,
process chemistry, development of catalysts, recent advances and future trends are
covered in this chapter.
Keywords Biomass conversion · Biofuels · Sugar alcohols · Furfuryl alcohol ·
Glycerol
R. Vinayagamoorthi · B. Viswanathan · K. R. Krishnamurthy (*)
National Centre for Catalysis Research (NCCR), Indian Institute of Technology Madras,
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
K. K. Pant et al. (eds.), Catalysis for Clean Energy and Environmental
Sustainability, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65017-9_16
Catalytic Conversion of Alcohols into
Value-Added Products
R. Vinayagamoorthi, B. Viswanathan, and K. R. Krishnamurthy
Abstract Alcohols belong to an important class of oxygenates, containing highly
versatile hydroxyl (–OH) functional group(s) which are capable of undergoing a
variety of chemical transformations, yielding fuels, fuel additives and a wide range
of highly useful chemicals and chemical intermediates. Production of methanol,
bioethanol and other higher alcohols in plenty, through various biomass conversion
processes, has rendered them renewable and carbon-neutral in character and highly
useful as platform chemicals. Novel catalytic processes for the conversion of aliphatic C 1 -C 4 alcohols to C 2 -C 4 olefins/building block chemicals, like ethylene, propylene, isobutene and butadiene, and oxygenates like aldehydes, esters and ethers
and gasoline range hydrocarbons have been developed. Catalytic coupling of ethanol to higher alcohols followed by dehydration, oligomerization and hydrogenation
to yield jet fuel and middle distillates results in the production of low-carbon renewable/sustainable fuels. Steam reforming and aqueous phase reforming of alcohols to
produce hydrogen is yet another process option available for the transformation of
alcohols that has several advantages over conventional, non-renewable methane
steam reforming. Significant progress has been reported in the catalytic α-alkylation
of ketone esters and amides with alcohols and aldol condensation of alcohols with
other oxygenates like acetone/ketones. Catalytic upgradation of biomass-derived
glycerol, furfuryl alcohol and sugar-derived alcohols like sorbitol, mannitol and
xylitol results in a range of value-added products. The origin of such processes,
process chemistry, development of catalysts, recent advances and future trends are
covered in this chapter.
Keywords Biomass conversion · Biofuels · Sugar alcohols · Furfuryl alcohol ·
Glycerol
R. Vinayagamoorthi · B. Viswanathan · K. R. Krishnamurthy (*)
National Centre for Catalysis Research (NCCR), Indian Institute of Technology Madras,
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India