Selective Conversion of Carbohydrate/Derived Chemicals Over Supported Metal Catalyst

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Proposal Title: Selective Conversin of Carbohydrate-derived Chemicals over Supported Metal CatalystsProposal Number: CTS-0102307Principal Investigator: James DumesicInstitution: University of WisconsinThe objective of this proposal is to convert carbohydrate-derived chemicals for the production of commodity chemicals. Lactic acid produced from the fermentation of carbohydrates may be further processed for the production of commodity chemicals such as biodegradable polymers, 1,2-propanediol, ethyl lactate, acrylic acid, and acrylates. The combination of fermentation processes and selective catalytic processes provides a clean route for the production of these commodity chemicals from renewable carbohydrate feedstocks instead of from non-renewable petroleum sources. In previous work copper-based catalyst systems exhibited 100% conversion of lactic acid with high selectivity to the desired 1,2 propanediol. Fundamental studies of the interactions of oxygenated hydrocarbons (hydroxy acids, organic acids, alcohols, and aldehydes) over copper-based materials and over transition-metal-based materials will be conducted. The plan is to combine microcalorimetric measurements, reaction kinetics studies, spectroscopic investigations, and density functional theory calculations to elucidate pathways for reactions of light oxygenated compounds over supported metal catalysts. Overall, this work has the potential to enhance the commercialization of chemicals produced from renewable biological sources.