EAGER - New Material Paradigms for Biorefinery Separations

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The generation of alternative fuels, particularly from non-edible feedstocks such as cellulose has become a topic of great national interest in recent years. The focus of this effort has been primarily on conversion of cellulose to useful products or intermediates. However, for the biorefinery concept to achieve its full potential it will be essential for new separation paradigms/processes to emerge. Decomposition of cellulose typically leads to a complex mixture of highly oxygenated compounds that are not thermally stable and quite hydrophilic. The PI hypothesizes that organic-inorganic nanocomposite membranes offer one route to achieve these separations. To test this hypothesis the PI will explore key separations that will facilitate processing/conversion of cellulose into usable chemical feedstocks: 1. Selective separation of low molecular weight components (e.g. pentoses/hexoses) from residual solids formed in cellulose hydrolysis via microfiltration. 2. Separations of low molecular weight (e.g. acetic acid) components from model bio-oils obtained from pyrolysis. Separations of bio-oils and cellulose hydrolysis mixtures have been sparingly studied, yet these types of separations are essential to advancing towards the goal of a biorefinery to reduce the nation's dependency on oil.