GC-MS characterization of carboxylic acids and essential oils derived through through heterogeneous catalysis and extraction

世界化学工业的大趋势是用石油替代可再生资源-生物炼制。不同的生物化学和热化学途径用于将碳水化合物、木质素、纤维素等分解成简单的分子，然后这些分子可以用作更复杂分子的构建单元-这些分子通常用作燃料-甲醇、乙醇、丁醇、柴油等。 该项目的目的是优化最有前途的路线之一，将糖，木质素，甘油（来自生物柴油）和乳酸转化为增值化学品，包括羧酸，通过多相催化转化。

The mega trend for the world chemical industry is to substitute petroleum for renewable resources - biorefineries. Different biochemical and thermo-chemical routes are used to breakdown carbohydrates, lignin, cellulose, etc. into simple molecules which then may be used as building block to more complex molecules - often these molecules are used as fuel - methanol, ethanol, butanol, diesel, etc. Converting biomass to fuel adds less value versus maintaining the basic molecular structure and producing a more functional molecule. The aim of this project is to optimize one of the most promising routes for transforming sugars, lignin, glycerol (derived from biodiesel) and lactic acid into value added chemicals, including carboxylic acids, via heterogeneous catalytic conversion.