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Catalysis for Sustainable Refinery and Bio-Refinery
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Catalysis for Sustainable Refinery and Bio-Refinery

A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomass Catalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 14003

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Alessandra Palella

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Istituto di Tecnologie Avanzate per l’Energia (ITAE) del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), 98126 Messina, Italy
Interests: chemistry; catalysis; chemical engineering; environment; energy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Lorenzo Spadaro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Istituto di Tecnologie Avanzate per l’Energia (ITAE) del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), 98126 Messina, Italy
Interests: chemical engineering; catalysis; advanced material; energy; environment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of Catalysts, “Catalysis for Sustainable Refinery and Biorefinery”, is aimed at addressing the main current research in the fields of novel catalyst synthesis and characterization, catalytic and kinetic studies, process development/simulation, and technology, related to the novel challenges dictated by the use of alternative raw materials into sustainable and biorefinery.

In recent decades, topical issues, such as the concepts of waste, pollution, and environmental protection, have become the subject of ever-increasing debates, constituting real “key topics” of the Catalysis, Engineering and Chemical Sciences. In particular, it is now clear that natural resources must be managed so as not to deprive future generations of their value, making sustainability the central core of any future development. In this context, processing alternative feedstock and bio-waste, such as vegetable oils and fats, into fuel cuts and value-added chemicals is currently the subject of intense research worldwide.

Therefore, we invite contributions in the form of original research papers, detailed reviews, or mini reviews in, but not limited to, the specialized fields outlined below:

  • Conversion of biofeedstock and biowaste (such as that used cooking oils (UCOs), crude tall oil (CTO), vegetable oils, animal oils, etc.) into novel fuels and additives through catalytic technologies (i.e., hydrodeoxygenation, decarboxylation, decarbonylation, etc.);
  • Co-processing fats and vegetable oils with petroleum cuts during conventional refining processes for the production of biofuels;
  • Transesterification of vegetable and animal oils to produce biodiesel;
  • Thermochemical conversion technologies, including gasification and pyrolysis of biomass, as well as upgrading of the resultant gaseous or liquid fuels;
  • Optimization of biofuel quality and stability;
  • Catalytic chemical conversion of biomass, such as sugars, cellulose, etc. to chemicals and other bioproducts.

We believe that this Special Issue will provide an excellent platform for researchers to share their newest scientific advancements in the field.

Submit your paper and select the Journal “Catalysts” and the Special Issue “Catalysis for Sustainable Refinery and Bio-Refinery” via: MDPI submission system. Please contact the Guest Editor or the journal editor ([email protected]) for any queries. Our papers will be published on a rolling basis and we will be pleased to receive your submission once you have finished it.

Dr. Alessandra Palella
Dr. Lorenzo Spadaro
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Catalysts is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biofeedstock
  • biowaste
  • biofuels
  • transesterification
  • hydrotreatment
  • decarboxylation
  • decarbonylation
  • hydrodeoxygenation
  • used cooking oils (UCO)
  • vegetable oils
  • animal fat
  • gasification and pyrolysis
  • catalytic chemical conversion of biomass

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 5892 KiB  
Article
Direct Construction of K-Fe3C@C Nanohybrids Utilizing Waste Biomass of Pomelo Peel as High-Performance Fischer–Tropsch Catalysts
by Songbai Qiu, Jianfeng Chen, Yujian Fan, Zan Huang, Qingwei Meng, Liang Ma, Qian Zhang and Tiejun Wang
Catalysts 2022, 12(5), 542; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal12050542 - 16 May 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2084
Abstract
As the only renewable organic carbon source, abundant biomass has long been established and developed to mass-produce functionalized carbon materials. Herein, an extremely facile and green strategy was executed for the first time to in situ construct K-Fe3C@C nanohybrids directly by [...] Read more.
As the only renewable organic carbon source, abundant biomass has long been established and developed to mass-produce functionalized carbon materials. Herein, an extremely facile and green strategy was executed for the first time to in situ construct K-Fe3C@C nanohybrids directly by one-pot carbonizing the pomelo peel impregnated with Fe(NO3)3 solutions. The pyrolytically self-assembled nanohybrids were successfully applied in Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) and demonstrated high catalytic performance. Accordingly, the optimized K-Fe3C@C catalysts revealed excellent FTS activity (92.6% CO conversion) with highlighted C5+ hydrocarbon selectivity of 61.3% and light olefin (C2-4=) selectivity of 26.0% (olefin/paraffin (O/P) ratio of 6.2). Characterization results further manifest that the high performance was correlated with the in situ formation of the core-shell nanostructure consisting of Fe3C nanoparticles enwrapped by graphitized carbon shells and the intrinsic potassium promoter originated in pomelo peel during high-temperature carbonization. This work provided a facile approach for the low-cost mass-fabrication of high-performance FTS catalysts directly utilizing waste biomass without any chemical pre-treatment or purification. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalysis for Sustainable Refinery and Bio-Refinery)
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15 pages, 2979 KiB  
Article
Catalytic Hydrocracking of Fresh and Waste Frying Oil over Ni- and Mo-Based Catalysts Supported on Sulfated Silica for Biogasoline Production
by Karna Wijaya, Asma Nadia, Arina Dinana, Amalia Febia Pratiwi, Alfrets Daniel Tikoalu and Arief Cahyo Wibowo
Catalysts 2021, 11(10), 1150; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11101150 - 25 Sep 2021
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 3075
Abstract
The synthesis of a sulfated silica catalyst and its modification with Ni and/or Mo metal, along with its application for the hydrocracking of fresh and waste frying oil into biogasoline, were conducted. Synthesis of the catalysts was initiated with the sulfation of silica [...] Read more.
The synthesis of a sulfated silica catalyst and its modification with Ni and/or Mo metal, along with its application for the hydrocracking of fresh and waste frying oil into biogasoline, were conducted. Synthesis of the catalysts was initiated with the sulfation of silica (SiO2) material by H2SO4 using the sol-gel method. Ni and/or Mo metal were impregnated into the SO4/SiO2 matrix with concentration variations of 1, 2, and 3 wt%. The sulfation process and promotion by Molybdenum (Mo) metal in the modified catalyst successfully increased the catalytic activity and selectivity. Among the catalysts investigated, Ni-SS2 exhibited the best performance for the hydrocracking reaction with waste frying oil. This catalyst was able to achieve a conversion of the liquid product of 71.47% and a selectivity of 58.73% for the gasoline fraction (C5-C12). NiMo-SS3 showed the highest percentage of activity and selectivity in the hydrocracking of fresh frying oil at 51.50 and 43.22 wt%, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalysis for Sustainable Refinery and Bio-Refinery)
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Review

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15 pages, 667 KiB  
Review
Whole Cell Biocatalysis of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural for Sustainable Biorefineries
by Joana T. Cunha, Aloia Romaní and Lucília Domingues
Catalysts 2022, 12(2), 202; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal12020202 - 8 Feb 2022
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3388
Abstract
The implementation of cost-effective and sustainable biorefineries to substitute the petroleum-based economy is dependent on coupling the production of bioenergy with high-value chemicals. For this purpose, the US Department of Energy identified a group of key target compounds to be produced from renewable [...] Read more.
The implementation of cost-effective and sustainable biorefineries to substitute the petroleum-based economy is dependent on coupling the production of bioenergy with high-value chemicals. For this purpose, the US Department of Energy identified a group of key target compounds to be produced from renewable biomass. Among them, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) can be obtained by dehydration of the hexoses present in biomass and is an extremely versatile molecule that can be further converted into a wide range of higher value compounds. HMF derivatives include 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)furan (BHMF), 5-hydroxymethyl-furan-2-carboxylic acid (HMFCA), 2,5-diformylfuran (DFF), 5-formyl-2-furancarboxylic acid (FFCA) and 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), all presenting valuable applications, in polymers, bioplastics and pharmaceuticals. Biocatalysis conversion of HMF into its derivatives emerges as a green alternative, taking into account the high selectivity of enzymes and the mild reaction conditions used. Considering these factors, this work reviews the use of microorganisms as whole-cell biocatalysts for the production of HMF derivatives. In the last years, a large number of whole-cell biocatalysts have been discovered and developed for HMF conversion into BHMF, FDCA and HMFCA, however there are no reports on microbial production of DFF and FFCA. While the production of BHMF and HMFCA mainly relies on wild type microorganisms, FDCA production, which requires multiple bioconversion steps from HMF, is strongly dependent on genetic engineering strategies. Together, the information gathered supports the possibility for the development of cell factories to produce high-value compounds, envisioning economical viable biorefineries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalysis for Sustainable Refinery and Bio-Refinery)
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51 pages, 5160 KiB  
Review
Thermochemical and Catalytic Conversion Technologies for the Development of Brazilian Biomass Utilization
by Caroline Carriel Schmitt, Frederico Gomes Fonseca, Mariana M. Campos Fraga, Alberto Wisniewski, Jr., Susan Karp, Álvaro Henrique Mello José, Rita C. L. B. Rodrigues, Renata Moreira, Danilo Eiji Hirayama, Klaus Raffelt and Nicolaus Dahmen
Catalysts 2021, 11(12), 1549; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11121549 - 19 Dec 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4569
Abstract
The social, economic, and environmental impacts of climate change have been shown to affect poorer populations throughout the world disproportionally, and the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020–2021 has only exacerbated the use of less sustainable energy, fuel, and chemical sources. The period of economic [...] Read more.
The social, economic, and environmental impacts of climate change have been shown to affect poorer populations throughout the world disproportionally, and the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020–2021 has only exacerbated the use of less sustainable energy, fuel, and chemical sources. The period of economic and social recovery following the pandemic presents an unprecedented opportunity to invest in biorefineries based on the pyrolysis of agricultural residues. These produce a plethora of sustainable resources while also contributing to the economic valorization of first-sector local economies. However, biomass-derived pyrolysis liquid is highly oxygenated, which hinders its long-term stability and usability. Catalytic hydrogenation is a proposed upgrading method to reduce this hindrance, while recent studies on the use of nickel and niobium as low-cost catalysts, both abundant in Brazil, reinforce the potential synergy between different economic sectors within the country. This review gathers state-of-the-art applications of these technologies with the intent to guide the scientific community and lawmakers alike on yet another alternative for energy and commodities production within an environmentally sustainable paradigm. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalysis for Sustainable Refinery and Bio-Refinery)
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