3 November 2011– Researchers at the Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Research Institute of Industrial Catalysis, East China University of Science and Technology, report on a catalytic process to convert biomass-derived furfural (earlier post) into octane in high yields at relatively low pressures and temperatures.

In the three-step process, two bifunctional catalysts, Pt/Co₂AlO₄ and Pt/NbOPO₄, play crucial roles in achieving C₈-ols from 4-(2-furyl)-3-buten-2-one and transforming the C₈-ols into octane, respectively.

Their paper is published in the journal ChemSusChem.

Resources

• Wenjie Xu, Qineng Xia, Yu Zhang, Yong Guo, Yanqin Wang, Guanzhong Lu (2011) Effective Production of Octane from Biomass Derivatives under Mild Conditions. ChemSusChem. DOI: 10.1002/cssc.201100361