August 22, 2014
Solar-enriched biofuels
Solar energy can be introduced into biofuels via oxides.
In the last few decades, technologies for converting solar, wind, and geothermal power into grid-based electricity have improved by leaps and bounds. At the same time, however, methods for renewably generating gasoline- and diesel-like fuels have lagged behind.
Deoxygenative conversion of lignocellulosic biomass is the most immediately realizable route for expanding the production of renewable liquid transportation fuels. However, recent analyses have indicated that the biomass production capacity of the United States is sufficient to replace only one-third of the nation's total petroleum consumption. One way to bridge the gap between petroleum consumption and biomass production capacity is to use external renewable energy, such as solar, wind, and geothermal power, to drive the energetically-uphill deoxygenation of biomass, thereby increasing the yield of fuel for a given quantity of biomass.
In an article published this month, we introduce the concept of looped-oxide catalysis (LOC), a two-step cycle which harnesses solar thermal energy to indirectly drive biomass deoxygenation. The article discusses relevant background technologies and enumerates the key characteristics that successful LOC cycles must exhibit. The article also presents experimental results from a model reaction of vapor-phase acetic acid with zinc metal and uses these findings to draw a mechanistic picture of the LOC process.
Read the article in Energy & Environmental Science.
