(659f) Ionic Liquid-Mediated Catalytic Conversion of Lignocelluloses to Biofuel Precursors: Experimental and Modeling Analyses

Non-edible lignocelluloses have emerged as a viable feedstock for second-generation biofuel production because they are abundantly available and do not conflict with food sources. In my doctoral research with Prof. Saikat Chakraborty in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, we have characterized and identified a locally available lignocellulosic biomass (June grass) as a potential feedstock for biofuel precursors and other value-added platform chemical production. We present a kinetic framework for microwave-irradiated one-pot catalytic conversion of lignocelluloses such as Sunn hemp fibre and June grass to biofuel precursors such as glucose, 5-Hydroxmethylfurfural (HMF), Levulinic and Formic acids, by employing Protic and Aprotic Ionic Liquids¹. The highlights of our process are: it is rapid, requiring less than an hour to complete; it is cost-effective and produces high-value products such as 5-Hydroxmethylfurfural using low-cost Protic Ionic Liquids; it does not require any pretreatment and can catalytically convert raw lignocelluloses to biofuel precursors in a one-pot synthesis system. The comparative effectiveness of protic and aprotic ionic liquids in microwave-irradiated transition metal-catalyzed one-pot conversion of a cellulose-rich June grass to biofuel precursors is also studied². Reaction parameters, such as catalyst-substrate loading, IL-substrate loading, water concentration, reaction time and temperature, are optimized to maximize the production of targeted biofuel precursor molecules, such as HMF, by regulating the product distribution. We perform a coupled experimental-modeling kinetic study to quantify the cross-catalytic effects of water on the alkali-metal catalyzed two-phase conversion of solid lignocellulosic fibers to liquid-phase biofuel precursors. We also explore the scale-up potential and the economic viability of this feedstock-agnostic process.

Research Interests: Renewable Energy, Biofuels, Lignocellulose, Biorefinery, Ionic Liquids

Teaching Interests: I am passionate about teaching undergraduate and graduate students in addition to performing research. In our research group, I have been actively involved in mentoring undergraduate and master's students. Biochemical and reaction engineering courses for undergraduate and graduate students are among my favourites, as they readily fit my research background. As a graduate student, I was a Teaching Assistant (2018-2020) for the Undergraduate Biochemical Engineering course (~90 students per batch) and a Bioenergy elective (~30 students per batch). In addition to teaching assistance, I have assisted Fluid Mechanics lab classes at IIT Kharagpur.

PhD expected in July 2022

Publications:

(1) Roy, S., Chakraborty, S. (2020). A Kinetic Framework for Microwave-Irradiated Catalytic Conversion of Lignocelluloses to Biofuel Precursors by Employing Protic and Aprotic Ionic Liquids. In: Verma P. (eds) Biorefineries: A Step Towards Renewable and Clean Energy. Clean Energy Production Technologies. Springer, Singapore. doi: 10.1007/978-981-15-9593-6_8

(2) Roy, S., Chakraborty, S. (2019). Comparative study of the effectiveness of protic and aprotic ionic liquids in microwave-irradiated catalytic conversion of lignocellulosic June grass to biofuel precursors. Bioresour. Technol. Rep. 8, 100338. doi: 10.1016/j.biteb.2019.100338

Awards:

(1) Research Scholar Institute Fellowship (2017-2022)

(2) Best Poster Award at Chemference 2018 - the 8th National Conference of Chemical Engineering Research Scholars - held in IIT Bombay in May 2018.

(3) Best Poster Award (2nd) at DBT National Workshop on Bioenergy 2019 - the 2nd National Workshop on Bioenergy organized by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) - held in Kolkata during October 2019.

(4) Best Paper Award at CHEMCON 2020 – jointly organized by Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers (IIChE) Headquarters & IIChE - Hyderabad Regional Centre – held in online mode during December 2020.