(538x) Production of Neo Acids from Biomass Waste

The global rapid population growth has increased the demand for food and other essential resources, which has resulted in intensified agriculture and industrial manufacturing activities. The large quantity of waste generated has become a growing issue, especially agricultural waste. Most of the waste is burnt or left to decompose in the field due to inefficient utilization and management practices, resulting in adverse environmental impacts. One possible way to increase the value of biomass waste is through the catalytic production of valuable commodity chemicals from biomass waste-derived platform molecules, such as neo acids. Neo acids are commercially available and have diverse industrial applications due to their excellent properties. However, neo acids are currently synthesized from fossil fuels, and the process involves harsh reaction conditions, including high temperatures and pressures, corrosive catalysts, and complicated product purification.

A sustainable alternative is producing neo acids from abundant renewable resources such as biomass waste. In this work, biomass waste is utilized to synthesize bio-based neo acids. The proposed synthesis pathway consists of C-C coupling of furans with bio-oil derivatives followed by hydrodeoxygenation. In the first step, we show successful C-C coupling over Brønsted acidic catalysts. Catalyst screening and multi-parameter optimization using machine learning were implemented to obtain the optimum yield and elucidate the correlation between variables and outcomes. In the second step, we employ a Pd/C and metal triflate catalyst. This work provides an alternative to neo acid synthesis from biomass waste and enables multiple opportunities for producing renewable commodity chemicals.