(193a) LPG Production From Biomass-Derived Organic Acids

Among the current competitive technologies for fuel production from renewable biomass, many require major changes in the design of operational equipment as well as general distribution infrastructure. Furthermore, efficient ?green? technologies are still not ready for industrial and wide-spread commercial use. In order to bridge the gap between the development of carbon-neutral fuels and currently employed technologies, a slate of simple production routes to currently employed fuels is desired. A process for the catalytic production of C3 and C4 hydrocarbons from biomass- derived organic acids using nanocatalysts is under investigation in our lab. The catalysts were prepared, characterized, and screened using the decarboxylation of butyric acid as the model reaction. A number of platinum-group metals and supports were investigated; those containing a carbon support and Pd, Co or Pt catalysts, as well as their bi-metallic derivatives, were identified as the most active for the reaction. The type of carbon support (activated carbon, carbon nanotubes) and metal dispersion were shown to have a pronounced effect on overall acid conversion and product selectivity. Characterization and stability/deactivation studies of the catalysts under realistic conditions will be presented.