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Separation, Recovery and Upgrading of 2,3-Butanediol from Fermentation Broth

Journal Article · · Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/bbb.2496· OSTI ID:1984228

2,3-Butanediol (BDO) is a bio-derived building block available from biomass through biochemical methods in high titers (>120 g L-1) making it an attractive target for production and further upgrading to chemical products and fuels such as sustainable aviation fuel. A key challenge to enable the adoption of BDO as a precursor is the effective separation and isolation of this molecule from the fermentation broth. 2,3-Butanediol has a boiling point higher than that of water (177 degrees C), and as a consequence, separation via distillation methods is an energy-intensive and therefore costly approach. We have improved the BDO separation through conversion to a 1,3-dioxolane directly in fermentation broth via reaction with bio-derived aldehydes catalyzed by a solid acid catalyst. The resulting dioxolane phase separates from the fermentation broth, allowing for easy decantation and isolation in >90% isolated yield. Isolated dioxolane can be used directly as a compression iginition fuel, trans-acetalized to recover high-purity BDO or used directly in a catalytic process as a BDO synthon to produce methyl ethyl ketone with aldehyde recovery in near quantitative yield.

Research Organization:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Transportation Office. Bioenergy Technologies Office, Chemical Catalysis for Bioenergy (ChemCatBio) Consortium
DOE Contract Number:
AC36-08GO28308
OSTI ID:
1984228
Report Number(s):
NREL/JA-5100-86483; MainId:87256; UUID:3056941a-643c-4c13-8f53-144c053a77ab; MainAdminID:69713
Journal Information:
Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining, Vol. 17, Issue 4
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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