Hybrid Biological–Chemical Approach Offers Flexibility and Reduces the Carbon Footprint of Biobased Plastics, Rubbers, and Fuels

Journal Article · 11 October 2018 · ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.8b03158 · OSTI ID:1637285

Wu, Lipeng ^[1]; Gokhale, Amit ^[2]; Goulas, Konstantinos A.  ^[3]; Myers, John E. ^[4]; Toste, F. Dean  ^[5]; Scown, Corinne D.  ^[6]

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1. Energy Biosciences Inst., Berkeley, CA (United States); Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Lanzhou (China)
2. Energy Biosciences Inst., Berkeley, CA (United States); BASF Corporation, Iselin, NJ (United States)
3. Energy Biosciences Inst., Berkeley, CA (United States); Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, OR (United States)
4. Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie, WY (United States)
5. Energy Biosciences Inst., Berkeley, CA (United States); Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)
6. Energy Biosciences Inst., Berkeley, CA (United States); Joint BioEnergy Inst. (JBEI), Emeryville, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

A critical challenge for the bioenergy research community has been producing drop-in hydrocarbon fuels and chemicals at yields sufficient to compete with their petroleum-derived counterparts. Biological production of highly reduced compounds poses fundamental challenges. Conversely, glucose, xylose, and sucrose can be fermented to ethanol at near-theoretical yields. Just as olefin crackers are often considered a gateway for petrochemical complexes that produce an array of downstream products, catalytic ethanol upgrading can potentially enable an entire biorefining complex able to produce renewable, low-carbon fuels and chemicals. By doping the Ta₂O₅/SiO₂ catalyst with different transition metals, we show herein that Ostromyslensky catalysts can be utilized for direct conversion of ethanol to varying ratios of 1,3-butadiene (1,3-BD), dietheylether (DEE), and ethylene. These results are integrated into the first comprehensive analysis of ethanol conversion to 1,3-BD, DEE, and ethylene that incorporates empirical data with chemical process modeling and life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) assessment. We find that the suite of products can replace conventional rubber, plastics, and diesel, achieving as much as a 150% reduction in GHG-intensity relative to fossil pathways (net carbon sequestration). Selecting the route with the greatest ethylene and DEE output can maximize total potential emission reductions.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); USDOE Bioenergy Research Centers (BRC) (United States). Joint BioEnergy Inst. (JBEI)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC02-05CH11231
• OSTI ID: 1637285
• Journal Information: ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, Journal Name: ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 6; ISSN 2168-0485
• Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English