Efficient production of fuels from biomass (EPFB)

In the project a new reaction has been developed where hydrogen and carbon monoxide are cleaved from primary alcohols by a homogeneous iridium catalyst in the solvent mesitylene at 164 °C. The reaction pathway has been studied and it was shown that the catalyst first transforms the alcohol to the corresponding aldehyde which then releases carbon monoxide. Applications of the reaction have been investigated where both the gasses and the residual product are interesting. Attempts to use carbohydrates were difficult due to lack of solubility in mesitylene and poor stability at the reaction temperature. On the contrary, the reaction could be applied in a two-chamber setup for hydroformylation of alkenes and reductive formylation of aryl halides. Here hydrogen and carbon monoxide are released in one chamber and then consumed in the other chamber. The advantage is that the poisonous gas carbon monoxide is formed and consumed in a closed system and should not be added from an external source.