Institute of

AT Agricultural Technology

Chemo-catalytic conversion

The realization of bio-refineries without chemo-catalytic processes is not feasible. We develop and optimize catalysts and processes to chemo-catalytically convert renewable resources efficiently to bio-based chemicals.

Setting-up a high pressure autoclav for a catalytic reaction

Chemo-catalytic processes are the basis of our present-day chemicals industry and catalysts are used in 80-90% of all processes worldwide. Very often only the use of catalysts allows the selective production of chemicals. Chemo-catalytic processes will also play an important role in converting renewable resources to bio-based chemicals thereby complementing biotechnological processes.

Until now the production of chemicals was based on limited fossil raw materials and particularly crude oil whose price is rising constantly. The development of catalysts and processes to produce chemicals from renewable resources as raw materials is a crucial necessity to shift from a petrochemical to a bio-based chemical industry. This fact is reflected in our research by focusing on different reactions including:

Gold catalyzed oxidation of sugars to sugar acids
Oxidation to ether carboxylic acids with bimetallic gold catalysts
Acid catalyzed production of HMF from sugars
Catalytic conversion of ethanol to butanol with basic supported metal catalysts
Production of maleic acid from xylose with multifunctional catalysts
Catalytic derivatisation of itaconic acid applying different catalysts

The aim of our research is to develop highly active and selective catalysts which should also exhibit a good long-term stability in these reactions. In order to support the catalyst development supplementary catalyst characterization methods are used.

Depending on the reaction catalysts are applied in discontinuous (batch) or continuous reactors. Through the variation of process conditions including temperature, pressure and concentration kinetic data is collected and analyzed to increase the product yield by optimizing process conditions.

Contact

PD Dr. rer. nat. Ulf Prüße

Expertise

Gold catalysts

Gold catalysis is one of the most dynamic research fields in catalysis. In the recent years we successfully developed new preparation methods for gold catalysts and new application fields for their use.

Projects

Bio-based glycolic acid for food packaging

Polyglycolic acid is an innovative plastic with outstanding performance for food packaging. We want to synthesise glycolic acid the key compound of polyglycolic acid from renewable resources.

Biobased Dicarboxylic Acids

Biobased dicarboxylic acids auch as furan dicarboyxylic acid (FDCA) are interesting building blocks for polyesters. In this project the process development will be supported by eco-efficency analysis, which may be suitable to guide the development of similar processes for the production of biobased chemicals.

HMF from sugars

The replacement of the fossil-based plastic PET used for soft drink bottles by bio-based PEF still fails due to the lack of an efficient conversion of sugars to HMF. Our new innovative research approach to produce bio-based HMF shall solve this problem.

Guerbet-Butanol

Bioethanol is a potential platform chemical and can be catalytically converted to important chemicals, e.g. ethylene, 1-3-butadien, n-butanol. Our research focus on the production of n-butanol by the guerbet reaction.

Itaconic Acid for Polyesters

Polyesters nowadays represent an important group of plastics which generally are obtained using fossil raw materials. Another, more sustainable approach, we work on in an ERA-IB project, is the use of renewable resources like chaff or orange peels for their production.

Catalysis in Biorefineries

Catalytic conversion processes are the backbone of today’s chemical industry. They will be as well of fundamental importance in a future bio-based industry. Comprehensive knowledge of value-added chains and catalysts is needed to analyze, develop and evaluate biorefinery processes.

2,3-Butandiol and Maleic Acid from Hemicelluloses

For a better utilization of biomass, the development of processes to convert hemicelluloses to value-added products is necessary. Exemplarily, we focus on the important industry chemicals 2,3-butanediol and maleic acid.

Research Equipment