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Furfural—A Promising Platform for Lignocellulosic Biofuels
Author(s) -
Lange JeanPaul,
van der Heide Evert,
van Buijtenen Jeroen,
Price Richard
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
chemsuschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.412
H-Index - 157
eISSN - 1864-564X
pISSN - 1864-5631
DOI - 10.1002/cssc.201100648
Subject(s) - furfural , cellulosic ethanol , biofuel , levulinic acid , lignocellulosic biomass , pulp and paper industry , raw material , biorefinery , chemistry , gasoline , biochemical engineering , organic chemistry , waste management , cellulose , engineering , catalysis
Furfural offers a promising, rich platform for lignocellulosic biofuels. These include methylfuran and methyltetrahydrofuran, valerate esters, ethylfurfuryl and ethyltetrahydrofurfuryl ethers as well as various C 10 –C 15 coupling products. The various production routes are critically reviewed, and the needs for improvements are identified. Their relative industrial potential is analysed by defining an investment index and CO 2 emissions as well as determining the fuel properties for the resulting products. Finally, the most promising candidate, 2‐methylfuran, was subjected to a road trial of 90 000 km in a gasoline blend. Importantly, the potential of the furfural platform relies heavily on the cost‐competitive production of furfural from lignocellulosic feedstock. Conventional standalone and emerging coproduct processes—for example, as a coproduct of cellulosic ethanol, levulinic acid or hydroxymethyl furfural—are expensive and energetically demanding. Challenges and areas that need improvement are highlighted. In addition to providing a critical review of the literature, this paper also presents new results and analysis in this area.