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Neo acids are highly branched carboxylic acids currently produced from fossil fuels. In this work, we report a strategy to synthesize renewable neo acids with tailored molecular architecture from biomass-derived monomers.

The rising demand for linear alkylbenzene surfactants (LAS) poses an environmental threat as LAS are industrially produced from petroleum using corrosive acid catalysts.

Food waste (FW) remains a global challenge due to the increasing demand for food production to support a growing global population and the lack of effective waste management technologies for recycling and upcycling. Unique compounds in FW – such as carbohydrates, proteins, lignin, fats, and extractives – can be repurposed to produce important biobased fuels, bulk chemicals, dietary supplements, adsorbents, and antibacterial products, among many others. We review the thermal and thermocatalytic FW valorization strategies and the fundamental pathways. We discuss the potential integration of various valorization processes, their economic viability, the technical and marketing challenges, and the need for further developments. By overcoming several technical hurdles, repurposing FW into modular plants can create exciting economic and environmental prospects.

Despite progress in the depolymerization of lignin, only a few studies convert the obtained monomers to value-added products. Here we introduce a strategy to synthesize branched benzene lubricant (BBL) and branched cyclic lubricant (BCL) base oils from lignin-derived monomers and aldehyde. We perform carbon–carbon coupling via Bronsted acid-catalyzed hydroxyalkylation/alkylation (HAA) then hydrodeoxygenation (HDO). Optimum HAA reaction conditions achieve up to 90% guaiacol conversion and an HAA product containing 76% BBL and 24% enal condensation product over a P-SiO2 catalyst. Subsequent HDO of HAA products over an Ir-ReOx/SiO2 catalyst produces a lubricant-ranged mixture of BCL (C24) up to yield (82%) and small fractions of dodecyl cyclohexane and C10 and C15 carbons alkanes. The kinematic viscosity, viscosity index, and Noack volatility of these base oils are comparable to commercial petroleum-derived poly α-olefin Group IV and refrigerant base oils. This approach provides a sustainable pathway for replacing petroleum-derived base oils.

The cost of sugar production remains a key challenge in future lignocellulosic biorefineries. We demonstrate that ZnBr2, an inexpensive inorganic salt, provides nearly theoretical yields of glucose and xylose in one-step from poplar wood at 85 °C and short reaction times at molten salt hydrate (MSH) conditions without an acid. Catalytic depolymerization of the isolated MSH lignin, using a CoS2 catalyst, yields 17% phenol-like monomers compared to only 1% produced from the acidified MSH lignin. Reductive catalytic fractionation of MSH lignin over Ru/C resulted in two times higher total monomer yield compared to the AMSH lignin. Both the lignin samples were characterized using 2D HSQC NMR and the thioacidolysis method. Thioacidolysis studies reveal 8.4% and 1.8% of β-O-4 linkages in MSH and acidified MSH lignin, respectively. Thermodynamic modeling and 13C NMR spectroscopy indicate that the effectiveness of this catalyst arises from the strong interaction of the Lewis acidic zinc cation (Zn2+) with the coordinated water molecules resulting in hydrolysis of the metal aquo complex and to the salt-driven increase in the H+ activity coefficient. Techno-economic analysis demonstrates that despite being slower, the ZnBr2 MSH media has cost advantages, compared to conventional hydrolysis and even to the LiBr and ZnBr2 AMSH, due to the higher quality of lignin.

The manufacture of furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), promising renewable platforms for bio-products, with high carbon efficiency is a challenge because of their undesired polymerization to humins. Here, we present an integrated process in inorganic salt solution to overcome this challenge. First, sugar biopolymers yield high monosaccharides (>90%) via efficient saccharification at low temperature. Second, monosaccharides in hydrolysates undergo efficient dehydration in biphasic solvents, assisted by the Bronsted acidity of the salt solution and the added inorganic Lewis acid. The salt solution exhibits high carbon efficiency in furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) products (>80 mol%) when compared with the analogous non-salt systems due to the cooperativity of the dual acidity and the higher viscosity of the salt solution than water and the concurrent reactive extraction of products. The process integration makes the separation of the aqueous phase easy, demonstrating nearly comparative activity upon recycling. Intact lignocellulose also achieves high yields of the dehydration products via one-pot depolymerization and saccharification, followed by dehydration. In addition, we elucidate the reasons for the high saccharification efficiency of the salt solution by correlating the effective acidity from the electrode potential and Hammett acidity measurements.