News & Events - Part 2

Preventing Lignin Condensation to Facilitate Aromatic Monomer Production

9th October 2019 / Articles

Lignin is the most abundant aromatic polymer in nature and as such is an attractive source of aromatic molecules. Efficient lignin utilization will also likely play a key role in the economic success and sustainability of biomass valorization schemes. However, traditional strategies for lignin isolation and depolymerization suffer from repolymerization issues, which result in low yield of low molecular weight fragments…

Catalyst Support and Solvent Effects during Lignin Depolymerization and Hydrodeoxygenation

9th October 2019 / Articles

We studied and compared the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) and depolymerization of aldehyde-stabilized lignin and 4-propylguaiacol (PG), a model lignin monomer. We demonstrated by liquid phase adsorption that PG HDO catalyzed by Ru/C can be achieved in isooctane but not in 1,4-dioxane due to competitive solvent binding to the active sites. Unfortunately, alkanes cannot be used as solvents for real lignin due to limited solubility…

Siloxane compounds in biogas: Method development and speciation analysis with GC-ICP-MS

9th October 2019 / Articles

A novel method for the determination of linear and cyclic siloxane compounds (L2, L3, D3, D4, D5, and D6) in biogas was developed by combining gas chromatography (GC) with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Using a continuous liquid quench sampling system, biogas samples were collected from a Swiss biogas production plant processing manure and mixed organic wastes. Although significant…

Designing Heterogeneous Catalysts for Renewable Catalysis Applications Using Metal Oxide Deposition

9th October 2019 / Articles

Heterogeneous catalysis has long been a workhorse for the chemical industry and will likely play a key role in the emerging area of renewable chemistry. However, renewable molecule streams pose unique challenges for heterogeneous catalysis due to their high oxygen content, frequent low volatility and the near constant presence of water. These constraints can often lead to the need for catalyst operation in harsh liquid phase conditions, which…

Long-Term Wet Bioenergy Resources: Drivers and Projections until 2050

9th October 2019 / Articles, Research Highlights

In the energy sector, decisions and technology implementations often necessitate a mid- to long-term perspective. Thus, reliable assessments of future resource availability are needed to support the decision-making process. In Switzerland, similarly to other countries, only a limited part of the available wet biomass feedstock is currently used for anaerobic digestion. Understanding potential future trajectories of the available biomass amount is…

Nature of Synergy between Brønsted and Lewis Acid Sites in Sn–Beta Zeolites

9th October 2019 / Articles

The role of Lewis and Brønsted acid sites and their potential synergy remains ambiguous for the production of polyoxymethylene dimethyl ethers (OME), which are suitable as a Diesel substitute. Here, this synergistic effect was investigated by using a series of beta polymorph A (BEA) zeolites with various degrees of Brønsted and Lewis acidity. Lewis acidity was introduced in dealuminated zeolites by Sn..

1
2
3
4
Last