Chapter 17

Thermochemical Conversion of Fermentation-Derived Oxygenates to Fuels (pp. 289-300)
Authors:  (Karthikeyan K. Ramasamy and Yong Wang, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA, and others)
Abstract:
Though ethanol is currently the dominant biofuel as a blend component to gasoline
(generated from renewable resources through fermentation), several properties make
ethanol undesirable as standalone transportation fuel (e.g., low energy density and high
water solubility). In the near future, the production capacity of fermentation-derived
ethanol/oxygenates are projected to rise beyond the blending needs. A viable solution for
next-generation biofuels is through conversion of oxygenates to hydrocarbon compounds
similar to those in gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. This chapter discusses the
thermochemical conversion of fermentation-derived alcohols/oxygenates to fuel-range
hydrocarbons.