Reaction Pathways and Mechanisms in Thermocatalytic Biomass Conversion I by Schlaf, Marcel; Zhang, Z. Conrad;

Long description:

Volume I mainly focuses on the current understanding of the reaction pathways and mechanisms involved in several important catalytic conversions of cellulose and carbohydrates. It starts with nanoscale illustrations of biomass structures and describes various reactions including cellulose depolymerization to sugars, catalytic aldose-ketose isomerization and dehydration, selective oxidation, hydrogenolysis of cellulose and sugars, and the conversion of short carbohydrates. The specificity and function of different catalysts and reaction media in relation to the catalytic performances for these reactions are discussed with significant mechanistic details.

Marcel Schlaf, PhD, is a Professor at the Department of Chemistry, University of Guelph, Canada.

Z. Conrad Zhang, PhD, is a Professor at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China.

Table of Contents:

Nanoscale Structure of Biomass.- Depolymerization of Cellulosic Biomass Catalyzed by Activated Carbons.- Advances in the conversion of short-chain carbohydrates: a mechanistic insight.- Differentiation of the Coordination Chemistry of Metal Chlorides in Catalytic Conversion of Glucose in Ionic Liquids.- Base-catalyzed reactions in biomass conversion: reactions mechanisms and catalysts deactivation.- Progress in the development of mesoporous solid acid and base catalysts for converting carbohydrates into platform chemicals.- Catalytic Oxidation Pathways for the Production of Carboxylic Acids from Biomass.- New Reaction Schemes for the Production of Biomass-Based Chemicals Created by Selective Catalytic Hydrogenolysis: Catalysts with Noble Metal and Tungsten.- Mechanism and Kinetic Analysis of the Hydrogenolysis of Cellulose to Polyols.