Abstract
In the last few years, the need to substantially lower anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions has boosted efforts to design biorefineries, where all parts of biomass are used to produce fuels and chemicals. 1,2-propanediol (1,2-PDO) has gained attention for its many, industry-relevant uses and for the success of the commercialization of the glycerol-based route. In face of the many uncertainties on the future bioeconomy, new routes for 1,2-PDO production are encouraged as a way to both diversify supply and add value to other products. That is the reason why catalysts for its production from cellulose have been developed over the last years. To provide a process-based perspective on that subject, this study presents a simulation-based analysis of the process, providing valuable information to fill in the gaps in present knowledge on the use of cellulose and sugars to produce 1,2-PDO. Thermodynamic simulations developed in Aspen Plus® v9 explored glucose hydrogenolysis to produce 1,2-PDO as a model compound representing cellulose.
