Recent progress in converting biomass to biofuels and renewable chemicals in sub- or supercritical water
2010
Cheng, Leming | Ye, X Philip
This review covers recent research and development undertaken in converting biomass (lignocelluloses, carbohydrates, waste vegetable oil and algae) to biofuels and renewable chemicals using sub- or supercritical water (SCW) as thermochemical reaction media. Applications of SCW technology in pretreating biomass for bioethanol production by fermentation and in hydrogen/methane production by gasification are not covered in this review. The focus is on research progress in understanding the conversion characteristics of model biomass compounds, such as hemicellulose, cellulose, triglycerides and, to a lesser extent, real heterogeneous biomass in SCW. Specific attention is given to promising reaction pathways and novel process development in SCW conversion of biomass and its model compounds. There are good opportunities for the use of biomass feedstocks and SCW technology in the production of liquid fuels for the transportation sector, as well as renewable chemicals for the chemical industry. However, a broad range of fundamental and exploratory research is still needed to advance understanding of the complex conversion chemistry of real biomass in SCW.
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