WASTE CONVERSION OF BIOMASS IN
FURAN DERIVATIVES FOR USE AS BIOFUEL
Project acronym: CARFURAL
Contract: no. 95/1.07.2014
Project PN: II/2013
Funding: Program 4 - Partnerships in priority areas - National Plan for Research, Development and Innovation II.
Project category: PC
The project (budget): 1,250,000 lei
Duration: 24 months (2014-2016)
The project aims consist in lignocellulosic waste transforming into chemical substances with high value-added to be used as biofuel, by production and processing of chemical entities: furfural and 5- (alkoxymethyl) furfural.
PRESENTATION:
The CARFURAL project concept is based on the idea that biofuels based on furan derivatives, such as those derived from lignocellulosic wastes, are an alternative to the ethanol from biomass as fuel. A key issue for cellulosic ethanol is the difficulty and high cost of fermentable sugars production from lignocellulosic biomass. In addition, ethanol is volatile, hydrophilic, potentially corrosive to engines, and has relatively low energy content compared to gasoline or diesel.
The use of biofuels based on furan derivatives as components in diesel or gasoline will reduce vehicle emissions, for example carbon monoxide, fine particulate matter and unburned hydrocarbons. These emissions contribute to air pollution and are an important factor in creating smog in some cities. Health effects of inhalation of airborne particles have been extensively studied in humans and animals and include asthma, lung cancer, cardiovascular problems and premature death.
CARFURAL project was designed to develop new production technologies for a specific platform of high performance biofuels, by a multi-disciplinary team composed from three partners.
PARTNERS:
Project Coordinator: Research Institute Auxiliary Organic Products Medias SA (ICPAO) Carpathian Street, nr 8, 551022, Sibiu, Sibiu County
Project Manager - eng. Augustin Crucean
Partner 1: National Research and Development Institute for Chemical and Petrochemical ICECHIM (ICECHIM) Spl. Independence, no. 202, sector 6, 06021, Bucharest
Project Manager - Dr.eng. Sanda Velea
Partner 2: University NIED (UPG) Bd. Bucuresti 39, 100520, Ploiesti, Prahova County
Project Manager - Prof.dr.eng. Paul Rosca
OBJECTIVES:
Overall objective of the CARFURAL project is lignocellulosic waste transforming in two mainly chemical structures: furfural and 5- (alkoxymethyl) furfural, followed by processing, of these, for biofuels production with applications as components or additives for gasoline or diesel, in order to improve their characteristics.
Specific objectives:
O1: Development of technologies for the production of furfural and 5- (alkoxymethyl) furfural by catalytic conversion of lignocellulosic wastes.
O2: Development of technologies to produce dioxacyclane furyls derivatives, for use as a biofuel
O3: Development of technologies for the production of furyl-dioxacyclan derivatives esterified
O4: Development of technologies for the production of furan and tetrahydrofuran derivatives, by selectively hydrogenating of 5- (alkoxymethyl) furfural, for use as biofuels
O5: Development of technologies for obtaining derivatives, dioxacyclane-tetrahydrofuryls, by dioxacyclane-furyls hydrogenation, to be used as biofuels
O6: Development of technologies for the selective hydrogenation catalyst, to obtain derivatives of furan and tetrahydrofuran, and testing of the products
O7: Development of technology for the production of hybrid biodiesel, by processing waste on the basis of fatty acids triglycerides and carbohydrates
POSSIBLE APPLICATIONS WITH POTENTIAL MARKET
Innovative technologies to manufacture the following product categories with direct applications and market potential:
- furfural and 5- (alkoxymethyl) furfural - intermediate process (for biofuels based on furan derivatives) and finished products (other potential uses, eg phenol resins, furan resins, urea-furan, solvents, etc.)
- dioxacyclane-furyls derivatives, the condensation of furfural and 5- (alkoxymethyl) furfural with glycerol (eg, alkoxy, = OCH3, -OC2H5, -O-C3H7, etc.).
- dioxacyclane-furyls esters obtained from esterification products of condensation of furfural and 5- (alkoxymethyl) furfural with glycerol
- derivatives of furan and tetrahydrofuran, from the hydrogenation of 5- (alkoxymethyl) furfural
- dioxacyclane-furyls derived from hydrogenation of furfural and 5- (alkoxymethyl) furfural condensation products with glycerol.
- hydrogenation catalyst
- hybrid biodiesel.
CONTACT
Project Manager - eng. Augustin Crucean
tel: +40 269-843.601
tel/fax: +40 269-831.039, 831.377
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