Showing 15 results for Author: Michael J. Cordon
Aug, 2026
Journal
Waste terpenes from wood drying are typically processed using a Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer (RTO) and converted to CO2 which is then released to the atmosphere. A novel alternative to this approach is to capture these terpenes using Fluidized Bed Concentrator (FBC) technology developed by CaptisAire which provides a useful waste carbon feedstock for subsequent upgrading.…
Aug, 2026
Journal
Zeolitic Brønsted acid sites catalyze carbocation rearrangements central to upgrading biomass-derived oxygenates. Here we elucidate the mechanism of dioxolane conversion to methyl ethyl ketone and isobutanal on H-ZSM-5 using periodic density functional theory on the MFI model, complemented by ab initio molecular dynamics to probe confinement effects. Dioxolane adsorption a…
Aug, 2026
Journal
Direct conversion of bioethanol to C3+ olefins is a promising pathway for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production, but catalyst deactivation limits long-term operation. The stability and deactivation mechanisms of multifunctional Cu–Y/Beta zeolite catalysts were investigated for ethanol-to-olefins conversion over 300 h time-on-stream in the presence of H2. Catalytic tes…
Jul, 2026
Journal
This work outlines an optimized process for converting 2,3-butanediol (BDO) into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and C4 chemicals. BDO is reactively separated from fermentation broth by forming dioxolanes, which are converted to isobutyraldehyde, methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), and 1,3-butadiene. These intermediates are reduced and dehydrated over Cu/ZSM-5 to form alkenes, whic…
Sep, 2025
Journal
The production of aviation biofuel precursors from biomass-derived ketones by heterogeneous catalysis has been hindered by the low catalytic activity. Herein, a series of Cu-doped metal oxide catalysts were prepared for the conversion of biomass-derived ketones to aviation biofuel precursors. Solvent-free cyclopentanone conversion via aldol condensation reached 91.1 % over…
May, 2025
Journal
Fossil fuel fired power plants are generally expected to remain one of the most significant global sources of electricity for decades to come. Consequently, carbon management technologies are needed to reduce or eliminate ongoing emissions from these sources. Amongst the many techniques for carbon capture, aqueous amine-based absorbents (monoethanolamine, MEA, in particula…
Aug, 2024
Journal
In this work, yttrium containing dealuminated Beta zeolites (Y/deAlBeta) were synthesized and characterized by various spectroscopic techniques to improve understanding of ethanol upgrading over these materials. Characterization results indicate yttrium atoms partially condense with framework silanol nests formed during dealumination of parent Al-Beta supports. Active site…
Jun, 2024
Journal
The cost-effective production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) remains a major challenge within the energy sector. One approach to address this is the fermentation of biomass feedstocks into oxygenates followed by catalytic conversion to alkenes or other oligomerization precursors. 2,3-Butanediol (BDO) is a promising fermentation product due to its four-carbon nature, i…
Apr, 2024
Journal
Bioethanol to middle distillate technologies have offered a unique solution to produce renewable aviation fuel for decarbonizing the hard-to-electrify sectors. Here, we have developed the series of bimetallic Cu- and rare earth-containing (RE) Beta zeolite catalysts that yield high C3+ alkene selectivity from ethanol upgrading (>80% selectivity at ∼100% conversion, 623 K).…
Nov, 2023
Journal
Carboxylic acid ketonization has recently gained significant attention to produce biomass-derived hydrocarbon fuels as it not only removes the highly reactive carboxylic functional group but also increases the size of the carbon chain. In this study, Ca-doped CeO2-based catalysts were investigated for acetic acid ketonization using a combined experimental and computational…
Nov, 2023
Journal
The selective production of C3+ olefins from renewable feedstocks, especially via C1 and C2 platform chemicals, is a critical challenge for obtaining economically viable low-carbon middle-distillate transportation fuels (i.e., jet and diesel). Here, we report a multifunctional catalyst system composed of Zn–Y/Beta and “single-atom” alloy (SAA) Pt–Cu/Al2O3, which selectivel…
Nov, 2023
Journal
Direct and selective production of C3+ olefins from bioethanol remains a critical challenge and important for the production of renewable transportation fuels such as aviation biofuels. Here, we report a Cu–Zn–Y/Beta catalyst for selective ethanol conversion to butene-rich C3+ olefins (88% selectivity at 100% ethanol conversion, 623 K), where the Cu, Zn, and Y sites are al…