Separation and Recovery of High-value Pentose Derivatives from Cellulosic Biomass using Mol+

Cellulosic biomass is anticipated to be a broadly used raw material for biorefineries in the near future. One of the primary products of those refineries wilt be ethanol for renewable energy applications, but the long-term economic viability of bioethanol production will require the development of integrated biorefineries to generate a range of chemical feedstocks similar to the breadth of feedstocks produced by petroleum refineries. In the current approach to biomass conversion, hemicellulose-based (CS) saccharides are both underutilized building blocks for the production of commodity chemicals and problematic in the conversion of cellulosic feedstocks to ethanol. The goal of this project is to develop advanced ceramic materials suitable for the selective separation and recovery of desired C5 (pentose) saccharides from pretreated cellulosic biomass. These stable, scalable, reusable, and portable materials will be demonstrated in processes for simultaneous treatment of cellulose and recovery of C5 sugars. A team of four experienced investigators (with expertise in Chemical and Materials Engineering, Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, and Synthetic Chemistry) will lead the execution of this project. A multi- disciplinary and multi-university approach allows a synergism in experimental techniques, design and analysis that would not be possible with a single investigator.