Renewable Gasoline, Solvents, and Fuel Additives from 2,3-Butanediol.
2,3-Butanediol (2,3-BD) is a renewable alcohol that can be prepared in high yield from biomass sugars. 2,3-BD was selectively dehydrated in a solvent-free process to a complex mixture of 2-ethyl-2,4,5-trimethyl-1,3-dioxolanes and 4,5-dimethyl-2isopropyl dioxolanes with the heterogeneous acid catalyst Amberlyst-15. The purified dioxolane mixture exhibited an anti-knock index of 90.5, comparable to high octane gasoline, and a volumetric net heat of combustion 34 % higher than ethanol. The solubility of the dioxolane mixture in water was only 0.8 g per 100 mL, nearly an order of magnitude lower than the common gasoline oxygenate methyl tert-butyl ether. The dioxolane mixture has potential applications as a sustainable gasoline blending component, diesel oxygenate, and industrial solvent.
Research Department, Chemistry Division, US NAVY, NAWCWD, China Lake, California, 93555, USA. benjamin.g.harvey@navy.mil.
Benjamin G
BG
Harvey
Research Department, Chemistry Division, US NAVY, NAWCWD, China Lake, California, 93555, USA.
Walter W
WW
Merriman
Research Department, Chemistry Division, US NAVY, NAWCWD, China Lake, California, 93555, USA.
Roxanne L
RL
Quintana
D002072:Butylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry*; D005742:Gasoline; D012997:Solvents / Q000737:chemistry*; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D013343:Styrenes / Q000737:chemistry; D014783:Viscosity
D002072:Butylene Glycols; D005742:Gasoline; D012997:Solvents; D013343:Styrenes; C528218:amberlyst-15; C026978:2,3-butylene glycol
2,3-butanediol; bio-based; fuels; heterogeneous catalysis; renewable