(375d) Hybrid Reaction Pathways to Renewable Diol Monomers

Transformation of lignocellulosic biomass to valuable chemicals and materials requires precise control to targeted molecule products. In this work, a hybrid fermentation/catalytic approach identifies reaction pathways to key diol monomers useful to the synthesis of polyester materials. Three fermentation diacid products were fermented from glucose, and subsequent catalytic reduction achieved sufficient yield and product purity for process efficacy. Supported metal catalysts were evaluated for various site/support combinations, with the best catalysts achieving over 80% yield to the targeted diol product. Novel diol monomers were shown to exhibit new physical properties in combination with biomass-derived diacids in new polyester polymers, thus providing unique biodegradable materials.