PNNL

Abstract

Technology to convert biomass to chemical building blocks provides an opportunity to displace fossil fuels and increase the economic viability of bio-refineries. Coupling fermentation capability with aqueous phase catalysis provides novel routes to monomers and chemicals, including those not accessible from petrochemical routes. Glutamic acid provides a platform to numerous compounds through thermochemical approaches including, hydrogentation, cyclyization, decarboxylation and deamination. Hydrogenation of amino acids also provides access into chiral compounds with high enantio-purity. This paper details aqueous phase hydrogenation reactions we have developed that lead to valuable chemical intermediates from glutamic acid.