Homogeneous catalysis for the production of low-volume, high-value chemicals from biomass

The transition from petroleum to biorenewable sources of carbon to meet our energy and chemical feedstock needs is difficult, in part because these sources are so different, with petroleum being under-functionalized and biomass being over-functionalized relative to commercial chemicals. However, target lists such as the US Department of Energy’s Top 10 have converged efforts to develop the technologies needed to manufacture the most important feedstocks accessible from biorenewables. Less well defined but equally important to the economic viability of an integrated biorefinery are low-volume, high-value product streams, which would help offset the capital costs of a biorefinery. In this Review, we attempt to bring together some of the advances that could fill these niche areas, with a focus on the conversion of cellulosics into chemicals using homogeneous catalysis. The products range from high-value jet fuels to monomers for high-performance polymers and materials to pharmaceutical intermediates and cover a broad range of structural complexities. A move away from fossil fuels as an energy source will also require a move to new sources for important chemical feedstocks. This Review considers the use of homogeneous catalysis to convert cellulosics into low-volume, high-value chemicals that are currently derived from crude oil.