Research Projects

The chemical industry relies heavily on crude oil for producing various chemicals and polymers. The depletion of fossil fuel reserves is forcing the use of renewable resources for chemical and fuel production. Non-renewable fossil sources, such as coal, natural gas, and petroleum, account for nearly 86 percent of the world's energy. To phase out these sources, a viable option is carbohydrate and cellulosic biomass-derived furan-based fuels, which have superior fuel properties. However, high production costs and the availability of effective catalysts have limited their utilization. A unique Lewis acidic and Lewis-Brønsted acid heterogeneous mesoporous catalytic system based on supported and functionalized metal oxide is proposed. These catalysts will be tested for the production of hydroxymethylfurfural HMF in aqueous systems, as well as other next-generation biofuels. The objectives include solid acid catalyst design, characterization, process conditions, catalyst tuning, optimization of stability, recyclability, selectivity, spent catalyst characterization, catalyst modification, process optimization for value-added products, scale-up at 500g scale, and technological advancement for industries.