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ZEOLITE CATALYSIS

Torn between two sites

Nature Materials volume 19, pages 5–6 (2020)Cite this article

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Mild Lewis and Brønsted acid sites within the confined porous structure of a Nb–Al-containing zeolite work in co-operation to efficiently break down bio-based γ-valerolactone to butenes.

Today, about 10% of oil and gas goes to the production of chemicals (‘petrochemicals’), mainly light alkenes and aromatics, which are primarily used as building blocks for plastics. Current growth in demand for petrochemicals is estimated at 4% per annum1 and, therefore, it is expected that when demand for liquid transportation fuels softens at the end of the century, the majority of fossil oil and gas resources will be used for chemical manufacturing. This would make the petrochemicals sector one of the main CO2 emitters. Using biomass may offer a more sustainable way to produce chemicals and materials in the future, therefore pathways for biomass conversion are being developed2, for which the design of efficient catalysts is crucial3.

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Fig. 1: Structure of γ-valerolactone bound between the Lewis and Brønsted sites in NbAlS-1 to form butene and CO2.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis, Debye Institute of Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Baira Donoeva & Krijn P. de Jong

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  1. Baira Donoeva
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  2. Krijn P. de Jong
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Correspondence to Baira Donoeva or Krijn P. de Jong.

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Donoeva, B., de Jong, K.P. Torn between two sites. Nat. Mater. 19, 5–6 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-019-0568-0

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