Critical assessment of reaction pathways for conversion of agricultural waste biomass into formic acid

Feng Shen; Richard Lee Smith Jr.; Jialu Li; Haixin Guo; Xiao Zhang; Xinhua Qi

doi:10.1039/D0GC04263C

Critical assessment of reaction pathways for conversion of agricultural waste biomass into formic acid

Feng Shen,

^a Richard Lee Smith Jr.,

*^b Jialu Li,

^a Haixin Guo,

^b Xiao Zhang

^c and Xinhua Qi

*^d

Author affiliations

* Corresponding authors

^a Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, No. 31 Fukang Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300191, China

^b Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Research Center of Supercritical Fluid Technology, Tohoku University, Aramaki Aza Aoba 6-6-11, Aoba, Sendai 980-8579, Japan
E-mail: smith@scf.che.tohoku.ac.jp

^c School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin, China

^d College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, No. 38, Tongyan Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin 300350, China
E-mail: qixinhua@nankai.edu.cn

Abstract

Reaction pathways for conversion of agricultural waste biomass into formic acid are reviewed for established (fast pyrolysis, acid hydrolysis, wet oxidation, catalytic oxidation), and cutting-edge (photocatalysis, electrocatalysis) methods. Characteristics of each reaction pathway are analyzed and ranked with sustainability indicators (environment, economic, social) and lead to the conclusion that catalytic oxidation has the highest sustainability score for conversion of agricultural waste biomass to formic acid in terms of yield, waste emissions, feedstock cost, and innovation potential. Reaction systems for catalytic oxidation are analyzed in detail including catalysts, oxidants, solvents, catalyst recycle and product separation including large-scale aspects. Future perspectives and challenges for the efficient conversion of agricultural waste biomass into formic acid are proposed.

This article is part of the themed collection: Green Chemistry Reviews

Article information

https://doi.org/10.1039/D0GC04263C

Article type

Critical Review

Submitted

17 Dec 2020

Accepted

15 Feb 2021

First published

16 Feb 2021

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Green Chem., 2021,23, 1536-1561

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Critical assessment of reaction pathways for conversion of agricultural waste biomass into formic acid

F. Shen, R. L. Smith Jr., J. Li, H. Guo, X. Zhang and X. Qi, Green Chem., 2021, 23, 1536 DOI: 10.1039/D0GC04263C

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Green Chemistry

Critical assessment of reaction pathways for conversion of agricultural waste biomass into formic acid

Abstract

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Critical assessment of reaction pathways for conversion of agricultural waste biomass into formic acid

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