Chevron Funds Research on Polyols from Biomass as Intermediate Step to Hydrocarbon Fuels

13 August 2007

Midland Reporter-Telegram. Chevron recently provided a two-year, $600,000 grant to Dr. Mike Robinson at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin for research into establishing polyols from hydrolysis and hydrogenation of biomass carbohydrates as an intermediate platform for liquid hydrocarbon fuels.

Robinson and his students are developing methods to selectively hydrolyze and purify carbohydrates to remove naturally occurring trace impurities, leaving purified materials that will allow for a long-lived catalyst in the hydrogenation reaction to make polyols.

“This is the first in a couple of steps to make fuel,” Robinson explained. “First is fractionating the biomass into carbohydrates, which comprises about three-quarters of biomass. Second is the lignin or aromatics, a certain type of glue that holds wood together. Our main focus is on the carbohydrates and converting them into polyols. The next step after that is to take the polyols and convert them directly into hydrocarbons—gasoline, jet fuel and diesel.”