Spray foam plays an important role in building insulation. By far, the only commercially available spray foam is petroleum-based polyurethane foam produced by reacting isocyanate and polyol. This project aims to investigate bio-oil acrylate-amine (BOAA) foam insulation materials with the following characteristics: 1) Bio content >60%; 2) R value 3.4-6.7 (the same R range for […]

Bio-oil derived from fast pyrolysis and hydrothermal liquefaction of lignocellulosic biomass usually contains a high oxygen content (30-50%), leading to a relatively low heating value, high viscosity and poor stability. Moreover, the presence of organic acids in crude bio-oil results in low pH value and hence corrosion of the reactor materials (steel or alloys). To […]

In this project, a series of highly efficient and highly selective multifunctional Guerbet catalysts are developed and will be investigated for the condensation of low alcohols to high alcohols in a continuous-flow reactor. Low energy density bioethanol and methanol will be upgraded to n-butanol and iso-butanol with high energy content comparable to gasoline with high […]