Enabling the selective conversion of biomass-derived oxygenates to C4-C5 dienes

University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation May 2021. Major: Chemical Engineering. Advisors: Paul Dauenhauer, Michael Tsapatsis. 1 computer file (PDF); 704107Aaxvii, 216 pages.The catalytic conversion of biomass-derived saturated furans over zeotype solid acids affords a potentially renewable route to access conjugated C4-C5 dienes — commodity monomers in tires, plastics, adhesives, and resins. A lack of fundamental understanding of reaction mechanisms and pathways coupled with existing trial-and-error catalyst design approaches have limited diene yields to