Furanylation and Subsequent Partial Hydrogenation of Biomass-derived Molecules for Innovative Diesel Fuel Production

By utilizing the reactive aldehyde of furfural and 5-methylfurfural, we elucidated a solvent-free pathway for generation of fuel candidate molecules through both homogeneous and heterogeneous acid-catalyzed furan condensation with 2-methylfuran.  The selective partial hydrogenation of the furan rings of the C_15­-C₁₆ products to their tetrahydrofuranyl analogs was also explored.