The conversion and valorization of biomass derived platform molecules are among of the
most relevant and challenging activities of modern research in organic chemistry.
However, the development of researches and technologies for the upgrading of bio-based
compounds is a complex issue. In the past two decades, of the many analyses reported to
identify the most promising products or families of compounds that can be achieved from
biomass, the extensive work commissioned by the US Department of Energy in 2004 to
the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory (PNNL) and its revision in 2010 continue representing cornerstones in this field.
Among the so-called “top ten” bio-based compounds selected in these studies, levulinic
acid and glycerol cover a preeminent role. The reactivity of both these substrates has been
investigated in this PhD thesis.
The conversion and valorization of biomass derived platform molecules are among of the
most relevant and challenging activities of modern research in organic chemistry.
However, the development of researches and technologies for the upgrading of bio-based
compounds is a complex issue. In the past two decades, of the many analyses reported to
identify the most promising products or families of compounds that can be achieved from
biomass, the extensive work commissioned by the US Department of Energy in 2004 to
the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory (PNNL) and its revision in 2010 continue representing cornerstones in this field.
Among the so-called “top ten” bio-based compounds selected in these studies, levulinic
acid and glycerol cover a preeminent role. The reactivity of both these substrates has been
investigated in this PhD thesis.
