Biomass Conversion to Value-Added Chemicals and Fuels Using Natural Minerals as Catalysts or Catalytic Supports

Biofuels and value-added chemicals can be produced using biomass. These prod-ucts can substitute the corresponding petroleum-based ones, reducing the carbon foot-print, ensuring domestic production and minimization/exploitation of organic wastes in a circular economy philosophy. Natural mineral-based catalysts seem to be a prom-ising, eco-friendly and low-cost approach for biomass valorization. This article at-tempts to highlight the potential of natural mineral-based catalysts for various pro-cesses targeting to the above valorization. Natural zeolites and clays can be used as catalysts/CO2 adsorbents and catalytic supports in various biorefinery processes (py-rolysis, gasification, hydrothermal liquefaction, esterification/transesterification, hy-drotreatment, cracking, isomerization, oxidation, condensation etc.). Acid/base and textural properties of these materials are key factors for their catalytic performance and can be easily regulated by suitable treatments discussed in this article. The appli-cation of natural minerals in biorefinery processes makes them greener, cost-affordable and easily scalable.