Reactor technology and modeling aspects for the hydrogenation of components from biomass

Catalyst concepts, reaction kinetics, transport phenomena, and reactor technology for hydrogenation of monosaccharides to sugar alcohols are addressed. The chapter highlights the pathway paved from green chemistry towards green process technology. Typically, the catalyst development and screening in addition to kinetic experiments are carried out in batch and semibatch reactors. However, the final goal of a sustainable process is associated with the performance characteristics of fixed-bed reactors. As such, the continuous reactor technology plays a fundamental role in establishing selective and efficient processes for the production of useful molecules from renewable sources. This chapter gives an overview of the important issues that should be considered during scaling up of monosaccharides hydrogenation from batch to continuous mode.