Decarbonisation Technology August 2025 Issue

Valorisation of ethanol as a renewable chemical feedstock Accelerated catalyst and process R&D to explore pathways for valorising bio-based ethanol enabled by high throughput technology

Matthias Stehle, Maurice Moll, Charlotte Langheck, and Benjamin Mutz hte GmbH

Introduction In response to growing global demand for sustainable alternatives to fossil-based resources, ethanol has emerged as a key platform molecule in the bio-based chemical industry. Its renewable origin, coupled with its versatility in catalytic transformations, positions ethanol as a highly promising feedstock to produce a wide range of chemicals and fuels ( De Jong, et al., 2020 ). It can be used as a starting material for many oxygenates and intermediates in the chemical industry, including acetic acid, fossil feedstocks suggests the use of ethanol can only prevail in places where fossil raw materials are more expensive, either regionally or due to government regulations, or where a higher product price can be achieved through consumer awareness. Bio-based ethanol can enhance energy security and play a role in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, aligning with global sustainability goals. acetaldehyde, butadiene, and ethylene. The need to be cost-competitive with Since 2020, ethanol production has exhibited growth rates of around 4% per year. The US and Brazil dominate the production landscape, utilising corn and sugarcane as the main feedstock, respectively. Together, they produced approximately 25 million gallons of ethanol in 2024, accounting for 80% of global production ( RFA, 2025 ). Many studies in catalytic conversion technologies have highlighted the significant potential of ethanol as a feedstock for producing high-value chemical intermediates ( Dagle, et al., 2020 ). Dehydration of ethanol results in ethylene, a critical building block

in the production of various petrochemicals, including polyethylene and ethylene oxide. Another application of green ethylene is the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) through oligomerisation. Moreover, ethanol can be dehydrogenated to acetaldehyde, which is an important precursor for a wide range of chemicals. This reaction route additionally provides access to green hydrogen (H 2 ). As consumer awareness and regulatory pressure for low-carbon materials continue to grow, the demand for bio-based plastics and intermediates is expected to increase, reinforcing the strategic importance of efficient and scalable ethanol valorisation technologies. Despite the progress being made in these catalytic conversion processes, challenges remain in optimising reaction pathways and catalyst performance for industrial applications. The primary aim of this study is to leverage high throughput experimentation technology to accelerate research and development in the catalytic conversion of ethanol. The two products, acetaldehyde and ethylene, serve as case studies. For this purpose, two different catalyst types are investigated in parallel: Cu- based catalysts for acetaldehyde production and Al 2 O 3 -based systems for ethylene production. In addition, different feedstock “ Demand for bio-based plastics and intermediates is expected to increase, reinforcing the strategic importance of efficient and scalable ethanol valorisation technologies ”