Tommaso Tabanelli

Associate Professor

Department of Industrial Chemistry "Toso Montanari"

Academic discipline: CHEM-04/A Industrial Chemistry

Research

Keywords: Catalysis, Green chemistry, organic carbonates, hydrogenation, oxidation, characterisation and valorisation of lignocellulosic biomass

Catalytic processes for the valorisation of lignocellulosic biomass toward the production of fuel additives, solvents and intermediates both in gas and liquid phase.
Glucose oxidation toward glucaric (and gluconic) acids.
Cellulose hydrolysis with heterogeneous acid catalysts.
Gas and liquid phase conversion of ethanol toward 1-butanol and higher alcohols (Guerbet reaction).
Nano-structured metal-based catalysts for oxidation and hydrogenation processes.
Catalytic transfer Hydrogenation of levulinic acid with alcohols (and bio-alcohols) toward gamma valerolactone and other valuable derivatives (both in liquid and gas-phase continuous flow reactors).
Butane oxidation toward maleic anhydride.
Organic carbonates synthesis and reactivity investigation as greener substitute for the derivatisation of phenolics and bio-based platform molecules.
Gas-phase ketonisation of carboxylic acid.
Sugars epimerisation.
Catalitic oxidative cleavage of fatty acids with molecular oxygen.
Hydrogenation of both hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and fatty acids in liquid phase (both in batch and continuous flow apparatus).