Hydrothermal amination of biomass to nitrogenous chemicals

Biomass is the most abundant and low-cost renewable source for the production of value-added nitrogen-containing compounds. However, a large amount of water exists in natural biomass and relevant bio-derivatives, which often need to be removed prior to conducting valorization processes. Direct use of wet biomass and bio-derivatives as feedstocks definitely avoids energy consumption of drying processes, in which water acts as a reactive medium and is friendly to the environment and reaction devices. Hydrothermal amination of wet biomass feedstocks is thus an attractive technical strategy for producing nitrogen-containing compounds. This review summarizes state-of-the-art technologies in hydrothermal amination of natural biomass, bio-polymeric derivatives, and bio-based platform molecules with or without nitrogenous species into organonitrogen chemicals. Efforts are made to shed light on conversion routes and economic/environmental impacts of biomass hydrothermal amination. Challenges and perspectives on the large-scale production of biomass-derived nitrogenous compounds are also put forward.

Automated summary

Utilizing wet biomass for hydrothermal amination is an effective technical strategy that reduces energy consumption and is environmentally friendly. This technology can convert natural biomass, bio-polymeric derivatives, and bio-based platform molecules into organonitrogen chemicals, with significant potential for large-scale production.