A perspective on catalytic hydropyrolysis of biomass

Recent research has shown that catalytic hydropyrolysis is a promising method for production of liquid hydrocarbon fuels from lignocellulosic biomass. However, only limited research has been conducted within this field and the process is still not well-understood. Based on the available literature and research in our laboratories we identified the most important reactions and propose a mechanistic model for catalytic hydropyrolysis of biomass. The influence of the hydrogenation catalyst on the product distribution and composition as well as deactivation of the catalyst are discussed. Catalytic hydropyrolysis is compared with other pyrolysis technologies, such as non-catalytic and catalytic fast pyrolysis and the challenges for catalytic hydropyrolysis are highlighted and discussed. •Catalytic hydropyrolysis of biomass produces high quality transportation fuels.•The reaction mechanisms of catalytic hydropyrolysis are discussed.•Challenges for catalytic hydropyrolysis and strategies for mitigation are summarized.•The effects of catalyst choice and catalyst deactivation are reviewed.