Several routes to biomass-derived aromatics have been reported. Among those, one important pathway is the selective Diels-Alder cycloaddition of furanic compounds, especially furan derivatives, with dienophiles such as bio-ethylene. High costs associated with the production of furan and its derivatives from biomass are currently the biggest drawback. Another fundamental route is the depolymerization of lignin by (catalytic) fast pyrolysis which yields a "bio-oil", a complex mixture of oxygenated aromatic compounds. These require extensive purification, separation, and deoxygenation to obtain alkyl aromatics suitable for downstream processing. A more selective but less explored pathway is the self-condensation of alkyl ketones. The C-Ccoupling reaction of alkanones via robust acid/base-catalyzed condensation is an efficient way to achieve deoxygenated aromatics from existing biorefinery streams, e.g., acetone from ABE fermentation, in a single-step reaction without further need for metal-catalyzed dehydrogenation or upgrading via deoxygenation with hydrogen. Furthermore, a highly promising carbonnegative route to acetone exists with gas-phase fermentation by autotrophic acetogens. Therefore, the efficient utilization of acetone via self-condensation for the formation of the aromatic product mesitylene (1,3,5-trimethylbenzene) is the focus of this study.