Back Cover: Catalytic Oxidation of Biorefinery Lignin to Value-added Chemicals to Support Sustainable Biofuel Production (ChemSusChem 1/2015)

This research assessed the viability to use disposable diapers as a substrate for the production of biohydrogen, a valuable clean-energy source. The important content of cellulose of disposable diapers indicates that this waste could be an attractive substrate for biofuel production. Two incubation temperatures (35 °C and 55 °C) and three diaper conditioning methods (whole diapers with faeces, urine, and plastics, WD; diapers without plastic components, with urine and faeces, DWP; diapers with urine but without faeces and plastic, MSD) were tested in batch bioreactors. The bioreactors were operated in the solid substrate anaerobic hydrogenogenic fermentation with intermittent venting mode (SSAHF-IV). The batch reactors were loaded with the substrate at ca. 25% of total solids and 10% w/w inoculum. The average cumulative bioH2 production followed the order WD > MSD > DWP. The bio-H2 production using MSD was unexpectedly higher than DWP; the presence of plastics in the first was expected to be associated to lower degradability and H2 yield. BioH2 production at 55 °C was superior to that of 35 °C, probably owing to a more rapid microbial metabolism in the thermophilic regime. The results of this work showed low yields in the production of H2 at both temperatures compared with those reported in the literature for municipal and agricultural organic waste. The studied process could improve the ability to dispose of this residue with H2 generation as the value-added product. Research is ongoing to increase the yield of biohydrogen production from waste disposable diapers.

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Solvent-free liquid-phase selective catalytic oxidation of toluene to benzyl alcohol and benzaldehyde over CeO2-MnOx composite oxides

Reaction Chemistry & Engineering ◽

10.1039/d1re00488c ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Gui Chen ◽

Kuiyi You ◽

Xiangbo Gong ◽

Fangfang Zhao ◽

Zhenpan Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Liquid Phase ◽

Benzyl Alcohol ◽

Catalytic Oxidation ◽

Molecular Oxygen ◽

Efficient Method ◽

Value Added ◽

Solvent Free ◽

Composite Oxides ◽

Selective Catalytic Oxidation

An efficient method for highly selective preparation of the high value-added benzyl alcohol (BOL) and benzaldehyde (BAL) from liquid-phase catalytic oxidation of toluene with molecular oxygen over CeO2-MnOx composite oxides...

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Synthesis and characterization of rice husk biochar via hydrothermal carbonization for wastewater treatment and biofuel production

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-75936-3 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Nazia Hossain ◽

Sabzoi Nizamuddin ◽

Gregory Griffin ◽

Periasamy Selvakannan ◽

Nabisab Mujawar Mubarak ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rice Husk ◽

Agricultural Waste ◽

Value Added ◽

Hydrothermal Carbonization ◽

Catalytic Performance ◽

Biofuel Production ◽

Suspension Stability ◽

Waste Biomass ◽

Suitable Material ◽

Rice Husk Biochar

Abstract The recent implication of circular economy in Australia spurred the demand for waste material utilization for value-added product generations on a commercial scale. Therefore, this experimental study emphasized on agricultural waste biomass, rice husk (RH) as potential feedstock to produce valuable products. Rice husk biochar (RB) was obtained at temperature: 180 °C, pressure: 70 bar, reaction time: 20 min with water via hydrothermal carbonization (HTC), and the obtained biochar yield was 57.9%. Enhancement of zeta potential value from − 30.1 to − 10.6 mV in RB presented the higher suspension stability, and improvement of surface area and porosity in RB demonstrated the wastewater adsorption capacity. Along with that, an increase of crystallinity in RB, 60.5%, also indicates the enhancement of the catalytic performance of the material significantly more favorable to improve the adsorption efficiency of transitional compounds. In contrast, an increase of the atomic O/C ratio in RB, 0.51 delineated high breakdown of the cellulosic component, which is favorable for biofuel purpose. 13.98% SiO2 reduction in RB confirmed ash content minimization and better quality of fuel properties. Therefore, the rice husk biochar through HTC can be considered a suitable material for further application to treat wastewater and generate bioenergy.

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Solvent-induced membrane stress in biofuel production: molecular insights from small-angle scattering and all-atom molecular dynamics simulations

Green Chemistry ◽

10.1039/d0gc01865a ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (23) ◽

pp. 8278-8288 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Micholas Dean Smith ◽

Sai Venkatesh Pingali ◽

James G. Elkins ◽

Dima Bolmatov ◽

Robert F. Standaert ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Molecular Dynamics ◽

Small Angle ◽

Value Added ◽

Small Angle Scattering ◽

Biofuel Production ◽

Membrane Stress ◽

Induced Membrane ◽

Angle Scattering ◽

Green Fuels ◽

Dynamics Simulations

Small-angle-scattering and molecular simulation reveal the disruptive impact of organic solvents on model microbial membranes limiting the economical production of green fuels and value-added chemicals from lignocellulose (Image by: Jill Hemman, ORNL).

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Design of a combined ionosolv-organosolv biomass fractionation process for biofuel production and high value-added lignin valorisation

Green Chemistry ◽

10.1039/d0gc01143f ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (15) ◽

pp. 5161-5178

Author(s):

Meng Chen ◽

Francisco Malaret ◽

Anton E. J. Firth ◽

Pedro Verdía ◽

Aida R. Abouelela ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ionic Liquid ◽

Ionic Liquids ◽

Value Added ◽

Biofuel Production ◽

Protic Ionic Liquids ◽

Fractionation Process ◽

Biomass Fractionation

IonoSolv pretreatment using protic ionic liquids has shown impressive biomass fractionation performance and ionic liquid recyclability.

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Synergy of biofuel production with waste remediation along with value-added co-products recovery through microalgae cultivation: A review of membrane-integrated green approach

The Science of The Total Environment ◽

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134169 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 698 ◽

pp. 134169 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Ramesh Kumar ◽

Alak Kumar Ghosh ◽

Parimal Pal

Keyword(s):

Value Added ◽

Biofuel Production ◽

Microalgae Cultivation ◽

Waste Remediation ◽

Green Approach

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Rank-Ordered Analysis of Consumer Preferences for the Attributes of a Value-Added Biofuel Co-Product

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12062363 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (6) ◽

pp. 2363 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yejun Choi ◽

Dayton M. Lambert ◽

Kimberly L. Jensen ◽

Christopher D. Clark ◽

Burton C. English ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Consumer Preferences ◽

Value Added ◽

Wood Waste ◽

Biofuel Production ◽

Energy Crop ◽

Waste Wood ◽

Consumer Demographics ◽

A Value ◽

Best Worst Scaling ◽

Potential Market

Biochar is a co-product of the production of advanced biofuels that sequesters carbon when used as a soil amendment. Gardening consumers are a potential market for biochar and their purchase of biochar-amended products could provide biofuel producers with an additional revenue stream. To better understand this opportunity, preferences for the attributes of potting soils amended with biochar were elicited using a best-worst scaling experiment administered in a survey of 880 Tennessee households. The attributes analyzed were whether the biochar was produced in Tennessee, certified as biobased, a coproduct of biofuel production, and produced from food waste, wood waste, agricultural by-product, or a non-food energy crop feedstock. The effects of consumer demographics and attitudes on preferences for the biochar attributes were also estimated. We tested the independence of irrelevant alternative assumption using a structured covariance matrix designed specifically to the survey’s structure. The results suggest that the attributes most likely to influence favorably consumers are production from agricultural by-product or wood waste feedstock. On the other hand, the attributes least likely to entice consumers are biochar produced in Tennessee or produced as a co-product of renewable fuel.

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Novel Effect of Zinc Nitrate/Vanadyl Oxalate for Selective Catalytic Oxidation of α-Hydroxy Esters to α-Keto Esters with Molecular Oxygen: An In Situ ATR-IR Study

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules24071281 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 24 (7) ◽

pp. 1281 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yongwei Ju ◽

Zhongtian Du ◽

Chuhong Xiao ◽

Xingfei Li ◽

Shuang Li

Keyword(s):

Catalytic Activity ◽

Catalytic Oxidation ◽

Molecular Oxygen ◽

Aerobic Oxidation ◽

Value Added ◽

Attenuated Total Reflection ◽

Reaction Conditions ◽

Keto Esters ◽

Selective Catalytic Oxidation ◽

Hydroxy Esters

Selective oxidation of α-hydroxy esters is one of the most important methods to prepare high value-added α-keto esters. An efficient catalytic system consisting of Zn(NO3)2/VOC2O4 is reported for catalytic oxidation of α-hydroxy esters with molecular oxygen. Up to 99% conversion of methyl DL-mandelate or methyl lactate could be facilely obtained with high selectivity for its corresponding α-keto ester under mild reaction conditions. Zn(NO3)2 exhibited higher catalytic activity in combination with VOC2O4 compared with Fe(NO3)3 and different nitric oxidative gases were detected by situ attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-IR) spectroscopy. UV-vis and ATR-IR results indicated that coordination complex formed in Zn(NO3)2 in CH3CN solution was quite different from Fe(NO3)3; it is proposed that the charge-transfer from Zn2+ to coordinated nitrate groups might account for the generation of different nitric oxidative gases. The XPS result indicate that nitric oxidative gas derived from the interaction of Zn(NO3)2 with VOC2O4 could be in favor of oxidizing VOC2O4 to generate active vanadium (V) species. It might account for different catalytic activity of Zn(NO3)2 or Fe(NO3)3 combined with VOC2O4. This work contributes to further development of efficient aerobic oxidation under mild reaction conditions.

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