N2O–Assisted Siphon Foaming of Modified Galactoglucomannans With Cellulose Nanofibers

Foaming of most bio-based polymers is challenged by low pore formation and foam stability. At the same time, the developing utilization of bio-based materials for the circular economy is placing new demands for easily processable, low-density materials from renewable raw materials. In this work, we investigate cellulose nanofiber (CNF) foams in which foaming is facilitated with wood-based hemicelluloses, galactoglucomannans (GGMs). Interfacial activity of the GGM is modulated via modification of the molecule’s amphiphilicity, where the surface tension is decreased from approximately 70 to 30 mN m−1 for unmodified and modified GGM, respectively. The chemical modification of GGMs by substitution with butyl glycidyl ether increased the molecule’s hydrophobicity and interaction with the nanocellulose component. The highest specific foam volume using 1 wt% CNF was achieved when modified GGM was added (3.1 ml g−1), compared to unmodified GGM with CNF (2.1 ml g−1). An amount of 96 and 98% of the GGM and GGM-BGE foams were lost after 15 min of foaming while the GGM and GGM-BGE with cellulose nanofibers lost only 33 and 28% of the foam respectively. In the case of GGM-BGE, the foam stability increased with increasing nanofiber concentration. This suggests that the altered hydrophobicity facilitated increased foam formation when the additive was incorporated in the CNF suspension and foamed with nitrous oxide (N2O). Thus, the hydrophobic character of the modified GGM was a necessity for foam formation and stability while the CNFs were needed for generating a self-standing foam structure.

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Hydrogenolysis of glucose and fructose in glycol solutions over CuO-MgO-ZrO2 catalyst

Catalysis and petrochemistry ◽

10.15407/kataliz2020.30.048 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 48-55

Author(s):

M.E. Sharanda ◽

◽

E.A. Bondarenko ◽

Keyword(s):

Ethylene Glycol ◽

Propylene Glycol ◽

Flow Reactor ◽

General Trend ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Reaction Products ◽

Renewable Raw Materials ◽

High Partial Pressure ◽

Zro2 Catalyst ◽

Phase Process

Ethylene glycol and propylene glycol are important representatives of polyols. On an industrial scale, they are obtained from petrochemical raw materials. Within a decade, significant efforts were made for the producing of polyols from biologically renewable raw materials - carbohydrates. The general trend for carbohydrate hydrogenolysis includes application of liquid-phase process with the use of modified metal-oxide catalysts, at 120-120 ° C and pressure of 3MPa or above. So high pressure is used for the reason to increase hydrogen solubility, and also due to the high partial pressure of low boiling solvents. We supposed that usage of high boiling solvents could allow hydrogenolysis to be performed at the lower pressure. Ethylene glycol and propylene glycol are of particular interest as such kind of solvent since they are both the main products of glucose hydrogenolysis. In this work, the process of hydrogenolysis of glucose and fructose over Cu / MgO-ZrO2 catalyst have been studied at temperature range of 160-200 °C and a pressure of 0.1-0.3 MPa in a flow reactor. The solvents were simultaneously the target products of the reaction - ethylene glycol and / or propylene glycol. Gas chromatography and 13C NMR were used for the reaction products identification. It was found that the solubility of glucose in propylene glycol is 21 % by weight, and in ethylene glycol 62% by weight. It was pointed out that the process of hydrogenolysis can take place at a pressure close to atmospheric. Under these conditions, the conversion of hexoses reaches 96-100 %. The reaction products are preferably propylene glycol and ethylene glycol. The total selectivity for C3-2 polyols is 90-94 %, that is higher than in the hydrogenolysis of glucose in aqueous solution.

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European experience in transition to circular economy

Economic Analysis Theory and Practice ◽

10.24891/ea.19.4.598 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 19 (4) ◽

pp. 598-617 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

S.V. Ratner

Keyword(s):

European Union ◽

Circular Economy ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Action Plan ◽

National Level ◽

The European Union ◽

Scientific Methods ◽

European Experience ◽

General Scientific ◽

The Eu

Subject. The article considers the concept of circular economy, which has originated relatively recently in the academic literature, and is now increasingly recognized in many countries at the national level. In the European Union, the transition to circular economy is viewed as an opportunity to improve competitiveness of the European Union, protect businesses from resource shortages and fluctuating prices for raw materials and supplies, and a way to increase employment and innovation. Objectives. The aim of the study is to analyze the incentives developed by the European Commission for moving to circular economy, and to assess their effectiveness on the basis of statistical analysis. Methods. I employ general scientific methods of research. Results. The analysis of the EU Action Plan for the Circular Economy enabled to conclude that the results of the recent research in circular economy barriers, eco-innovation, technology and infrastructure were successfully integrated into the framework of this document. Understanding the root causes holding back the circular economy development and the balanced combination of economic and administrative incentives strengthened the Action Plan, and it contributed to the circular economy development in the EU. Conclusions. The measures to stimulate the development of the circular economy proposed in the European Action Plan can be viewed as a prototype for designing similar strategies in other countries, including Russia. Meanwhile, a more detailed analysis of barriers to the circular economy at the level of individual countries and regions is needed.

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Circular Bioeconomy Business Models to Overcome the Valley of Death. A Systematic Statistical Analysis of Studies and Projects in Emerging Bio-Based Technologies and Trends Linked to the SME Instrument Support

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13041899 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 1899

Author(s):

Fabiana Gatto ◽

Ilaria Re

Keyword(s):

Circular Economy ◽

Success Factors ◽

Business Models ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Action Plan ◽

Future Perspective ◽

The European Union ◽

Strategic Orientations ◽

Start Ups ◽

Valley Of Death

Reducing the environmental pressure along the products life cycle, increasing efficiency in the consumption of resources and use of renewable raw materials, and shifting the economic system toward a circular and a climate-neutral model represent the heart of the current macro-trends of the European Union (EU) policy agendas. The circular economy and bioeconomy concepts introduced in the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan and the Bioeconomy Strategy support innovation in rethinking economic systems focusing on market uptaking of greener solutions based on less-intensive resource consumption. In recent decades, industrial research has devoted enormous investments to demonstrate sustainable circular bio-based business models capable of overcoming the “Valley of Death” through alternative strategic orientations of “technological-push” and “market-pull”. The study highlights industrial research’s evolution on bio-based circular business model validation, trends, and topics with particular attention to the empowering capacity of start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to close the loops in renewable biological use and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. The research methodology involves a bibliographic search based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) approach and the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator Data Hub investigation to understand SMEs’ key success factors and start-ups of the circular bioeconomy sector. Eco and bio-based materials, nutraceuticals, and microalgae represent the most sustainable industry applications, leading to circular bioeconomy business models’ future perspective.

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Influence of biological origin on the tensile properties of cellulose nanopapers

Cellulose ◽

10.1007/s10570-021-03935-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Katri S. Kontturi ◽

Koon-Yang Lee ◽

Mitchell P. Jones ◽

William W. Sampson ◽

Alexander Bismarck ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tensile Strength ◽

Cell Wall ◽

Bacterial Cellulose ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Cellulose Nanofibers ◽

Nanofibrillated Cellulose ◽

Primary Cell Wall ◽

Biological Origin ◽

Basic Principles ◽

Fiber Mats

Abstract Cellulose nanopapers provide diverse, strong and lightweight templates prepared entirely from sustainable raw materials, cellulose nanofibers (CNFs). Yet the strength of CNFs has not been fully capitalized in the resulting nanopapers and the relative influence of CNF strength, their bonding, and biological origin to nanopaper strength are unknown. Here, we show that basic principles from paper physics can be applied to CNF nanopapers to illuminate those relationships. Importantly, it appeared that ~ 200 MPa was the theoretical maximum for nanopapers with random fibril orientation. Furthermore, we demonstrate the contrast in tensile strength for nanopapers prepared from bacterial cellulose (BC) and wood-based nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC). Endemic amorphous polysaccharides (hemicelluloses) in NFC act as matrix in NFC nanopapers, strengthening the bonding between CNFs just like it improves the bonding between CNFs in the primary cell wall of plants. The conclusions apply to all composites containing non-woven fiber mats as reinforcement. Graphic abstract

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Tenebrio molitor in the circular economy: a novel approach for plastic valorisation and PHA biological recovery

Environmental Science and Pollution Research ◽

10.1007/s11356-021-15944-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Paola Sangiorgio ◽

Alessandra Verardi ◽

Salvatore Dimatteo ◽

Anna Spagnoletta ◽

Stefania Moliterni ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Circular Economy ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Economic Value ◽

Tenebrio Molitor ◽

World Population ◽

Plastic Pollution ◽

Biological Recovery ◽

Great Opportunity ◽

Novel Approach ◽

The One

AbstractThe increase in the world population leads to rising demand and consumption of plastic raw materials; only a small percentage of plastics is recovered and recycled, increasing the quantity of waste released into the environment and losing its economic value. The plastics represent a great opportunity in the circular perspective of their reuse and recycling. Research is moving, on the one hand, to implement sustainable systems for plastic waste management and on the other to find new non-fossil-based plastics such as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). In this review, we focus our attention on Tenebrio molitor (TM) as a valuable solution for plastic biodegradation and biological recovery of new biopolymers (e.g. PHA) from plastic-producing microorganisms, exploiting its highly diversified gut microbiota. TM’s use for plastic pollution management is controversial. However, TM microbiota is recognised as a source of plastic-degrading microorganisms. TM-based plastic degradation is improved by co-feeding with food loss and waste as a dietary energy source, thus valorising these low-value substrates in a circular economy perspective. TM as a bioreactor is a valid alternative to traditional PHA recovery systems with the advantage of obtaining, in addition to highly pure PHA, protein biomass and rearing waste from which to produce fertilisers, chitin/chitosan, biochar and biodiesel. Finally, we describe the critical aspects of these TM-based approaches, mainly related to TM mass production, eventual food safety problems, possible release of microplastics and lack of dedicated legislation.

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How Far Away Are World Economies from Circularity: Assessing the Capacity of Circular Economy Policy Packages in the Operation of Raw Materials and Industrial Wastes

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13084394 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (8) ◽

pp. 4394

Author(s):

Margarita Ignatyeva ◽

Vera Yurak ◽

Alexey Dushin ◽

Vladimir Strovsky ◽

Sergey Zavyalov ◽

...

Keyword(s):

The Netherlands ◽

Waste Management ◽

South Korea ◽

Circular Economy ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Industrial Wastes ◽

New Guidelines ◽

The 1960S ◽

Degree Level ◽

The Eu

Nowadays, circular economy (CE) is on the agenda, however, this concept of closed supply chains originated in the 1960s. The current growing quantity of studies in this area accounts for different discourses except the holistic one, which mixes both approaches—contextual and operating (contextual approach utilizes the thorough examination of the CE theory, stricture of the policy, etc.; the operating one uses any kind of statistical data)—to assess the capacity of circular economy regulatory policy packages (CERPP) in operating raw materials and industrial wastes. This article demonstrates new guidelines for assessing the degree level of capacity (DLC) of CERPPs in the operation of raw materials and industrial wastes by utilizing the apparatus of the fuzzy set theory. It scrupulously surveys current CERPPs in three regions: the EU overall, Finland and Russia; and assesses for eight regions—the EU overall, Finland, Russia, China, Greece, France, the Netherlands and South Korea—the DLC of CERPPs in operating raw materials and industrial wastes. The results show that EU is the best in CE policy and its CERPP is 3R. The following are South Korea and China with the same type of CERPP. Finland, France and the Netherlands have worse results than EU with the type of CERPP called “integrated waste management” because of the absence of a waste hierarchy (reduce, recover, recycle). Russia closes the list with the type of CERPP “basic waste management”.

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Transition to Circular Economy in the Fertilizer Sector—Analysis of Recommended Directions and End-Users’ Perception of Waste-Based Products in Poland

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14144312 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (14) ◽

pp. 4312

Author(s):

Marzena Smol

Keyword(s):

Circular Economy ◽

Economic Model ◽

Social Acceptance ◽

State Of The Art ◽

Raw Materials ◽

End Users ◽

Survey Analysis ◽

The Social ◽

Sector Analysis ◽

Art Analysis

Circular economy (CE) is an economic model, in which raw materials remain in circulation as long as possible and the generation of waste is minimized. In the fertilizer sector, waste rich in nutrients should be directed to agriculture purposes. This paper presents an analysis of recommended directions for the use of nutrient-rich waste in fertilizer sector and an evaluation of possible interest in this kind of fertilizer by a selected group of end-users (nurseries). The scope of research includes the state-of-the-art analysis on circular aspects and recommended directions in the CE implementation in the fertilizer sector (with focus on sewage-based waste), and survey analysis on the potential interest of nurseries in the use of waste-based fertilizers in Poland. There are more and more recommendations for the use of waste for agriculture purposes at European and national levels. The waste-based products have to meet certain requirements in order to put such products on the marker. Nurserymen are interested in contributing to the process of transformation towards the CE model in Poland; however, they are not fully convinced due to a lack of experience in the use of waste-based products and a lack of social acceptance and health risk in this regard. Further actions to build the social acceptance of waste-based fertilizers, and the education of end-users themselves in their application is required.

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Organizational, technical and economic fundamentals of waste management and monitoring

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/202016408031 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 164 ◽

pp. 08031

Author(s):

Evgeniy Velichko ◽

Edward Tshovrebov ◽

Ural Niyazgulov

Keyword(s):

Legal Status ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Economic Regulation ◽

Economic Activities ◽

Renewable Raw Materials ◽

Secondary Resources ◽

Secondary Raw Materials ◽

Production And Consumption ◽

Level Of Use ◽

Goals And Objectives

The article deals with issues of monitoring, planning, organizational and technical support, economic regulation and improving the efficiency of the infrastructure for processing, recycling and disposal of waste, resource conservation and management of secondary resources, their use as secondary raw materials for production, services, work and power generation. The Russian Federation has significant potential for economic growth due to the efficient use of secondary resources from billions of tons of generated production and consumption waste annually. These ecologically unsafe anthropogenic objects can be characterized as a source of valuable renewable raw materials, material and fuel and energy resources. However, the scale and level of use of various types of secondary resources are characterized by considerable unevenness and depend on the demand for secondary raw materials, the resource value of the waste, the environmental situation arising from treating them as environmental polluters, on the real economic conditions that determine the profitability of each specific type. economic activities that use secondary resources for the manufacture of products, works, services, energy production. The methods of monitoring the industry for the treatment, disposal and disposal of waste are: information-analytical, information-statistical, sociological, geo-information. The legal status of the monitoring system of the industry for the treatment, disposal and disposal of waste is determined by the limitations of its functionality within the framework of the goals and objectives facing it.

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