Chemoenzymatic Conversion of Biomass-Derived D-Xylose to Furfuryl Alcohol with Corn Stalk-Based Solid Acid Catalyst and Reductase Biocatalyst in a Deep Eutectic Solvent–Water System

In this work, the feasibility of chemoenzymatically transforming biomass-derived D-xylose to furfuryl alcohol was demonstrated in a tandem reaction with SO42−/SnO2-CS chemocatalyst and reductase biocatalyst in the deep eutectic solvent (DES)–water media. The high furfural yield (44.6%) was obtained by catalyzing biomass-derived D-xylose (75.0 g/L) in 20 min at 185 °C with SO42−/SnO2-CS (1.2 wt%) in DES ChCl:EG–water (5:95, v/v). Subsequently, recombinant E.coli CF cells harboring reductases transformed D-xylose-derived furfural (200.0 mM) to furfuryl alcohol in the yield of 35.7% (based on D-xylose) at 35 °C and pH 7.5 using HCOONa as cosubstrate in ChCl:EG–water. This chemoenzymatic cascade catalysis strategy could be employed for the sustainable production of value-added furan-based chemical from renewable bioresource.

Corncob residue as heterogeneous acid catalyst for green synthesis of biodiesel: A short review

The utilization of an appropriate catalyst in biodiesel production depends on the free fatty acid content of vegetable oil as a feedstock. Recently, heterogeneous acid catalysts are widely chosen for biodiesel production. However, these catalysts are non-renewable, highly expensive and low stability. Due to the aforementioned drawbacks of commercial heterogeneous acid catalyst, a number of efforts have been made to develop renewable green solid acid catalysts derived from biomass. Published literature revealed that the application of the biomass derived solid acid catalysts can achieve up to 98% yield of biodiesel. This article focused on corncob as raw material in solid acid catalyst preparation for biodiesel production. The efficient preparation method and performance comparation are discussed here. The corncob derived heterogeneous acid catalysts provides an environmentally friendly and green synthesis for biodiesel production.

A new procedure for the preparation of 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-one and octahydroquinazolinone derivatives catalyzed by SCMNPs@CA-EA-SO3H under solvent-free conditions

Catalyzed with SCMNPs@CA-EA-SO3H, as a green and heterogeneous solid acid catalyst, 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-one and octahydroquinazolinone derivatives were obtained in high-to-excellent yields and in short reaction times via the one-pot multi-component condensation of ethyl acetoacetate or dimedone, urea, and aldehyde compounds under solvent-free conditions. More importantly, the green catalytic system could be easily collected from the reaction solution utilizing an external magnet and reused for five runs with a negligible decrease in yields and reaction rate.

Combination of Autohydrolysis and Catalytic Hydrolysis of Biomass for the Production of Hemicellulose Oligosaccharides and Sugars

Three different types of biomass sourced from forestry waste (eucalyptus residues), agricultural waste (wheat straw), and energy crop (miscanthus) were used as starting materials to produce hemicellulosic sugars, furans (furfural and hydroxymethylfurfural), and oligosaccharides. A two-step hybrid process was implemented; biomass was first autohydrolysed without any additive to extract hemicelluloses and dissolve it in water. Then, the hydrolysate was treated with a solid acid catalyst, TiO2-WOx, in order to achieve hydrolysis and produce monomeric sugars and furans. This article investigates the role of the biomass type, autohydrolysis experimental conditions, polymerisation degree and composition of hemicelluloses on the performance of the process coupling autohydrolysis and catalytic hydrolysis. The highest global yields of both oligosaccharides and monomeric sugars were obtained from Eucalyptus (37% and 18%, respectively).

Assessment on the Effect of Sulfuric Acid Concentration on Physicochemical Properties of Sulfated-Titania Catalyst and Glycerol Acetylation Performance

In this research, a solid acid catalyst was synthesized to catalyse glycerol acetylation into acetins. The sulphated-titania catalysts were prepared via the wet impregnation method at different sulfuric acid concentrations (5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) and denoted as 5SA, 10SA, 15SA, and 20SA, respectively. The synthesized catalysts were characterized using FTIR, XRD, TGA, BET, NH3-TPD, XRF, and SEM-EDX. The synthesized catalysts were tested on glycerol acetylation reaction at conditions: 0.5 g catalyst loading, 100–120 °C temperature, 1:6 glycerol/acetic acid molar ratios, and 2–4 h reaction time. The final product obtained was analysed using GC-FID. An increment in sulfuric acid concentration reduces the surface area, pore volume, and particles size. However, the increment has increased the number of active sites (Lewis acid) and strong acid strength. 15SA catalyst exhibited excellent glycerol conversion (>90%) and the highest selectivity of triacetin (42%). Besides sufficient surface area (1.9 m2 g−1) and good porosity structure, the great performance of the 15SA catalyst was attributed to its high acid site density (342.6 µmol g−1) and the high active site of metal oxide (95%).

HETEROGENEOUS CATALYTIC FRACTIONATION OF BIRCH-WOOD BIOMASS INTO MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE, XYLOSE AND ENTEROSORBENTS

For the first time, it was proposed to fractionate the main components of birch wood into microcrystalline cellulose, xylose and enterosorbents by integrating heterogeneous catalytic processes of acid hydrolysis and peroxide delignification of wood biomass. The hydrolysis of wood hemicelluloses into xylose is carried out at a temperature of 150 °C in the presence of a solid acid catalyst Amberlyst® 15. Then the lignocellulosic product undergoes peroxide delignification in a "formic acid – water" medium in the presence of a solid TiO2 catalyst to obtain microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and soluble lignin. Under the determined optimal conditions (100 °С, Н2О2 – 7.2 wt.%, НСООН – 37.8 wt.%, LWR 15, time 4 h), the yield of MCC reaches 64.5 wt.% and of organosolvent lignin 11.5 wt% from the weight of prehydrolyzed wood. By the treatment of organosolvent lignin with a solution of 0.4% NaHCO3 or hot water the enterosorbents were obtained, whose sorption capacity for methylene blue (97.7 mg/g) and gelatin (236.7 mg/g) is significantly higher than that of the commercial enterosorbent Polyphepan (44 mg/g and 115 mg/g, respectively). The products of catalytic fractionation of birch wood are characterized by physicochemical (FTIR, XRD, SEM, GC) and chemical methods.