Catalytic Action Research Articles

Cobalt-based coordination polymer imitating nanozymatic Peroxido-Reductase activity for specific and sensitive detection of Fe(II) ions

Nanozyme based sensors have evolved as an equable and productive approach for detecting obnoxious metal ions in water samples. A coherent and methodical outlook for nanozymatic sensors is provided in this work. A Co(II) based coordination polymer [Co(L)1.5(ac)3]n named Co-CP, (L = N, N-(benzo-3,8-phenanthroline-2,7-diyl)diisonicotinamide and ac = CH3COO–) has been synthesized in this paper. Co(II) based coordination polymer nanoparticles (Co-CP NPs) constructed by using hand grinding process stimulates the nanozymatic action due to increased surface area and exposure of catalytically active sites. The fabricated Co-CP NPs were characterized using various sophisticated analytical techniques such as SCXRD, HRTEM, FESEM, PXRD etc. The NPs thus formed were about 27 nm in size and pertain porous sites. The Co-CP NPs exhibited peroxido-reductase mimicking activity for TMB(3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine) oxidation. The catalytic action of the Co-CP NPs was utilized to detect Fe(II) ion selectively with a detection limit of 0.66 µM. The kinetics for the study were described using Michaelis-Menten curve. The Km and Vmax values for H2O2 and Co-CP NPs were analyzed further to access the catalytic action of Co-CP NPs. XPS and zeta potential analysis were evidenced to elucidate the detection mechanism. The compatibility and practicality of the present method was also assured by actual water samples from different sources that showed good recovery percentage. Therefore, an economical, manageable and equable approach for using CPs as a sensing tool is provided hereby.

Techniques for Metal Ion Determination in Samples

In human body building as well as in plants Metal ions play a vital role in vital functioning such as in various food chain reactions. Due to increase in industrialization everyday various industrial wastes contaminated with metal ions and metalloids. Several enzymes need them for their catalytic action, and their absence can cause a number of illnesses in humans. When this metal ions concentration level increases above the certain limits, it is harmful to human, animals, plant as well as aqua system. Because various essential biological processes in humans depend on metal ions, their absence or scarcity may result in diseases. In pharmaceutical sectors various transition metals are used as catalyst to improve kinetics of reaction. Therefore, it is necessary to determine concentration of metals ions whether it is present in within the limits, otherwise excess of its concentration may leads to toxicity in body. Also, the advisory body has made some regulatory guidelines to monitor and control levels of metals ions in food, environment and medicines. Hence more precise, accurate, economically acceptable, sensible and selective method are required to detect metal ions concentration in pharmaceutical, environmental, agrochemical and aquatic samples as well as in body tissues/fluids is also essential. Hence in our review we try to sum up various metal ion detection techniques, there mechanism and principle behind detection of heavy metal ion detection and instrumentation. The given methods are more sensitive at very low detection limits of up to pictogram level, accurate and more precise levels detection has been achieved.

The four subunits of rabbit skeletal muscle lactate dehydrogenase do not exert their catalytic action additively

Oligomeric enzymes containing multiple active sites are usually considered to perform their catalytic action at higher rates when compared with their monomeric counterparts. This implies, in turn, that the activity performed by different holoenzyme subunits features additivity. Nevertheless, the extent of this additivity occurring in holoenzymes is far from being adequately understood. To tackle this point, we used tetrameric rabbit lactate dehydrogenase (rbLDH) as a model system to assay the reduction of pyruvate catalysed by this enzyme at the expense of β-NADH under pre-steady-state conditions. In particular, we observed the kinetics of reactions triggered by concentrations of β-NADH equimolar to 1, 2, 3, or all 4 subunits of the rbLDH holoenzyme, in the presence of an excess of pyruvate. Surprisingly, when the concentration of the limiting reactant exceeded that of a single holoenzyme subunit, we observed a sharp slowdown of the enzyme conformational rearrangements associated to the generation and the release of l-lactate. Furthermore, using a model to interpret the complex kinetics observed under the highest concentration of the limiting reactant, we estimated the diversity of the rates describing the action of the different rbLDH subunits.

JAK inhibitors improve ATP production and mitochondrial function in rheumatoid arthritis: a pilot study

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, systemic autoimmune disease associated by inflammation of the synovial tissue and autoantibody production. Oxidative stress and free radicals are known to be indirectly implicated in joint damage and cartilage destruction in RA. Several studies describe the presence of mitochondrial dysfunction in RA, but few of them follow the dynamics in energy parameters after therapy. The aim of our investigation is to evaluate the direct effect of JAK inhibitors on cellular metabolism (and under induced oxidative stress) in RA patients. Ten newly diagnosed RA patients were included in the study. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and plasma were isolated before and 6 months after therapy with JAK inhibitors. A real-time metabolic analysis was performed to assess mitochondrial function and cell metabolism in PBMCs. Sonographic examination, DAS28 and conventional clinical laboratory parameters were determined also prior and post therapy. A significant decrease in proton leak after therapy with JAK inhibitors was found. The increased production of ATP indicates improvement of cellular bioenergetics status. These findings could be related to the catalytic action of JAK inhibitors on oxidative phosphorylation which corresponds to the amelioration of clinical and ultra-sonographic parameters after treatment. Our study is the first to establish the dynamics of mitochondrial parameters in PBMCs from RA patients before and after in vivo therapy with JAK inhibitors.

Light-driven phase change microcapsules modified by TiN/CNTs nanocomposites for enhancement of solar energy storage and solar photocatalytic efficiency

The development of microencapsulated phase change materials (PCMs) integrating solar photothermal conversion and storage holds significant for solar energy utilization. Herein, this study developed an efficient light-driven phase change microcapsule system by encapsulating paraffin within a brookite TiO2 shell through sol-gel interfacial polymerization, followed by wrapping titanium nitride (TiN)/carbon nanotubes (CNTs) nanocomposites on the shell surface. The microcapsule system exhibited a regular spherical core-shell structural morphology. The encapsulation of TiO2 and the introduction of the highly thermal conductivity enhancement phase increased the thermal conductivity of the microcapsule system by approximately 151.5 % compared to pure paraffin while maintaining latent heat of over 135 J·g−1. Furthermore, TiN/CNTs were combined with the microcapsule shell through hydrogen bonds and shared electron pairs, constructing localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR)-enhanced heterojunction. The microcapsule system demonstrated excellent broad-spectrum light absorption capacity, resulting in a remarkable 112.01 % enhancement in the optimum photothermal conversion efficiency. Concurrently, the degradation rate of MB was increased by 59.52 % due to the synergistic catalytic action of photothermal, semiconductor, and LSPR effects. The microcapsule system also exhibited excellent thermal and cycling stability, with only 1.6 % latent heat loss after 500 thermal cycles. This study provides a promising strategy for developing energy storage microcapsule composite PCMs for the efficient collection and utilization of solar energy.

Synthesis of Poly (3‑bromo thiophene) supported cobalt molybdate bifunctional catalyst: Manifestation of overall water splitting and hydrazine assisted water splitting

The article reports a one-step hydrothermal synthesis of hydrated cobalt molybdate, grown in-situ on the conducting polymer poly (3-bromothiophene) (PTBr) surface, which can act as a superior bifunctional electrocatalyst to exploit O2 evolution reaction (OER), Hydrazine oxidation reaction (HzOR) and H2 evolution reaction (HER) as compared to pristine cobalt molybdate (CoMoO4.xH2O) and PTBr. The material architecture was evaluated critically using PXRD, TGA, FTIR, HRTEM, XPS and BET surface area measurement to understand the structural and compositional status of the catalyst. The performance of the CoMoO4@30% PTBr composite catalyst appears to be significantly high demanding low overpotentials of 308 mV in case of OER and 198 mV regarding HER compared to polymer unsupported catalyst for affording 10 mA cm−2 current density. The upliftment of catalytic action of composite is an outcome of synergistic effect between CoMoO4 and optimal concentration of PTBr which assists to achieve large electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) (89.50 m2 g−1) and thereby faster charge transport efficiency compared to its pristine counterpart. In summary, the introduction of polymer with CoMoO4 categorically reduces the cell potential for overall water splitting by 0.108 V (vs RHE) in presence and 0.178 V in absence of hydrazine proving composite as a beneficial energy-saving electrocatalyst.

Gravity driven ceramic membrane loaded birnessite functional layer for manganese removal from groundwater: The significance of disinfection on biofilm

Gravity-Driven Ceramic Membrane (GDCM) technology has gained popularity and recognition in water purification on account of its low energy consumption and convenient operation. This study aimed to comprehensively assess the effects of different disinfectants, including hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and sodium hypochlorite (NaClO), on GDCM performance. It focused on the change in manganese removal and structure of the powdered activated carbon (PAC) - manganese oxides (MnOx) pre-deposited at the membrane interface and as well membrane fouling mitigation. The results showed that after the first two disinfection cycles, the flux recovery was 15 LMH for H2O2, while using NaClO only achieved an average recovery of 2 LMH and increased the effluent manganese, exceeding 0.1 mg/L within a short period of time. During the disinfection process, H2O2 exhibited better performance in mitigating membrane fouling compared to NaClO in the GDCM system. Additionally, by observing the recovery time of Mn2+ after disinfection, it can be deduced that the initial manganese removal mainly resulted from biological action of manganese-oxidizing bacteria (MnOB), while the later stage relied primarily on the catalytic oxidation action of birnessite. Fluorescence excitation–emission matrix analysis (EEM) indicated that most organic compounds dissolved in the disinfectant solution after disinfection, with some permeating through the membrane, while the remaining portion continued to accumulate in the filter cake layer. This accumulation was further confirmed by the enhanced absorbance peaks of functional groups (–NH and –OH) in the Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Scanning electron microscope - energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) mapping analysis revealed that MnOx formed more lamellar structures between nano-flower balls after disinfection. This increased the number of active sites and opened up water flow channels, contributing to improved flux. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis demonstrated that Mn3+ as the dominant valence in MnOx exhibited excellent catalytic oxidation ability. Raman analysis and X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that MnOx showed consistent Raman spectra with birnessite before and after disinfection, and the oxidative effect of disinfection did not alter the crystal structure of MnOx. This result demonstrates the importance of applying effective disinfection in the GDCMs.

Catalytic torrefaction effect on waste wood boards for sustainable biochar production and environmental remediation

Wood boards used in construction are generally treated with toxic chemicals, making them unsuitable for further use and causing environmental pollution. This study evaluates the possibility of using catalytic torrefaction as a pretreatment to improve wood pyrolysis and combustion for greener biochar production. Waste beech boards were impregnated with different K2CO3 solutions (0–0.012 M), then torrefied between 5 and 60 min at 275 °C. The ICP-AES showed that the board's surface held more potassium than the core. Torrefaction coupled with potassium decreased the C–O and –OH stretches. Thermogravimetric analysis of torrefied wood showed that the board's internal heating degraded the core more than the surface. The exothermic reactions made potassium's catalytic action more efficient in the core. Interactions between the potassium content and torrefaction duration decreased the pyrolysis' maximum devolatilization temperature. During combustion, potassium decreased the ignition temperature by up to 9% and 3% at the surface and core, respectively, while the torrefaction increased it. The catalytic torrefaction significantly decreased the devolatilization peak during combustion, thus making the wood's combustion similar to that of coal, having only the char oxidation step. These findings highlight the advantages and challenges of waste wood's catalytic-torrefaction for biochar production to reduce environmental pollution.

Catalytic Effects on Combustion Behavior of Oil Shale: Thermal Conversion, Kinetic, Mechanism Analyses

ABSTRACT In order to solve the problem of traditional energy combustion and to achieve the comprehensive use of oil shale. This work investigated the impact of potassium-containing catalysts on the combustion reactivity of Beipiao oil shale through TG, FTIR, and SEM analysis. Results showed that the catalyst of different proportions reduced the oil shale ignition temperature by 9.34–17.67°C and burnout temperature by 9–51.67°C, optimal catalyst addition (5%) exhibited the most effective catalytic effect. The catalyst effect was affected by heating rates, the lower the heating rate, the more favorable the oil shale combustion. In addition, the hydroxyl and ether oxygen groups of combustion residue increased with catalyst, the absorption peak intensity of carbonate reduced. Suggesting that the catalyst promoted the decarbonization cracking of oil shale, thereby accelerating the release of volatiles and the decomposition of inorganic mineral carbonate. Finally, activation energy was calculated using the Friedman and FWO methods. The results obtained from both kinetic methods were highly consistent, obviously reductions in activation energy under catalytic action.

Catalytic action and bactericidal behavior of samarium/carbon spheres-doped manganese oxide nanostructures and their molecular docking analysis

The co-precipitation technique was adapted to synthesize different concentrations (2 % and 4 %) of samarium (Sm) doped constant equates of carbon spheres (Cs) and manganese oxide (MnO2). The principal objective of this investigation is to demonstrate confirmation that Sm/Cs-doped MnO2 nanostructures (NSs) owned antibacterial and catalytic attributes. Reduction in surface area manifested to agglomeration, NSs faces become inaccessible to initiate a reaction, can be overcome upon doping of Sm. Sm has the potential to increase the activity of metal oxide ascribed to its electron trapping effect. The structural morphologies, optical properties, functional groups, elemental composition, and d-spacing were determined by applying various characterizations. With the incorporation of CS and Sm, UV–vis spectra shifted towards lower wavelength and band gap energy (Eg) was reduced. MnO2 possessed orthorhombic structure, according to the XRD pattern and TEM exhibited long Burr-like morphology of undoped MnO2. SAED image illustrated that MnO2 is polycrystalline. 4 % Sm/CS doped MnO2 revealed the highest degradation (91 %) in a neutral environment. Furthermore, 4 % Sm/Cs doped-MnO2 revealed an inhibitory zone of 2.85 mm against Escherichia coli (E. coli). Additionally, an analysis of molecular docking revealed a binding interface with NRs and the functional domains of certain cellular proteins. Results indicated that Cs-doped MnO2 and Cs/Sm-doped MnO2 NRs are the most potent DNA gyrase and FabB enzyme inhibitors.

Сatalytic Acceleration of Supplied Corrosion Under Hypergenesis Conditions

Ecological safety of the natural environment depends on chemical activity in conditions of hypergenesis. The catalytic role of dispersed platinum in corrosion processes of metals and sulfide minerals was described. A sharp increase in the share of platinum in the slurry fraction is experimentally substantiated. The essential fact is that platinum is redistributed in a slurry even before sulfides of nonferrous metals and iron are completely oxidized. It was found that the main cause of the initial stage of sulfide corrosion is the process of pitting. It has been experimentally established that the accelerated corrosion on the sulfide surface is determined by the catalytic action of the metal causing activation of the anodic process.

Assessment of the Roles of Magnesium and Zinc in Clinical Disorders.

The ability and facility of magnesium (Mg2+) and zinc (Zn2+) to interact with phosphate ions confer them the characteristics of essential trace elements. Trace elements are extremely necessary for the basic nucleic acid chemistry of cells of all known living organisms. More than 300 enzymes require zinc and magnesium ions for their catalytic actions, including all the enzymes involved in the synthesis of ATP. In addition, enzymes such as isomerases, oxidoreductases, lyases, transferases, ligases and hydrolases that use other nucleotides to synthesize DNA and RNA require magnesium and zinc. These nucleotides may trigger oxidative damage or important changes against free radicals. In the same way, nucleotides may play an important role in the pathophysiology of degenerative diseases, including in some clinical disorders, where vascular risk factors, oxidative stress and inflammation work to destabilize the patients` homeostatic equilibrium. Indeed, reduced levels of zinc and magnesium may lead to inadequate amount of antioxidant enzymes, and thus, acts as an important contributing factor for the induction of oxidative stress leading to cellular or tissue dysfunction. Hence, the development of zinc or magnesium enzyme inhibitors could be a novel opportunity for the treatment of some human disorders. Therefore, the objective of the present work was to assess the clinical benefits of zinc and magnesium in human health and their effects in some clinical disorders.

A comparative study of structural properties of oleic acid coated metal nanoparticles (Co, Ni, Fe) by co-precipitation method

Metal nanoparticles of cobalt, nickel and iron were synthesized by chemical co-precipitation method using Sodium Borohydride as the reducing agent. The metallic particles were coated with oleic acid to prevent the formation of oxides on the surface layers. The structural analysis of both coated and uncoated samples were carried out using XRD technique and FTIR spectroscopy. XRD patterns of the uncoated samples showed the significant presence of oxide phases of the metallic nanoparticles while in the case of coated samples, the metallic phase was observed. A significant observation from the XRD patterns of the coated samples was the presence of a broad peak centred at 20–210 which is indicative of the graphitic structures typically observed as (002) reflections of graphite. However, the broadened peak depicted the formation of layered graphitic structures of Graphene/ nano tubes/fullerene/ nano onions. The stretching vibration of C = O and symmetric stretching vibrations of the –COO–functional group in the FTIR spectrum, indicated that the layer of oleic acid was successfully coated on the surface of MNPs. The graphitic structures of all oleic acid coated metal nanoparticles were confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. The formation of graphitic structure was the result of the catalytic action of metal nanoparticles..

EP03.04-01 Detection of Possible Targets in Aggressive Lung Cancer Using Molecular Abundances and Catalytic Action of Serine Hydrolases

EP03.04-01 Detection of Possible Targets in Aggressive Lung Cancer Using Molecular Abundances and Catalytic Action of Serine Hydrolases

LPMO-supported saccharification of biomass: effects of continuous aeration of reaction mixtures with variable fractions of water-insoluble solids and cellulolytic enzymes

BackgroundHigh substrate concentrations and high sugar yields are important aspects of enzymatic saccharification of lignocellulosic substrates. The benefit of supporting the catalytic action of lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase (LPMO) through continuous aeration of slurries of pretreated softwood was weighed against problems associated with increasing substrate content (quantitated as WIS, water-insoluble solids, in the range 12.5–17.5%), and was compared to the beneficial effect on the saccharification reaction achieved by increasing the enzyme preparation (Cellic CTec3) loadings. Aerated reactions were compared to reactions supplied with N2 to assess the contribution of LPMO to the saccharification reactions. Analysis using 13C NMR spectroscopy, XRD, Simons’ staining, BET analysis, and SEM analysis was used to gain further insights into the effects of the cellulolytic enzymes on the substrate under different reaction conditions.ResultsAlthough glucose production after 72 h was higher at 17.5% WIS than at 12.5% WIS, glucan conversion decreased with 24% (air) and 17% (N2). Compared to reactions with N2, the average increases in glucose production for aerated reactions were 91% (12.5% WIS), 70% (15.0% WIS), and 67% (17.5% WIS). Improvements in glucan conversion through aeration were larger (55–86%) than the negative effects of increasing WIS content. For reactions with 12.5% WIS, increased enzyme dosage with 50% improved glucan conversion with 25–30% for air and N2, whereas improvements with double enzyme dosage were 30% (N2) and 39% (air). Structural analyses of the solid fractions revealed that the enzymatic reaction, particularly with aeration, created increased surface area (BET analysis), increased disorder (SEM analysis), decreased crystallinity (XRD), and increased dye adsorption based on the cellulose content (Simons' staining).ConclusionsThe gains in glucan conversion with aeration were larger than the decreases observed due to increased substrate content, resulting in higher glucan conversion when using aeration at the highest WIS value than when using N2 at the lowest WIS value. The increase in glucan conversion with double enzyme preparation dosage was smaller than the increase achieved with aeration. The results demonstrate the potential in using proper aeration to exploit the inherent capacity of LPMO in enzymatic saccharification of lignocellulosic substrates and provide detailed information about the characteristics of the substrate after interaction with cellulolytic enzymes.

Role of transition metal nanocomposites in organic reactions: A state of art as an alternative to conventional catalysts

Nanocomposites play vital role as catalyst during organic reactions because of high aspect ratio and greater surface area of nanostructured materials. The strong interfacial interaction of reactant with the surface of nanocomposites during reaction gives an enhancement in rate and yield of the product. The present review reveals a critical analysis regarding the function of transition metal based nanocomposites during catalytic action in various organic reactions. Catalytic action of transition metal based nanocomposites in combination with other carbon based nanomaterials, polymeric materials as well as with other metals or metal oxides are extensively elaborated in this review. The change in yields, duration of reaction, atom economy, and effect of solvent along with selectivity of organic reactions are monitored by various transition metal based nanocomposites. Reduction, oxidation, epoxidation, hydrogenation, halogenation and coupling reactions are appreciably reviewed considering the catalytic effect of these nanocomposites. The role of different nanocatalysts in various known name reactions in organic chemistry is also studied. Hence, present review explores new methods of using transition metal based nanostructured catalysts following the principle of green chemistry by replacing the traditional catalysts and reagents in organic synthesis.

Fabrication and luminescence switching of Pt-loaded macro-porous Y2WO6:Eu3+ phosphor thin films for hydrogen-gas detection

A luminescence-switching phenomenon of Pt/Y2WO6:Eu3+ phosphor thin films was examined under redox conditions using hydrogen gas and air as a reductant and an oxidant, respectively. Macro-porous Y2WO6:Eu3+ thin films were initially synthesized by a Pechini-type sol–gel dip-coating method on silica glass substrates. Attempts were then made to load Pt nanoparticles (NPs) on the surface of the Y2WO6:Eu3+ thin films immersed in aqueous K2PtCl4 solutions through a method of self-regulated reduction of surfactants using a nonionic triblock copolymer (P-123). The amount of P-123, the concentration of the K2PtCl4 solutions, and the immersion duration were set as three parameters influencing the deposition of the Pt NPs. The number and size of the Pt NPs were found to be dependent on all the three parameters and their excessive deposition led to inevitable quenching of the Eu3+ emission from thin films. In contrast, the lightly loaded Pt NPs were effective to induce turn-off luminescence upon exposure of the thin films to hydrogen gas at a low temperature of 150 °C probably through their catalytic action. The recovery of luminescence was also possible simply by treating the reduced thin films at 200 °C in air. Thus the Pt/Y2WO6:Eu3+ phosphor thin films are promising as a facile hydrogen-gas detector.

Synergistic Effect of the Catalytic Action of Copper and Cerium in the Oxidation of Carbon Monoxide on Modified Cu/Ce/ZSM-5 Zeolites

Synergistic Effect of the Catalytic Action of Copper and Cerium in the Oxidation of Carbon Monoxide on Modified Cu/Ce/ZSM-5 Zeolites

Changes in the Acetylcholinesterase Enzymatic Activity in Tumor Development and Progression.

Acetylcholinesterase is a well-known protein because of the relevance of its enzymatic activity in the hydrolysis of acetylcholine in nerve transmission. In addition to the catalytic action, it exerts non-catalytic functions; one is associated with apoptosis, in which acetylcholinesterase could significantly impact the survival and aggressiveness observed in cancer. The participation of AChE as part of the apoptosome could explain the role in tumors, since a lower AChE content would increase cell survival due to poor apoptosome assembly. Likewise, the high Ach content caused by the reduction in enzymatic activity could induce cell survival mediated by the overactivation of acetylcholine receptors (AChR) that activate anti-apoptotic pathways. On the other hand, in tumors in which high enzymatic activity has been observed, AChE could be playing a different role in the aggressiveness of cancer; in this review, we propose that AChE could have a pro-inflammatory role, since the high enzyme content would cause a decrease in ACh, which has also been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties, as discussed in this review. In this review, we analyze the changes that the enzyme could display in different tumors and consider the different levels of regulation that the acetylcholinesterase undergoes in the control of epigenetic changes in the mRNA expression and changes in the enzymatic activity and its molecular forms. We focused on explaining the relationship between acetylcholinesterase expression and its activity in the biology of various tumors. We present up-to-date knowledge regarding this fascinating enzyme that is positioned as a remarkable target for cancer treatment.

Potassium carbonate impregnation and torrefaction of wood block for thermal properties improvement: Prediction of torrefaction performance using artificial neural network

Catalytic torrefaction using potassium carbonate (K2CO3) impregnation is a pretreatment method demonstrated to catalyze wood powder's thermal degradation for energy use. In this study, beech wood boards were impregnated with K2CO3, with the aim to scale up from the studies on wood powder found in the literature. The beech boards were impregnated with five different concentrations and torrefied at 300°C for four durations (5–60 min). The impregnation procedure was successful with a linear increase of K content in wood from 0.103 wt% for raw to 0.207 wt% for the 0.012 M sample. The weight loss during torrefaction increased with the increasing potassium (K) content in wood, reaching a maximum increase of 27.17% between 0.012 M and washed (no K2CO3) after 30 min. For the longest duration, the extent of the catalytic action of K decreased, similar to what is observed in wood powder. After 60 min torrefaction, potassium increased the torrefaction severity index by up to 10% and the higher heating value (HHV) by up to 55%. Potassium efficiently increased the fixed carbon and decreased the volatile matter to values comparable to coal by catalyzing the devolatilization during torrefaction. The atomic H/C and O/C ratios shifted to similar ratios as coal. The energy yield (EY) was above 80% for the shorter durations but dropped drastically at 30 and 60 min torrefaction. The prediction of the solid yield (SY), energy yield (EY), and enhancement factor of the HHV (EF) through an artificial neural network was robust with a fit quality R2≥0.999. The proposed method for catalytic torrefaction on wood boards was efficient and could be used prior to grinding and transportation for bioenergy production. This process could decrease the production costs of biomass fuel to compete with fossil fuels.