Non-renewable Feedstocks Research Articles

Biotransformation of organic acids to their corresponding alcohols by Thermoanaerobacter pseudoethanolicus

Higher order alcohols, such as 1-butanol and 1-hexanol, have a large number of applications but are currently prepared from non-renewable feedstocks. Here, the ability of Thermoanaerobacter pseudoethanolicus to reduce short-chain fatty acids to their corresponding alcohols using reducing potential generated by glucose catabolism with yields between 21.0 and 61.0%. 13C-labelled acetate, 1-propionate and 1-butyrate demonstrates that exogenously added fatty acids are indeed reduced to their corresponding alcohols. This mode of producing primary alcohols from fatty acids using a thermophilic anaerobe opens the door for the production of such alcohols from low-value materials using an inexpensive source of reducing potential.

Structural and functional characterisation of xylanase purified from Penicillium chrysogenum produced in response to raw agricultural waste.

Commercial interest in plant cell wall degrading enzymes (PCWDE) is motivated by their potential for energy or bioproduct generation that reduced dependency on non-renewable (fossil-derived) feedstock. Therefore, underlying work analysed the Penicillium chrysogenum isolate for PCWDE production by employing different biomass as a carbon source. Among the produced enzymes, three xylanase isoforms were observed in the culture filtrate containing sugarcane bagasse. Xylanase (PcX1) presenting 35 kDa molecular mass was purified by gel filtration and anion exchange chromatography. Unfolding was probed and analysed using fluorescence, circular dichroism and enzyme assay methods. Secondary structure contents were estimated by circular dichroism 45% α-helix and 10% β-sheet, consistent with the 3D structure predicted by homology. PcX1 optimally active at pH 5.0 and 30 °C, presenting t1/2 19 h at 30 °C and 6 h at 40 °C. Thermodynamic parameters/melting temperature 51.4 °C confirmed the PcX1 stability at pH 5.0. PcX1 have a higher affinity for oat spelt xylan, KM 1.2 mg·mL-1, in comparison to birchwood xylan KM 29.86 mg·mL-1, activity was inhibited by Cu+2 and activated by Zn+2. PcX1 exhibited significant tolerance for vanillin, trans-ferulic acid, ρ-coumaric acid, syringaldehyde and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, activity slightly inhibited (17%) by gallic and tannic acid.

Biobased super-hydrophobic coating on cotton fabric fabricated by spray-coating for efficient oil/water separation

Super-hydrophobic materials for oil/water separation are usually prepared from non-renewable feedstocks, which does not coincide with the sense of sustainable development. Herein, we report a sustainable super-hydrophobic material fabricated via a simple spray-coating method from biobased feedstocks including epoxidized soybean oil, sebacic acid, stearic acid, zinc oxide and cotton fabric. Rough surface structure was successfully constructed by spraying epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) with sebacic acid (SA) and nano-ZnO. After modification with stearic acid (STA), the surface became super-hydrophobic with a water contact angle (WCA) of 155°. The super-hydrophobic fabric shows excellent stability without losing super-hydrophobicity after immersion in water and oil for several days. The super-hydrophobic fabric can selectively separate water mixtures with various oily liquids with separation efficiency higher than 97.5%. With high separation efficiency and excellent stability, the biobased super-hydrophobic fabric can be used as a sustainable and eco-friendly oil/water separation material.

Chemists forge green path to alkylated amines

Chemists use alkylated amines to build plastics, pharmaceuticals, and more. Unfortunately, making these important building blocks on a large scale is energy intensive and relies on nonrenewable feedstocks. Now a team of researchers report a green approach to synthesizing the molecules. Tao Yan, Ben L. Feringa, and Katalin Barta of the University of Groningen describe an environmentally-friendly catalytic process that uses alcohols to add alkyl groups to amino acids harvested from microbes (Sci. Adv. 2017, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aao6494). The method retains the chirality of the amino acids and releases water as its only waste product. Calling the research “nothing short of revolutionary,” Paul T. Anastas, the director of Yale University’s Center for Green Chemistry & Green Engineering, says the approach could mean a cheaper, cleaner way to make these industrially crucial building blocks. Making alkylated amines is so energy intensive because it requires the Haber-Bosch process, which converts atmospheric nitrogen to

Carbon dioxide and ethanol from sugarcane biorefinery as renewable feedstocks to environment-oriented integrated chemical plants.

The chemical industry share of environmental impacts derives predominantly from the use of non-renewable feedstocks and inefficient use of mass and energy, resulting in atmospheric emissions, especially carbon dioxide, which is the main cause of global warming and climate change and expressive generation of wastes. Rather than treating carbon dioxide as waste, it can be regarded as an alternative chemical feedstock for synthesis of fuels and chemicals. Using carbon dioxide as a renewable and environment-friendly source of carbon is one of the most attractive solutions to reduce our dependence on petrochemicals. This work evaluates the utilization of carbon dioxide as feedstock to the production of chemicals arranged in an industrial eco-pole to reduce environmental impacts of a sugarcane biorefinery. This environment-oriented chemical complex, the Eco-Pole, aims to increase the sustainability of the sugarcane bioethanol industry located nearby the complex using carbon dioxide produced in the sugarcane fermentation and bioethanol itself as feedstocks. The Eco-Pole benefits from the nearly pure carbon dioxide to produce chemicals traditionally derived from fossil raw materials, namely methanol, propylene, ethylene, ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, ethylene carbonate, propylene carbonate and dimethyl carbonate. Process simulation using Aspen HYSYS® is used to compute mass and energy balances to support the calculation of quantitative performance indexes (e.g., net carbon dioxide emissions, energy intensity and water intensity) to compare efficiency of individual process and arranged in the Eco-Pole. The propylene oxide plant shows best individual performance, while the worst performance occurs for the ethylene plant. A multi-criteria analysis ranking sustainability performance points to the dimethyl carbonate plant as the most sustainable and the propylene plant as the poorest performer. The Eco-Pole cash flow presents a deficient economic performance, but with a tendency to profitability. Nevertheless, Eco-Pole shows satisfactory performance regarding the raw material and energy consumption indexes. Moreover, the carbon dioxide emission per Eco-Pole products is relatively low.

Polymerization-crosslinking of renewable itaconic acid in water and in deep eutectic solvents

Nowadays, the production of polymers from biomass-derived monomers is of large interest. It has the potential to decrease the dependence on non-renewable feedstocks and also could yield methods of synthesis of novel materials with unforeseen properties. We report here results of studies of copolymerization of renewable itaconic acid (IA) with N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) in water, as well as in low melting mixtures based on choline chloride (deep eutectic solvent). Both, polymers formed in the pre-gelation period and also hydrogels produced in the post-gelation stage were investigated. 1H NMR, DLS, SEC and elemental analysis indicated that the products isolated before gelation are branched copolymers with hydrodynamic size ranging from 10 to 100nm and with average monomer composition of 7–9mol% of MBA. The latter co-monomer was incorporated with 75–95% of unreacted (second) pendant vinyl groups, which can be later used for crosslinking. Post-gelation products (hydrogels) were characterized by gravimetric, DSC and compression–strain measurements. Swelling degree, amount of freezable water, shear moduli and effective crosslink density were determined. The mechanism of the polymeric network formation and its imperfect structure are discussed. It was also shown that polymerization in DES is faster than in water, and gelation occurs in a shorter time. In addition, hydrogels prepared in DES exhibit higher effective crosslink density and lower swelling degree.

Potential of a Pyrolytic Coconut Shell as a Sustainable Biofiller for Styrene–Butadiene Rubber

This paper presents research undertaken on pyrolytic coconut shell char to evaluate its potential as a sustainable and renewable substitute filler for carbon black in rubber. Carbon black is the most widely used filler in rubber. Its manufacture from nonrenewable feedstock is unsustainable and energy-consuming and contributes significantly to global CO2 emissions. The pyrolytic properties of coconut shell were evaluated; response surface methodology was applied to model the relationship between the pyrolysis conditions and char properties. Coconut shells were pyrolyzed using a laboratory-scale furnace under various temperatures (400–800 °C), residence times (0–2 h), and atmospheric flow rates. Comparisons were made between the char and commercial carbon blacks for their physical and chemical properties (surface area and pH). Comparable char pH and surface area properties were achieved (optimal char exhibited 300 m2/g surface area). Selected samples were tested in-rubber, with the performance of the filled...

Reversible Hydrogenation of Carbon Dioxide to Formic Acid and Methanol: Lewis Acid Enhancement of Base Metal Catalysts.

New and sustainable energy vectors are required as a consequence of the environmental issues associated with the continued use of fossil fuels. H2 is a potential clean energy source, but as a result of problems associated with its storage and transport as a gas, chemical H2 storage (CHS), which involves the dehydrogenation of small molecules, is an attractive alternative. In principle, formic acid (FA, 4.4 wt % H2) and methanol (MeOH, 12.6 wt % H2) can be obtained renewably and are excellent prospective liquid CHS materials. In addition, MeOH has considerable potential both as a direct replacement for gasoline and as a fuel cell input. The current commercial syntheses of FA and MeOH, however, use nonrenewable feedstocks and will not facilitate the use of these molecules for CHS. An appealing option for the sustainable synthesis of both FA and MeOH, which could be implemented on a large scale, is the direct metal catalyzed hydrogenation of CO2. Furthermore, given that CO2 is a readily available, nontoxic and inexpensive source of carbon, it is expected that there will be economic and environmental benefits from using CO2 as a feedstock. One strategy to facilitate both the dehydrogenation of FA and MeOH and the hydrogenation of CO2 and H2 to FA and MeOH is to utilize a homogeneous transition metal catalyst. In particular, the development of catalysts based on first row transition metals, which are cheaper, and more abundant than their precious metal counterparts, is desirable. In this Account, we describe recent advances in the development of iron and cobalt systems for the hydrogenation of CO2 to FA and MeOH and the dehydrogenation of FA and MeOH and provide a brief comparison between precious metal and base metal systems. We highlight the different ligands that have been used to stabilize first row transition metal catalysts and discuss the use of additives to promote catalytic activity. In particular, the Account focuses on the crucial role that alkali metal Lewis acid cocatalysts can play in promoting increased activity and catalyst stability for first row transition metal systems. We relate these effects to the nature of the elementary steps in the catalytic cycle and describe how the Lewis acids stabilize the crucial transition states. For all four transformations, we discuss in detail the currently proposed catalytic pathways, and throughout the Account we identify mechanistic similarities among catalysts for the four processes. The limitations of current catalytic systems are detailed, and suggestions are provided on the improvements that are likely required to develop catalysts that are more stable, active, and practical.

On choosing the most appropriate catalysts for the conversion of carbon dioxide to fuels and other commodities, and on the environmentally benign processing of renewable and nonrenewable feedstocks

Until recently the drive to discover and utilize renewable feedstocks for the production of energy and for the manufacture of materials was exceptionally strong. Now, however, because of the realisation that nonrenewable (e.g. gas and oil) reserves are still superabundant, a different emphasis is appearing. This involves utilizing both nonrenewable and renewable feedstocks in an environmentally responsible manner. One important recent development involves the drive to utilize feedstocks, such as pyrolysis oil, microalgae and general bio-waste, like sawdust and other nonedible products from lignocellulose. Another is the aim to ensure that CO2 can be converted to fuels or useful materials, thereby diminishing its concentration in the atmosphere. This paper focuses on these themes; but it also addresses other important specific questions. Among these, the following are of particular interest: (i) How may catalytic cracking be made more environmentally acceptable? (ii) The emergence of single atom catalysts as means of effecting important chemical reactions.

Recent Advances in Sustainable Production and Application of Biosurfactants in Brazil and Latin America

Biosurfactants are molecules with emulsifying and surface-active properties that have environmental and industrial applications in the pharmaceutical, food, cosmetic, and cleaning industries. These biomolecules are a prominent topic for research and development since they are possible replacements for synthetic surfactants, which are still produced using nonrenewable feedstock. Biosurfactants also present performance advantages when compared to synthetic surfactants, such as increased degradability, higher stability at different conditions (pH, salinity, and temperature) and lower toxicity. Biosurfactants can be produced through sustainable processes using agro-industrial residues as substrates. However, these biomolecules are not yet able to compete economically with synthetic surfactants, which are cheaper and more readily available. Therefore, it is necessary to search for new technologies that will enable large-scale production of these compounds through the discovery of new producing microorganisms, low-cost and renewable substrates, and alternative processes for the biotechnological production of biosurfactants. In this context, Latin America has outstanding potential because of its huge biodiversity and its many agro-industrial residues that can be used as substrates for biosurfactant production. Brazil is the leader among Latin American countries in biosurfactant research, with the highest number of papers and patents. The aim of this article is to review recent advances in sustainable production and application of biosurfactants in Brazil and Latin America, and to disclose the importance of green chemistry in the context of sustainable development in the region.

Some of tomorrow's catalysts for processing renewable and non-renewable feedstocks, diminishing anthropogenic carbon dioxide and increasing the production of energy

A wide-ranging overview is presented of the likely impact that heterogeneous catalytic systems will play in tackling some critically important societal and environmental issues in the future.

CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF BIOMASS - A REVIEW OF TECHNIQUES AND APPLICATIONS

Use of biomass as an alternative to nonrenewable feedstock for energy, materials, and chemicals is currently a prominent theme for industry and R Countries like Brazil, USA, and Germany are spending resources and efforts to promote a green economy based on biomass supply chains. Chemical analysis is an important tool to ensure quality, reliability, and to suggest the best potential use for the biomass, thereby enhancing its economic potential. Analytical techniques can identify chemical components, characterize their properties, and determine their concentration. This article discusses the commonly employed techniques and their application in chemical analysis of biomass and its products.

Thermoplastic Starch Processing and Characteristics—A Review

Canola Council of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada The rising costs of nonrenewable feedstocks and environmental concerns with their industrial usage have encouraged the study and development of renewable products, including thermoplastic starch (TPS). Starch is an abundant, plant-based biodegradable material with interesting physicochemical characteristics that can be exploited, and this has received attention for development of TPS products. Starch exhibits usable thermoplastic properties when plasticizers, elevated temperatures, and shear are present. The choice of plasticizer has an effect on TPS, even when these have similar plasticization principles. Most TPS have glass transition temperature, Tg, in the range of approximately −75 to 10°C. Glassy transition of TPS is detected by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and thermodynamic analyzer (DMA), although DMA has been found to be more sensitive and effective. TPS has low tensile properties, typically below 6 MPa in tensile strength (TS). The addition of synthetic polymers, nanoclay, and fiber can improve TS and water-resistance ability. The moisture sorption behavior of TPS is described in GAB and BET models, from which monolayer moisture content and specific area are derived. Current studies on surface tension, gas permeability, crystallinity, and so on of the TPS are also reviewed.

Single-Plant Biocomposite from Ricinus Communis: Preparation, Properties and Environmental Performance

A single-plant biobased composite material was prepared from fibre and matrix constituents produced from the castor plant, ricinus communis. It is shown that the mechanical properties of the castor plant fibres are comparable to those of other bast fibres and that the stiffness and strength characteristics of the castor fibre/polyamide 11 biocomposite compare well with those of other natural fibre composites. By using a biobased thermoplastic matrix material the reliance on non-renewable feedstock sources is reduced and end-of-lifetime recyclability is improved. The analysis of the environmental performance of the new castor plant composite suggests that the biobased material has great potential as a sustainable alternative replacing glass fibre-reinforced plastics.

Synchronous flourescence spectrometry of PAH metabolites in bile of fish from the Southern North Sea

This chapter focuses on hydrogen production by steam reforming from nonrenewable feedstocks. It starts with the fundamentals of natural gas steam reforming, main reactions, and related processes. Conventional plants and new trends, with a consideration of membrane reformers, sorption-enhanced reforming, and microreactors, in natural gas steam reforming are presented. Industrial aspects and research on other feedstocks, methanol, liquefied petroleum gas, naphtha, jet fuel, and diesel are included.

Net energy analysis of methanol and ethanol production

Methanol (MeOH) and ethanol (EtOH) are industrial alcohols that can be used as liquid fuels. They may be obtained from renewable or non-renewable feedstocks. The production processes and end uses are analyzed in order to assess the potential energy savings introduced by alcohol production from renewable instead of nonrenewable feedstock. Whereas MeOH production from wood brings about energy savings, EtOH production from corn may or may not save energy depending on the end use of the alcohol. If the alcohol is used as a motor fuel, no overall energy savings are found. The economics and total labor requirements of each process are also considered.