Production Pathways Research Articles

Modelling the transformation of energy-intensive industries based on site-specific investment decisions

The transition towards climate-neutral industry is a challenge, particularly for heavy industries like steel and basic chemicals. Existing models for assessing industrial transformation often lack spatial resolution and fail to capture individual investment decisions. Consequently, the spatial interplay between industry transformation, energy availability, infrastructure availability, and the dynamics of discrete investments is inadequately addressed. Here we present a site-specific approach that considers individual industrial sites to simulate discrete investment decisions. The investment decision is modelled as a discrete choice among alternative technologies with their total cost of ownership as the main decision criterion. Process costs depend on the scenario-specific assumptions, such as energy carrier prices, policy instruments and local infrastructures. The age of production units and their reinvestment cycles are considered the main restrictions on the dynamics of the transition. The results provide high spatial resolution to capture the spatial and temporal dynamics of industry transition under varying process and policy assumptions. The presented model and its results can be coupled with energy system models to assess the implications of site-specific industry transition on energy system related research questions. We conduct an exemplary case study for a transformation pathway of the European primary steel production.

Recent Strategies of Oxygen Carrier Design in Chemical Looping Processes for Inherent CO2 Capture and Utilization

AbstractChemical looping processes are considered a promising pathway for the efficient production of various fuels and chemicals. Temporally or spatially separated reduction and oxidation reaction in chemical looping can offer various advantages such as enhancing energy efficiency, surpassing equilibrium limitations, and eliminating the need for separation. However, the efficiency of the chemical looping process highly depends on the performance of the oxygen carrier. Higher gas conversion can increase separation efficiency and higher solid conversion can reduce the amount of cycled oxygen carrier. The performance indicators are highly related to the thermodynamic properties of the oxygen carriers and their redox kinetics. This review introduces some key articles and recent achievements for the enhancement of such properties. The different research strategies are discussed for enhancing the performance of stoichiometric and non-stoichiometric oxygen carriers. Through the rational design of oxygen carrier material, an energy-efficient chemical looping process is possible.

SmHSFA8 Enhances the Heat Tolerance of Eggplant by Regulating the SmEGY3-SmCSD1 Module and Promoting SmF3H-mediated Flavonoid Biosynthesis.

High temperature (HT) is a major environmental factor that restrains eggplant growth and production. Heat shock factors (HSFs) play a vital role in the response of plants to high-temperature stress (HTS). However, the molecular mechanism by which HSFs regulate heat tolerance in eggplants remains unclear. Previously, we reported that SmEGY3 enhanced the heat tolerance of eggplant. Herein, SmHSFA8 activated SmEGY3 expression and interacted with SmEGY3 protein to enhance the activation function of SmEGY3 on SmCSD1. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) and overexpression assays suggested that SmHSFA8 positively regulated heat tolerance in plants. SmHSFA8 enhanced the heat tolerance of tomato plants by promoting SlEGY3 expression, H2O2 production and H2O2-mediated retrograde signalling pathway. DNA affinity purification sequencing (DAP-seq) analysis revealed that SmHSPs (SmHSP70, SmHSP70B and SmHSP21) and SmF3H were candidate downstream target genes of SmHSFA8. SmHSFA8 regulated the expression of HSPs and F3H and flavonoid content in plants. The silencing of SmF3H by VIGS reduced the flavonoid content and heat tolerance of eggplant. In addition, exogenous flavonoid treatment alleviated the HTS damage to eggplants. These results indicated that SmHSFA8 enhanced the heat tolerance of eggplant by activating SmHSPs exprerssion, mediating the SmEGY3-SmCSD1 module, and promoting SmF3H-mediated flavonoid biosynthesis.

Evaluating the sustainability of biohydrogen, biogas, and biohythane generation from agricultural, industrial, and municipal waste sources

AbstractBiofuel production from waste materials offers an effective solution for generating renewable energy in biohydrogen, biogas, and biohythane while reducing waste and recycling valuable nutrients. This review examines recent advances in biohydrogen and biogas production from renewable resources, focusing on the environmental impacts of different production techniques. It emphasizes life cycle analysis (LCA) as an important tool for assessing these impacts and discusses key production pathways and processes. The variability in LCA methodologies – including differences in software, impact categories, system boundaries, functional units, and analytical approaches – poses challenges for direct comparisons of studies. Despite these challenges, fermentation‐based production methods show substantial environmental advantages, such as reduced CO2 emissions, diminished ozone depletion potential, improved human health outcomes, lower ecotoxicity, and reduced fossil fuel use. Combining biohydrogen production with anaerobic digestion for biohythane generation demonstrates even greater energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction. Adopting waste‐to‐energy strategies grounded in life cycle principles could advance renewable energy system implementation and sustainability significantly.

Comparative analysis of retrosynthesis applications for predicting of pathways for plant Secondary metabolite production

Secondary metabolites (SMs), organic compounds synthesized by plants, play crucial roles in their own physiology and within their ecological niches, and have extensive usages in industries like pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food. Due to the complex nature of these metabolites, utilizing microorganisms has been proposed for their efficient and cost-effective production. In addressing challenges in SM synthesis, retrosynthesis has become essential. Applications such as RetroPath2.0, BioNavi-NP, and RetroBioCat have been developed to predict and design biosynthetic pathways, supporting synthetic biology and metabolic engineering efforts. These applications employ different methodologies to enhance the synthesis of target compounds, yet often face limitations in user-friendliness, functionality, and adaptability. This study evaluates the potential of RetroPath2.0, RetroBioCat, and BioNavi-NP in predicting the production pathways of 11 alkaloids, a class of plant secondary metabolites (PSMs). Through comparative analysis, the efficacy of these applications in proposing alternative production strategies was assessed. Findings highlighted RetroPath2.0’s capability in outlining precise production pathways in host organisms, despite some restrictions in its broader practicability. The study also demonstrated the production pathways of dimethyltryptamine, nicotine, and higenamine in non-plant hosts, illustrating the practical uses of these applications.

Reaction Pathway Regulation for Gaseous and Liquid Products of Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction under Adsorbate Interactions.

Halide anion adsorption on transition metals can improve the performance of electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR), while the specific reaction mechanisms governing selective CO2RR pathways remain unclear. In this study, we demonstrate for the first time the distinct pathways for gaseous (CO) and liquid products (formate and ethanol) on the well-defined Ag-Cu nanostructures with controlled chlorination, respectively. We show that CO2 conversion to CO on Ag/AgCl can be tuned by adjusting the thickness of AgCl layer, achieving a Faradaic efficiency (FE) near 100% over a broad potential range in a 0.5 M KHCO3 using flow cell. In contrast, the optimized Cl-Ag/Cu system enables the conversion of CO2 into liquid products including formate and ethanol with a total FE nearing 100%, delivering high current density under similar conditions. In situ infrared experiments and theoretical calculations reveal that the lateral adsorbate of *OCHO intermediate facilitates the thermodynamics of both the CO pathway on Cl-Ag(111) and the formate pathway on Cl-Ag/Cu(111) by reducing Gibbs free energy barriers of each potential-limit step. This work uncovers the role of chlorination in the tuning of C-bound or O-bound intermediates during CO2RR on Ag-Cu catalysts, determining the reaction pathway under lateral adsorbate effects.

The assessment of 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy in glioblastomas

Abstract Photodynamic therapy (PDT) using 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) has emerged as a promising strategy in the treatment of various cancers, particularly gliomas. The biosynthesis of prodrug 5-ALA plays a pivotal role in the heme production pathway of Protoporphyrin IX (PpIX), and understanding this molecular process offers significant insights into cellular physiology and therapeutic potential. This review highlights the clinical applications of 5-ALA in PDT, underscoring the translational impact of foundational research on its biosynthesis. The search, performed on PubMed and Web of Science, included both in vivo clinical studies and in vitro preclinical studies. The findings of this review emphasize the expanding potential for novel therapeutic strategies, driven by an enhanced understanding of 5-ALA biosynthesis and its application in PDT, offering a promising future for medical advancements in cancer treatment.

Enhanced thermophilic hydrogen production from co-substrate of pretreated waste activated sludge and food waste: Analysis from microbial growth and metabolism

Response surface methodology was employed to establish a thermophilic hydrogen production process from co-substrate of food waste (FW) and waste activated sludge (WAS), resulting in a maximum hydrogen production of 2602.68 ± 54.88 mL/L, which was 5.4 and 21.9 times of FW and WAS, respectively. The co-substrate facilitated the butyrate pathway of hydrogen production and decreased lactate accumulation, and significantly increased the activity of butyric kinase and hydrogenase (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, it could promote microbial growth by creating a more suitable redox environment. Microbial community analysis showed that Thermoanaerobacterium (hydrogen production genus) was specifically enriched and dominant in co-substrate (82.3%). Further functional prediction analysis showed that the co-substrate effectively promoted carbohydrate metabolism. Furthermore, pretreatment improved sludge biodegradability. This study establishes a feasible hydrogen production process, profoundly revealed the mechanism of enhanced anaerobic fermentation from the perspective of microbial growth and metabolism, which lays solid foundation on the hydrogen production from waste biomass.

An Improved Transformation-Associated Recombination Cloning Approach for Direct Capturing of Natural Product Biosynthetic Gene Clusters.

The phylum Actinomycetota and genus Streptomyces in particular are the major source for discovery of natural products with diverse chemical structures and a variety of biological activities. Genes encoding biosynthetic pathways for bacterial natural products are grouped together into biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). The size of a typical actinobacterial BGC may range from 10 kb to 200 kb, which makes their cloning for heterologous expression a challenging task. Various DNA cloning and assembly methods have been established for capturing BGCs. Among them, the transformation-associated recombination (TAR) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae remains one of the most cost-effective, accessible, customisable and precise approaches. However, the drawback of TAR cloning is a need for intensive screening of clones in order to identify one carrying the BGC. In this study, we report a further development of the TAR cloning approach by introducing the direct selection of colonies with BGC of interest based on the yeast killer phenomenon. For this, a new TAR cloning vector system was constructed and the strategy was validated by successful cloning of chelocardin (35 kb) BGC from Amycolatopsis sulphurea and daptomycin BGC (67 kb) from Streptomyces filamentosus. Both BGCs were functionally expressed in a heterologous host, resulting in the production of the corresponding antibiotics. The proposed approach could be widely applied for precise direct cloning of BGCs from the representatives of phylum Actinomycetota and easily adopted for other bacteria.

Pt-Doped Co3O4 Nanowires as High-Efficiency Cathodic Catalysts for Improved Lithium-Oxygen Batteries and Insights into The Electrochemical Reaction Pathway

Lithium-oxygen batteries (LOBs) have garnered considerable interest as promising energy storage solutions owing to their exceptional theoretical energy density. Nevertheless, their practical implementation is impeded by notable obstacles, involving suboptimal energy efficiency, excessive overpotential and limited cycle life. Tricobalt tetra-oxide (Co3O4) is a promising cathodic bifunctional catalyst for LOBs. With deliberate alien-atom doping, their catalytic performance can even be further improved due to the resulted structural adjustment. In this work, platinum-doped cobalt oxide nanowires have been hydrothermally synthesized on the acid-treated carbon paper substrates. These nanowires, with a thickness of about 150 nm and a length of approximately 1.5 μm, are closely stacked and display an urchin-like morphology. As employed as the cathode for the LOBs, an excellent performance is delivered, including a discharge capacity of 17079.4 mAh g−1, an overpotential of 0.88 V, a cycle stability of over 75 cycles, and an initial coulombic efficiency of 95.71%, which is superior to the batteries based on pure Co3O4 nanowires. Combined with the results of density functional theory (DFT) calculations, it can be deduced from the experimental observation that the nanowires’ adsorption affinity toward the discharge/charge intermediates of lithium superoxide (LiO2), as well as the morphologies and formation/decomposition pathways of the discharge products, are all governed by Pt-doping. The Pt-doping-improved adsorption induces a transition of the discharge products from the solution-pathway grown flake-like morphologies which are randomly stacked in the voids between pure Co3O4 nanowires to the surface-pathway grown film-like morphologies which are tightly wrapped around the Pt-doped Co3O4 nanowires. The close contact between the film-like discharge products and the Pt-doped Co3O4 nanowires is facile for fast oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) kinetics, hence the lowered overpotential and enlengthened cycle durability of the batteries. Furthermore, the increased amount of the film-like discharge products results in the enhancement of the capacity of the batteries. This work may shed light on approaches for boosting the electrochemical performance of the transition-metal-oxide-based LOBs through the strategy of alien-atom doping.

An Anti-RAGE Chimeric antibody alleviates CCl4-induced liver fibrosis via RAGE/NF-kB pathway in mice

Liver fibrosis is a progressive condition characterized by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix components, leading to organ dysfunction. Chronic inflammation and activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are two dominant events in all stages of fibrosis development. The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) pathway is involved in modulating liver injury and fibrosis, and preventing it, or deletion of Ager gene can protect the liver against fibrosis progression. To investigate functions and mechanism of chimeric anti-RAGE monoclonal antibody against liver fibrosis, murine-derived monoclonal anti-RAGE antibodies were used to construct murine-human chimeric antibodies. The properties of the chimeric antibody were characterized, and the biological functions of antibody A5 or its evolved humanized molecule, huA5, were investigated in cell or animal model. The data showed that blocking the RAGE pathway with huA5 robustly reduced liver injury and fibrosis. Furthermore, huA5 significantly suppressed the activation of HSCs and inhibited expression of fibrosis-associated genes, including COL1A1,TIMP1, and ACTA2. huA5 also interfered with RAGE downstream signal transduction and down-regulate both ERK and NF-κB phosphorylation, inhibited the RAGE/NF-kB pathway, leading to reduced expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and profibrotic markers. Finally, RAGE silencing significantly decreased the expression of activation-related genes in HSCs, inhibiting HSCs proliferation and migration. These results clearly revealed that the anti-RAGE chimeric antibody exerted antifibrotic efficacy in vitro and attenuated liver fibrosis in vivo. HuA5 can be further developed as a lead molecule of drug to treat patients with liver fibrosis.

RNA 3′end tailing safeguards cells against products of pervasive transcription termination

Premature transcription termination yields a wealth of unadenylated (pA−) RNA. Although this can be targeted for degradation by the Nuclear EXosome Targeting (NEXT) complex, possible backup pathways remain poorly understood. Here, we find increased levels of 3′ end uridylated and adenylated RNAs upon NEXT inactivation. U-tailed RNAs are mostly short and modified by the cytoplasmic tailing enzymes, TUT4/7, following their PHAX-dependent nuclear export and prior to their degradation by the cytoplasmic exosome or the exoribonuclease DIS3L2. Longer RNAs are instead adenylated redundantly by enzymes TENT2, PAPOLA and PAPOLG. These transcripts are either degraded via the nuclear Poly(A) tail eXosome Targeting (PAXT) connection or exported and removed by the cytoplasmic exosome in a translation-dependent manner. Failure to do so decreases global translation and induces cell death. We conclude that post-transcriptional 3′ end modification and removal of excess pA− RNA is achieved by tailing enzymes and export factors shared with productive RNA pathways.

In silico analysis of Design of Experiment methods for metabolic pathway optimization

Microbial cell factories allow the production of chemicals presenting an alternative to traditional fossil fuel-dependent production. However, finding the optimal expression of production pathway genes is crucial for the development of efficient production strains. Unlike sequential experimentation, combinatorial optimization captures the relationships between pathway genes and production, albeit at the cost of conducting multiple experiments. Fractional factorial designs followed by linear modeling and statistical analysis reduce the experimental workload while maximizing the information gained during experimentation. Although tools to perform and analyze these designs are available, guidelines for selecting appropriate factorial designs for pathway optimization are missing. In this study, we leverage a kinetic model of a seven-genes pathway to simulate the performance of a full factorial strain library. We compare this approach to resolution V, IV, III, and Plackett Burman (PB) designs. Additionally, we evaluate the performance of these designs as training sets for a random forest algorithm aimed at identifying best-producing strains. Evaluating the robustness of these designs to noise and missing data, traits inherent to biological datasets, we find that while resolution V designs capture most information present in full factorial data, they necessitate the construction of a large number of strains. On the other hand, resolution III and PB designs fall short in identifying optimal strains and miss relevant information. Besides, given the small number of experiments required for the optimization of a pathway with seven genes, linear models outperform random forest. Consequently, we propose the use of resolution IV designs followed by linear modeling in Design-Build-Test-Learn (DBTL) cycles targeting the screening of multiple factors. These designs enable the identification of optimal strains and provide valuable guidance for subsequent optimization cycles.

Techno-economic and environmental assessment of a sugarcane biorefinery: direct and indirect production pathways of biobased adipic acid

Techno-economic and environmental assessment of a sugarcane biorefinery: direct and indirect production pathways of biobased adipic acid

Altered purine and pentose phosphate pathway metabolism in uteroplacental insufficiency-induced intrauterine growth restriction offspring rats impairs intestinal function

BackgroundThis study aimed to identify metabolic alterations in the small intestine of newborn rats with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), a condition linked to intestinal dysfunction. MethodsPregnant Sprague Dawley rats underwent bilateral uterine artery ligation on gestational day 17 to induce intrauterine growth restriction or sham surgery. Rat pups were delivered spontaneously on gestational day 22. Small intestine tissues were collected on postnatal days 0 and 7 from offspring. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis was performed to investigate untargeted metabolomic profiles. Western blot analysis assessed protein expression of key regulators. ResultsNewborn rats with intrauterine growth restriction exhibited distinct small intestine metabolic profiles compared to controls on postnatal day 0. Notably, significant alterations were observed in purine metabolism, the pentose phosphate pathway, and related pathways. Western blot analysis revealed a decrease expression in transketolase, a key enzyme of the pentose phosphate pathway, suggesting impaired activity of the pentose phosphate pathway. Additionally, decreased expression of tight junction proteins ZO-1 and occludin indicated compromised intestinal barrier function in rats with intrauterine growth restriction. Similar metabolic disruptions persisted on postnatal day 7, with further reductions in tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates and folate biosynthesis precursors. Interestingly, lysyl-glycine, a protein synthesis marker, was elevated in rats with intrauterine growth restriction. ConclusionsOur findings reveal a distinct metabolic signature in the small intestine of neonatal rats with intrauterine growth restriction, characterized by disruptions in the pentose phosphate pathway, purine metabolism, and energy production pathways. These novel insights suggest potential mechanisms underlying IUGR-associated intestinal dysfunction and impaired growth.

Modulation of the receptor for advanced glycation end products pathway by natural polyphenols: A therapeutic approach to neurodegenerative diseases

Modulation of the receptor for advanced glycation end products pathway by natural polyphenols: A therapeutic approach to neurodegenerative diseases

Mini-Review on Renewable Production of Green p-Xylene

The sustainable and renewable production of p-xylene (PX), a crucial component for polyethylene terephthalate (PET), is increasingly important as an alternative to fossil-based processes. This review examines biomass-derived routes for PX synthesis, emphasizing the use of bio-px production pathways to feasible for commercialization. While bio-PX production offers reduced greenhouse gas emissions, challenges remain in cost, catalyst stability, and energy requirements. Recent innovations in catalyst regeneration and hierarchical structures enhance stability and minimize coke formation. Life-cycle assessments confirm bio-PX’s environmental advantages, suggesting that further research into biomass sources and catalyst efficiency will advance bio-based PX production toward commercial viability in a sustainable bioeconomy.

Using process modeling and simulation to determine the sustainability of a novel lactic acid biorefinery in Europe: Influence of process improvements, scale, energy source, and market conditions

The biorefinery concept aims to produce multiple high-value products from bio-based feedstocks. One such product is lactic acid, which is used across several industries such as food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and chemicals. Lactic acid yield is influenced by several factors, and improvements in performance are often first demonstrated at lab-scale, requiring prospective models which make assumptions about how the system will be optimized to understand the potential of a commercial-scale plant. This study assesses the economic and environmental sustainability of a proposed lactic acid biorefinery through the combination of process modelling, techno-economic assessment, and life cycle assessment. The case study proposes producing high purity lactic acid from industrial candy waste and liquid digestate in Denmark through lactic acid fermentation and downstream membrane separations. A base case is first modelled to determine the economic and environmental hotspots of the system; scenarios are then modelled where improvement methods are implemented reducing consumption of energy, chemicals, water, and the production of waste, upscaling the system, and integrating bioenergy. Finally, a cost sensitivity analysis is run varying bioenergy, water, chemical, and labor costs based on the European market. By optimizing unit processes, scale, energy sources and market conditions, the lactic acid unit production cost and global warming potential can be lowered by 94% and 80% compared to the base case, respectively. However, these are optimized in different scenarios, indicating a trade-off in optimizing economic and environmental criteria. As even best-case lactic acid unit production cost is found to be 141–232% higher than market price, this production pathway will require further improvement or market changes before it can be commercially viable.

Genomic Characterization and Comparative Genomic Analysis of the Foodborne Burkholderia gladioli pv. cocovenenans.

The Burkholderia gladioli pv. cocovenenans (B. cocovenenans) has been linked to fatal food poisoning cases, which could produce the deadly toxin of bongkrekic acid (BA). However, genomic characterization and toxin production pathways of B. cocovenenans strains remain elusive. This study aimed to explore the BA-producing ability associated with the evolution of the bon gene cluster and to analyze the intraspecies genomic diversity and phylogenetic relationships of B. gladioli based on the 17 genomes of B. cocovenenans strains isolated from Shenzhen City, China. Genome sequencing results suggested that the genome sizes of these B. cocovenenans strains were mostly approximately 8 Mb, with a GC content of approximately 68%. The evolutionary tree analysis of the whole-genome sequences showed that significant divergences and distinct cluster were exhibited among these B. cocovenenans strains. Comparative genomic analysis indicated that the genomes of strains 2020051, 2021031, and 2021067 contained the complete and entire bon gene cluster, supporting that these strains displayed obviously BA-producing ability. The genomes of strains 2021028 and 2020041 lacked the entire bon gene cluster. However, the genomes of strains 2021037, 2021024, 2021035, and 2021031 exhibited disruptions in their bon gene clusters. This finding indicated the loss of specific genes within the cluster, suggesting a reduced capability for BA production in these strains. The present results indicated that the bon gene cluster in the genome played a key role in the toxin BA biosynthesis of different B. cocovenenans strains. This study provided a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between genomic diversity and BA production of this lethal foodborne pathovar, which will potentially contribute to the risk identification and food poisoning outbreak prevention of B. cocovenenans.

Machine-learning-accelerated density functional theory screening of Cu-based high-entropy alloys for carbon dioxide reduction to ethylene

Computational screening of high-entropy alloy (HEA) catalysts as alternatives to the typical Cu electrocatalyst for CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) has been extensively focused on C1 products, but C2+ products have received significantly less attention. This work optimized CuZnPdAgAu HEA catalyst composition for CO2RR to ethylene via density functional theory and supervised machine learning regression techniques. Candidates were identified from 106,045 HEA data for enthalpy of adsorption of *CO2, *H, *HOCCOH, and *C2H4 species, and the Gibbs free energy of *H. The electrocatalytic properties during the reaction were examined on the surface of the optimized HEA candidate – Cu0.36Zn0.18Pd0.10Ag0.18Au0.18 benchmarked to Cu (111). The Pd site of such a candidate functions as the active site for the CO2 activation step. In terms of catalytic activity, it showed lower Gibbs free energy for the potential determining step – the *OCCOH formation step compared to that on the Cu (111). Insight into electronic properties demonstrated that the candidate reduces the uphill reaction energy for *HOCCOH production pathway due to increased electron density in the C–C bond, donated from two Cu sites. It is shown that the HEA catalyst candidate has the potential for CO2RR targeting ethylene, an alternative to a common Cu catalyst.