Product Yield Research Articles

Synthesis of Diastereomeric 2,6-bis{[3-(2-Hydroxy-5-substitutedbenzyl)octahydro-1H-benzimidazol-1-yl]methyl}-4-substituted Phenols (R = Me, OMe) by Mannich-Type Tandem Reactions

The synthesis and characterization of two novel diastereomeric Mannich bases was carried out from the reaction of the cyclic aminal (2R,7R,11S,16S)-1,8,10,17-tetraazapentacyclo[8.8.1.1.8,170.2,70.11,16]icosane 1 and p-cresol 2a and 4-methoxyphenol 2b in a water/dioxane mixture. The title compounds (4a–b) are interesting because bearing two 3-(2-hydroxy-5-substitutedbenzyl)octahydro-1H-benzimidazol-1-yl]methyl} substituents joined to an arenol ring. The formation of these new Mannich bases in the reaction mixture can be explained by aminomethylation of previously reported di-Mannich base 2,2′-((hexahydro-1H-benzo[d]imidazole-1,3(2H)-diyl)bis(methylene))bis(4-substituentphenol) 3a–b. NMR analysis demonstrated that compounds 4a–b were formed as diastereomeric mixtures. Subsequent experiments revealed that at longer reaction times, the percentage yield of these new products increased considerably (yield percentages up to 22–27%), suggesting a nucleophilic competition between the p-substituted phenols and Mannich bases of type 3 for aminal 1.

Synthesis and application of triptycene based oligomers for the stereoselective aldol reaction of isatin and ketones

Novel triptycene derived oligomers (TOL1, TOL2 and TOL3) with multiple metal-coordinating sites have been synthesized in high yields using a three-component one-pot synthetic protocol and were characterized by various analytical tools such as FT-IR, solid state 13C NMR, GPC and FESEM. The GPC analysis revealed TOLs as oligomers with 8-10 repeating units. The catalytic applications of these oligomers were investigated for the stereoselective synthesis of 3-hydroxy-2-oxindoles via aldol reaction of isatin with ketones by the in-situ complexation of the oligomers with Cobalt metal. All the tested reactions worked well to generate the corresponding products in excellent yields with good diastereo-selectivities.

Ultrasound assisted solvent-free approach for the synthesis of 4-thiazolidinone derivatives

An economical and environment-friendly protocol involving the use of ultrasonic vibrations was developed for the synthesis of a series of diaryl-4-thiazolidinones. The highlights of the developed approach are significant enhancement in the product yield, short reaction time, solvent-free, free of any toxic metal as a catalyst, cheaper synthetic methodological approach as well as non-formation of side-products. The developed approach is useful in terms of immense biological relevance of thiazolidines as well as the greener approach for cyclo-condensation of functionalized imines with thioglycolic acid.

Enhancing oil production via radical reactions during hydrothermal coliquefaction of biomass model compounds and plastics: A molecular dynamic simulation study

Recently, hydrothermal coliquefaction of biomass and plastic waste has attracted considerable research interest. However, there is a notable gap in understanding the fundamental reaction mechanisms between biomass and plastics during coliquefaction. This study focused on the coliquefaction of biomass model compounds and plastic polymers using ReaxFF molecular dynamics simulations under both subcritical and supercritical water conditions. Molecular-level tracking and probing of the reaction mechanisms between biomass model compounds and plastics were conducted to purposefully enhance oil production. The study observed related radical reactions between by-product molecules, with detailed mechanisms primarily involving (1) ▪OH radicals released by aqueous phase molecules from biomolecules, transferring as H2O molecules and facilitating plastic depolymerization, and (2) C1–C4 radicals in the gaseous phase, emitted from biomolecule and plastic, colliding and subsequently recombining to form oil molecules. Moreover, the yield of multiple products from various mixtures were evaluated by considering the key reaction parameters including reaction temperature and feedstock blended ratio. An exploration into the effect of coliquefaction on oil yield was conducted to precisely identify the optimal coliquefaction conditions. The positive effect of coliquefaction was more pronounced between biomass model compounds and aromatic polymers compared to aliphatic polymers. Analysis of reaction mechanisms and product outcomes has shown that hydrothermal coliquefaction is a viable approach to improving oil production from multi-source organic solid waste.

Improving Fungal Product Yield through Fast, Eco-friendly, and Cost-effective Chrom Genic Media Technology

The cost of commonly available culture media is a source of concern for many researchers, highlighting the need to explore more cost-effective alternatives or reduce the use of additives. Despite limited research in this area, efforts have been made to identify alternative culture media that are economically viable for cultivating microorganisms. This study explored the potential of beetroot extract as a cost-effective medium with col-or-inducing properties for fungal growth and as a chromogenic medium for testing lipase enzyme production efficiently as one of the rapid differential tests. The results indicated that Beetroot Agar Medium (BAM) offered significant cost savings in fungal cultivation while facilitating rapid fungal growth compared to other expensive and time-consuming media. Within a 3-4 day incubation period at a temperature range of 25-27 ˚C, all isolated fungi exhibited robust growth. Furthermore, the medium successfully served as a chromogenic differentiating medium by inducing fungi to produce lipase. These findings have broad implications for bio-technology and industrial applications, providing a sustainable and efficient alternative for microbial cultivation.

Optimised solid-phase extraction of 211At: Activity balance of 211At, 210At and 210Po after wet chemistry target dissolution

Several studies have illustrated the significant increase in the production yield of cyclotron produced 211At by irradiating targets at higher beam energies, highlighting that this approach warrants consideration. Recently published data also confirms the importance of the 209Bi(α,x)210Po reaction in addition to the increasing 210At production at higher energies, stressing the importance of determining the total 210Po activity on irradiated targets and the validation of radiochemical separation of 210Po from astatine as an impurity.In this work, two experiments were performed: (i) the dissolution of irradiated Bi-targets to validate the calculated 211At, 210At and 210Po activities on target and (ii) the radiochemical separation of astatine by extraction chromatography to determine the activity balance of 211At, 210At and 210Po after target processing.The calculated 211At, 210At and 210Po activities were validated on targets irradiated at the Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark. 211At and 210At activities were determined by gamma spectrometry, whereas the 210Po activity was measured by liquid scintillation counting (LSC) after target dissolution with concentrated nitric acid. The activity balance during target processing and extraction chromatography was established using targets irradiated at Arronax, Nantes, France. Targets were characterised after the dissolution with an in-house developed dissolution unit. Dissolution yield, extraction yield and separation capability were assessed by determining 211At, 210At and 210Po activities at every step.The results show that more than 88% of the total 210Po activity in targets irradiated at ≈ 28.8 MeV is attributable to the direct production of 210Po. This amounts to about 53% at energies of 29.8 MeV. A maximal discrepancy of 21% was found when comparing the total measured activity to the total calculated 210Po. Activity balance calculations show a mean decay-corrected dissolution yield of 88.9% ± 9.5% and an extraction yield of 87.56% ± 11.4% (n = 5) of 211At/210At resulting in an overall yield of 77.8% ± 10.5% (n = 5). In addition, the radiochemical separability was confirmed by removing >95% of the previously formed 210Po before extraction.This work confirms the important underestimation of the total 210Po component on irradiated targets at 28.8 and 29.8 MeV when calculating solely from 210At measurements. In addition, the validation measurements indicate that calculations can be used to estimate the total 210Po activity.The experimental setup of target dissolution and extraction chromatography presented a very good yield. It allowed the safe isolation and management of 210Po, leaving 210At as the only source for future ingrowth of 210Po. This finding is an important step in moving beyond the conventional approach of irradiating Bi-targets at limited incident energies.

Synergistic cryoprotective effect of deaeration and polysorbate 80 on IgG denaturation during thin-film freeze-drying

Polysorbate 80 (PS80) is employed as a cryoprotectant in biotherapeutic formulations to preserve biologics from denaturation during the freezing process. However, excessive quantities of PS80 can lead to stickiness in dry powder, thereby reducing production yields and altering the physical and aerodynamic characteristics of the powder. Additionally, degradation byproducts of PS80 pose a risk of destabilizing proteins in therapeutic formulations. Our study reveals the synergistic cryoprotective effect of combining deaeration with PS80. PS80 plays a protective role by competitively binding to ice/water and air/water interfaces, as well as binding directly to IgG molecules. Deaeration increases the cryoprotective effect of PS80 by reducing the surface area of air microbubbles, thereby reducing the required amount of PS80 for surface coverage and limiting available adsorption sites for IgG molecules, which allows the decrease in the necessary concentration of PS80 required to minimize IgG denaturation during the thin-film freeze-drying (TFFD) process. Even at a low concentration of 0.0025 % w/v, PS80 prevents the aggregation of IgG during the freezing step of TFFD but does not eliminate IgG denaturation during the drying step. PS80 concentrations ranging from 0.0025 % to 0.0400 % w/v exhibit no impact on the specific surface area (SSA) and aerodynamic properties (i.e., fine particle fraction (FPF), mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD)) of IgG dry powders. These IgG TFFD powders exhibit a fine particle fraction exceeding 70 % and a median mass aerodynamic diameter of approximately 2.3–2.5 μm, with an SSA of around 20 m2/g.

Elevated CO2 and Nitrogen Supply Boost N Use Efficiency and Wheat (T. aestivum cv. Yunmai) Growth and Differentiate Soil Microbial Communities Related to Ammonia Oxidization.

Elevated CO2 levels (eCO2) pose challenges to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) growth, potentially leading to a decline in quality and productivity. This study addresses the effects of two ambient CO2 concentrations (aCO2, daytime/nighttime = 410/450 ± 30 ppm and eCO2, 550/600 ± 30 ppm) and two nitrogen (N) supplements (without N supply-N0 and with 100 mg N supply as urea per kg soil-N100) on wheat (T. aestivum cv. Yunmai) growth, N accumulation, and soil microbial communities related to ammonia oxidization. The data showed that the N supply effectively mitigated the negative impacts of eCO2 on wheat growth by reducing intercellular CO2 concentrations while enhancing photosynthesis parameters. Notably, the N supply significantly increased N concentrations in wheat tissues and biomass production, thereby boosting N accumulation in seeds, shoots, and roots. eCO2 increased the agronomic efficiency of applied N (AEN) and the physiological efficiency of applied N (PEN) under N supply. Plant tissue N concentrations and accumulations are positively related to plant biomass production and soil NO3--N. Additionally, the N supply increased the richness and evenness of the soil microbial community, particularly Nitrososphaeraceae, Nitrosospira, and Nitrosomonas, which responded differently to N availability under both aCO2 and eCO2. These results underscore the importance and complexity of optimizing N supply and eCO2 for enhancing crop tissue N accumulation and yield production as well as activating nitrification-related microbial activities for soil inorganic N availability under future global environment change scenarios.

Rapid and accurate quantification of trypsin activity using integrated infrared and ultraviolet spectroscopy with data fusion techniques

Proteases play a crucial role in industrial enzyme formulations, with activity fluctuations significantly impacting product quality and yield. Therefore, developing a method for precise and rapid detection of protease activity is paramount. This study aimed to develop a rapid and accurate method for quantifying trypsin activity using integrated infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy combined with data fusion techniques. The developed method evaluates the enzymatic activity of trypsin under varying conditions, including temperature, pH, and ionic strength. By comparing different data fusion methods, the study identifies the optimal model for accurate enzyme activity prediction. The results demonstrated significant improvements in predictive performance using the feature-level data fusion approach. Additionally, substituting the spectral data of the samples in the validation sets into the best prediction model resulted in a minimal residual difference between predicted and true values, further verifying the model's accuracy and reliability. This innovative approach offers a practical solution for the efficient and precise quantification of enzyme activity, with broad applications in industrial processes.

Removal and monitoring of residual nucleic acids from core streptavidin inclusion bodies for increased refolding yield

Commercial production of recombinant streptavidin (SAV) using soluble expression route is cost-prohibitive, resulting from its inherent toxicity toward commercially available Escherichia coli hosts (such as BL21) and low productivity of existing manufacturing processes. Quality challenges can also result from binding of streptavidin in the host cells. One way to overcome these challenges is to allow formation of inclusion bodies (IBs). Nevertheless, carried-over cellular contaminants during IBs preparation can hinder protein refolding and application of SAV in nucleic acid-based applications. Hence, removing associated contaminants in recombinant IBs is imperative for maximum product outcomes. In this study, the IBs isolation method from our group was improved to remove residual DNA found in refolded core SAV (cSAV). The improvements were attained by incorporating quantitative real-time polymerase chain reactions (qPCR) for residual DNA monitoring. We attained 99% cellular DNA removal from cSAV IBs via additional wash and sonication steps, and the addition of benzonase nuclease during lysis. A 10% increment of cSAV refolding yield (72%) and 83% reduction of residual DNA from refolding of 1 mg cSAV IBs were observed under extensive sonication. Refolding of cSAV was not affected and its activity was not compromised. The optimized process reported here highlights the importance of obtaining cSAV IBs with minimal contaminants prior to refolding to increase product yield, and the usefulness of the qPCR method to monitor nucleic acid removed from each step of the process.

Synthesis and evaluation of palladium-functionalized biochar-supported magnetic nanoparticles for efficient nitro reduction

This study investigated the catalytic activity of the magnetic Fe3O4@Bio-R-Pd (Bio = biochar, R = epichlorohydrin and guanidine) for the reduction of nitro compounds. The structural and magnetic properties of the synthesized nanocatalyst were characterized using a suite of techniques including inductively coupled plasma spectrometry (ICP), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), Fourier Transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The recyclability of the synthesized nanocatalyst was confirmed by its complete reversibility upon testing with a vibrating magnetometer, further supporting its paramagnetic nature. Analysis of the SEM images revealed the presence of spherical magnetite particles within the composite. Using these optimized conditions, various aromatic nitro compounds were successfully reduced in the presence of the Fe3O4@Bio-R-Pd catalyst. The results demonstrate the advantageous properties of the synthesized nanocatalyst, including high product yield, stability and resistance at high temperatures, easy separation from the reaction medium, high efficiency with short reaction times, and economic viability. Notably, the synthesized sample exhibited nearly the same initial efficiency after 5 reuses, indicating almost complete recovery and minimal change in its catalytic activity.

The effect of the combined application of elicitors to Salvia virgata Jacq. under salinity stress on physiological and antioxidant defense

Salinity stress is one of the most important stress barriers to crop production worldwide. Developing and implementing new strategies against salinity stress is critical for increasing agricultural productivity and supporting sustainable farming. Elicitors such as nanoparticles and Salicylic acid have recently been used potentially for better product yield. Therefore, in our research the Salvia virgata plant was exposed to salinity (NaCl) stress, and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONP), salicylic acid (SA), and the ZnONP + SA combination were applied to plants divided into different groups. While salinity stress decreased the amount of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and carotenoid pigments, SA, ZnONP, and SA + ZnONP elicitors combined with salinity stress enhanced the content of all three pigments. While salt stress raised MDA, H2O2, total phenolic, total flavonoid, soluble sugar and proline content, elicitor applications enhanced proline, soluble sugar, total phenolic and total flavonoid content more. Additionally, the application of NaCl + SA + ZnONP increased proline content by 21.55% and sugar content by 15.73% compared to NaCl application, while decreasing MDA content by 42.28% and H2O2 levels by 42.34%, thereby alleviating the plant's salt stress. It was revealed that DPPH, ABTS, and CUPRAC antioxidant activity sequence used to determine the total antioxidant activity displayed similarities, and it was found as NaCI + ZnONP > NaCI + SA > NaCI + SA + ZnONP > NaCI > Control. Furthermore, all elicitor applications increased CAT, GR, APX, and SOD enzyme activities while reducing oxidative stress in S. virgata plants. When all the data were evaluated, it was confirmed that SA and ZnONP had a synergistic effect and that SA and ZnONP have the potential to support plant development and growth under salinity. SA and ZnONP applications may have the capacity to least the detrimental impacts of salinity stress on plants. However, further research is needed to investigate the effectiveness of SA and ZnONPs in ameliorating salinity or different stress factors in various other plants.

Novel regioselective sulfamidomethylation of phenols: Synthesis, characterization, biological effects, and molecular docking study

Studied the reaction of sulfamidomethylation of phenols in the presence of a catalytic amount of hydrochloric acid (0.001 mol per 1 mol of sulfamide), which accelerates the reaction and increases the yield of the target product to 75–85 %. The study of the direction of the reaction showed that the attack of the carbocation is directed mainly towards the ortho position with respect to the hydroxyl group of phenol. Additionally, it is demonstrated that the enzymes α-glycosidase, aldose reductase, and α-amylase are blocked by novel regioselective sulfamidomethylation of phenols L(1–4). With an IC50 value of 4.41 μM, compound L4 in this series exhibited the least inhibitory impact on aldose reductase (AR), whereas compound L1 displayed the most inhibitory effect with an IC50 value of 3.28 μM. These chemicals also readily inhibited the enzymes α-amylase and α-glycosidase. The ability of each material to inhibit the α-glycosidase enzyme was tested; the IC50 values ranged from 3.53 to 9.33 μM and the Ki values ranged from 4.25 ± 0.43 to 11.70 ± 0.87 μM. Furthermore, the α-amylase's effective inhibition percentage (IC50) ranges from 0.27 to 1.46 μM. The inhibition potential of novel regioselective sulfamid compounds L(1–4) on α-glycosidase and α-amylase was assessed using p-NPG and starch as the substrates, according to Tao et al. and Xiao et al. techniques. Since the results are meaningful, they may be used for drug design.

Impact of deficit irrigation and planting density on grain yield and water productivity of maize grown under temperate continental climatic conditions

Variable frequent drought periods in Vojvodina region (the southeastern part of the Pannonian Plain, Serbia), severely limit maize (Zea mays L.) production under rainfed conditions. A four-year field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of sprinkler deficit irrigation and plant density on yield and water use efficiency of maize grown on silty clay loam soil under temperate continental climate. The experiment included fully irrigated crop (I1), three deficit irrigation treatments (I2, I3 and I4 corresponding to 80, 50 and 40 % of crop evapontranspiration, respectively) and non-irrigated treatment (I0), and three plant densities (LPD: 54,900 plants ha–1; MPD: 64,900 plants ha–1; HPD: 75,200 plants ha–1) in four replicates. The results showed that grain yield, CWP (crop water productivity) and IWP (irrigation water productivity) varied significantly with irrigation amounts, plant densities and seasons. The irrigation rates and plant density interact significantly. MPD and HPD differed significantly from LPD in almost all seasons. With increasing irrigation and plant density, yield and CWP showed an increasing trend. The relative values of IWP increased with the rise of plant density and decreased with the amount of irrigation. The highest four-year average yield (15.03 t ha–1) was obtained in the I1-HPD treatment, while the lowest (9.30 t ha–1) was obtained in the I0-HPD treatment. The highest average values of CWP and IWP were recorded at I3-HPD or/and I2-HPD. The lowest CWP and IWP values were determined for I4-HPD and I4-MPD, respectively. In the pedo-climatic conditions of Vojvodina and similar regions, we recommend growing maize under the I1-HPDtreatment to achieve high yields. Under the water shortage conditions, the application of I2-HPD treatment is a favorable strategy saving 37 % of irrigation water, while reducing maize grain yield by ∼10 %.

Activity of Streptomyces globosus OPF-9 against the important pathogen Alternaria longipes and biocontrol mechanisms revealed by multi-omic analyses

Plant diseases caused by fungal pathogens represent main threats to the yield and quality of agricultural products, and Alternaria longipes is one of the most important pathogens in agricultural systems. Biological control is becoming increasingly prevalent in the management of plant diseases due to its environmental compatibility and sustainability. In the present study, a bacterial strain, designated as OPF-9, was shown to effectively inhibit the pathogen A. longipes, which was identified as Streptomyces globosus. The culture conditions for OPF-9 were optimized through a stepwise approach and the fermentation broth acquired displayed an excellent inhibitory activity against A. longipes in vitro and in vivo. Further investigations suggested that the fermentation broth exhibited strong stability under a range of adverse environmental conditions. To reveal the molecular bases of OPF-9 in inhibiting pathogens, the whole-genome sequencing and assembly were conducted on this strain. It showed that the genome size of OPF-9 was 7.668 Mb, containing a chromosome and two plasmids. Multiple clusters of secondary metabolite synthesis genes were identified by genome annotation analysis. In addition, the fermentation broth of strain OPF-9 was analyzed by LC-MS/MS non-target metabolomic assay and the activity of potential antifungal substances was determined. Among the five compounds evaluated, pyrogallol displayed the most pronounced inhibitory activity against A. longipes, which was found to effectively inhibit the mycelial growth of this pathogen. Overall, this study reported, for the first time, a strain of S. globosus that effectively inhibits A. longipes and revealed the underlying biocontrol mechanisms by genomic and metabolomic analyses.

The impact of NUMB on chicken abdominal adipogenesis: A comprehensive analysis

Excessive abdominal fat deposition negatively impacts poultry meat production and carcass yield. Identification of novel adipogenesis regulators may help improve production performance declines caused by excessive fat deposition. NUMB Endocytic Adaptor Protein (NUMB) typically functions as a cell fate determinant and plays a significant role in cell development and various diseases. Here, we found that NUMB is abundantly expressed in chicken abdominal fat depots and is induced in cultured adipocytes following adipogenic treatment. The gain- and loss-of-function experiments demonstrated that NUMB promotes the proliferation and G1/S transition of chicken adipocytes, enhances adipocyte differentiation, and increases the expression of PPARγ1 transcript. Through mRNA-seq analysis and molecular experiments, we further confirmed that NUMB inhibits the transcriptional activation of the NOTCH1 pathway and the expression of the downstream transcription factor HES1 by inducing NOTCH1 degradation. Nevertheless, the inhibition of the NOTCH1/HES1 axis alone cannot fully explain NUMB's role in adipogenesis, as NUMB also regulates the expression of multiple adipogenic transcription factors such as E2F1, EGR2, and NR4A3. Our data suggest that NUMB is a potent activator of adipogenesis and enhances our understanding of its regulatory mechanisms in chicken abdominal fat deposition.

Concept for recycling a small-scale plastic-based bioreactor in a close-loop – Technical approach

To accelerate biotherapeutic development whilst decreasing development time and project cost, small-scale multi-parallel bioreactors have been developed to maximize product yield and quality. These systems feature single-use plastic-based bioreactors for easy connection and fast turnaround. Despite well-known advantages, the perception of plastic and the lack of recycling options are raising concerns in the scientific laboratories’ community. One of the common objections to plastic circularity in life-science is the perceived “downcycling” effect of mechanical recycling. Therefore, the aim of this work was to establish the technical feasibility of a close-loop recycling concept for the main construction material of the small-scale bioreactor. Application tests (cell compatibility and cell culture) were performed and supported by quantitative physical and mechanical tests (tensile, melt flow index, light transmission). Results show that mechanically recycled polycarbonate could be re-used in the same application. A comparative life cycle assessment (LCA), based on a theoretical framework, showed with different scenarios that recycling would have a positive impact on Climate – Carbon – total within the boundaries. Even if the technical feasibility of such a concept is demonstrated through this study, several challenges remain for such a closed-loop recycling concept to be implemented at a commercial scale.

Optimization of product distribution during co-pyrolysis of furfural residues and waste tyres via response surface method and infrared heating

Co-pyrolysis technique has proved to be an available way to recycle the energy of biomass waste and improve bio-oil quality. In this work, the co-pyrolysis behaviors and product distribution of waste tyres (WT) and furfural residues (FR) were studied by TG-FTIR/GC–MS and infrared heating fixed reactor. TG-FTIR/GC–MS results show that a large amount of CH4 and aromatics were produced at the co-pyrolysis temperature of 410°C. The response surface methodology (RSM) was utilized to optimize the yields of co-pyrolysis products, including oil, aromatic hydrocarbon (AH) in oil, and CH4 in gas. It was found that the highest oil production of 39.24 wt% was obtained at 550 °C and 10 °C/s, with the highest AH content of 35.02 % and the highest CH4 yield of 17.65 wt% at 700 °C and 40 °C/s. Co-pyrolysis oil and char characteristics were analyzed by SIMDIS, GC–MS, XPS, and the ultimate analysis. It was found that there was a high D-limonene content in oil (up to 25.79 %). With increasing co-pyrolysis temperature, AH content gradually increased and that of acid in oil declined. As the temperature elevated from 400 to 700 °C at 10 °C/s, the content of AH rose from 6.48 to 31.56 % and that of acid decreased from 19.74 to 11.73 %. In addition, the transformation of organic sulfur into metal sulfides was facilitated by raising the temperature.

Chemically catalytic upgrading of fermentation-derived biobutanol to long-chain biofuels

The upgrading of acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) mixture from biomass to long-chain biofuels has aroused increasing attention since it is beneficial for alleviating energy crises and promoting high-value utilization of biomass. The main key to the ABE conversion is to find catalysts that are widely available and inexpensive. In this study, a simple way to prepare a low-cost highly dispersed Cu/MgO catalyst for ABE alkylation was proposed, resulting in C5–C11 molecules. The effects of experimental parameters such as reduction method, copper loading, reaction time, reaction temperature, and gas atmosphere on the production of long-chain products were also investigated. Compared to using hydrogen gas for reduction, the use of sodium borohydride in methanol results in the highest long-chain product yields. A copper loading of 2.5% or 5% is optimal, while an excessive copper load causes its aggregation. Within 18 h, the longer the reaction time, the higher the total yield and the higher the proportion of long-chain products. When the temperature increases from 250 °C to 300 °C, the total yield increases while the proportion of by-products decreases. The nitrogen atmosphere is conducive to increasing total production as hydrogen can cause the loss of acetone via hydrogenation.

Co-pyrolysis characteristics and pyrolysis oil analysis of Chlorella vulgaris and marine waste plastics with multi-metal MOFs-derived additive

In this study, MOFs-derived additives with microwave absorption and catalytic characteristics were employed in the microwave co-pyrolysis of Chlorella vulgaris (CV) and marine waste plastics (MW) to produce high-quality pyrolysis oil. The effects of additives (Ni-Cu@C, Ni-Co@C, Cu-Co@C and Ni-Cu-Co@C) under different addition amounts (10%, 20%, 30%) on co-pyrolysis characteristics, product yield and pyrolysis oil composition were investigated. Furthermore, the pyrolysis mechanism was analyzed. The results showed that the MOFs-derived additives improved the co-pyrolysis characteristics, especially at 30% addition amount. The maximum average weight loss rate (0.0273 wt.%/s) and pyrolysis oil yield (14.33%) obtained at 30% Ni-Cu-Co@C group. Moreover, the aromatic content (30.07%), deoxygenation efficiency (27.70%) and denitrogenation efficiency (80.03%) in pyrolysis oil were maximum at adding 30% Ni-Cu-Co@C. Ni-Cu-Co@C promoted the nitrogen transformation into gaseous products, while reduced the nitrogen contents in char and pyrolysis oil. Meanwhile, the nitrogen in char was dominated by pyridine-N and quaternary-N. Importantly, the activity of the Ni-Cu-Co@C remained 0.66 times of the initial activity after 5 cycles, demonstrating the excellent regenerative usability.