Guneet Kaur, Sravanthi Veluturla, Archna Narula, R L Chinmaya, B T Gurusrinidhi Kumar, Abhay Raj
BACKGROUND
The depletion of fossil fuel reserves underscores the urgent need for sustainable alternatives, and biodiesel derived from waste cooking oil (WCO) emerges as a promising solution. This approach not only addresses the challenges of disposal of waste cooking oil from eateries but also contributes to a circular economy by converting waste into a valuable resource.
RESULTS
The present work focuses on the synthesis of a heterogeneous biomass-derived mixed-metal oxide (WO3/SiO2) catalyst for targeting Free Fatty Acid (FFA) reduction in WCO. The properties of the catalyst were analysed using XRD, FTIR, BET, and SEM with EDS analysis. The reaction parameters such as catalyst loading (2 to 4 w/w%), methanol to oil molar ratio (15:1 to 25:1), and the reaction time (2–10 h) were varied while keeping the reaction temperature constant at 65 °C for the FFA reduction reaction. A Machine Learning technique such as Random Forest was used to optimize the reaction parameters. A maximum FFA conversion of 62.16% was predicted by the model at optimum reaction parameters of methanol to oil molar ratio as 19.7368:1, amount of catalyst as 3.6 w/w%, and time of 9.2 h, which agreed well with the experimentally obtained optimal reaction parameters of methanol to oil molar ratio as 20:1, amount of catalyst as 4 w/w%, and duration of reaction as 10 h. Although the FFA conversion is modest, the as-prepared catalyst effectively reduces FFA in used cooking oil below 2% without further modifications.
Taiping Xie, Shengli Xie, Yuxuan He, Kailin Xu, Jin Qian
BACKGROUND
Antibiotic pollution in aquatic environments poses significant threats to human health and ecosystems by promoting the spread of antibiotic resistance.
RESULTS
This study investigates the use of MoSe2-based bimetallic composite selenides (MoSe2/CoSe2 and MoSe2/MnSe) to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for the oxidation of levofloxacin (LEF), a model fluoroquinolone antibiotic. The composites were synthesized via a solvothermal method and characterized using SEM, TEM, XRD, and XPS, confirming the formation of heterojunction interfaces and the presence of active metal sites. Catalytic performance tests demonstrated that MoSe2/CoSe2 and MoSe2/MnSe significantly enhanced LEF degradation, achieving removal efficiencies of 92.98% and 89.4%, respectively, compared to 49.07% with MoSe2 alone. Optimization of reaction parameters revealed that PMS dosage, catalyst dosage, and pH critically influence degradation efficiency. Reusability tests confirmed the catalysts' stability over multiple cycles with minimal loss in activity. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and radical quenching experiments identified sulfate radicals (SO4•-) as the primary active species driving LEF degradation.
This study aimed to enhance production of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2), a therapeutic agent for treatments of bone-associated diseases, from engineered Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) cultures. A central composite design (CCD) was initially applied to evaluate effects of process variables in a shake flask – time, inoculum size, and lactose concentration – on BMP-2 production, and determine their optimal levels. With the obtained optimal shake flask condition from the first CCD, another CCD was then performed to reveal the effects of process variables in the bioreactor – aeration rate and agitation speed – and suggest their optimal levels.
RESULTS
Toward maximizing BMP-2 production, the desirability analysis based on the resulting statistical models from the first CCD suggested optimal levels of those flask variables, one of which – ~9 h, 7% inoculum size, and 3 g L−1 lactose concentration – gave the highest BMP-2 concentration and BMP-2:dry cell weight (DCW) ratio of 192.5 mg L−1 and 118.4 mg g−1 in subsequent experimental validation. From the desirability analysis with the model from the subsequent CCD, only ~1 vvm and 250 rpm were suggested as their optimal levels, experimentally providing the highest BMP-2 production; 195.9 mg L−1 BMP-2 concentration and 135.9 mg g−1 BMP-2:DCW ratio in bioreactor cultures.
Dynamic operation strategies enable the analysis of short-term physiological adaptations of microalgal cultures in photobioreactors. In this study, dynamic experiments were conducted to evaluate the O2 production and CO2 consumption rates of Scenedesmus obtusiusculus AT-UAM at superficial gas velocities of 0.28, 0.51, and 0.75 m·min−1 in a 20-L bubble-column photobioreactor under continuous illumination. Furthermore, photosynthetic activity and biomass productivity were assessed under LED-induced light–dark cycles of 5:5 min, 1:1 min, 30:30 s, 6:6 s and 1:1 s in a 2-L flat-panel photobioreactor.
RESULTS
The highest CO2 consumed and O2 production rates were 287 mgO2 gb−1 h−1 and 658 mgCO2 gb−1 h−1, respectively, at a superficial gas velocity of 0.75 m min−1 and a biomass concentration of 0.4 gbL−1. The increase in O2 production rate was due to the combined effects of CO2 and nutrient mass transfer, as well as light–dark cycles induced by changes in mixing conditions. Therefore, it was important to assess the independent contribution of light–dark cycles on photosynthetic activity. The highest biomass productivity was 1.1 gb L−1d−1 with continuous illumination and decreased to 0.53 and 0.05 gb L−1d−1 for light–dark cycles of 5:5 min and 1:1 s, respectively.
The design of catalysts, particularly those with industrially practical dimensions, is critical for advancing wastewater treatment.
RESULTS
We report a scalable strategy that integrates MOF-derived Co active sites into millimeter-sized hollow carbon spheres (HCS) prepared via phase separation of polyacrylonitrile. The resulting Co@HCS combines hierarchical porosity and graphitized shells with confined Co nanoparticles and Co–N–C sites, enabling efficient peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation. Compared with HCS and Co@ZIF, Co@HCS achieved >80% p-chlorophenol (4-CP; 50 mg L−1) removal within 10 min, with activity enhanced by increased Co loading and optimal PMS dosage (0.50 g L−1). The catalyst exhibited broad pH adaptability (50.1–90.2% removal at pH 3–9), strong temperature responsiveness and low apparent activation energy (16.3 kJ mol−1). Radical quenching and electron paramagnetic resonance confirmed SO4•− as the dominant species, while X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed dynamic Co0/Co2+/Co3+ cycling sustaining PMS activation. Notably, the millimeter-sized morphology of Co@HCS enabled stable >70% 4-CP removal over 48 h in continuous flow (addressing nanocatalyst drawbacks).
Rongze Lin, Linjing Zhong, Fulin Hu, Ke Yin, Shaoqu Xie
BACKGROUND
The efficient separation of isobutanol–ethanol–water azeotropes remains a critical bottleneck in the advancement of sustainable isobutanol production, where conventional distillation is both energy-intensive and inefficient. Here, we report a low-energy, salt-assisted separation strategy employing alkaline potassium salts, with K2CO3 demonstrating exceptional dewatering capability.
RESULTS
Under near-saturation conditions, a single-step salting-out process enables the recovery of over 99.8 wt% of isobutanol and ethanol from aqueous mixtures. However, due to the inherent limitations of the salting-out equilibrium, a one-step process cannot fully eliminate residual water. To address this, we introduce a sequential two-step salting-out strategy, which reduces the water content in the organic-rich phase to 3.44 wt%, effectively surpassing the dehydration performance of conventional methods.
Siti Kholijah Abdul Mudalip, Dai-Viet N. Vo, Sumaiya Zainal Abidin
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Ivan V Shamanaev, Ilya V Yakovlev, Alexander V Toktarev, Vera P Pakharukova, Evgeny Yu Gerasimov, Olga B Lapina
BACKGROUND
SAPO-11 is known to be an active and selective component of isomerization catalysts. Ni2P/SAPO-11 catalysts are promising in one-step hydrodeoxygenation–hydroisomerization (HDO-HIS) of fatty acid-based feedstocks. But strong interaction with the support and inappropriate acidity can result in low activity and selectivity. Boron is a promising modifier which is capable of solving both of the problems.
RESULTS
SAPO-11 powders were synthesized using different Si/Al ratios (0.05, 0.10, 0.15). Boron was used as a modifier ((B)SAPO-11) to tune the acidity and surface properties of the materials (B/Al = 0.15). A 70:30 mass ratio of (B)SAPO-11 and AlOOH was used to synthesize supports for Ni2P catalysts. The catalysts were prepared by in situ phosphidation of Ni/(B)SAPO-11-Al2O3 and were tested in methyl palmitate HDO-HIS in a continuous-flow reactor at T = 290–340 °C, P = 2.0 MPa, LHSV = 5.3 h−1, H2/liquid = 600 N cm3 cm−3. The supports and catalysts were studied using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry, N2 physisorption, NH3 temperature-programmed desorption, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and 11B and 31P solid-state NMR. Boron was shown to decrease cracking activity resulting in higher yield of long-chain alkanes.
The design of efficient anode materials is critical for enhancing microbial fuel cell (MFC) performance, as electrode-microorganism interactions largely determine the electron transfer efficiency. Biochar derived from natural biomass has been recognized as an excellent substitute for conventional MFC anodes. In this context, KOH-activated biochar (BC-KOH) and carbon nanotube-loaded biochar (BC-CNT) were synthesized from reed straw as MFC anodes, enabling a systematic evaluation of the respective contributions of specific surface area and electrical conductivity to the electrocatalytic performance of biomass-based electrodes.
RESULTS
The BC-KOH anode achieved the highest maximum power density (455.5 mW m−2) in MFC, surpassing the pristine biochar (223.42 mW m−2) and graphite felt (402.63 mW m−2) anodes by 104.86% and 13.13%, respectively. Attributable to its high specific surface area (1197.7 m2 g−1), which provided abundant electroactive sites for microbial electron transfer and yielded an exceptional bilayer capacitance of 0.547 mF cm−2. Meanwhile, the BC-CNT anode exhibited a maximum power density of 332.12 mW m−2 (48.65% higher than pristine biochar), as its conductive nanotube network facilitated bacterial electron transfer and consequently reduced the charge transfer resistance to 47.97 Ω, compared to 96.12 Ω for the pristine biochar anode.
3-Chloro-4-fluoroaniline (4), a key intermediate in synthesizing quinolone drugs and pesticides, is widely used in the fine chemical industry. Existing synthetic methods face challenges such as high raw material costs, toxic reagents, safety hazards from by-products, high energy consumption, impurities in crude products, and increasing post-processing expenses. In order to overcome these challenges, the present study focuses on the optimization of the synthetic route utilizing o-dichlorobenzene as the primary feedstock, a reagent widely adopted in existing industrial-scale manufacturing processes.
RESULTS
This study represents the initial phase, wherein 3,4-dichloronitrobenzene (2) is synthesized via the nitration of o-dichlorobenzene (1) employing a mixed acid system consisting of concentrated nitric acid and sulfuric acid. Compared to the initial process, this optimized approach significantly minimizes the formation of dinitrobenzene by-products, thereby effectively reducing the safety risks associated with industrial-scale production. In the second step, the reaction utilizes potassium fluoride, tetramethylammonium chloride, and N,N-dimethylformamide as key reagents, which effectively lower both the process temperature and reaction time. Additionally, the product can be directly used in subsequent reactions without requiring distillation, thereby significantly improving process efficiency and reducing overall production costs. This optimized procedure produces 3-chloro-4-fluoronitrobenzene (3) with high purity (98.26%) and an excellent yield (88.34%). In the third step of the process optimization, a reduction in both reaction temperature and dehalogenation byproducts was achieved compared to the initial conditions. This modification not only mitigated potential safety hazards but also enhanced the atom economy of the reaction. In the final step, purified 3 was subjected to catalytic hydrogenation at 40 °C under 0.95 MPa H₂ in ethanol, affording compound 4 with a purity of >99% and a yield of >96%. The overall yield of the process reached approximately 72%.
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