ChemBioEng Reviews最新文献

Effective biobased thermally insulating materials are crucial to addressing the escalating concerns surrounding climate change and plastic waste. Numerous experimental biobased foams have demonstrated properties that are either equal to or superior to those of traditional foams employed in the construction sector. The comprehensive review titled “Recent Advances in Biobased Foams and Foam Composites for Construction Applications” by DSouza et al. (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/cben.202300014) specifically focuses on the fabrication methods, advancements, and future prospects of biobased polyurethanes (BPU), biobased phenol formaldehyde (BPF), and cellulose nanofibers (CNF) foams for application in residential construction. To be a suitable material for construction, a biobased foam must be an excellent thermal insulator (possessing low thermal conductivity), a fire retardant (with high limiting oxygen index) and possess remarkable mechanical properties. The cover image thus depicts forest waste-based foams that meet the design criteria for construction applications. [Credits: Riddhi Gadre for the initial design and InMyWork Studio team for the final design]

Biobased Foams for Construction Applications. Copyright: Glen Cletus DSouza, Harrison Ng, Paul Charpentier, Chunbao Charles Xu

Textile waste is becoming among the most polluting waste in the world, discarded mostly in landfills. Valorizing textile waste via anaerobic digestion (AD) helps conserve resources, reduce environmental impact, and foster a circular economy. Although several reviews have discussed textile waste AD, there is a lack of detailed understanding of the challenges encountered during textile waste AD. Therefore, the goal of this review is to focus on challenges encountered and possible solutions for those challenges for biogas and fertilizer conversion via AD. Potential strategies include chemical, biological, and thermal pretreatments that significantly increase the digestion process. Co-digestion of natural textile waste, cotton, and wool with carbon and nitrogen-rich substrates improves AD efficiency by twofold. Moreover, separating polyester from polycotton and textile dye removal via solvent and advanced oxidation processes significantly increases methane yield compared with untreated textile waste. This review can aid in analyzing suitable methods to optimize the biogas production of textile waste via AD.

Glycerol, defined simply as a colorless, sweet syrupy liquid extracted from fatty substances through saponification, is an alcohol with three hydroxyl (OH–) groups in its structure. Glycerol has many uses in the consumer market. It is used primarily in personal care products, as an adhesive and sealing agent and many applications. Glycerol, whose name is propane-1,2,3-triol, standardized by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), CHO open formula CH₂OH–CHOH–CH₂OH. It can be said that glycerol, a by-product of biodiesel, is produced in very high quantities. Retention of the produced glycerol will lead to cost increases and environmental problems that may directly affect the development of the biodiesel market. Due to the supply of glycerol to the market in large quantities, glycerol prices have hit the bottom, and therefore, the income and profitability of biodiesel production factories from the sale of glycerol have decreased. This situation clearly shows that the excess of glycerol now poses an obstacle to developing the biodiesel market. This article aims to list the valuable chemicals into which glycerol, produced in large quantities as a biodiesel by-product, can be converted under a single heading and to detail the studies carried out on this subject.

Biomass resources are abundant and have huge production capacity. Reasonably and efficiently converting biomass can not only alleviate the depletion of fossil resources but also protect the environment and promote the green and sustainable development of human society. Microwave is one of the currently highly regarded process intensification technologies. This paper reviews the research progress of microwave technology in biomass pyrolysis, biomass pretreatment, and biomass conversion, and analyzes its technical characteristics. Finally, it summarizes and prospects the application of microwave in the field of biomass conversion.

The iron and steel industry is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, responsible for about 7–9 % of the total emissions. This paper examines sustainable production methods in the iron and steel industry, focusing on decarbonization strategies and energy integration. It covers a wide range of alternative reductants to replace the conventional use of coal. Moreover, the paper highlights the challenges and opportunities associated with each approach. Additionally, it discusses the design modifications for coal-based sponge iron plants, aiming to reduce coal consumption and waste gas generation while ensuring economic viability. This study provides a roadmap for transitioning to environmentally friendly, technically feasible, and economically viable iron and steel manufacturing processes.

The fast spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has prompted scientists to investigate alternate techniques to tackle infectious illnesses. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have appeared as a favorable route for creating novel antibacterial agents in this area. This article seeks to provide a concise review of MOFs as a prospective candidate in the fight against bacterial contamination and the mechanism involved in disinfection. The structural features of MOFs that contribute to their antibacterial activity are reviewed. Also, it comparatively analyzes the various commonly used MOFs in antibacterial applications in facemasks and discusses the challenges and future recommendations to increase the efficiency of the antibacterial activity. It also briefs down the mechanism, commonly available MOFs and the scope of the MOFs in antibacterial applications.

Effective biobased thermally insulating materials are crucial to addressing the escalating concerns surrounding climate change and plastic waste. Numerous experimental biobased foams have demonstrated properties that are either equal to or superior to those of traditional foams employed in the construction sector. The comprehensive review titled “Recent Advances in Biobased Foams and Foam Composites for Construction Applications” by DSouza et al. (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/cben.202300014) specifically focuses on the fabrication methods, advancements, and future prospects of biobased polyurethanes (BPU), biobased phenol formaldehyde (BPF), and cellulose nanofibers (CNF) foams for application in residential construction. To be a suitable material for construction, a biobased foam must be an excellent thermal insulator (possessing low thermal conductivity), a fire retardant (with high limiting oxygen index) and possess remarkable mechanical properties. The cover image thus depicts forest waste-based foams that meet the design criteria for construction applications. [Credits: Riddhi Gadre for the initial design and InMyWork Studio team for the final design]

Biobased Foams for Construction Applications. Copyright: Glen Cletus DSouza, Harrison Ng, Paul Charpentier, Chunbao Charles Xu