ChemBioEng Reviews最新文献

Atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) is an important parallel or supplemental freshwater production technique to liquid water resource-based technologies due to the availability of moisture resources regardless of location and the possibility of realizing decentralized applications. Recent developments to regulate the characteristic features and nanostructures of moisture-harvesting materials demonstrate new opportunities to improve device efficiency. Focusing on the design of water harvesting materials and the optimization of the overall system, this review sums up the most recent developments in this area and presents prospects for the future development of AWH. An overview of the processes involved in water sorption by various sorbents and the characteristics and functionality of the polyaniline-based hydrogels developed for AWH is given. Newly reported hydrogel sorbents used for AWH are evaluated, focusing on their benefits, drawbacks, and design methodologies. Several AWH-specific water harvesters are described and the impact of the system's mass and heat transfer on its operational effectiveness is explored. Finally, potential roadmaps for the development of this technology are detailed and the challenges in this subject from both a basic research and practical application perspective are discussed.

In recent years, biocatalysts have emerged as crucial tool in organic synthesis, particularly for the production of drug intermediates and precursors, e.g., the synthesis of hydroxamic acids. Traditionally, hydroxamic acids were synthesized using organic chemistry methods. However, with the growing emphasis on sustainable and environment-friendly practices, the chemical industry has increasingly turned towards green synthesis approaches. The significance of hydroxamic acids in medicinal chemistry has also contributed to the changing trends. Following the approval of certain hydroxamic acids as histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors for cancer treatment by the Food and Drug Administration (US-FDA), there has been a renewed focus on their synthesis and the development of derivatives with improved properties. As an alternative route, amidases have emerged as promising biocatalysts for hydroxamic acid synthesis through their acyltransferase activity. Recent advancements in the synthesis approaches for hydroxamic acids are reviewed. The biocatalytic routes are explored, emphasizing the use of amidases and their acyltransferase activity. The scope and potential applications of this chemoenzymatic approach in synthesizing various hydroxamic acids and their derivatives are discussed. Such advancements have the potential to revolutionize the production of these important compounds, making the synthesis process more sustainable, efficient, and economically viable.

Despite advances in cancer treatment, many types of cancer still have high mortality rates, and the existing therapies can cause considerable side effects. Therefore, discovering new therapies, especially ones with fewer side effects, is desirable to improve the outcomes for cancer patients. Ionic liquids (ILs) have emerged as potential candidates for cancer treatment because of their particular physicochemical properties, which can be tailored for specific applications. In recent years, interest in exploring the potential of ILs in cancer treatment has been growing, and several studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of ILs in inhibiting cancer-cell growth. This review provides insight into the anticancer potential of ILs, exploring the diverse applications and the underlying mechanisms behind the cytotoxicity toward cancer cells of ILs. Understanding the mechanisms behind the cytotoxicity of ILs can aid in the design and optimization of IL-based cancer therapies. By focusing on specific pathways and targets, IL-based cancer therapies may be developed that offer new possibilities for treating this devastating disease.

Oil Refinery, Chemical & Petrochemical plant. Copyright: zorazhuang

Major support for the future energy storage and application will benefit from lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) with high energy density and high power. LIBs are currently the most common battery type for most applications, but soon a broader range of battery types and higher energy densities will be available. In the near future, hundreds of millions of electric vehicles are expected to be on the road, and a large amount of cobalt will be depleted. Various kinds of batteries are developed today to store energy, including Li-ion, lead-acid, Ni-MH, redox flow, Na-ion, Mg-ion, Li-air, Al-ion, Li/S, NC-based batteries, Al-based batteries, metal-air batteries, solid-state batteries, etc. There are several types of battery components, such as electrodes, electrolytes, separators, etc. Cell chemistry and component diversity will continue to increase with future generations of batteries. Next-generation LIBs and sodium-ion batteries are explored for their ability to reduce active ion loss and increase energy density by pre-lithiation. To maximize the electrochemical system's performance, various scientific and technological approaches are needed to maximize the potential of battery chemistry.

Effects of process parameters like enzyme concentration, concentration and type of substrate, pH, temperature, speed of agitation, and pressure on lipase catalysis are reviewed. The enzyme concentration controls its interfacial presence and consequently the rate of reaction. A change in substrate concentration alters lipase kinetics. Substrate-lipase interaction varies with substrate type and pH. Water concentration and agitation affect the extent of interfacial area. Temperature impacts the rate and thermal denaturation of enzymes. Statistical optimization can solve the problem of controlling a variable's effect by other variables. Immobilization support and nonionic surfactant altered the significance of enzyme concentration. The lipase type controlled the impact of concentrations of enzyme, substrate, and water. The water content was important during lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis and esterification. The mode of agitation influenced the significance of enzyme concentration and temperature. Time had a remarkable impact during hydrolysis. Temperature, substrate type, and chain length notably controlled kinetic parameters. This work paves the way for similar studies on other enzymes.

Biopolymers have gained popularity as an alternative product to traditional plastics due to environmental concerns. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), one of the most well-known forms of biopolymers, are among the many that have been discovered so far. PHA has a wide range of applications, is biodegradable and compatible with living things, but its expensive extraction and production make it difficult to compete with traditional plastics. Solvents are the most popular extraction technique but have serious economic and environmental downsides. The “green method of extraction” has become a cutting-edge remedy for addressing the shortcomings of downstream processing. However, developing the extraction technique for affordable and environmentally friendly biopolymer production is a difficult study topic. To make it easier to choose green recovery techniques for future study, this review combines the benefits and drawbacks of the numerous PHA recovery methods that are already in use. Also, advanced green downstream methods are scrutinized that undoubtedly makes PHA replace conventional plastics and reach a market globally promoting sustainability.

Electrocoagulation (EC) is a well-recognized and feasible treatment technique for wastewater treatment. The process optimization and analysis of process parameters of EC not only aid to scale up the EC process at an industrial level but also help to explore the economic and environmental considerations to achieve higher efficiency. Response surface methodology (RSM) is a prominent chemometric approach for both process optimization and evaluation of different factors for the removal of target pollutants from wastewater. This review provides a thorough examination of notable scholarly works that focus on the use of the RSM in EC for the purpose of wastewater treatment. Furthermore, the current advancements in implementing the RSM approach not only for standalone EC processes but also for the case are described where it is being practiced as a part in the integrating system for wastewater treatment.