ChemBioEng Reviews最新文献

The current review article investigates the potential for producing highly valuable items solely from agricultural wastes treated with deep eutectic solvents (DES). A thorough explanation of the DES s’ reaction mechanism and biomass-treating capabilities is provided, shedding light on how green pretreatment methods can be applied to agricultural wastes in order to form high-value products. In view of that, the influences of crucial properties of DES like viscosity, density, and recycling ability of DES are well analyzed. This review article's next goal is to compile the most recent developments for the years 2018–2023 on DES-based valorization of agricultural wastes into a range of products, including biogas such as biohydrogen, liquid biofuels like bioethanol and butanol, and platform chemicals and reagents that are followed by novel materials. A discussion of the current criticalities and prospective avenues for further research concluded the paper. For this reason, having a thorough grasp of product value in one review paper from the potential of DES to agricultural wastes will be very helpful to the readers.

In recent decades, biodiesel has emerged as a renewable and environmentally benign fuel compared with its fossil counterpart. From an industrial perspective, homogeneously-catalyzed transesterification has been established as the principal method for biodiesel synthesis owing to the moderate reaction conditions. However, homogeneous catalysts cannot be reused, and large amounts of wastewater accompany their separation from the products, making the production process detrimental to the environment and contrary to the sustainable development objectives. This grim reality confronting green fuel can be avoided by using heterogeneous catalysts that can be recycled and reused several times. Metal elements have played a crucial role in the development of such catalysts. These species are readily available in the environment and provide solid catalysts with high activity. Due to their significant contribution to achieving a sustainable production method for biodiesel, this paper reviews the role of metallic elements in fabricating functional materials, including metal oxides, mixed metal oxides, and metal-doped porous frameworks. The optimized reaction conditions focused on reusability were reported and analyzed for each class of catalysts. Challenges and future requirements for boosting the catalysts’ activity and reusability in the production process were also discussed. Leaching of active sites and pore blockage were the primary factors detrimental to reusability. These issues could be minimized by supported metal atoms on porous materials, providing a stronger bond of the metal sites and the support, and utilizing membrane reactors to continuously remove the products from a reaction mixture.

New Zealand is known for its diverse population of flora and fauna, of which 80 % are endemic. Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, have profound and holistic knowledge of plants and utilize them in medicinal, spiritual, and ecological practices. Among these, kānuka has traditionally been used for medicinal purposes. Prior in vitro studies on kānuka extracts have demonstrated promising antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antiproliferative properties. These studies further recommend the translation of these findings into new medicines and commercial products. However, a significant knowledge gap regarding their therapeutic potential hinders their application in various industries. A deeper understanding of the biochemical composition of the extract and the mode of interaction to exert its bioactivity in the host is vital for achieving this. Hence, this review evaluates the bioactivities of kānuka in association with its bioactive compounds (polyphenolics and terpenoids) reported in the current literature. Knowing the critical role of extraction methodologies in determining bioactive composition, we highlighted their efficiency in the bioactivities of kānuka.

Global energy consumption has drastically increased over the years due to population growth and industrialization. This has prompted an exploration for clean and renewable energy alternatives. Microalgae are widely recognized as a promising third-generation energy source because they have the capability to generate biofuels, including biochar. The utilization of microalgal biomass has been gaining traction because of their advantages, such as fast growth, a high rate of production, and high carbon-fixing efficiency. Thermochemical methods like hydrothermal carbonization, torrefaction, and pyrolysis can be employed to harness energy from microalgae. The different thermochemical methods employed for converting microalgal biomass into biochar have been discussed, as well as the factors affecting these methods. In addition, a dedicated section covered the components and properties of the generated biochar, including its thermal and surface properties. Furthermore, the economic analysis of the production of biochar from microalgae as well as the applications of microalgae-derived biochar were presented and discussed, along with suggestions for further research.

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

An environmentally responsible and sustainable replacement for finite fossil fuels is biodiesel. Because of its amazing qualities, biodiesel is becoming more and more popular as a renewable fuel around the globe. The many approaches, feedstocks, catalysts, comparison standards, reaction kinetics, final product analysis, and final product characterization of biodiesel are covered in this review article. Researchers have used a variety of techniques to produce biodiesel throughout history, with transesterification emerging as the most effective approach in more recent times. Numerous studies on biodiesel feedstock and catalysts to produce high biodiesel yields have been published; nevertheless, it should be highlighted that the type of feedstock must be considered while choosing a catalyst. The review paper highlights the significance of several parameters that are crucial to the manufacture of biodiesel, without which achieving a high yield would be challenging. The literature has also discussed the limitations and advantages of different catalysts, and scientists are currently working to identify the ideal catalyst within certain optimal parameters for the manufacture of biodiesel. Homogeneous reaction-based biodiesel synthesis has a number of drawbacks, though, such as water content, a laborious purification procedure, and a low tolerance for free fatty acids. To address these issues, scientists have started investigating heterogeneous reactions involving solid catalysts. A large pore network, a moderate-to-high density of strong acid sites, a hydrophobic surface, and the ability to control surface hydrophobicity to avoid deactivation are all desirable characteristics of an ideal solid catalyst. Ion exchange resins, sulfated oxides, heterogeneous base catalysts, boron group-based heterogeneous catalysts, alkaline earth metal oxides, mixed metal oxides, alkali metal oxides, heterogeneous catalysts derived from waste materials, and different approaches to biodiesel synthesis that employ enzymes, carbon-based heterogeneous catalysts, and ionic liquids as catalysts are among the categories of catalysts that can be used in the production of biodiesel. The finest benchmarks to compare the quality of biodiesel with European and American Society for Testing Material standards. For detailed characterization of the finished product, gas chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance are the most effective methods.

The world population is expected to increase up to 9.6 billion by 2050. This triggers the demand for food security and its nutritional value. Despite the advancements in the field of medicine, current research focuses on investigating natural-origin functional foods with tremendous health-supporting properties. It includes various natural sources such as animals, plants, algae, fungi, and bacteria. The Algae group is still under investigation to find the best alternative to other previously explored sources. Algae possess remarkable potential for synthesizing natural metabolites, including primary metabolites (polysaccharides, proteins, and lipids) and secondary metabolites (Flavonoids, bromophenols, phenolic compounds, and polyphenols). These bioactive compounds have enormous anticancer, antimicrobial, and neuroprotection applications. This provokes researcher interest in exploring algae strains to optimize their metabolite production to utilize them as a functional food. Metabolomics techniques can be utilized to investigate biological samples. It will create new ways to explore algae strains that have not yet been investigated. A closed pond cultivation system is attractive to enhance algae growth in highly controlled conditions. This review emphasizes algae metabolism, cultivation methods, metabolomics analysis, genetic engineering, and advanced genome editing tools such as the CRISPR CAS9 system, which can be utilized to manipulate the algae genome for increased production.

Implants are essential in medical treatments, as they offer restored function, quality of life enhancement, and long-term solutions. The global demand for implants is increasing due to the aging population, medical innovation, and improved medical payment capacity. 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, has revolutionized the fabrication of implants due to its ability to produce complex geometries and customizable designs. The superior biocompatibility, corrosion resistance, and mechanical properties of titanium (Ti) and its alloys make them ideal and common for orthopedic and dental implants. Materials are the basis of 3D-printed implants. Ti-based materials for 3D printing are summarized, including commercial pure titanium, binary Ti alloys, ternary Ti alloys, quaternary Ti alloys, and multicomponent Ti alloys. Post-processing is necessary to ensure the desired performance of 3D-printed implants. Post-processing methods for 3D-printed implants are reviewed from the perspective of improving the performance of the mechanical property, osseointegrative property, antibacterial property, and multiple properties. In this review, the published literatures related to the materials and post-processing of 3D-printed Ti-based implants are collected and discussed. The current challenges and future trends are also analyzed. It is expected to provide a basis for the application of 3D-printed Ti-based implants.