Engineering novel phenolic foams with lignin extracted from pine wood residues via a new levulinic-acid assisted process.

Phenolic foams are typically produced from phenolic resins, using phenol and formaldehyde precursors. Therefore, common phenolic foams are non-sustainable, comprising growing environmental, health, and economic concerns. In this work, lignin extracted from pine wood residues using a "green" levulinic acid-based solvent, was used to partially substitute non-sustainable phenol.

Levulinic Acid-Based "Green" Solvents for Lignocellulose Fractionation: On the Superior Extraction Yield and Selectivity toward Lignin.

The high potential use of lignin in novel biomaterials and chemicals represents an important opportunity for the valorization of the most abundant natural resource of aromatic molecules. From an environmental perspective, it is highly desirable replacing the hazardous methods currently used to extract lignin from lignocellulosic biomass and develop more sustainable and environmentally friendly approaches. Therefore, in this work, levulinic acid (a "green" solvent obtained from biomass) was successfully used, for the first time, to selectively extract high-quality lignin from pine wood sawdust residues at 200 °C for 6 h (at atmospheric pressure).

Modification of chicha gum: Antibacterial activity, ex vivo mucoadhesion, antioxidant activity and cellular viability.

The aim of the present work was to modify the exuded gum of Sterculia striata tree by an amination reaction. The viscosity and zero potential of the chicha gum varied as a function of pH. The modification was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), size exclusion chromatography (SEC), zeta potential, thermogravimetric analysis (TG), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).

Efficient dermal delivery of ascorbic acid 2-glucoside with photoacoustic waves.

Objective: Ascorbic acid (i.e., vitamin C) is an important antioxidant present in skin.

On the Development of Phenol-Formaldehyde Resins Using a New Type of Lignin Extracted from Pine Wood with a Levulinic-Acid Based Solvent.

Resole resins have many applications, especially for foam production. However, the use of phenol, a key ingredient in resoles, has serious environmental and economic disadvantages. In this work, lignin extracted from pine wood using a "green" solvent, levulinic acid, was used to partially replace the non-sustainable phenol.

Lignin Extraction from Waste Pine Sawdust Using a Biomass Derived Binary Solvent System.

Lignocellulosic biomass fractionation is typically performed using methods that are somehow harsh to the environment, such as in the case of kraft pulping. In recent years, the development of new sustainable and environmentally friendly alternatives has grown significantly. Among the developed systems, bio-based solvents emerge as promising alternatives for biomass processing.

Enhancing Lignin Dissolution and Extraction: The Effect of Surfactants.

The dissolution and extraction of lignin from biomass represents a great challenge due to the complex structure of this natural phenolic biopolymer. In this work, several surfactants (i.e.

New deep eutectic solvent assisted extraction of highly pure lignin from maritime pine sawdust (Pinus pinaster Ait.).

Lignocellulosic biomass is a renewable and sustainable feedstock, mainly composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Lignin, as the most abundant natural aromatic polymer occurring on Earth, has great potential to produce value-added products. However, the isolation of highly pure lignin from biomass requires the use of efficient methods during lignocellulose fractionation.

Chitosan Films in Food Applications. Tuning Film Properties by Changing Acidic Dissolution Conditions.

Food contamination due to the presence of microorganisms is a serious problem. New food preservation systems are being studied to kill or inhibit spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms that contaminate food and reduce the shelf life of products. Chitosan films with potential application to food preservation have witnessed great developments during the last years.

Levulinic acid: A novel sustainable solvent for lignin dissolution.

Lignin is a natural, renewable resource with potential to be used in biomaterials. Due to its complex structure, its efficient dissolution is still challenging, which hinders its applicability at large scale. This challenge become harder considering the current need of sustainable and environmentally friendly solvents.

Dissolution of kraft lignin in alkaline solutions.

Lignins are among the most abundant renewable resources on the planet. However, their application is limited by the lack of efficient dissolution and extraction methodologies. In this work, a systematic and quantitative analysis of the dissolution efficiency of different alkaline-based aqueous systems (i.

Role of surfactant headgroups on the toxicity of SLES-LAS mixed micelles: A case study using microtox test.

Mixtures containing ether sulfate based surfactants (SLES) and linear alkylbenzene sulfonic acid (LAS) are relatively common in personal care and household products. When in mixture, they form mixed micelles, which act as reservoirs for the cleaning process. The increase of ethylene oxide (EO) units in the head of SLES lowers the critical micelle concentration, meaning that less quantity of each surfactant is needed to form the micelles.