Review on synthesis of lactic acid and lactates from biomass derived carbohydrates via heterogeneous catalysis.

The utilization of renewable lignocellulosic biomass resources is a promising solution to deal with the deficit of fossil resources and the associated environmental concerns. Among diverse biomass-derived products, lactic acid (LA) stands out as one of the most successful commodities and also a platform to connect raw biomass feedstocks with value-added chemicals and degradable polymers. Herein, we critically review the recent advances in the design and development of base, acid, and multifunctional catalytic systems for the conversion of different carbohydrates to LA and alkyl lactates via chemical routes.

Microplastics could alter invasive plant community performance and the dominance of Amaranthus palmeri.

The increase in alien plant invasions poses a major threat to global biodiversity and ecosystem stability. However, the presence of microplastics (MPs) as an environmental stressor could impact the interactions between invasive and native species in an invasive plant community. Nevertheless, the community alterations and underlying mechanisms resulting from these interactions remain unclear.

Honeycombed Au@C-TiOcatalysts for enhanced photocatalytic mineralization of Acid red 3R under visible light.

The mineralization of organic pollutants under visible light is challenging, limiting the practical application of photocatalytic technology in wastewater treatment. To achieve the efficient mineralization of Acid red 3R (AR3R), a series of honeycombed catalysts (TiO, C-TiO, Au@TiO and Au@C-TiO) were prepared via a facile in situ synthetic method and characterized by XRD, TEM, BET, XPS and DRS, respectively. The introduction of C and Au species promote the simultaneous generation of •O and •OH over Au@C-TiO under visible light radiation.

New Developments in Material Preparation Using a Combination of Ionic Liquids and Microwave Irradiation.

During recent years, synthetic methods combining microwaves and ionic liquids became accepted as a promising methodology for various materials preparations because of their high efficiency and low energy consumption. Ionic liquids with high polarity are heated rapidly, volumetrically and simultaneously under microwave irradiation. Hence, combination of microwave irradiation as a heating source with ionic liquids with various roles (e.

Coupling Plasmonic and Cocatalyst Nanoparticles on N⁻TiO₂ for Visible-Light-Driven Catalytic Organic Synthesis.

The use of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect of plasmonic metal nanocomposites to promote photocarrier generation is a strongly emerging field for improving the catalytic performance under visible-light irradiation. In this study, a novel plasmonic photocatalyst, AuPt/N⁻TiO₂, was prepared via a photo-deposition⁻calcination technique. The Au nanoparticles (NPs) were used herein to harvest visible-light energy via the SPR effect, and Pt NPs were employed as a cocatalyst for trapping the energetic electrons from the semiconductor, leading to a high solar-energy conversion efficiency.

Efficient Synthesis of Furfural from Biomass Using SnCl₄ as Catalyst in Ionic Liquid.

Furfural is a versatile platform molecule for the synthesis of various chemicals and fuels, and it can be produced by acid-catalyzed dehydration of xylose derived from renewable biomass resources. A series of metal salts and ionic liquids were investigated to obtain the best combination of catalyst and solvent for the conversion of xylose into furfural. A furfural yield of 71.

Pretreatment of Lignocellulosic Biomass with Ionic Liquids and Ionic Liquid-Based Solvent Systems.

Pretreatment is very important for the efficient production of value-added products from lignocellulosic biomass. However, traditional pretreatment methods have several disadvantages, including low efficiency and high pollution. This article gives an overview on the applications of ionic liquids (ILs) and IL-based solvent systems in the pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass.

Separation of polysaccharides from rice husk and wheat bran using solvent system consisting of BMIMOAc and DMI.

A solvent system consisting of 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone (DMI), and ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (BMIMOAc) was used to separate polysaccharides from rice husk and wheat bran. The effects of the DMI/BMIMOAc ratios, temperature, and time on the dissolution of rice husk and wheat bran were investigated, and the influence of anti-solvents on the regeneration of polysaccharides-rich material was evaluated. We found that the solvent system is more powerful to dissolve rice husk and wheat bran than pure BMIMOAc, and that polysaccharides-rich material can be effectively separated from the biomass solution.

Rapid production of organic fertilizer by dynamic high-temperature aerobic fermentation (DHAF) of food waste.

Keep composting matrix in continuous collision and friction under a relatively high-temperature can significantly accelerate the progress of composting. A bioreactor was designed according to the novel process. Using this technology, organic fertilizer could be produced within 96h.

Dissolution of cellulose from AFEX-pretreated Zoysia japonica in AMIMCl with ultrasonic vibration.

In this study, 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (AMIMCl), an ionic liquid, was synthesized and characterized by a series of test methods. Pretreatment of Zoysia japonica by ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX) was shown to reduce significantly the mass of hemicellulose and lignin in biomass, thereby breaking the lignocellulosic structure. Z.