Valorizing natural-abundant glucose to lactic acid using a MOF-808 catalyst under green hydrothermal conditions.

Highly robust Zr-based MOF-808, featuring Lewis acid Zr sites and coordinate hydroxide ions upon the removal of the monocarboxylate capping reagent, emerges as an efficient catalyst for the hydrothermal conversion of glucose into lactic acid. A remarkable 99% glucose conversion with an impressive 76.6% yield of lactic acid can be achieved.

Harvesting marine microalgae Tetraselmis sp. using cellulose acetate membrane.

This study presents the development and application of a cellulose acetate phase-inversion membrane for the efficient harvesting of Tetraselmis sp., a promising alternative for aquaculture feedstock. Once fabricated, the cellulose acetate membrane was characterized, and its performance was evaluated through the filtration of Tetraselmis sp.

Formic acid as a sacrificial agent for byproduct suppression in glucose dehydration to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural using NaY zeolite catalyst.

Biomass-derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) holds potential for applications in green materials, but its conventional synthesis is hindered by undesired side reactions. This study presents a catalytic system that effectively suppresses the formation of byproducts, thus enhancing HMF yield. The system demonstrated synergistic effects between Lewis acid NaY zeolite and formic acid sacrificial agent for the production of HMF from glucose.

Unraveling Structural and Acidic Properties of Al-SBA-15-supported Metal Phosphates: Assessment for Glucose Dehydration.

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) synthesized through glucose conversion requires Lewis acid (L) site for isomerization and Brønsted acid (B) site for dehydration. The objective of this work is to investigate the influence of the metal type of Al-SBA-15-supported phosphates of Cr, Zr, Nb, Sr, and Sn on glucose conversion to 5-HMF in a NaCl-H O/n-butanol biphasic solvent system. The structural and acid property of all supported metal phosphate samples were fully verified by several spectroscopic methods.

Identification of Cooperative Reaction Sites in Metal-Organic Framework Catalysts for High Yielding Lactic Acid Production from d-Xylose.

Determining the roles of surface functionality of heterogeneous acid catalysts is important for many industrial catalysts. In this study, the decisive structure of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) is utilized to identify important features for the effective conversion of d-xylose into lactic acid. Several acidic MOFs are tested and the combination of Lewis acidity and adjacent hydroxy sites is found to be critical to attain high lactic acid yields.

Engineering zirconium-based UiO-66 for effective chemical conversion of d-xylose to lactic acid in aqueous condition.

Utilizing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as heterogeneous catalysts is an interesting and important application due to their well-controlled catalytic sites and well-defined porous structures. In this study we apply, for the first time, Zr-based UiO-66 for the catalytic hydrothermal conversion of d-xylose to lactic acid (LA). The reactions are catalyzed by the coordinatively unsaturated Zr, as Lewis acid sites, and the hydroxide ion (OH) located at the defect sites.

Unsaturated Mn(II)-Centered [Mn(BDC)] Metal-Organic Framework with Strong Water Binding Ability and Its Potential for Dehydration of an Ethanol/Water Mixture.

An unsaturated Mn(II)-centered metal-organic framework was synthesized. The presence of an unsaturated Mn(II) center, together with a guest-responsive structural changing feature, plays a crucial role for strong binding with water, leading to its potential application for water/ethanol separation. In addition, the present framework is thermally stable up to 400 °C, which is beneficial for the regeneration process after adsorption.