Improved Reductive Catalytic Fractionation of Lignocellulosic Biomass through the Application of a Recyclable Magnetic Catalyst.

The reductive catalytic fractionation (RCF) of second generation lignocellulosic biomass is an elegant one-pot process to obtain a highly delignified cellulose pulp, sugar-derived polyols, and depolymerized and stabilized lignin oils. However, the need of noble metal catalysts to prompt the reactions may impact the economic sustainability of the overall "lignin-first" biorefinery if the catalyst recovery and recyclability are not guaranteed. Herein, the use of a novel catalyst based on supported ruthenium over maghemite for the RCF of poplar sawdust is reported for the first time.

Development and validation of an adsorption process for phosphate removal and recovery from municipal wastewater based on hydrotalcite-related materials.

In the current international context characterized by the tendency to stricter limits for P concentration in treated wastewater and a strong drive towards phosphate recovery, it is crucial to develop cost-effective technologies to remove and recover phosphate from municipal wastewater (MWW). In this study, an initial screening of the phosphate adsorption performances of 9 sorbents including several hydrotalcites led to the selection of calcined pyroaurite - an innovative material composed of mixed Mg/Fe oxides - as the best-performing one. The assessment of calcined pyroaurite by means of isotherms and continuous-flow adsorption/desorption tests conducted with actual MWW resulted in a high P sorption capacity (12 mg g at the typical phosphate concentration in MWW), the capacity to treat 730 BVs at the 1 mg L breakpoint imposed by the current EU legislation, and a 93 % phosphate recovery.

Superacid Resin-Based Heterogeneous Catalysts for the Selective Acylation of 1,2-Methylenedioxybenzene.

In this work, we firstly report on the use of highly active and selective Aquivion superacid resins as heterogeneous catalysts for the acylation of 1,2-methylenedioxybenzene (MDB) with propionic anhydride (AP). The reaction was investigated and optimized using solvent-free conditions to selectively produce 3,4-methylenedioxypropiophenone (MDP1P), a key intermediate for the manufacture of active ingredients used in insecticide formulations with a volume of production of roughly 3000 t/y. Interestingly, Aquivion-based catalysts allows to work in mild reaction conditions (i.

Integrated Cascade Process for the Catalytic Conversion of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural to Furanic and TetrahydrofuranicDiethers as Potential Biofuels.

The depletion of fossil resources is driving the research towards alternative renewable ones. Under this perspective, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) represents a key molecule deriving from biomass characterized by remarkable potential as platform chemical. In this work, for the first time, the hydrogenation of HMF in ethanol was selectively addressed towards 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)furan (BHMF) or 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydrofuran (BHMTHF) by properly tuning the reaction conditions in the presence of the same commercial catalyst (Ru/C), reaching the highest yields of 80 and 93 mol%, respectively.

Microemulsion Derived Titania Nanospheres: An Improved Pt Supported Catalyst for Glycerol Aqueous Phase Reforming.

Glycerol aqueous phase reforming (APR) produces hydrogen and interesting compounds at relatively mild temperatures. Among APR catalysts investigated in literature, little attention has been given to Pt supported on TiO. Therefore, herein we propose an innovative titania support which can be obtained through an optimized microemulsion technique.