Unraveling the role of water in mechanism changes for economically viable catalytic plastic upcycling.

The surge in global plastic production, reaching 400.3 million tons in 2022, has exacerbated environmental pollution, with only 11% of plastic being recycled. Catalytic recycling, particularly through hydrogenolysis and hydrocracking, offers a promising avenue for upcycling polyolefin plastic, comprising 55% of global plastic waste.

Python-Based Algorithm for Estimating the Parameters of Physical Property Models for Substances Not Available in Database.

An in-house Python-based algorithm was developed using simplified molecular-input line-entry specification (SMILES) strings and a dipole moment for estimating the normal boiling point, critical properties, standard enthalpy, vapor pressure, liquid molar volume, enthalpy of vaporization, heat capacity, viscosity, thermal conductivity, and surface tension of molecules. Normal boiling point, critical properties, and standard enthalpy were estimated by using the Joback group contribution method. Vapor pressure, liquid molar volume, enthalpy of vaporization, heat capacity, and surface tension were estimated by using the Riedel model, Gunn-Yamada model, Clausius-Clapeyron equation, Joback group contribution method, and Brock-Bird model, respectively.

Process development, techno-economic analysis and life-cycle assessment for laccase catalyzed synthesis of lignin hydrogel.

In this study, an effort has been undertaken to study process design, techno-economic analysis, and life-cycle assessment (LCA) of lignin hydrogel (LH) which has potential applications in environmental remediation. Minimum selling price (MSP) of LHs has been estimated to be 2,141 US$/ton and it lies within the range of market price (1,420-2,280 US$/ton) for commercial coagulants. Further, sensitivity analysis has been conducted and it was observed that "% efficiency of lignin hydrogel production" and "lignin price" were the most influential parameters.

Toward Economical and Sustainable Production of Renewable Plastic: Integrative System-Level Analyses.

2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is one of the promising renewable plastic monomers enabling to address several environmental issues, instead of petroleum-based terephthalic acid (TPA). In this study, an integrative process for the co-production of FDCA and furfural as well as activated carbon was developed, and the economic feasibility and environmental sustainability for the proposed process were evaluated. In the proposed process, there were major four catalytic conversion reactions: (1) hydrolysis of biomass to its derivatives (cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin), (2) dehydration of hemicellulose to furfural, (3) dehydration of cellulose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), and (4) successive oxidation of HMF to FDCA.

Simultaneous production of 1,6-hexanediol, furfural, and high-purity lignin from white birch: Process integration and techno-economic evaluation.

An integrated strategy of multiple catalytic conversions was developed to completely utilize three major fractions of biomass, thereby increasing the revenue from lignocellulosic biomass (white birch). Cellulose was converted into 1,6-hexanediol (1,6-HDO) with a yield of 21.8% via a series of catalytic conversions, hemicellulose was converted into furfural with a yield of 87.

Development and Optimization of the Biological Conversion of Ethane to Ethanol Using Whole-Cell Methanotrophs Possessing Methane Monooxygenase.

The biological production of ethanol from ethane for the utilization of ethane in natural gas was investigated under ambient conditions using whole-cell methanotrophs possessing methane monooxygenase. Several independent variables including ethane concentration and biocatalyst amounts, among other factors, were optimized for the enhancement of ethane-to-ethanol bioconversion. We obtained 0.

Toward biomass-derived renewable plastics: Production of 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid from fructose.

We report a process for converting fructose, at a high concentration (15 weight %), to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), a monomer used in the production of polyethylene furanoate, a renewable plastic. In our process, fructose is dehydrated to hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) at high yields (70%) using a γ-valerolactone (GVL)/HO solvent system. HMF is subsequently oxidized to FDCA over a Pt/C catalyst with 93% yield.

Increasing the revenue from lignocellulosic biomass: Maximizing feedstock utilization.

The production of renewable chemicals and biofuels must be cost- and performance- competitive with petroleum-derived equivalents to be widely accepted by markets and society. We propose a biomass conversion strategy that maximizes the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass (up to 80% of the biomass to useful products) into high-value products that can be commercialized, providing the opportunity for successful translation to an economically viable commercial process. Our fractionation method preserves the value of all three primary components: (i) cellulose, which is converted into dissolving pulp for fibers and chemicals production; (ii) hemicellulose, which is converted into furfural (a building block chemical); and (iii) lignin, which is converted into carbon products (carbon foam, fibers, or battery anodes), together producing revenues of more than $500 per dry metric ton of biomass.