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Catalysts
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Catalysts in Sustainable, Industrial Processes in Biorefinery and Bioeconomy
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Catalysts in Sustainable, Industrial Processes in Biorefinery and Bioeconomy

A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomass Catalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2022) | Viewed by 12488

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Sunyoung Park

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Low-Carbon Petrochemical Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), Daejeon 34114, Republic of Korea
Interests: hydrocracking; aquathermolysis; heavy oil upgrading; ammonia synthesis; plasma-catalyst hybrid system
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Dae Sung Park

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, 141 Gajeong-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34114, Korea
Interests: heterogeneous catalysis; dehydrogenation; renewable chemicals; biomass conversion
Dr. Ki Hyuk Kang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, 141 Gajeong-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34114, Korea
Interests: hydrogenation of succinic acid; hydrocracking; heavy oil upgrading

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable economic growth requires safe and clean resources, but the availability of fossil resources is questionable in the long-term. Since the beginning of the 1990s, utilization of biomass as a renewable resource has been considered as a key solution to reduce the rapid consumption of fossil resources. The use of biomass was also found to benefit from reducing the environmental impact by decreasing pollutant and hazardous emissions. For this reason, many studies have been conducted on biorefinery technologies for biofuels, bioenergy, and bio-based products. Biorefinery technologies have evolved to become practical on a large scale as the accumulated chemical process knowledge is applied to the bio-based systems. Ongoing research and development activities for biomass will pave the way towards potential realization of a sustainable bio-based economy.

This Special Issue aims to cover the most recent advances in the industrial processes or catalytic materials for biorefinery and bioeconomy. This includes an extensive research area based on biofuels, bioenergy, and bio-based products.

Dr. Sunyoung Park
Dr. Dae Sung Park
Dr. Ki Hyuk Kang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Catalysts is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Biomass pretreatment
  • Biomass conversion
  • Biofuels production
  • Bio-based chemicals production
  • Chemical catalysis
  • Biochemical catalysis

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 5226 KiB  
Article
Nepenthes mirabilis Fractionated Pitcher Fluid Use for Mixed Agro-Waste Pretreatment: Advocacy for Non-Chemical Use in Biorefineries
by Justine O. Angadam, Mahomet Njoya, Seteno K. O. Ntwampe, Boredi S. Chidi, Jun-Wei Lim, Vincent I. Okudoh and Peter L. Hewitt
Catalysts 2022, 12(7), 726; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal12070726 - 30 Jun 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1724
Abstract
This study determined whether it is feasible to pretreat mixed agro-waste of different particle sizes using the pitcher fluid of Nepenthes mirabilis (N. mirabilis), which is known to digest leaf litter due to the enzyme cocktail contained in the fluid. This [...] Read more.
This study determined whether it is feasible to pretreat mixed agro-waste of different particle sizes using the pitcher fluid of Nepenthes mirabilis (N. mirabilis), which is known to digest leaf litter due to the enzyme cocktail contained in the fluid. This is due to the need for the holocellulolysis (a source of fermentable sugars) of mixed agro-waste to produce fermentable hydrolysates. The pitcher fluid was fractionated (<3 kDa, >3 kDa, <10 kDa, >10 kDa) and slurrified with the mixed agro-waste, i.e., 25% (w/w) for each waste—orange peels, apple peels, maize cobs, grape pomace, and oak plant leaf litter of various particle sizes, i.e., >75 µm x < 106 µm and >106 µm. The process of producing a high concentration of total reducible sugars (TRSs) with the lowest production of total phenolic compounds (TPCs) was determined to be a particle size of >106 µm, pretreatment for 72 h, and an enzyme fraction of <10 kDa, whereby 97 g/L of TRSs were produced with a significantly lower TPCs load (1 g/L). Furthermore, the <10 kDa showed preferable physico-chemical properties, with the highest reduction-oxidation potential including acidity. Several enzymes, i.e., β-1,3-Glucanase, Putative peroxidase 27, Thaumatin-like protein, among others, were identified in the <10 kDa fraction, i.e., enzymes known to perform various functions in plant-based waste. Therefore, there is a need for the renewable energy industry to consider solely using pitcher fluids to pretreat mixed agro-waste for fermentable hydrolysates’ production, which can be used as liquid feedstock for the bioenergy and/or biorefinery industries for environmental pollution reduction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalysts in Sustainable, Industrial Processes in Biorefinery and Bioeconomy)
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13 pages, 615 KiB  
Article
A Novel Heterogeneous Superoxide Support-Coated Catalyst for Production of Biodiesel from Roasted and Unroasted Sinapis arvensis Seed Oil
by Maryam Hanif, Haq Nawaz Bhatti, Muhammad Asif Hanif, Umer Rashid, Asma Hanif, Bryan R. Moser and Ali Alsalme
Catalysts 2021, 11(12), 1421; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal11121421 - 23 Nov 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2157
Abstract
Disadvantages of biodiesel include consumption of edible oils for fuel production, generation of wastewater and inability to recycle catalysts during homogenously catalyzed transesterification. The aim of the current study was to utilize low-cost, inedible oil extracted from Sinapis arvensis seeds to produce biodiesel [...] Read more.
Disadvantages of biodiesel include consumption of edible oils for fuel production, generation of wastewater and inability to recycle catalysts during homogenously catalyzed transesterification. The aim of the current study was to utilize low-cost, inedible oil extracted from Sinapis arvensis seeds to produce biodiesel using a novel nano-composite superoxide heterogeneous catalyst. Sodium superoxide (NaO2) was synthesized by reaction of sodium nitrate with hydrogen peroxide via spray pyrolysis, followed by coating onto a composite support material prepared from silicon dioxide, potassium ferricyanide and granite. The roasted (110 °C, 20 min) and unroasted S. arvensis seeds were subjected to high vacuum fractional distillation to afford fractions (F1, F2 and F3) that correlated to molecular weight. For example, F1 was enriched in palmitic acid (76–79%), F2 was enriched in oleic acid (69%) and F3 was enriched in erucic acid (61%). These fractions, as well as pure unroasted and roasted S. arvensis seed oils, were then transesterified using NaO2/SiO2/PFC/Granite to give biodiesel a maximum yield of 98.4% and 99.2%, respectively. In contrast, yields using immobilized lipase catalyst were considerably lower (78–85%). Fuel properties such as acid value, cetane number, density, iodine value, pour point, and saponification value were within the ranges specified in the American biodiesel standard, ASTM D6751, where applicable. These results indicated that the nano-composite catalyst was excellent for production of biodiesel from unroasted and roasted S. arvensis seed oil and its fractions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalysts in Sustainable, Industrial Processes in Biorefinery and Bioeconomy)
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22 pages, 4625 KiB  
Article
Use of NaNO3/SiAl as Heterogeneous Catalyst for Fatty Acid Methyl Ester Production from Rapeseed Oil
by José María Encinar, Juan Félix González, Gloria Martínez and Sergio Nogales-Delgado
Catalysts 2021, 11(11), 1405; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal11111405 - 20 Nov 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1981
Abstract
The use of heterogeneous catalysts to produce fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) through transesterification with methanol might contribute to both green chemistry and a circular economy, as the process can be simplified, not requiring additional stages to recover the catalyst once the reaction [...] Read more.
The use of heterogeneous catalysts to produce fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) through transesterification with methanol might contribute to both green chemistry and a circular economy, as the process can be simplified, not requiring additional stages to recover the catalyst once the reaction takes place. For this purpose, different catalysts are used, including a wide range of possibilities. In this research the use of NaNO3/SiAl as a heterogeneous catalyst for FAME production through transesterification of rapeseed oil with methanol is considered. A thorough characterization of the catalyst (including XDR and XPS analysis, SEM microscopy, lixiviation and reusability tests, among others), specific optimization of transesterification by using the final catalyst (considering catalyst amount, stirring rate, methanol/oil ratio, and temperature), and quality determination of the final biodiesel (following the UNE-EN 14214 standard) were carried out. In conclusion, 20 mmolNa·gsupport−1 (that is, NaNO3/SiAl 20/1) offered the best results, with a high activity (exceeding 99% w/w of FAMEs) without requiring higher impregnation amounts. The best chemical conditions for this heterogeneous catalyst were 5% w/w catalyst, 700 rpm, 9:1 methanol/oil ratio, and 65 °C, obtaining Ea = 73.3 kJ·mol−1 and a high-quality biodiesel, similar to those obtained through homogeneous catalysis. Consequently, this catalyst could be a suitable precursor for FAME production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalysts in Sustainable, Industrial Processes in Biorefinery and Bioeconomy)
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20 pages, 8673 KiB  
Article
Supported Bimetallic Catalysts for the Solvent-Free Hydrogenation of Levulinic Acid to γ-Valerolactone: Effect of Metal Combination (Ni-Cu, Ni-Co, Cu-Co)
by Mahlet N. Gebresillase, Reibelle Q. Raguindin, Hern Kim and Jeong Gil Seo
Catalysts 2020, 10(11), 1354; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal10111354 - 21 Nov 2020
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3483
Abstract
γ-valerolactone (GVL) is an important value-added chemical with potential applications as a fuel additive, a precursor for valuable chemicals, and polymer synthesis. Herein, different monometallic and bimetallic catalysts supported on γ-Al2O3 nanofibers (Ni, Cu, Co, Ni-Cu, Ni-Co, Cu-Co) were prepared [...] Read more.
γ-valerolactone (GVL) is an important value-added chemical with potential applications as a fuel additive, a precursor for valuable chemicals, and polymer synthesis. Herein, different monometallic and bimetallic catalysts supported on γ-Al2O3 nanofibers (Ni, Cu, Co, Ni-Cu, Ni-Co, Cu-Co) were prepared by the incipient wetness impregnation method and employed in the solvent-free hydrogenation of levulinic acid (LA) to GVL. The influence of metal loading, metal combination, and ratio on the activity and selectivity of the catalysts was investigated. XRD, SEM-EDS, TEM, H2-TPR, XPS, NH3-TPD, and N2 adsorption were used to examine the structure and properties of the catalysts. In this study, GVL synthesis involves the single-step dehydration of LA to an intermediate, followed by hydrogenation of the intermediate to GVL. Ni-based catalysts were found to be highly active for the reaction. [2:1] Ni-Cu/Al2O3 catalyst showed 100.0% conversion of LA with >99.0% selectivity to GVL, whereas [2:1] Ni-Co/Al2O3 yielded 100.0% conversion of LA with 83.0% selectivity to GVL. Moreover, reaction parameters such as temperature, H2 pressure, time, and catalyst loading were optimized to obtain the maximum GVL yield. The solvent-free hydrogenation process described in this study propels the future industrial production of GVL from LA. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalysts in Sustainable, Industrial Processes in Biorefinery and Bioeconomy)
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13 pages, 2280 KiB  
Article
Effect of the Solvent on the Basic Properties of Mg–Al Hydrotalcite Catalysts for Glucose Isomerization
by Suna An, Dahye Kwon, JeongHyun Cho and Ji Chul Jung
Catalysts 2020, 10(11), 1236; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal10111236 - 25 Oct 2020
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2392
Abstract
We suggested the existence of a relationship between the base properties of Mg–Al hydrotalcite catalysts and the solvents employed in the industrially important isomerization of glucose produce fructose. We prepared Mg–Al hydrotalcite catalysts with different Mg/Al atomic ratios to tune the basic properties [...] Read more.
We suggested the existence of a relationship between the base properties of Mg–Al hydrotalcite catalysts and the solvents employed in the industrially important isomerization of glucose produce fructose. We prepared Mg–Al hydrotalcite catalysts with different Mg/Al atomic ratios to tune the basic properties of the catalyst. The prepared catalysts were used in the glucose isomerization conducted in various solvents. Experimental results confirmed that the catalysts exhibited different activities in the different solvents. We also implemented the Hammett indicator method, which allows to analyze the basic properties of the catalysts in various solvents. According to evidence, the basic properties of the catalysts varied substantially in different solvents. Notably, increases in the catalysts’ base properties matched the observed increases in fructose yield of the glucose isomerization. Consequently, we suggested that, in order to prepare efficient Mg–Al hydrotalcite catalysts for glucose isomerization, the interaction between the solvent used to conduct the reaction and the basic properties of the catalyst, which are in turn influenced by the solvent, should be considered. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalysts in Sustainable, Industrial Processes in Biorefinery and Bioeconomy)
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