Etherification of glycerol with tert-butyl alcohol catalysed by ion-exchange resins

The reaction of glycerol with tert-butyl alcohol in the liquid phase on acid Amberlyst-type ion-exchange resins was studied. The influence of temperature, mole ratio n(TBA)/n(G), water and swelling of gel, and macroreticular type of polymer catalysts on etherification reaction was investigated. The most favourable reaction temperature is 75°C. The conversion of glycerol and yield of glycerol tert-butyl ethers has increased with the mole ratio n(TBA)/n(G). Dry form of macroreticular catalysts provided the best results. Etherification reaction of glycerol with isobutylene in non-aqueous conditions gives the highest yield of desired ethers. The influence of water was studied. The gel forms of ion-exchange resins have very low catalytic activity. It can be concluded that water has an inhibition effect on ion-exchange resins. By comparing the gel and macroreticular forms of Amberlyst ion-exchange resins it can be concluded that very acid forms of macroreticular ion-exchange resins with a high degree of crosslinking are more active catalysts for the studied reaction due to their pores which are sufficiently large so that the voluminous tert-butyl ethers of glycerol can be formed. It was estimated that tert-butyl alcohol as tert-butylation agent is not suitable for etherification of glycerol with the formation of di-and triethers.     

Optimization of N‐methyl‐N‐[tert‐butyldimethylsilyl]trifluoroacetamide as a derivatization agent for determining isotopic enrichment of glycerol in very‐low density lipoproteins

Stable isotope kinetic studies play an important role in the study of very‐low density lipoprotein (VLDL) metabolism, including basic and clinical research. Today, [1,1,2,3,3‐²H₅]glycerol is the most cost‐effective alternative to measure glycerol and triglyceride kinetics. Recycling of glycerol from glycolysis and gluconeogenesis may lead to incompletely labelled tracer molecules. Many existing methods for the measurement of glycerol isotopic enrichment involve the production of glycerol derivatives that result in fragmentation of the glycerol molecule after ionization. It would be favourable to measure the intact tracer molecule since incompletely labelled tracer molecules may be measured as fully labelled. The number of methods available to measure the intact tracer in biological samples is limited. The aim of this project was to develop a gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) method for glycerol enrichment that measures the intact glycerol backbone and is suitable for electron ionization (EI), which is widely available. A previously published method for N‐methyl‐N‐[tert‐butyldimethylsilyl]trifluoroacetamide (MTBSTFA) derivatization was significantly improved; we produced a stable derivative and increased recovery 27‐fold in standards. We used the optimized MTBSTFA method in VLDL‐triglyceride and found that further modification was required to take matrix effects into account. We now have a robust method to measure glycerol isotopic enrichment by GC/EI‐MS that can be used to rule out the known problem of tracer recycling in studies of VLDL kinetics. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Conformational Analysis of 1,2‐Di‐O‐Octanoyl‐Ethylene‐Glycerol During Aggregation

Conformational analysis of 1,2‐di‐O‐octanoyl‐ethylene‐glycerol during aggregation by 600 MHz ¹H NMR is described. In monomeric states, 1,2‐di‐O‐octanoyl‐ethylene‐glycerol exists in 75% anti‐conformer and 25% gauche‐conformer. The first critical micelle concentration of 1,2‐di‐O‐octanoyl‐ethylene‐glycerol is calculated to be 4.5 mM. In micellar states, 1,2‐di‐O‐octanoyl‐ethylene‐glycerol exists in 25% anti‐conformer and 75%) gauche‐conformer. When the concentration is greater than 10 mM, 1,2‐di‐O‐octanoyl‐ethylene‐glycerol probably aggregates to become the larger micelle, micelle II. In the second micellar state, 1,2‐di‐O‐octanoylethylene‐glycerol only exists in gauche‐conformer.     

Biopolymer Synthesized by Strains of Xanthomonas sp Isolate from Brazil Using Biodiesel-Waste

The future supplies and usage of glycerol are expected to increase as biodiesel plants increase production, and the output will greatly outpace demand. Biodiesel production has already had a significant impact on the price of refined glycerol. A major concern of glycerol producers is the reduced price of glycerol resulting from the increased production of biodiesel. Some alternative uses for this glycerol that have been investigated are substrates for fermentation process or the production of biosurfactants, fatty acids, biopolymers, and others products. This work had as objective to evaluate two strains of Xanthomonas sp isolate from Brazil for xanthan gum in orbital agitator, analizing the apparent viscosity of aqueous solutions and selecting viscosity. The experiments of xanthan gum production were realized in orbital agitator with 120 rpm agitation, for cells production, and 180rpm, for biopolymer production, under a 28 °C temperature. The rheology of the fermentation broth was analyzed by apparent viscosity and the polymer was recovered with ethanol (1:3, v/v). After its recovery, the productivity evaluation was performed. The productivity were 0.157 and 0.363 gL⁻¹ for C1 and 0.186 and 0.363 gL⁻¹ for C9 to media glycerol or glycerol and sucrose, respectively. The viscosity analysis was performed for aqueous solutions 3%, at 25 °C, the best apparent viscosity was obtained using gum synthesized with glycerol and sucrose (50:50) at 25 °C, 143 mPa.s⁻¹ from Xanthomonas sp C1.     

Influence of Glycerol on Nitrogenase Reactions

The influence of glycerol on the ATPase reaction of nitrogenase and reduction of the substrate (acetylene) is studied. Glycerol inhibits the ATPase nitrogenase reaction dependent on an electron donor. The reaction rate is halved at a glycerol concentration of 11% in the medium when the solution viscosity increases only 1.31 times. The electron donor–independent (decoupled) ATPase reaction of nitrogenase is inhibited to a lesser extent. The activation energies (E _a) of reactions studied in the presence of glycerol are determined. Despite the inhibition effect, glycerol in a concentration of 7.5% does not affect the E _a of acetylene reduction. The introduction of glycerol significantly decreases the E _a of the electron donor-dependent ATPase reaction. In the absence of glycerol, this reaction limits the nitrogenase reaction: E _a = 14 ± 1.4 kcal/mol at temperatures higher than 21°C and E _a = 50 ± 10 kcal/mol at temperatures below 21°C, which are close to the E _a of acetylene reduction. In the presence of 7.5% glycerol, the E _a = 0.7 ± 0.6 kcal/mol at temperatures above 21°C and the E _a = 2.4 ± 0.6 kcal/mol at temperatures below 21°C. This indicates that the reactions of substrate-binding and ATPase sites are decoupled in the presence of glycerol, and the step of substrate reduction becomes the limiting step of the nitrogenase reaction. Glycerol also has a noticeable effect on the E _a of the electron donor-independent ATPase reaction and the shape of the plot of logw vs. 1/T for this reaction. The data obtained indicate the specific interaction of glycerol with nitrogenase in the region of the ATPase site perhaps due to the distortion of the structure of hydrogen bonds, and this interaction changes the limiting step of the nitrogenase reaction.     

Enhancement of 1,3-Propanediol production by cofermentation inEscherichia coli expressingKlebsiella pneumoniae dha regulon genes

1,3-Propanediol (1,3-PD) is an intermediate in chemical and polymer synthesis. We have previously expressed the genes of a biochemical pathway responsible for 1,3-PD production, thedha regulon ofKlebsiella pneumoniae, inEscherichia coli. An analysis of the maximum theoretical yield of 1,3-PD from glycerol indicates that the yield can be improved by the cofermentation of sugars, provided that kinetic constraints are overcome. The yield of 1,3-PD from glycerol was improved from 0.46 mol/mol with glycerol alone to 0.63 mol/mol with glucose cofermentation and 0.55 mol/mol with xylose cofermentation. The engineeredE. coli also provides a model system for the study of metabolic pathway engineering.     

Independent exponential feeding of glycerol and methanol for fed-batch culture of recombinant Hansenula polymorpha DL-1

As a novel feeding strategy for aptomizing human epidermal growth factor (hEGF) production with a recombinant Hansenula polymorpha DL-1 using the methanol oxidase (MOX) promoter in H. polymorpha DL-1, independent exponential feeding of two substrates was used. A simple kinetic model considering the cell growth on two substrates was established and used to calculate the respective feeding rates of glycerol and methanol. In the fedbatch culture with methanol-only feeding, the optimal set point of specific growth rate on methanol was found to be 0.10 h⁻¹. When the fed-batch cultures were conducted by the independent feeding of glycerol and methanol, the actual specific growth rate on glycerol and methanol was slightly lower than the set point of specific growth rate. By the uncoupled feeding of glycerol and methanol the volumetric productivity of hEGF increased from 6.4 to 8.0 mg/(L·h), compared with methanol-only feeding.     

Interactions and partitioning of diluents/plasticizers in hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and polyvinyl alcohol homopolymers and blends. Part II: Glycerol

The interactions and partitioning of glycerol in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) and their blends has been studied by means of torsional braid analysis (TBA). Glycerol was shown to be a more efficient plasticizer for PVA than HPMC in agreement with solubility parameter prediction. Kelley-Bueche-type equations were fitted to the experimentalTg data and initial slopes yielded an interaction parameter,Kø, between glycerol and the two polymers. Incorporation of glycerol in PVA/HPMC blends did not alter the incompatibility of the two polymers and plasticized both phases. The compositions of the two plasticized phases were calculated from Kelley-Bueche expressions fitted to the experimental data, enabling determination of the glycerol partition coefficients into the two phases. In blends with 20–60% PVA, glycerol partitioned selectively into the PVA-rich phase whereas in the system with 80% PVA, glycerol partitioned selectively into the HPMC-rich inclusions.     

Volumetric Properties of Binary Mixtures of Glycerol + <Emphasis Type="Italic">tert</Emphasis>-Butanol over the Temperature Range 293.15 to 348.15 K at Atmospheric Pressure

Densities of glycerol (1) + tert-butanol (2) mixtures were measured over the temperature range 293.15 to 348.15 K at atmospheric pressure, over the entire composition range, with a vibrating tube densimeter. Excess molar volumes, apparent and partial molar volumes of glycerol and tert-butanol, thermal isobaric expansivities of the mixture and partial molar expansivities of the components were calculated. The excess molar volumes of the mixtures are negative at all temperatures, and deviations from ideality increase with increasing temperature. Excess molar volumes were fitted to the Redlich–Kister equation. Partial molar volumes of glycerol decrease with increasing tert-butanol concentration. The temperature dependence of the partial molar volumes of glycerol is characterized by an inversion at x ₂≈0.7. “Negative expansion” of the limiting partial volumes of glycerol was observed.     

Investigation in the Area of Furan Acetal Compounds. 13. Synthesis and Structure of 1,3-Dioxacyclanes Based on Furfural and Glycerol

The optimum conditions were found for the condensation of glycerol with furfural. It was shown that the reaction of glycerol with furfural gives a mixture of the cis and trans isomers of five- and six-membered furan 1,3-dioxacyclanes. The cis- and trans-5-hydroxy-2-furyl-1,3-dioxanes were isolated by column chromatography, and their stereochemical structure was established by IR and NMR spectroscopy.     

Ni掺杂的Cu-ZnO催化剂甘油加氢反应性能

采用浸渍法制备了Ni掺杂的Cu-ZnO催化剂,采用多种物理化学手段研究了其化学物理性质及甘油加氢制取1,2-丙二醇反应催化性能。结果发现,金属Ni助剂的引入可以进一步优化Ni-Cu-ZnO催化剂的甘油加氢生成1, 2-丙二醇的反应活性。少量金属Ni的加入,Ni-Cu-ZnO催化剂的甘油转化率变化不大,生成1, 2-丙二醇的选择性明显增加。而进一步增加Ni含量到n_Ni/n_Cu=0.5,Ni含量过高会导致Ni-Cu-ZnO催化剂中实际Cu原子的量减少,从而导致甘油转化率下降。Ni掺杂的Cu-ZnO催化剂甘油加氢性能稳定性较好,在反应102 h后没有明显变化。     

Synthesis of nanoporous silica aerogel by ambient pressure drying

A crack-free silica aerogel monolith was fabricated from a cheap water glass derived silicic acid solution by adding glycerol, which served as a drying control chemical additive (DCCA). The OH surfaces of the wet gel with glycerol were modified using a TMCS/n-hexane mixture followed by solvent exchange from water to n-hexane. The obtained surface modified wet gel was dried at 75 °C under ambient pressure. The addition of glycerol appears to give the wet gel a more homogeneous microstructure (larger pore size and uniform size distribution) as well as enhanced stiffness. However, glycerol also retards surface modification and solvent exchange. The aerogel synthesized with glycerol added to the silica sol maintained a relatively low bulk density compared with the aerogels aged in a mixed ethanol (EtOH)/TEOS solution. The reproducibility of aerogel production was further improved in the aerogel synthesized with glycerol added to the silica sol and aged in a 70%EtOH/30%TEOS solution.     

Fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry of alkali metal fluorides and chlorides; a comparison of the solid salt and glycerol matrix spectra

The Fast Atom Bombardment (FAB) mass spectra of the alkali metal chlorides (Na, K, Cs) and fluorides (Na, K, Rb, Cs) were obtained from solids and a glycerol matrix, using a fast atom bombardment source. From solids the fluorides exhibited an ion abundance enhancement of the well-known [M(MF)₄]⁺ cluster, which decreased with increasing cation size. A gradual decrease in the n=4 enhancement was observed as the salt was diluted with glycerol. In the chlorides only sodium chloride showed the n=4 relative enhancement. The mass spectra of the salts from a glycerol matrix at molar ratios of 1:1 to 1:10 showed that the spectra of the 1:1 solutions were similar to those from the solids, while glycerol adducts were found to increase with increasing glycerol concentration. A [M(MX)_n(gly)]⁺ species that featured successive losses of HX was observed. It has not been established whether HX losses take place in solution, in the surface/vacuum interface and/or whether gas phase reactions might be responsible for the observation of the [M(MX)_n(gly)–y HX]^? species in the mass spectra of the MX/glycerol system.     

Electrochemical Detection of Triglycerides Based on an Enzymatic Reaction and Electrocatalytic Oxidation with Nortropine‐N‐oxyl

This work investigated a simple triglycerides (TGs) detection method combining an enzymatic reaction, using only lipase, and the electrocatalytic oxidation of glycerol with nortropine‐N‐oxyl (NNO). Tributyrin was employed as a model TG. In this method, TGs are degraded by lipase to glycerol and fatty acids, after which the glycerol reacts with NNO. Preliminary cyclic voltammetry trials demonstrated that the anodic peak current increased along with the glycerol concentration, giving currents of 53.2 and 97.3 μA (at +0.6 V vs. Ag/AgCl) in response to 10 and 100 mM glycerol, respectively. Amperometry confirmed the same response during constant potential electrolysis at+0.6 V vs. Ag/AgCl. This behavior was also observed in a system incorporating tributyrin and lipase, with increases in current proportional to the tributyrin concentration over the range of 0.1 to 10 mM.     

Production of 1,3-propanediol by Klebsiella pneumoniae

1,3-Propanediol (1,3-PD) has numerous applications from polymers to cosmetics, foods, lubricants, and medicines. Recently, there are strong industrial interests in a new kind of polyester, polytrimethylene terephthalate, with 1,3-PD as a monomer. This new polyester shows significant promise for use in carpeting and textiles. In this article we introduce a mild aerobic fermentation process using a strain screened from Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 25955, which is insensitive to oxygen, to produce 1,3-PD. We also describe a two-step fermentation process starting with glucose that was converted into glycerol with a glycerol-producing yeast, followed by K. pneumoniae that converts glycerol into 1,3-PD without intermediate isolation and purification of glycerol.     

Improvement of Ethanol Yield from Glycerol via Conversion of Pyruvate to Ethanol in Metabolically Engineered <Emphasis Type="Italic">Saccharomyces cerevisiae</Emphasis>

The conversion of low-priced glycerol to higher value products has been proposed as a way to improve the economic viability of the biofuels industry. In a previous study, the conversion of glycerol to ethanol in a metabolically engineered strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was accomplished by minimizing the synthesis of glycerol, the main by-product in ethanol fermentation processing. To further improve ethanol production, overexpression of the native genes involved in conversion of pyruvate to ethanol in S. cerevisiae was successfully accomplished. The overexpression of an alcohol dehydrogenase (adh1) and a pyruvate decarboxylase (pdc1) caused an increase in growth rate and glycerol consumption under fermentative conditions, which led to a slight increase of the final ethanol yield. The overall expression of the adh1 and pdc1 genes in the modified strains, combined with the lack of the fps1 and gpd2 genes, resulted in a 1.4-fold increase (about 5.4 g/L ethanol produced) in fps1Δgpd2Δ (pGcyaDak, pGupCas) (about 4.0 g/L ethanol produced). In summary, it is possible to improve the ethanol yield by overexpression of the genes involved in the conversion of pyruvate to ethanol in engineered S. cerevisiae using glycerol as substrate.     

Automatic flow procedure for the determination of glycerol in wine using enzymatic reaction and spectrophotometry

An automatic flow procedure for the determination of glycerol in wines by employing a flow system based on multicommutation and enzymatic reaction is described. Glycerol dehydrogenase was immobilized on aminopropyl glass beads and packed into a column that was coupled to the flow system. The NADH produced by the enzymatic reaction was monitored by spectrophotometry at 340 nm and its radiation absorption presented a relationship with glycerol concentration. The system manifold comprised a set of three-way solenoid valves controlled by a microcomputer, which was furnished with electronic interfaces and runs a software that was designed to carry out on-line sample dilution, reagent addition, and data acquisition. The procedure allows the determination of glycerol in wine samples without any prior pretreatment. The procedure presented as profitable features a linear response range between 2.0 and 10.0 g l⁻¹ glycerol (R=0.998), a detection limit of 0.006 g l⁻¹ glycerol, a relative standard deviation of 1.8% (n=14) for a typical wine sample presenting 5.3 g l⁻¹ glycerol, a sampling throughput of 33 determinations per hour, and a NAD⁺ consumption of 0.8 mg per determination. The results were compared with those obtained using a reference method and no significant difference at 90% confidence level was observed.     

Optimization of Culture Conditions for 1,3-Propanediol Production from Glycerol Using a Mutant Strain of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Klebsiella pneumoniae</Emphasis>

In the present work, mutant strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae with deletions of the als gene encoding acetolactate synthase involved in synthesis of 2,3-butanediol, the ldhA gene encoding lactate dehydrogenase required for lactate synthesis, or both genes, were prepared. Production of 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD) from glycerol was enhanced in the ldhA mutant strain (ΔldhA), but lower in Δals or Δals ΔldhA mutant strains compared to the parent strain, concomitant with a reduction in the glycerol consumption rate, indicating that deletion of ldhA alone was useful to improve 1,3-PD production. Fed-batch fermentation analysis revealed that, in the ΔldhA mutant strain, 1,3-PD production was higher at low pH than at neutral pH; the reverse was true for the parent strain. Further optimization of culture conditions, by variation of aeration and glycerol feed rates, dramatically improved the production of 1,3-PD by the mutant strain. The maximum level attained was 102.7 g l⁻¹ of 1,3-PD from glycerol.     

Analysis of the Production Process of Optically Pure <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">d</Emphasis>-Lactic Acid from Raw Glycerol Using Engineered <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis> Strains

Glycerol has become an ideal feedstock for producing fuels and chemicals. Here, five technological schemes for optically pure d-lactic acid production from raw glycerol were designed, simulated, and economically assessed based on five fermentative scenarios using engineered Escherichia coli strains. Fermentative scenarios considered different qualities of glycerol (pure, 98 wt.%, and crude, 85 wt.%) with concentrations ranging from 20 to 60 g/l in the fermentation media, and two fermentation stages were also analyzed. Raw glycerol (60 wt.%) was considered as the feedstock feeding the production process in all cases; then a purification process of raw glycerol up to the required quality was required. Simulation processes were carried out using Aspen Plus, while economic assessments were performed using Aspen Icarus Process Evaluator. D-Lactic acid recovery and purification processes were based on reactive extraction with tri-n-octylamine using dichloromethane as active extractant agent. The use of raw glycerol represents only between 2.4% and 7.8% of the total production costs. Also, the total production costs obtained of D-lactic acid in all cases were lower than its sale price indicating that these processes are potentially profitable. Thus, the best configuration process requires the use of crude glycerol diluted at 40 g/l with total glycerol consumption and with D-lactic acid recovering by reactive extraction. The lowest obtained total production cost was 1.015 US$/kg with a sale price/production cost ratio of 1.53.     

Carbohydrate metabolite pathways and antibiotic production variations of a novel Streptomyces sp. M3004 depending on the concentrations of carbon sources

To determine the variations of growth, some key enzyme activities such as glucose kinase (GK), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase (KGDH), and isocitrate lyase (ICL) besides metabolite levels of pyruvate and antibiotic production of newly isolated Streptomyces sp. M3004 were grown in culture media which contain 10–20 g/l concentration with either glucose or glycerol as carbon source. Biomass and intracellular glucose and glycerol levels of Streptomyces sp. M3004 showed positive correlation with the concentration of these carbon sources, and these levels were higher in glucose compared with the glycerol-supplemented mediums. GK, G6PDH, and KGDH activities showed marked correlation with the concentration of both glucose and glycerol, and the activity levels were 4.14-, 1.47-, and 1.27-fold higher in glucose than glycerol. A key enzyme of the glyoxalate cycle, ICL activities decreased with increasing glucose concentrations from 10 to 20 g/l, but increased up to 15 g/l of glycerol. The positive correlations were also determined between intracellular glucose and glycerol levels besides pyruvate and protein variations with respect to concentrations of the carbon sources. Antibacterial activities of Streptomyces sp. M3004 reached maximum on the stationary phase, while it did not change significantly with respect to glucose and glycerol.