New class of β-aminoalcohol ligands derived from isosorbide and isomannide: application in hydrogen transfer reduction of prochiral ketones

Starting from isosorbide and isomannide, two by-products from the starch industry, a family of chiral functionalized β-aminoalcohols presenting a THF ring has been synthesized as potential ligands for hydrogen transfer reduction of prochiral ketones. Under optimal conditions, more than 70% ee with an excellent conversion were obtained for the HTR of the acetophenone.     

磁性碳基磺酸化固体酸催化剂的制备及其催化水解纤维素

以纤维素和硝酸铁为原料,发烟硫酸为磺酸化试剂,采用热解法合成了磁性碳基磺酸化固体酸催化剂(Fe/C-SO3H).利用扫描电镜(SEM)、透射电镜(TEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、傅里叶变换红外(FT-IR)光谱仪和振动样品磁强计(VSM)等手段对催化剂进行了表征,评价了催化剂在纤维素水解反应中的催化活性.结果表明,Fe是以γ-Fe2O3的形式存在于碳本体中,催化剂呈现超顺磁性.对于纤维素的水解反应,在优化条件下,纤维素的转化率可达40.6%.此外,催化剂可稳定分散于反应体系中,并在外加磁场作用下可快速与反应体系分离.但催化剂重复使用时催化活性有所下降,其失活原因经初步认定是由于表面部分磺酸基团在反应过程中脱落.     

Recent advances in paired electrolysis of biomass-derived compounds toward cogeneration of value-added chemicals and fuels

Pairing the electrocatalytic hydrogenation reaction with different anodic reactions driven by renewable electricity offers a greener way for producing value-added chemicals and fuels. In particular, replacing the sluggish water oxidation with a biomass-based upgrading reaction can reduce the overall energy cost, thus allowing for the simultaneous generation of high-value products at both electrodes. This mini-review summarized the recent progress in paired electrolysis of biomass-derived compounds, particularly the furanic chemicals. Some perspectives and outlooks were proposed for further improvements in this research area.     

Biomass-based Carbon Dots as Peroxidase Mimics for Colorimetric Detection of Glutathione and L-Cysteine

Biomass-carbon dots(named as B-CDs) have been successfully prepared via facile one-step hydrothermal reflux treatment at a low temperature from passion fruit peel. The as-prepared B-CDs had a uniform sphere morphology and size of 1-3 nm, which possessed rich nitrogen/oxygen-containing functional groups. B-CDs could imitate peroxidase and accelerate the reaction process of H₂O₂ oxidizing the substrate 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine(TMB), which caused an obvious color change in the solution due to the oxidization of achromic TMB into blue oxidation product(ox-TMB) with an absorption peak at 652 nm. Furthermore, the product could be further reduced to native colorless TMB by the reducing agent glutathione or L-Cysteine. Thus, depending on the peroxidase-like properties of B-CDs, we developed a colorimetric approach to detecting both glutathione and L-Cysteine, which showed superior selective and sensitive detection towards glutathione and L-Cysteine in a linear range of 0-20 µmol/L. The limits of detection were 0.62 and 0.58 µmol/L, respectively.     

Recent application of biochar on the catalytic biorefinery and environmental processes

Lignocellulosic biomass is an abundant and environment-friendly source for renewable energy production. The value and application of biochar, which is obtained from the thermochemical conversion of biomass, is increasing rapidly because of its high carbon content and porosity. The property of biochar, such as surface area, porosity, and number of functional groups, can be improved by controlling the conditions of biomass conversion, biochar activation, and functionalization methods. The production and activation of biochar as well as its potential use for soil remediation, pollutant adsorption, and biorefinery have been reviewed extensively over recent decades. This paper provides a conceptual approach for biochar production and activation together with its application as a catalyst for biorefineries and the removal of environmental contaminants.     

Clean preparation of S-thiocarbamates with in situ generated hydroxide in 2-methyltetrahydrofuran

A simple and clean protocol for the synthesis of various alkyl and (hetero)aryl S-thiocarbamates was established. The usage of in situ generated hydroxide as both an oxygen source and hydrogen source as well as biomass-derived 2-methyltetrahydrofuran as a green reaction medium, the avoidance of phosphorus-containing reductant, and the generation of harmless water and nitrogen as the side-products have given the present method atom-economy and environmental friendliness.     

Spatially and temporally resolved IR-DFWM measurement of HCN released from gasification of biomass pellets

For the first time, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, nonintrusive quantitative measurement of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) released during the devolatilization phase of straw pellets gasification is demonstrated with high spatial and temporal resolution. Mid-infrared degenerate four-wave mixing (IR-DFWM) measurements of HCN were performed by probing the interference-free P(20) line in the v₁ vibrational band at around 3?µm and the IR-DFWM signal was detected with an upconversion-based detector, providing discrimination of thermal noise and increased sensitivity. A novel single-pellet setup consisting of a multi-jet burner was used to provide hot flue gas environments with an even and well-defined temperature distribution, for single straw pellet gasification at atmospheric pressure. The environments had temperatures of 1380?K, 1540?K and 1630?K with a constant oxygen concentration of 0.5?vol%. In order to quantify the amount of HCN released during the devolatilization of straw pellets, calibration measurements were performed in well-defined HCN gas flows. Selected hot water lines were probed with IR-DFWM in the interrogated volume to obtain the instantaneous temperature, which were used to correct the temperature effect. HCN concentrations up to 1500?ppm were detected during the devolatilization stage, and the results indicate a strong temperature dependence of the HCN release.     

Ultrasound-assisted transformation from waste biomass to efficient carbon-based metal-free pH-universal oxygen reduction reaction electrocatalysts

Efficient carbon-based nitrogen-doped electrocatalysts derived from waste biomass are regarded as a promising alternative to noble metal catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), which is crucial to fuel cell performance. Here, coconut palm leaves are employed as the carbon source and a series of nitrogen-doped porous carbons were prepared by virtue of a facile and mild ultrasound-assisted method. The obtained carbon material (ANDC-900-10) conveys excellent pH-universal catalytic activity with onset potentials (E_onset) of 1.01, 0.91 and 0.84 V vs. RHE, half-wave potentials (E_1/2) of 0.87, 0.74 and 0.66 V vs. RHE and limiting current densities (J_L) of 5.50, 5.45 and 4.97 mA cm⁻² in alkaline, neutral and acidic electrolytes, respectively, prevailing over the commercial Pt/C catalyst and, what's more, ANDC-900-10 displays preeminent methanol crossover resistance and long-term stability in the broad pH range (0–13), thanks to its abundant hierarchical nanopores as well as effective nitrogen doping with high-density pyridinic-N and graphitic-N. This work provides sonochemical insight for underpinning the eco-friendly approach to rationally designing versatile metal-free carbon-based catalysts toward the ORR at various pH levels.     

Hydrogenolysis of benzofuran using aqueous ethanol solution over graphite-supported platinum catalyst

Graphite-supported platinum catalysts (Pt/G) were highly active for the hydrogenolysis of benzofuran to o-ethylphenol in aqueous ethanol solution at 523 K without using any external hydrogen gas. The hydrogenolysis activities and selectivity to o-ethylphenol in ethanol solution over Pt/G were higher than those with a conventional method using externally supplied hydrogen gas. Both water and ethanol were indispensable for the hydrogenolysis in aqueous ethanol solution at 523 K.