Sweet Sorghum as Feedstock for Ethanol Production: Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Steam-Pretreated Bagasse

Sweet sorghum is an attractive feedstock for ethanol production. The juice extracted from the fresh stem is composed of sucrose, glucose, and fructose and can therefore be readily fermented to alcohol. The solid fraction left behind, the so-called bagasse, is a lignocellulosic residue which can also be processed to ethanol. The objective of our work was to test sweet sorghum, the whole crop, as a potential raw material of ethanol production, i.e., both the extracted sugar juice and the residual bagasse were tested. The juice was investigated at different harvesting dates for sugar content. Fermentability of juices extracted from the stem with and without leaves was compared. Sweet sorghum bagasse was steam-pretreated using various pretreatment conditions (temperatures and residence times). Efficiency of pretreatments was characterized by the degree of cellulose hydrolysis of the whole pretreated slurry and the separated fiber fraction. Two settings of the studied conditions (190 °C, 10 min and 200 °C, 5 min) were found to be efficient to reach conversion of 85–90%.     

Evaluation of a Hypocrea jecorina Enzyme Preparation for Hydrolysis of Tifton 85 Bermudagrass

Tifton 85 bermudagrass, developed at the ARS-USDA in Tifton, GA, is grown on over ten million acres in the USA for hay and forage. Of the bermudagrass cultivars, Tifton 85 exhibits improved digestibility because the ratio of ether- to ester-linked phenolic acids has been lowered using traditional plant breeding techniques. A previously developed pressurized batch hot water (PBHW) method was used to treat Tifton 85 bermudagrass for enzymatic hydrolysis. Native grass (untreated) and PBHW-pretreated material were compared as substrates for fungal cultivation to produce enzymes. Cellulase activity, measured via the filter paper assay, was higher for fungi cultivated on PBHW-pretreated grass, whereas the other nine enzyme assays produced higher activities for the untreated grass. Ferulic acid and vanillin levels increased significantly for the enzyme preparations produced using PBHW-pretreated grass and the release of these phenolic compounds may have contributed to the observed reduction in enzyme activities. Culture supernatant from Tifton 85 bermudagrass-grown fungi were combined with two commercial enzyme preparations and the enzyme activity profiles are reported. The amount of reducing sugar liberated by the enzyme mixture from Hypocrea jecorina (after 192 h incubation with untreated bermudagrass) individually or in combination with feruloyl esterase was 72.1 and 84.8%, respectively, of the commercial cellulase preparation analyzed under the same conditions.     

Pretreatment of Whole-Crop Harvested, Ensiled Maize for Ethanol Production

To have all-year-round available feedstock, whole-crop maize is harvested premature, when it still contains enough moisture for the anaerobic ensiling process. Silage preparation is a well-known procedure for preserving plant material. At first, this method was applied to obtain high-quality animal feed. However, it was found that such ensiled crops are very suitable for bioenergy production. Maize silage, which consists of hardly degradable lignocellulosic material, hemicellulosic material, and starch, was evaluated for its potential as a feedstock in the production of bioethanol. It was pretreated at low severity (185 °C, 15 min) giving very high glucan (∼100%) and hemicellulose recoveries (<80%)—as well as very high ethanol yield in simultaneous saccharification and fermentation experiments (98% of the theoretical production based on available glucan in the medium). The theoretical ethanol production of maize silage pretreated at 185 °C for 15 min without oxygen or catalyst was 392 kg ethanol per ton of dry maize silage.     

Electroless Deposition of Nickel Nanowire and Nanotube Arrays as Supports for Pt-Pd Catalyst for Ethanol Electrooxidation

Nickel nanowire and nanotube arrays as supports for Pt-Pd catalyst were prepared by electroless deposition with anodic aluminum oxide template. Pt-Pd composite catalyst was deposited on the arrays by displacement reaction. SEM images show that the nickel nanowires have an average diameter of 100 nm and the nickel nanotubes have an average inner diameter of 200 nm. EDS scanning reveals that elemental Pt and Pd disperse uniformly on the arrays. Cyclic voltammetry study indicates that the nickel nanotube array loaded with Pt-Pd possesses a higher electrochemical activity for ethanol oxidation than the nickel nanowire array with Pt-Pd.     

生物预处理对甘蔗渣转化的影响

为了研究不同种类产纤维素酶的菌株降解甘蔗渣的效果,结合已得出的最佳化学预处理方法,利用枯草芽孢杆菌、绿色木霉和烟曲霉三种高产纤维素酶的菌株对甘蔗渣进行生物预处理,比较降解效果;并用腺嘌呤缺陷型和非缺陷型酵母进行发酵,比较乙醇产量。结果表明:分解10 g甘蔗渣,枯草芽孢杆菌组还原糖产量为427.56 mg,绿色木霉组还原糖产量为887.36 mg,烟曲霉组还原糖产量为982.84mg。相同还原糖含量的烟曲霉组和绿色木霉组滤液用腺嘌呤缺陷型酵母发酵时,在27℃发酵25.5 h,乙醇浓度达到最高值,绿色木霉组为5.4%,烟曲霉组为5.5%。在三种产纤维素酶菌株中,烟曲霉降解甘蔗渣的效果最好。     

Integrated production of ethanol fuel and protein from Coastal Bermudagrass

The herbaceous crops that may provide fermentable carbohydrates for production of fuels and chemicals also contain 10–20% protein. Protein coproduction with biomass-derived fuels and chemicals has important advantages: (1) food and fuel production can be integrated, and (2) protein is a high-value product that may significantly improve overall process economics. We report the results of an integrated approach to producing protein and fermentable sugars from one herbaceous species, Coastal Bermudagrass (CBG). The ammonia fiber explosion (AFEX) process makes possible over 90% conversion of cellulose and hemicellulose to simple sugars (about 650 mg reducing sugars/g dry CBG) at 5 IU cellulase/g vs < 20% conversion for untreated CBG. The AFEX treatment also improves protein extraction from CBG; over 80% protein recovery is possible from AFEX-treated CBG vs about 30% recovery from untreated CBG.     

NIR-plasmon-enhanced Systems for Energy Conversion and Environmental Remediation

The introduction of plasmons is an important method to solve the insufficient utilization of the full spectrum of solar energy by semiconductor catalysts. However, semiconductor catalysts combined with traditional noble metal plasmons(Au, Ag) can only extend the absorption spectrum to partially visible light. In order to further improve the photoenergy absorption efficiency of catalysts, they need to be able to effectively utilize near-infrared light, which has become a new research direction. Recent studies have shown that traditional noble metal plasmons can absorb a part of NIR through special morphology, size control and material composite. At the same time, gratifying achievements have been made in the application of plasmonic semiconductors with broad spectrum absorption in catalysis. This article reviews the principles of generating and regulating plasmonic effects in different catalytic systems. The applications of plasmon absorption of near-infrared light in energy conversion and environmental remediation have also been presented.     

Integrated Conversion of Lignocellulosic Biomass to Bio-Based Amphiphiles using a Functionalization-Defunctionalization Approach

Concerns over the sustainability and end-of-life properties of fossil-derived surfactants have driven interest in bio-based alternatives. Lignocellulosic biomass with its polar functional groups is an obvious feedstock for surfactant production but its use is limited by process complexity and low yield. Here, we present a simple two-step approach to prepare bio-based amphiphiles directly from hemicellulose and lignin at high yields (29 % w/w based on the total raw biomass and >80 % w/w of these two fractions). Acetal functionalization of xylan and lignin with fatty aldehydes during fractionation introduced hydrophobic segments and subsequent defunctionalization by hydrogenolysis of the xylose derivatives or acidic hydrolysis of the lignin derivatives produced amphiphiles. The resulting biodegradable xylose acetals and/or ethers, and lignin-based amphiphilic polymers both largely retained their original natural structures, but exhibited competitive or superior surface activity in water/oil systems compared to common bio-based surfactants.     

Cu Atomic Chain Supported on Graphene Nanoribbon for Effective Conversion of CO2 to Ethanol

Cu catalysts are well-known for their good performance in CO₂ conversion. Compared to CO and CH₄ production, C₂ products have higher volumetric energy densities and are more valuable in industrial applications. In this work, we screened the catalytic ability of C₂ production on several 1D Cu atomic chain structures and find that Cu edge-decorated zigzag graphene nanoribbons (Cu−ZGNR) are capable of catalyzing CO₂ conversion to ethanol, and CH₃CH₂OH is the main C₂ product with a maximum free energy change of 0.60 eV. The planar tetracoordinate carbon structures in Cu-ZGNR provide unique chemical bonding features for catalytic reaction on the Cu atoms. Detailed mechanism analyses with transition states search show that CO* dimerization is favored against CHO* formation in the reaction. By adjusting the CO* coverage, the selectivity of the C₂ product can be enhanced owing to less pronounced steric effects for COCHO*, which is feasible under experimental conditions. This study expands the catalyst family for C₂ products from CO₂ based on nano carbon structures with new features.     

2D MXenes Nanosheets for Advanced Energy Conversion and Storage Devices: Recent Advances and Future Prospects

Since the initial MXenes were discovered in 2011, several MXene compositions constructed using combinations of various transition metals have been developed. MXenes are ideal candidates for different applications in energy conversion and storage, because of their unique and interesting characteristics, which included good electrical conductivity, hydrophilicity, and simplicity of large-scale synthesis. Herein, we study the current developments in two-dimensional (2D) MXene nanosheets for energy storage and conversion technologies. First, we discuss the introduction to energy storage and conversion devices. Later, we emphasized on 2D MXenes and some specific properties of MXenes. Subsequently, research advances in MXene-based electrode materials for energy storage such as supercapacitors and rechargeable batteries is summarized. We provide the relevant energy storage processes, common challenges, and potential approaches to an acceptable solution for 2D MXene-based energy storage. In addition, recent advances for MXenes used in energy conversion devices like solar cells, fuel cells and catalysis is also summarized. Finally, the future prospective of growing MXene-based energy conversion and storage are highlighted.     

Conversion of Industrial Paper Sludge to Ethanol: Fractionation of Sludge and Its Impact

Paper sludge is an attractive biomass source for the conversion to ethanol due to its low cost and the lack of severe pretreatment required. Four sludges from pulp and paper operations including both virgin kraft (VK) and recycled and deinking (RD) paper mills were analyzed. A fractionation process using a laboratory screen was utilized to produce a fiber-rich stream for enzymatic hydrolysis. This process removed 82–98 % of the ash with fiber yields from 39 to 69 %. Even though sludges in both non-fractionated and fractionated scenarios were pH-adjusted, total sugar conversion was still improved by 12–27 % by fractionation with 4.5 times less acid required for pH adjustment. Fermentation of the fractionated sludges showed very high ethanol yields. Acid insoluble clay adsorbs 3–5 mg enzyme per gram of clay depending on enzyme dosage. Acid soluble CaCO₃ adsorbs about half of the enzyme compared to clay. Fractionation efficiency was also evaluated by testing different size mesh screen openings (100 to 500 mesh). The 400-mesh screen presented the best fiber yield, ash removal and ash fractionation ratio for both VK and RD sludges. The ash-rich streams have a lower C/N ratio than the original sludge which improves its suitability as soil amendment.     

Evaluation and Characterization of Forage Sorghum as Feedstock for Fermentable Sugar Production

Sorghum is a tropical grass grown primarily in semiarid and drier parts of the world, especially areas too dry for corn. Sorghum production also leaves about 58 million tons of by-products composed mainly of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. The low lignin content of some forage sorghums such as brown midrib makes them more digestible for ethanol production. Successful use of biomass for biofuel production depends on not only pretreatment methods and efficient processing conditions but also physical and chemical properties of the biomass. In this study, four varieties of forage sorghum (stems and leaves) were characterized and evaluated as feedstock for fermentable sugar production. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction were used to determine changes in structure and chemical composition of forage sorghum before and after pretreatment and the enzymatic hydrolysis process. Forage sorghums with a low syringyl/guaiacyl ratio in their lignin structure were easy to hydrolyze after pretreatment despite the initial lignin content. Enzymatic hydrolysis was also more effective for forage sorghums with a low crystallinity index and easily transformed crystalline cellulose to amorphous cellulose, despite initial cellulose content. Up to 72% hexose yield and 94% pentose yield were obtained using modified steam explosion with 2% sulfuric acid at 140 °C for 30 min and enzymatic hydrolysis with cellulase (15 filter per unit (FPU)/g cellulose) and β-glucosidase (50 cellobiose units (CBU)/g cellulose).     

Insights into Promoting Effect of Sm on Catalytic Performance of the CeO2/Beta Catalyst in Direct Conversion of Bioethanol to Propylene

Aseries of Sm-doped CeO₂/Beta composite catalysts with various Sm/Ce atomic ratios(0.1-0.4) was prepared by an incipient impregnation method, followed by calcination at 650 ^oC. They were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD), N₂ adsorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS), Raman, NH₃-temperature programmed desorption(TPD) and CO₂-TPD. The incorporation of Sm into CeO₂/Beta increases obviously the propylene yield for the selective conversion of ethanol to propylene. The promoting effect of Sm on CeO₂/Beta can be attributed to two reasons. One is more acetone intermediates are generated on the Sm-doped catalysts due to the enhanced formation of oxygen vacancies. The other is the conversion of acetone intermediate to propylene is enhanced owing to weaker and fewer acid sites on the Sm-doped catalysts.     

制备方法对ZnO-ZrO2催化剂上乙醇转化制异丁烯反应的影响

采用恒p H值共沉淀法和非恒p H值共沉淀法制备了Zn O-Zr O2混合氧化物催化剂,考察了制备方法对乙醇转化制异丁烯反应的影响,并用低温N2吸附、X射线衍射、扫描电子显微镜、透射电子显微镜、X射线光电子能谱、拉曼光谱、紫外-可见漫反射光谱、NH3程序升温脱附和CO2程序升温脱附对催化剂进行了表征。研究结果表明,相比于非恒p H值共沉淀法制备的Zn O-Zr O2,恒p H值共沉淀法制备的Zn O-Zr O2具有较高的比表面积,更多的酸量和碱量,从而表现出更好的乙醇转化制异丁烯催化性能。在450℃和乙醇质量空速0.2 h-1的反应条件下,两种催化剂的乙醇转化率均为100%,恒p H值共沉淀法制备的催化剂的异丁烯得率为54.9%,明显高于非恒p H值共沉淀法制备的催化剂(45.7%),并且稳定性也是前者明显高于后者。     

制备方法对ZnO-ZrO2催化剂上乙醇转化制异丁烯反应的影响

采用恒pH值共沉淀法和非恒pH值共沉淀法制备了ZnO-ZrO₂混合氧化物催化剂,考察了制备方法对乙醇转化制异丁烯反应的影响,并用低温N₂吸附、X射线衍射、扫描电子显微镜、透射电子显微镜、X射线光电子能谱、拉曼光谱、紫外-可见漫反射光谱、NH₃程序升温脱附和CO₂程序升温脱附对催化剂进行了表征。研究结果表明,相比于非恒pH值共沉淀法制备的ZnO-ZrO₂,恒pH值共沉淀法制备的ZnO-ZrO₂具有较高的比表面积,更多的酸量和碱量,从而表现出更好的乙醇转化制异丁烯催化性能。在450℃和乙醇质量空速0.2 h^-1的反应条件下,两种催化剂的乙醇转化率均为100%,恒pH值共沉淀法制备的催化剂的异丁烯得率为54.9%,明显高于非恒pH值共沉淀法制备的催化剂（45.7%）,并且稳定性也是前者明显高于后者。     

铑催化合成气转化为乙醇反应中甲酰基中间体的化学捕获

本文采用化学捕获法对铑基催化剂上合成气转化反应中的甲酰基中间体进行了化学捕获,在CO+2D_2反应后,用CH_3I进行的化学捕获反应中生成了CH_3CHO、CH_3CDO两种形式的乙醛;补充的Ar吹扫实验显示DCO的甲基化反应对生成的CH_3CDO有重要贡献。因此,甲酰基的确是合成气反应中的C_1含氧中间体。根据这一结果,初步探讨了合成气反应中CH_x物种的生成途径。     

用于光催化能量转换的Z-型异质结的研究进展

Inspired by the photosynthesis of green plants, various artificial photosynthetic systems have been proposed to solve the energy shortage and environmental problems. Water photosplitting, carbon dioxide photoreduction, and nitrogen photofixation are the main systems that are used to produce solar fuels such as hydrogen, methane, or ammonia. Although conducting artificial photosynthesis using man-made semiconducting materials is an ideal and potential approach to obtain solar energy, constructing an efficient photosynthetic system capable of producing solar fuels at a scale and cost that can compete with fossil fuels remains challenging. Therefore, exploiting the efficient and low-cost photocatalysts is crucial for boosting the three main photocatalytic processes (light-harvesting, surface/interface catalytic reactions, and charge generation and separation) of artificial photosynthetic systems. Among the various photocatalysts developed, the Z-scheme heterojunction composite system can increase the light-harvesting ability and remarkably suppress charge carrier recombination; it can also promote surface/interface catalytic reactions by preserving the strong reductive/oxidative capacity of the photoexcited electrons/holes, and therefore, it has attracted considerable attention. The continuing progress of Z-scheme nanostructured heterojunctions, which convert solar energy into chemical energy through photocatalytic processes, has witnessed the importance of these heterojunctions in further improving the overall efficiency of photocatalytic reaction systems for producing solar fuels. This review summarizes the progress of Z-scheme heterojunctions as photocatalysts and the advantages of using the direct Z-scheme heterojunctions over the traditional type Ⅱ, all-solid-state Z-schemel, and liquid-phase Z-scheme ones. The basic principle and corresponding mechanism of the two-step excitation are illustrated. In particular, applications of various types of Z-scheme nanostructured materials (inorganic, organic, and inorganic-organic hybrid materials) in photocatalytic energy conversion and different controlling/engineering strategies (such as extending the spectral absorption region, promoting charge transfer/separation and surface chemical modification) for enhancing the photocatalytic efficiency in the last five years are highlighted. Additionally, characterization methods (such as sacrificial reagent experiment, metal loading, radical trapping testing, in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, photocatalytic reduction experiments, Kelvin probe force microscopy, surface photovoltage spectroscopy, transient absorption spectroscopy, and theoretical calculation) of the Z-scheme photocatalytic mechanism, and the assessment criteria and methods of the photocatalytic performance are discussed. Finally, the challenges associated with Z-scheme heterojunctions and the possible growing trend are presented. We believe that this review will provide a new understanding of the breakthrough direction of photocatalytic performance and provide guidance for designing and constructing novel Z-scheme photocatalysts.      

2020 Roadmap on Carbon Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion

Carbon is a simple, stable and popular element with many allotropes. The carbon family members include carbon dots, carbon nanotubes, carbon fibers, graphene, graphite, graphdiyne and hard carbon, etc. They can be divided into different dimensions, and their structures can be open and porous. Moreover, it is very interesting to dope them with other elements (metal or non‐metal) or hybridize them with other materials to form composites. The elemental and structural characteristics offer us to explore their applications in energy, environment, bioscience, medicine, electronics and others. Among them, energy storage and conversion are extremely attractive, as advances in this area may improve our life quality and environment. Some energy devices will be included herein, such as lithium‐ion batteries, lithium sulfur batteries, sodium‐ion batteries, potassium‐ion batteries, dual ion batteries, electrochemical capacitors, and others. Additionally, carbon‐based electrocatalysts are also studied in hydrogen evolution reaction and carbon dioxide reduction reaction. However, there are still many challenges in the design and preparation of electrode and electrocatalytic materials. The research related to carbon materials for energy storage and conversion is extremely active, and this has motivated us to contribute with a roadmap on ‘Carbon Materials in Energy Storage and Conversion’.     

Visible-Light Direct Conversion of Ethanol to 1,1-Diethoxyethane and Hydrogen over a Non-Precious Metal Photocatalyst

Converting renewable biomass and their derivatives into chemicals and fuels has received much attention to reduce the dependence on fossil resources. Photocatalytic ethanol dehydrogenation–acetalization to prepare value-added 1,1-diethoxyethane and H₂ was achieved over non-precious metal CdS/Ni-MoS₂ catalyst under visible light. The system displays an excellent production rate and high selectivity of 1,1-diethoxyethane, 52.1 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ and 99.2 %, respectively. In-situ electron spin resonance, photoluminescence spectroscopy and transient photocurrent responses were conducted to investigate the mechanism. This study provides a promising strategy for a green application of bioethanol.     

Wild Olive Oil as a Novel and Sustainable Feedstock for Biodiesel Production: Overviewed Various Feedstock,Methodologies and Reaction Mechanisms of Different Catalysts

Catalysis Surveys from Asia - The over-consumption of petroleum fuel due to the progressive increase in population, transportation, industrialization, modernization as well as improvement in the...