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Heterogeneous Catalysis for Biomass Valorization

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Physical Chemistry and Chemical Physics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 January 2025 | Viewed by 8257

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Departamento de Química Inorgánica, Cristalografía y Mineralogía (Unidad Asociada al ICP-CSIC), Facultad de Ciencias, Campus de Teatinos, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain
Interests: biomass valorization; heterogeneous catalysis; furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural production; biofuels; high added-value compounds derived from biomass; mesoporous materials
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is my pleasure to invite you to submit a contribution to this Special Issue, entitled “Heterogeneous Catalysis for Biomass Valorization” and published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067), an open access journal published online by MDPI. Its most recent impact factor is 6.208 according to the 2021 Journal Citation Reports.

Currently, the valorization of biomass is a key as aspect in developing sustainable alternatives to fossil resources since biomass is a renewable feedstock that can be used for the production of biofuels, chemicals and energy. Homogeneous catalysts are traditionally employed for these processes in the industry; however, the use of solid catalysts plays a key role in order to make these processes more environmentally friendly and competitive. This Special Issue deals with the use of heterogeneous catalysts for the transformation of biomass or biomass-derived products into valuable chemicals, including bio-based products and biofuels, acting as a platform for researchers in this field to exchange information and updates. For this purpose, we cordially invite you to submit original research articles or comprehensive reviews on this topic, which will contribute to the development and implementation of these processes in biorefineries.

Kind regards,

Dr. Cristina García-Sancho
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • biomass
  • heterogeneous catalysts
  • biofuels
  • bioproducts
  • platform molecules

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 2463 KiB  
Article
Hydrogenolysis of Glycerol over NiCeZr Catalyst Modified with Mg, Cu, and Sn at the Surface Level
by Norberto Vera-Hincapie, Unai Iriarte-Velasco, Jose Luis Ayastuy and Miguel Ángel Gutiérrez-Ortiz
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(6), 3484; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25063484 - 20 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1064
Abstract
Biomass valorization is an essential strategy for converting organic resources into valuable energy and chemicals, contributing to the circular economy, and reducing carbon footprints. Glycerol, a byproduct of biodiesel production, can be used as a feedstock for a variety of high-value products and [...] Read more.
Biomass valorization is an essential strategy for converting organic resources into valuable energy and chemicals, contributing to the circular economy, and reducing carbon footprints. Glycerol, a byproduct of biodiesel production, can be used as a feedstock for a variety of high-value products and can contribute to reducing the carbon footprint. This study examines the impact of surface-level modifications of Mg, Cu, and Sn on Ni-Ce-Zr catalysts for the hydrogenolysis of glycerol, with in situ generated hydrogen. The aim of this approach is to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of the biomass valorization process. However, the surface modification resulted in a decrease in the global conversion of glycerol due to the reduced availability of metal sites. The study found that valuable products, such as H2 and CH4 in the gas phase, and 1,2-PG in the liquid phase, were obtained. The majority of the liquid fraction was observed, particularly for Cu- and Sn-doped catalysts, which was attributed to their increased acidity. The primary selectivity was towards the cleavage of the C–O bond. Post-reaction characterizations revealed that the primary causes of deactivation was leaching, which was reduced by the inclusion of Cu and Sn. These findings demonstrate the potential of Cu- and Sn-modified Ni-Ce-Zr catalysts to provide a sustainable pathway for converting glycerol into value-added chemicals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heterogeneous Catalysis for Biomass Valorization)
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21 pages, 6172 KiB  
Article
Nb-Based Catalysts for the Valorization of Furfural into Valuable Product through in One-Pot Reaction
by Rocío Maderuelo-Solera, Benjamín Torres-Olea, Carmen Pilar Jiménez-Gómez, Ramón Moreno-Tost, Cristina García-Sancho, Josefa Mérida-Robles, Juan Antonio Cecilia and Pedro Maireles-Torres
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(5), 2620; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25052620 - 23 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 981
Abstract
Nb-based catalysts supported on porous silica with different textural properties have been synthesized, characterized, and tested in the one-pot reaction of furfural to obtain valuable chemicals. The catalytic results reveal that the presence of fluoride in the synthesis, which limits the growing of [...] Read more.
Nb-based catalysts supported on porous silica with different textural properties have been synthesized, characterized, and tested in the one-pot reaction of furfural to obtain valuable chemicals. The catalytic results reveal that the presence of fluoride in the synthesis, which limits the growing of the porous silica, limits diffusional problems of the porous silica, obtaining higher conversion values at shorter reaction times. On the other hand, the incorporation of NbOx species in the porous silica provides Lewis acid sites and a small proportion of Brönsted acid sites, in such a way that the main products are alkyl furfuryl ethers, which can be used as fuel additives. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heterogeneous Catalysis for Biomass Valorization)
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15 pages, 4511 KiB  
Article
Reductive Fractionation of Flax Shives in Ethanol Medium over RuNi Bimetallic Catalysts
by Angelina V. Miroshnikova, Valentin V. Sychev, Valery E. Tarabanko, Aleksandr S. Kazachenko, Andrey M. Skripnikov, Anna O. Eremina, Yuriy Kosivtsov and Oxana P. Taran
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(14), 11337; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241411337 - 12 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1494
Abstract
The reductive catalytic fractionation of flax shives in the presence of bimetallic NiRu catalysts supported on oxidized carbon materials (CM) such as mesoporous Sibunit and carbon mesostructured by KAIST (CMK-3) was studied. The catalysts based on CMK-3 were characterized by a higher surface [...] Read more.
The reductive catalytic fractionation of flax shives in the presence of bimetallic NiRu catalysts supported on oxidized carbon materials (CM) such as mesoporous Sibunit and carbon mesostructured by KAIST (CMK-3) was studied. The catalysts based on CMK-3 were characterized by a higher surface area (1216 m2/g) compared to the ones based on Sibunit (315 m2/g). The catalyst supported on CMK-3 (10Ni3RuC400) was characterized by a more uniform distribution of Ni particles, in contrast to the Sibunit-based catalyst (10Ni3RuS450), on the surface of which large agglomerated particles (300–400 nm) were presented. The bimetallic catalysts were found to be more selective towards propanol-substituted methoxyphenols compared to monometallic Ru/C and Ni/C catalysts. A high yield of monomers (up to 26 wt%, including 17% 4-propanol guaiacol) was obtained in the presence of a 10Ni3RuC400 catalyst based on CMK-3. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heterogeneous Catalysis for Biomass Valorization)
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16 pages, 6488 KiB  
Article
Co-Immobilization of Lipases with Different Specificities for Efficient and Recyclable Biodiesel Production from Waste Oils: Optimization Using Response Surface Methodology
by Qian Wang, Rongjing Zhang, Maogen Liu, Lin Ma and Weiwei Zhang
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(5), 4726; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24054726 - 1 Mar 2023
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2074
Abstract
Lipase-catalyzed transesterification is a promising and sustainable approach to producing biodiesel. To achieve highly efficient conversion of heterogeneous oils, combining the specificities and advantages of different lipases is an attractive strategy. To this end, highly active Thermomyces lanuginosus lipase (1,3-specific) and stable Burkholderia [...] Read more.
Lipase-catalyzed transesterification is a promising and sustainable approach to producing biodiesel. To achieve highly efficient conversion of heterogeneous oils, combining the specificities and advantages of different lipases is an attractive strategy. To this end, highly active Thermomyces lanuginosus lipase (1,3-specific) and stable Burkholderia cepacia lipase (non-specific) were covalently co-immobilized on 3-glycidyloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (3-GPTMS) modified Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (co-BCL-TLL@Fe3O4). The co-immobilization process was optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). The obtained co-BCL-TLL@Fe3O4 exhibited a significant improvement in activity and reaction rate compared with mono and combined-use lipases, achieving 92.9% yield after 6 h under optimal conditions, while individually immobilized TLL, immobilized BCL and their combinations exhibited yields of 63.3%, 74.2% and 70.6%, respectively. Notably, co-BCL-TLL@Fe3O4 achieved 90–98% biodiesel yields after 12 h using six different feedstocks, demonstrating the perfect synergistic effect of BCL and TLL remarkably motivated in co-immobilization. Furthermore, co-BCL-TLL@Fe3O4 could maintain 77% of initial activity after nine cycles by removing methanol and glycerol from catalyst surface, accomplished by washing with t-butanol. The high catalytic efficiency, wide substrate adaptability and favorable reusability of co-BCL-TLL@Fe3O4 suggest that it will be an economical and effective biocatalyst for further applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heterogeneous Catalysis for Biomass Valorization)
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11 pages, 3801 KiB  
Article
Influence of the Method of Fe Deposition on the Surface of Hydrolytic Lignin on the Activity in the Process of Its Conversion in the Presence of CO2
by Artem A. Medvedev, Alexander L. Kustov, Daria A. Beldova, Konstantin B. Kalmykov, Mikhail Yu. Mashkin, Anastasia A. Shesterkina, Sergey F. Dunaev and Leonid M. Kustov
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(2), 1279; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24021279 - 9 Jan 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1905
Abstract
Hydrolytic lignin is one of the non-demanded carbon materials. Its CO2-assisted conversion is an important way to utilize it. The use of the catalysts prepared by metal deposition on the surface of hydrolytic lignin makes it possible to apply milder conditions [...] Read more.
Hydrolytic lignin is one of the non-demanded carbon materials. Its CO2-assisted conversion is an important way to utilize it. The use of the catalysts prepared by metal deposition on the surface of hydrolytic lignin makes it possible to apply milder conditions of the conversion process with CO2 and to improve the economic indicators. The development of methods of deposition of the active phase is a problem of high importance for any heterogeneous catalytic processes. This work aimed at investigating the influence of the conditions of iron deposition on the surface of hydrolytic lignin on the process of CO2-assisted conversion of lignin. Different Fe precursors (Fe(NO3)3, FeSO4, Fe2(SO4)3), solvents (water, isopropanol, acetone, and ethanol), and concentrations of the solution were used; the properties of Fe/lignin composites were estimated by SEM, EDX, TEM, XRD methods and catalytic tests. All the prepared samples demonstrate a higher conversion compared to starting lignin itself in the carbon dioxide-assisted conversion process. The carbon dioxide conversion was up to 66% at 800 °C for the sample prepared from Fe(NO3)3 using a twofold water volume compared to incipient wetness water volume as a solvent (vs. 39% for pure lignin). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heterogeneous Catalysis for Biomass Valorization)
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