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Biomass to sugars without the enzymes
F O C U S
O N
C ATA LY S T S
Zeolites made more resistant to clogging with coke
combined with biomass then heated and stirred to dissolve lignin.
metals. The second describes the ammoximation process using them.
Scientists from ETH Zurich are currently working to develop zeolite catalysts that are more resistant to coke, or the hydrogen deposits that clog the pores or block the active sites of the catalyst. The researchers were able to identify the relation of this resistance to the internal structure of a new class of zeolites that incorporate differently sized pores. It is not only dependent on the high number of pores. Rather, it relies on good connections of these channels from within the zeolite catalyst to various openings outside. This way, chemical compounds will still be able to penetrate the catalysts even if some pores are blocked.
Original Source: Green Chemistry Network Newsletter, May 2014, (46), 15 (Website: http://www.greenchemistrynetwork.org) © Green Chemistry Network 2014
US 8,779,124 and 8,779,125, University of Southampton, UK, 15 Jul 2014
Production of diethyl benzene Rice University workers use Pd-Au nanoparticles for water cleanup Rice University chemical engineer Michael Wong has spent a decade amassing evidence that palladiumgold nanoparticles are excellent catalysts for cleaning polluted water, but even he was surprised at how well the particles converted biodiesel waste into valuable chemicals. Original Source: Nanotechnology Now, 26 Jun 2014, (Website: http://www.nanotech-now.com/) © 7thWave Inc 2014
Original Source: Chemical Weekly, 17 Jun 2014, 183 (Website: http://www.chemicalweekly.com) © Sevak Publications & Chemical Weekly Database P Ltd 2014
PATENTS Biomass to sugars without the enzymes Researchers from the University of Wisconsin have developed a new way to produce sugar from biomass. The technique involves saccharification by mixing a minute amount of dilute acid with biomass-derived valerolactone and water. It is cheaper than the conventional approach since it uses lesser amount of acid or ionic liquid and does not involve enzymes. It yields highly-concentrated sugars that can be used in producing other chemicals such as bioethanol. Original Source: Green Chemistry Network Newsletter, May 2014, (46), 5 (Website: http://www.greenchemistrynetwork.org) © Green Chemistry Network 2014
Green chemistry in the news: new, simple technique may drive down biofuel production costs Researchers from North Carolina University have created a simple and cost-efficient way to eliminate lignin from the plant material. Lignin is needed to be removed from the biomass to obtain cellulose, a compound used to make biofuels. The new technique involves protic ionic liquids (PILs), an inexpensive type of liquid salts produced by mixing an acid with a base. One PIL is AUGUST 2014
Zeolite membrane The zeolite is formed on the walls of a pre-formed ceramic honeycomb. A suspension of zeolite seeds is first applied to the honeycomb and then the structure-directing agent which is subsequently removed by oxidation. Then the sol containing the aluminium and silicon is applied, and the zeolite made hydrothermally. The membrane is intended for use in separating gases, but it could also be used in a catalytic membrane reactor (ed). US 8,778,056, NGK Insulators Ltd, Nagoya, Japan, 15 Jul 2014
Hydrocracking catalysts made from aggregates of small crystallites of zeolite Y The first patent describes the manufacture of the crystallites. The second describes their aggregation into functional catalyst particles. The catalysts are useful for making diesel fuels from hydrocarbon fractions. US 8,778,171 and 8,778,824, ExxonMobil Research & Engineering Co, Annandale, NJ, USA, 15 Jul 2014
Ammoxidation catalyst containing two different redox sites The first patent describes the manufacture of the AlPO4 catalysts containing two different catalytic
The starting materials are ethyl benzene and ethanol. The catalyst is zeolite ZSM-5 conditioned by precoking with these compounds. US 8,779,227, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Dharan, Saudi Arabia, 15 Jul 2014
CO2 Solutions announces grant of US patent CO2 Solutions Inc, an innovator in the field of enzyme-enabled carbon capture technology, announced on 5 Jun 2014 that it has received a Notice of Allowance from the US Patent and Trademark Office for its patent application No 13/264,294 entitled Process for CO2 Capture Using Micro-Particles Comprising Biocatalysts. Upon issuance, the patent will provide CO2 Solutions with broad coverage for the use of biocatalysts, including carbonic anhydrase enzymes, for carbon capture in a packed reactor from any gas stream with any solvent where the enzymes are attached to the surface of micro-particles or entrapped in porous micro-particles. Original Source: CO2 Solutions Inc, 2014. Found on PR Newswire, 5 Jun 2014, (Website: http://www.prnewswire.com)
Analysis of vapour-phase rearrangement technique for caprolactam manufacture from viewpoint of patent application in China Researchers from China Pingmei Shenma Group’s Shenma Industrial Co Ltd have assessed the performance of vapour-phase Beckmann rearrangement techniques involved in China patents for the production of caprolactam. Among the techniques covered in the study are the vapour-phase rearrangement reaction system, the preparation and regeneration of the catalyst for the vapour-phase rearrangement, and the design of the cyclohexanone oxime gasification system. Analysis of these techniques can be used as a reference in solving problems related
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O N
C ATA LY S T S
Zeolites made more resistant to clogging with coke
combined with biomass then heated and stirred to dissolve lignin.
metals. The second describes the ammoximation process using them.
Scientists from ETH Zurich are currently working to develop zeolite catalysts that are more resistant to coke, or the hydrogen deposits that clog the pores or block the active sites of the catalyst. The researchers were able to identify the relation of this resistance to the internal structure of a new class of zeolites that incorporate differently sized pores. It is not only dependent on the high number of pores. Rather, it relies on good connections of these channels from within the zeolite catalyst to various openings outside. This way, chemical compounds will still be able to penetrate the catalysts even if some pores are blocked.
Original Source: Green Chemistry Network Newsletter, May 2014, (46), 15 (Website: http://www.greenchemistrynetwork.org) © Green Chemistry Network 2014
US 8,779,124 and 8,779,125, University of Southampton, UK, 15 Jul 2014
Production of diethyl benzene Rice University workers use Pd-Au nanoparticles for water cleanup Rice University chemical engineer Michael Wong has spent a decade amassing evidence that palladiumgold nanoparticles are excellent catalysts for cleaning polluted water, but even he was surprised at how well the particles converted biodiesel waste into valuable chemicals. Original Source: Nanotechnology Now, 26 Jun 2014, (Website: http://www.nanotech-now.com/) © 7thWave Inc 2014
Original Source: Chemical Weekly, 17 Jun 2014, 183 (Website: http://www.chemicalweekly.com) © Sevak Publications & Chemical Weekly Database P Ltd 2014
PATENTS Biomass to sugars without the enzymes Researchers from the University of Wisconsin have developed a new way to produce sugar from biomass. The technique involves saccharification by mixing a minute amount of dilute acid with biomass-derived valerolactone and water. It is cheaper than the conventional approach since it uses lesser amount of acid or ionic liquid and does not involve enzymes. It yields highly-concentrated sugars that can be used in producing other chemicals such as bioethanol. Original Source: Green Chemistry Network Newsletter, May 2014, (46), 5 (Website: http://www.greenchemistrynetwork.org) © Green Chemistry Network 2014
Green chemistry in the news: new, simple technique may drive down biofuel production costs Researchers from North Carolina University have created a simple and cost-efficient way to eliminate lignin from the plant material. Lignin is needed to be removed from the biomass to obtain cellulose, a compound used to make biofuels. The new technique involves protic ionic liquids (PILs), an inexpensive type of liquid salts produced by mixing an acid with a base. One PIL is AUGUST 2014
Zeolite membrane The zeolite is formed on the walls of a pre-formed ceramic honeycomb. A suspension of zeolite seeds is first applied to the honeycomb and then the structure-directing agent which is subsequently removed by oxidation. Then the sol containing the aluminium and silicon is applied, and the zeolite made hydrothermally. The membrane is intended for use in separating gases, but it could also be used in a catalytic membrane reactor (ed). US 8,778,056, NGK Insulators Ltd, Nagoya, Japan, 15 Jul 2014
Hydrocracking catalysts made from aggregates of small crystallites of zeolite Y The first patent describes the manufacture of the crystallites. The second describes their aggregation into functional catalyst particles. The catalysts are useful for making diesel fuels from hydrocarbon fractions. US 8,778,171 and 8,778,824, ExxonMobil Research & Engineering Co, Annandale, NJ, USA, 15 Jul 2014
Ammoxidation catalyst containing two different redox sites The first patent describes the manufacture of the AlPO4 catalysts containing two different catalytic
The starting materials are ethyl benzene and ethanol. The catalyst is zeolite ZSM-5 conditioned by precoking with these compounds. US 8,779,227, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Dharan, Saudi Arabia, 15 Jul 2014
CO2 Solutions announces grant of US patent CO2 Solutions Inc, an innovator in the field of enzyme-enabled carbon capture technology, announced on 5 Jun 2014 that it has received a Notice of Allowance from the US Patent and Trademark Office for its patent application No 13/264,294 entitled Process for CO2 Capture Using Micro-Particles Comprising Biocatalysts. Upon issuance, the patent will provide CO2 Solutions with broad coverage for the use of biocatalysts, including carbonic anhydrase enzymes, for carbon capture in a packed reactor from any gas stream with any solvent where the enzymes are attached to the surface of micro-particles or entrapped in porous micro-particles. Original Source: CO2 Solutions Inc, 2014. Found on PR Newswire, 5 Jun 2014, (Website: http://www.prnewswire.com)
Analysis of vapour-phase rearrangement technique for caprolactam manufacture from viewpoint of patent application in China Researchers from China Pingmei Shenma Group’s Shenma Industrial Co Ltd have assessed the performance of vapour-phase Beckmann rearrangement techniques involved in China patents for the production of caprolactam. Among the techniques covered in the study are the vapour-phase rearrangement reaction system, the preparation and regeneration of the catalyst for the vapour-phase rearrangement, and the design of the cyclohexanone oxime gasification system. Analysis of these techniques can be used as a reference in solving problems related
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