Catalytic Valorization of Biomass

A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomass Catalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 4308

Special Issue Editors

1. Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Napoli, Italy
2. Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials, National Council of Research, Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy
Interests: heterogenous catalysis; oxidation reaction; biomass transformation; green chemistry

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Guest Editor
NICL—Department of Chemical Science, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy
Interests: heterogenous catalysis; biomass transformation; green chemistry kinetics; mass transfer and industrial reactors
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Circular economy and sustainability are receiving increased attention, especially in industrial production. An example of sustainable economy is the recovery of residual biomasses generated by agricultural or industrial activity, following the concept “from-cradle-to-cradle”, with the aim of obtaining value-added chemicals also through catalytic processes.

In this Special Issue, we invite you to submit original research papers on potential topics including (but not limited to): (i) characterization of biomass for the production of value-added chemicals; (ii) biomass conversion to biofuels, fine chemicals, and chemical platforms; (iii) catalysis and catalysts; (iv) development of processes and plants; and (v) modelling and feasibility studies for biomass conversion.

Please contact Ms. Cathy Yang, Assistant Editor of the Special Issue, for submissions.

Dr. Rosa Turco
Prof. Dr. Riccardo Tesser
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • heterogeneous catalysts
  • circular economy
  • biorefinery
  • biomass valorization

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 2656 KiB  
Article
Heterologous Expression of Inulinase Gene in Bacillus licheniformis 24 for 2,3-Butanediol Production from Inulin
by Lidia Tsigoriyna, Alexander Arsov, Penka Petrova, Emanoel Gergov and Kaloyan Petrov
Catalysts 2023, 13(5), 841; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal13050841 - 5 May 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1725
Abstract
Inulin is a renewable and cheap carbon source used in microbial fermentations. Bacillus licheniformis 24 is known as an excellent 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BD) producer from fructose; therefore, the cloning and expression of a robust heterologous inulinase could enhance its 2,3-BD production from inulin. The [...] Read more.
Inulin is a renewable and cheap carbon source used in microbial fermentations. Bacillus licheniformis 24 is known as an excellent 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BD) producer from fructose; therefore, the cloning and expression of a robust heterologous inulinase could enhance its 2,3-BD production from inulin. The inu gene of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei DSM 23505 encoding fructan-β-fructosidase (EC 3.2.1.80) was chosen for the purpose. PCR fragments containing the complete inu (3.6 kb) and its truncated variant inu-tr (2.2 kb, lacking Big3 cell wall attachment domains) were cloned into Escherichia coli StellarTM and B. licheniformis 24. The high quality of the recombinant constructs was confirmed by restriction analysis, PCR, sequencing, and phenotypic tests. The results showed that the inulinase activity of B. licheniformis cells harboring the full-length inu variant (T26) was eightfold higher compared to the wild type, retaining cell wall attachment in the B. licheniformis host. In contrast, the truncated variant inu-tr (T14) showed mostly extracellular but weak activity, thus suggesting that the Big3 domains are also important for the enzyme’s function. During flask-batch fermentation of 100 g/L raw chicory flour (containing 90% inulin), T26 produced acetoin and 2,3-BD from inulin. Contrariwise, T14 and the wild type formed products only from the mono- and disaccharides naturally found in the chicory flour. In the fermenter, from 200 g/L of raw chicory flour, the recombinant T26 degraded approximately 140 g/L of the inulin. However, the final concentrations of the produced 2,3-BD and acetoin were 18.5 g/L and 8.2 g/L, respectively, because of the accumulation of unconverted sucrose. To conclude, further strain improvement is necessary to make the process efficient for obtaining 2,3-BD from inulin by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalytic Valorization of Biomass)
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14 pages, 2624 KiB  
Article
Biodiesel Production from Waste Oil Catalysed by Metal-Organic Framework (MOF-5): Insights on Activity and Mechanism
by Francesco Taddeo, Rosa Vitiello, Vincenzo Russo, Riccardo Tesser, Rosa Turco and Martino Di Serio
Catalysts 2023, 13(3), 503; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal13030503 - 28 Feb 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2217
Abstract
The activity of MOF-5-based solids has been exploited in the simultaneous transesterification and esterification of acid vegetable oils. For this purpose, three different types of MOF-5 have been synthesized and characterized, and then tested in the above-mentioned reactions. It has been demonstrated that [...] Read more.
The activity of MOF-5-based solids has been exploited in the simultaneous transesterification and esterification of acid vegetable oils. For this purpose, three different types of MOF-5 have been synthesized and characterized, and then tested in the above-mentioned reactions. It has been demonstrated that the “regular MOF-5” was a suitable catalyst for biodiesel synthesis from waste oil also, rich in FFA (Free Fatty Acids). Moreover, to identify the true structure that acts in the reactions and possible structural modifications due to the presence of alcohols, proper studies have been performed. The results have evidenced a distortion of the regular structure of MOF-5 due to the breakage of some zinc bonds between the cluster and organic framework. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalytic Valorization of Biomass)
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