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Advances in Biofuels and Green Catalysts
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Advances in Biofuels and Green Catalysts

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: closed (20 May 2024) | Viewed by 3254

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Abderrahim Bouaid

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Engineering, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Interests: green catalysis
Prof. Dr. Boulahya Khalid

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Química Inorgánica, Facultad de Químicas, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: material characterization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years numerous proposals have been put forward to combat climate change, but one that keeps coming back is the Green New Deal, a movement that seeks to save the planet for new generations through sustainable growth.

The "Green Pact" is one of the EU's most ambitious commitments to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent. Among its fundamental principles is the emphasis on ensuring a secure and affordable energy supply based on renewable sources. In this context, biofuels emerge as potential candidates to replace petroleum based fuels and play an important role in achieving the very demanding renewable energy targets. The green catalysis is at the heart of this process, promoting the adequacy of renewable energy production in line with the Green Deal principles. Advanced biofuels, derived from renewable sources, are heavily favoured but require further research and development to reach their full commercial potential.

Furthermore, observing and understanding the phenomena associated with reaction mechanisms and catalyst deactivation in molecular catalysis is a very difficult task in green chemistry.

Consequently, the development and study of new green catalysts including mechanisms at the molecular level for biofuel production continues to be an important issue in bioenergy research.

This Special Issue seeks high-quality research work and critical reviews on the latest advances in fundamental research in biofuels production and all types of green catalysis.

Prof. Dr. Abderrahim Bouaid
Prof. Dr. Boulahya Khalid
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biofuels
  • green catalysts
  • enzymatic catalysis
  • renewable energy
  • catalytic mecanism
  • green chemistry
  • integrated biorefinery

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

9 pages, 1401 KiB  
Article
Investigation of Enzyme Immobilization and Clogging Mechanisms in the Enzymatic Synthesis of Amoxicillin
by Chenyan Fan, Jiale Li, Ruimeng Dong, Yiling Xu and Liqiang Liu
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(16), 8557; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25168557 - 6 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1019
Abstract
This study investigated the blocking mechanism of immobilized penicillin G acylase (PGA) during the enzymatic synthesis of amoxicillin. Laboratory observations revealed that the primary cause of clogging was the crystallization of the substrate and product on the enzyme surface. Adjusting key parameters can [...] Read more.
This study investigated the blocking mechanism of immobilized penicillin G acylase (PGA) during the enzymatic synthesis of amoxicillin. Laboratory observations revealed that the primary cause of clogging was the crystallization of the substrate and product on the enzyme surface. Adjusting key parameters can significantly reduce clogging and improve catalytic efficiency. Methanol can decrease enzyme activity, but isopropyl alcohol cleaners can effectively remove clogs and protect enzyme activity. These findings provide an experimental foundation for optimizing the PGA immobilization process, which is crucial for achieving high efficiency and sustainability in industrial production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Biofuels and Green Catalysts)
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29 pages, 5191 KiB  
Article
K2CO3-Modified Smectites as Basic Catalysts for Glycerol Transcarbonation to Glycerol Carbonate
by Yosra Snoussi, David Gonzalez-Miranda, Tomás Pedregal, Néji Besbes, Abderrahim Bouaid and Miguel Ladero
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(4), 2442; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25042442 - 19 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1539
Abstract
A novel and cost-effective heterogeneous catalyst for glycerol carbonate production through transesterification was developed by impregnating smectite clay with K2CO3. Comprehensive structural and chemical analyses, including X-ray diffraction Analysis (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)-Electron Dispersion Spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier Transform [...] Read more.
A novel and cost-effective heterogeneous catalyst for glycerol carbonate production through transesterification was developed by impregnating smectite clay with K2CO3. Comprehensive structural and chemical analyses, including X-ray diffraction Analysis (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)-Electron Dispersion Spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis measurements, were employed to characterize the catalysts. Among the various catalysts prepared, the one impregnated with 40 wt% K2CO3 on smectite and calcined at 550 °C exhibited the highest catalytic activity, primarily due to its superior basicity. To enhance the efficiency of the transesterification process, several reaction parameters were optimized, including the molar ratio between propylene carbonate and glycerol reactor loading of the catalyst and reaction temperature. The highest glycerol carbonate conversion rate, approximately 77.13% ± 1.2%, was achieved using the best catalyst under the following optimal conditions: 2 wt% reactor loading, 110 °C reaction temperature, 2:1 propylene carbonate to glycerol molar ratio, and 6h reaction duration. Furthermore, both the raw clay and the best calcined K2CO3-impregnated catalysts demonstrated remarkable stability, maintaining their high activity for up to four consecutive reaction cycles. Finally, a kinetic analysis was performed using kinetic data from several runs employing raw clay and the most active K2CO3-modified clay at different temperatures, observing that a simple reversible second-order potential kinetic model of the quasi-homogeneous type fits perfectly to such data in diverse temperature ranges. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Biofuels and Green Catalysts)
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