The fractionation of the structural components of lignocellulosic biomass (cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin) and the separate utilization of the resulting fractions for specific purposes, according to the philosophy of biorefineries, enables the development of sustainable processes for biomass utilization. In this work, Pinus pinaster wood was subjected to aqueous processing to remove water-soluble extractives and hemicelluloses, and the resulting solid was subjected to pulping with HCl-catalyzed acetic acid solutions (Acetosolv method). The pulp was employed as a substrate for levulinic acid manufacture by reaction in acidic media under microwave irradiation. The effects of the major operational variables (temperature, reaction time, and acid concentration) on the levulinic acid yield were established by statistical modeling of experimental data. Operating under the best reaction conditions (at 191.2°C for 18.9 min in aqueous media containing 1.10% HCl), the levulinic acid yield accounted for 56.4% of the stoichiometric value
Few‐layer graphene, carbon nanotubes, and N‐doped carbon nanotubes have been used to support Ru and/or Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The materials were prepared by a new single‐step sustainable method that involves: 1) a simple procedure, 2) the use of propanol as a solvent, 3) short reaction times, 4) an efficient and energy‐saving heat source, and 5) the absence of any high‐boiling‐point stabilizing agent or organic surfactant. The supported nanoparticles were characterized by TEM, XRD, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy, and SQUID magnetometer analyses and employed in the selective hydrogenation of p‐chloronitrobenzene to p‐chloroaniline with very promising results. The hydrogenation runs evidence the marked influence of the diverse carbon nanostructures on the reaction rate, and highlights the promising activity of nanocatalysts supported on few‐layer graphene.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.