Lignin directly derived from lignocellulosic biomass has been named a promising source of platform chemicals for the production of bio-based polymers. This review discusses potentially relevant routes to produce renewable aromatic aldehydes (e.g., syringaldehyde and vanillin) from lignin feedstocks (pre-isolated lignin or lignocellulose) that are used to synthesize a range of bio-based polymers. To do this, the processes to make aromatic aldehydes from lignin with their highest available yields are first presented. After that, the routes from such aldehydes to different polymers are explored. Challenges and perspectives of the production the lignin-derived renewable chemicals and polymers are also highlighted.

A strategy for marine waste upcycling and CO2 utilization by the recovery of high-value monomer from fishing net waste using seashell waste-derived catalysts in the presence of CO2.

Mixed phases of Fe3O4 and Fe5C2, interacting properly with SiO2, produce highly selective olefins from syngas.

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Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS), which converts CO and H2 into useful hydrocarbon products, has attracted considerable attention as an efficient method to replace crude oil resources. Fe-based catalysts are mainly used in industrial FTS, and Fe7C3 is a common carbide phase in the FTS reaction. However, the intrinsic catalytic properties of Fe7C3 are theoretically unknown. Therefore, as a first attempt to understand the FTS reaction on Fe7C3, direct CO* dissociation on orthorhombic Fe7C3(001) (o-Fe7C3(001)) surfaces was studied using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The surface energies of 14 terminations of o-Fe7C3(001) were first compared, and the results showed that (001)0.20 was the most thermodynamically stable termination. Furthermore, to understand the effect of the surface C atom coverage on CO* activation, C–O bond dissociation was performed on the o-Fe7C3(001)0.85, (001)0.13, (001)0.20, (001)0.09, and (001)0.99 surfaces, where the surface C atom coverages were 0.00, 0.17, 0.33, 0.33, and 0.60, respectively. The results showed that the CO* activation linearly decreased as the surface C atom coverage increased. Therefore, it can be concluded that the thermodynamic and kinetic selectivity toward direct CO* dissociation increased when the o-Fe7C3(001) surface had more C* vacancies.

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Tremendous amounts of plastic waste are generated daily. The indiscriminate disposal of plastic waste can cause serious global environmental issues, such as leakages of microplastics into the ecosystem. Thus, it is necessary to find a more sustainable way to reduce the volume of plastic waste by converting it into usable materials. Pyrolysis provides a sustainable solution for the production of carbonaceous materials (e.g., char). Plastic-waste-derived char can be used as an additive in epoxy composites to improve the properties and performance of neat epoxy resins. This review compiles relevant knowledge on the potential of additives for epoxy composites originating from plastic waste. It also highlights the potential of plastic-waste-derived char materials for use in materials in various industries.

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