Advances in mechanochemical processes for biomass valorization

Abstract

Compared to standard time and solvent consuming procedures, mechanically-assisted processes offer numerous environmentally-friendly advantages for nano-catalytically active materials design. Mechanochemistry displays high reproducibility, simplicity, cleanliness and versatility, avoiding, in most cases, the use of any solvent. Moreover, mechanically-assisted procedures are normally faster and cheaper as compared to conventional processes. Due to these outstanding characteristics, mechanochemistry has evolved as an exceptional technique for the synthesis of novel and advanced catalysts designed for a large range of applications. The literature reports numerous works showing that mechanosynthetic procedures offer more promising paths than traditional solvent-based techniques. This review aims to disclose the latest advances in the mechanochemical assisted synthesis of catalytically active materials, focusing on nanocatalysts designed for biomass conversion and on bio-based catalysts.

Sustainability Assessment of Mechanochemistry by Using the Twelve Principles of Green Chemistry

“…[156] In other cases, mechanochemistry has facilitated the synthesis of bio-based catalysts for biomass conversion, [157] or the access to advanced nanomaterials from biomass. [158] For instance, ball milling of a mixture of lignin, urea (27) and potassium carbonate followed by carbonization of the milled mixture gave nitrogen-doped nanoporous carbons, which showed excellent performance as supercapacitor electrodes (Scheme 8c). [159] Other sources of biomass such as eggshell waste have also being valorized through the use of mechanochemical techniques.…”

Sorption of Methylene Blue for Studying the Specific Surface Properties of Biomass Carbohydrates

“…Thus, during heterogeneous enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose, the initial rate of the reaction (the interaction between enzymes on a solid substrate surface) directly depends on the number of accessible sites (the accessible surface area). In this connection, most classical studies on biorefinery place a special focus on pretreatment of plant biomass, which is somehow related to particle size reduction [6,7]. In turn, this changes the surface area of the interface between the solid substrate and liquid reagents [8][9][10].…”

Zeolite/ZnO composites based on a Cuban natural clinoptilolite and preliminary evaluation in methylene blue adsorption

“…In this paper, mechanosynthesis and 'in situ' methods are used for obtaining composites based on Zn 2+ exchanged natural clinoptilolite and ZnO nanoparticles. Mechanosynthesis is a mechanical-assisted process where chemical changes are achieved by the action of grinding (or milling), without the addition of solvents, therefore is environmental friendly [27]. In our case, the mechanosyntesis was carried out by grinding together the zeolite with previously synthesized ZnO nanoparticles.…”