New Syntheses with Oils and Fats as Renewable Raw Materials for the Chemical Industry

Enzymatic Synthesis of Biobased Polyesters and Polyamides

Nowadays, "green" is a hot topic almost everywhere, from retailers to universities to industries; and achieving a green status has become a universal aim. However, polymers are commonly considered not to be "green", being associated with massive energy consumption and severe pollution problems (for example, the "Plastic Soup") as a public stereotype. To achieve green polymers, three elements should be entailed: (1) green raw materials, catalysts and solvents; (2) eco-friendly synthesis processes; and (3) sustainable polymers with a low carbon footprint, for example, (bio)degradable polymers or polymers which can be recycled or disposed with a gentle environmental impact. By utilizing biobased monomers in enzymatic polymerizations, many advantageous green aspects can be fulfilled. For example, biobased monomers and enzyme catalysts are renewable materials that are derived from biomass feedstocks; enzymatic polymerizations are clean and energy saving processes; and no toxic residuals contaminate the final products. Therefore, synthesis of renewable polymers via enzymatic polymerizations of biobased monomers provides an opportunity for achieving green polymers and a future sustainable polymer industry, which will eventually play an essential role for realizing and maintaining a biobased and sustainable society.

Differences in the Abilities to Mechanically Eliminate Activation Energies for Unimolecular and Bimolecular Reactions

Mechanochemistry, i.e. the application of forces, F, at the molecular level, has attracted significant interest as a means of controlling chemical reactions. The present study uses quantum chemical calculations to explore the abilities to mechanically eliminate activation energies, ΔE^‡, for unimolecular and bimolecular reactions. The results demonstrate that ΔE^‡ can be eliminated for unimolecular reactions by applying sufficiently large F along directions that move the reactant and/or transition state (TS) structures parallel to the zero-F reaction coordinate, S₀. In contrast, eliminating ΔE^‡ for bimolecular reactions requires the reactant to undergo a force-induced shift parallel to S₀ irrespective of changes in the TS. Meeting this requirement depends upon the coupling between F and S₀ in the reactant. The insights regarding the differences in eliminating ΔE^‡ for unimolecular and bimolecular reactions, and the requirements for eliminating ΔE^‡, may be useful in practical efforts to control reactions mechanochemically.

Synthesis of Mesoporous Tungsten Oxide/γ-Alumina and Surfactant-Capped Tungsten Oxide Nanoparticles and Their Catalytic Activities in Oxidative Cleavage of Oleic Acid

Unsaturated fatty acids can be converted into mono and dicarboxylic acids, which are applicably valuable materials, through oxidative cleavage reaction in the presence of a highly efficient catalyst/oxidant system. In this work, two types of advanced heterogeneous catalysts have been developed; (i) high surface area mesoporous tungsten oxide/γ-alumina mixed metal oxide, and (ii) surfactant-capped tungsten oxide nanoparticles. Various technique including N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms, XRD, SEM, EDS, TGA and catalytic test were used to monitor the physicochemical and catalytic properties of these materials. The characterization results revealed that type (i) materials exhibit high surface area and narrow particle size distribution, and the used surfactant could quantitatively enough cap the surface of type (ii) materials. The catalytic activities of these materials in the oxidative cleavage of oleic acid with H2O2 as oxidant were investigated. GC-MS was used to determine the produced amounts of desired products, azelaic and pelargonic acids. The catalytic test results showed more than 90 % conversion for type (ii) catalyst in 5 h reaction at 120 °C with acceptable production yields for azelaic and pelargonic acids. The significantly higher activity of this catalyst compared to type (i) arises from the interesting surface properties of tungsten oxides nanoparticles, which make them able to exploit the good features of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts.

Chemically catalyzed oxidative cleavage of unsaturated fatty acids and their derivatives into valuable products for industrial applications: a review and perspective

Recent catalytic systems reported for the oxidative cleavage of UFAs have been investigated in three classes; homogeneous, heterogeneous, and semi-heterogeneous catalysts.

An efficient epoxidation of terminal aliphatic alkenes over heterogeneous catalysts: when solvent matters

With a peculiar combination of catalyst/oxidant/solvent, it is possible to obtain good yields and excellent selectivities in the epoxidation of 1-octene.

Aminolysis of triglycerides using nanocrystalline nickel doped CaO as an efficient solid catalyst

A Ni/CaO catalyst is able to catalyze (A) aminolysis as well as (B) transesterification reactions.

Technological Aspects of Chemoenzymatic Epoxidation of Fatty Acids, Fatty Acid Esters and Vegetable Oils: A Review

The general subject of the review is analysis of the effect of technological parameters on the chemoenzymatic epoxidation processes of vegetable oils, fatty acids and alkyl esters of fatty acids. The technological parameters considered include temperature, concentration, amount of hydrogen peroxide relative to the number of unsaturated bonds, the amounts of enzyme catalysts, presence of solvent and amount of free fatty acids. Also chemical reactions accompanying the technological processes are discussed together with different technological options and significance of the products obtained.

Porous polymer scaffold for on-site delivery of stem cells--Protects from oxidative stress and potentiates wound tissue repair

Wound healing by cell transplantation techniques often suffer setbacks due to oxidative stress encountered at injury sites. A porous polyethyleneglycol-polyurethane (PEG-PU) scaffold that facilitates cell delivery and boosts tissue repair was developed through semi-interpenetrating polymer network approach. The key physico-chemical properties assessed confirms these polymeric matrices are highly thermostable, barostable, degrade at an acidic pH (5.8), biodegradable, cytocompatible and possess excellent porosity. Mechanism of cellular penetration into porous polymer networks was evident by a ≥6 - fold increase in gene expression of MMP-13 and MMP-2 via activation of Akt and Erk. H2O2-induced apoptosis of mouse bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) was abrogated in presence of polymer networks indicating a protective effect from oxidative stress. Transplantation of BMSC + PEG-PU at murine excisional splint wound site depicted significant increase in fibroblast proliferation, collagen deposition, anti-oxidant enzyme activities of catalase, SOD and GPx. Furthermore it significantly decreased expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-8, etc) with a concomitant increase in anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10, IL-13) at an early healing period of day 7. Finally, immunostaining revealed an enhanced engraftment and vascularity indicating an accelerated wound tissue closure. This pre-clinical study demonstrates the proof-of-concept and further necessitates their clinical evaluation as potential cell delivery vehicle scaffolds.

Xylochemistry--Making Natural Products Entirely from Wood

The first total synthesis of the dimeric berberine alkaloid ilicifoline (ilicifoline B) is reported. Its carbon skeleton is constructed from ferulic acid, veratrole, and methanol. The synthesis reported herein employs starting materials solely derived from wood. The natural product is thus constructed entirely from renewable resources. The same strategy is applied to a formal total synthesis of morphinan alkaloids. The use of wood-derived building blocks (xylochemicals) instead of the conventional petrochemicals represents a sustainable alternative to classical synthetic approaches.

Thiazolylidene-catalyzed cleavage of methyl oleate-derived α-hydroxy ketone to the corresponding free aldehydes

The thiazolylidene-catalyzed cleavage of the α-hydroxy ketone derived from methyl oleate gave the corresponding aldehydes under nonoxidative conditions through a retro-benzoin process. The aldehydes produced are in equilibrium with their corresponding acyloins. To illustrate the synthetic utility of this protocol, the aldehydes were recovered by distillation.

Synthesis of cashew Mannich polyol via a three step continuous route and development of PU rigid foams with mechanical, thermal and fire studies

Renewable, biodegradable, agricultural resources are gaining increasing attention of many researchers because of growing environmental awareness and their potential to replace petrochemical derivatives. Cardanol obtained from cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) is a renewable resource of immense potential. Cardanol, obtained as a byproduct of the cashew processing industry, is an important renewable resource and a unique phenolic compound carrying a 15-carbon side chain in the meta position, with varying degrees of unsaturation. The current research work describes the synthesis of new bio-based cashew Mannich polyols via the stepwise oxazolidine route and confirmed by spectral analysis. The foaming characteristics were studied and the polyols were successfully used in making rigid polyurethane (PU) foams with good mechanical, thermal and fire properties. The foams were characterized for density, flexural strength, morphology and limiting oxygen index (LOI) properties.

Alkyl-imidazolium glycosides: non-ionic-cationic hybrid surfactants from renewable resources

A series of surfactants combining carbohydrate and imidazolium head groups were prepared and investigated on their assembly behavior. The presence of the imidazolium group dominated the interactions of the surfactants, leading to high CMCs and large molecular surface areas, reflected in curved rather than lamellar surfactant assemblies. The carbohydrate, on the other hand, stabilized molecular assemblies slightly and reduced the surface tension of surfactant solutions considerably. A comparative emulsion study discourages the use of pure alkyl imidazolium glycosides owing to reduced assembly stabilities compared with APGs. However, the surfactants are believed to have potential as component in carbohydrate based surfactant mixtures.

Electrochemistry for biofuel generation: transformation of fatty acids and triglycerides to diesel-like olefin/ether mixtures and olefins

Electroorganic synthesis can be exploited for the production of biofuels from fatty acids and triglycerides. With Coulomb efficiencies (CE) of up to 50 %, the electrochemical decarboxylation of fatty acids in methanolic and ethanolic solutions leads to the formation of diesel-like olefin/ether mixtures. Triglycerides can be directly converted in aqueous solutions by using sonoelectrochemistry, with olefins as the main products (with a CE of more than 20 %). The latter reaction, however, is terminated at around 50 % substrate conversion by the produced side-product glycerol. An energy analysis shows that the electrochemical olefin synthesis can be an energetically competitive, sustainable, and--in comparison with established processes--economically feasible alternative for the exploitation of fats and oils for biofuel production.

Synthesis and characterization of biobased polyurethane/SiO2 nanocomposites from natural Sapium sebiferum oil

Novel Sapium sebiferum oil-based polyurethane nanocomposites with different content of nano-SiO₂ were successfully synthesized via in situ polymerization method.

Synthesis and properties of polyesters derived from renewable eugenol and α,ω-diols via a continuous overheating method

Two series of thermoplastic polyesters derived from renewable eugenol and linear aliphatic α,ω-diols were prepared. The dependence of the properties on the α,ω-diol length was investigated.

Industrial resin “INDION 130” modified with vanadyl cations as highly efficient heterogeneous catalyst for epoxidation of fatty compounds with TBHP as oxidant

Cation exchanger INDION 130 modified with vanadyl cations was found to be readily prepared and reusable and exhibited higher catalytic activity than the homogeneous oxo-vanadium catalyst for epoxidation of fatty compounds.

New insights into synthesis and oligomerization of ε-lactams derived from the terpenoid ketone (−)-menthone

We present convenient ring-opening polymerizations of two lactams derived from menthone for the synthesis of sustainable oligo-, polyamides.

Polyesters derived from bio-based eugenol and 10-undecenoic acid: synthesis, characterization, and structure–property relationships

A series of thermoplastic polyesters with versatile thermal and mechanical properties were prepared from renewable eugenol, which is extracted from lignocellulosic biomass-clove oil.

Development of a vegetable oil based plasticizer for preparing flame retardant poly(vinyl chloride) materials

A novel method was developed to prepare a castor oil based flame retardant plasticizer containing phosphaphenanthrene groups (PCOPE) for the preparation of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC).

Microbial lipid-based lignocellulosic biorefinery: feasibility and challenges

Although single-cell oil (SCO) has been studied for decades, lipid production from lignocellulosic biomass has received substantial attention only in recent years as biofuel research moves toward producing drop-in fuels. This review gives an overview of the feasibility and challenges that exist in realizing microbial lipid production from lignocellulosic biomass in a biorefinery. The aspects covered here include biorefinery technologies, the microbial oil market, oleaginous microbes, lipid accumulation metabolism, strain development, process configurations, lignocellulosic lipid production, technical hurdles, lipid recovery, and technoeconomics. The lignocellulosic SCO-based biorefinery will be feasible only if a combination of low- and high-value lipids are coproduced, while lignin and protein are upgraded to high-value products.

Synthesis, characterization, and evaluation of 10-undecenoic acid-based epithio derivatives as multifunctional additives

Novel epithio compounds from alkyl epoxy undecanoates (n-alkyl, C1, C4, and C6; isoalkyl, C3, C4, and C8) were synthesized using an ammonium thiocyanate in ionic liquid 1-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate/H2O (2:1) solvent system in 85-90% yields by gas chromatographic (GC) analysis. The synthesized products were characterized by (1)H and (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), gas chromatography, and GC mass spectral (GC-MS) analyses and evaluated for their antioxidant, extreme pressure (EP), and antiwear (AW) properties in three different base oils, namely, epoxy jatropha fatty acid n-butyl esters (EJB), di-2-ethylhexyl sebacate (DOS), and mineral oil (S-105). Among the synthesized products, n-butyl epithio undecanoate exhibited superior antioxidant property (229.2 °C) compared to butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT, 193.8 °C) in base oil DOS and comparable performance in EJB and S-105 base oils. All of the epithio derivatives exhibited significantly enhanced weld point for the base oils EJB and DOS at 2 wt % level and displayed moderate enhancement in S-105 base oil. Methyl epithio undecanoate at 0.6% concentration exhibited considerable improvement in the wear scar of DOS base oil. The synthesized epithio derivatives have potential as multifunctional additives in lubricant formulations.