Oxidation of limonene over molybdenum dioxide-containing nanoporous carbon catalysts as a simple effective method for the utilization of waste orange peels

DFT Studies of the Activity and Reactivity of Limonene in Comparison with Selected Monoterpenes

Nowadays, the effective processing of natural monoterpenes that constitute renewable biomass found in post-production waste into products that are starting materials for the synthesis of valuable compounds is a way to ensure independence from non-renewable fossil fuels and can contribute to reducing global carbon dioxide emissions. The presented research aims to determine, based on DFT calculations, the activity and reactivity of limonene, an organic substrate used in previous preparative analyses, in comparison to selected monoterpenes such as cymene, pinene, thymol, and menthol. The influence of the solvent model was also checked, and the bonds most susceptible to reaction were determined in the examined compounds. With regard to EHOMO, it was found that limonene reacts more easily than cymene or menthol but with more difficultly than thymol and pienene. The analysis of the global chemical reactivity descriptors "locates" the reactivity of limonene in the middle of the studied monoterpenes. It was observed that, among the tested compounds, the most reactive compound is thymol, while the least reactive is menthol. The demonstrated results can be a reference point for experimental work carried out using the discussed compounds, to focus research on those with the highest reactivity.

Conversion of Limonene over Heterogeneous Catalysis: An Overview

The natural terpene limonene is widely found in nature. The (R)-limonene (the most abundant enantiomer) is present in the essential oils of lemon, orange, and other citrus fruits, while the (S)-limonene is found in peppermint and the racemate in turpentine oil. Limonene is a low-cost, low toxicity biodegradable terpene present in agricultural wastes derived from citrus peels. The products obtained from the conversion of limonene are valuable compounds widely used as additives for food, cosmetics, or pharmaceuticals. The conversion of limonene to produce different products has been the subject of intense research, mainly with the objective to improve catalytic systems. This review focused on the application of heterogeneous catalysts in the catalytic conversion of limonene.

Commercial Kevlar derived activated carbons for CO2 and C2H4 sorption

The carbonaceous precursor was obtained via pyrolysis of commercial aramid polymer (Kevlar). Additionally the precursor was activated at 1000°C in CO2 atmosphere for different times. Obtained materials were characterised by BET; XPS; SEM and optical microscopy. The sorption capacities were determined by temperature swing adsorption performed in TGA apparatus for CO2 and C2H4 gases. The obtained materials exhibit high difference in sorption of these gases i.e. 1.5 and 2.8 mmol/g @30°C respectively and high SSA ~1600 m2/g what can be applied in separation applications. The highest uptakes were 1.8 and 3.1 mmol/g @30°C respectively. It was found that the presence of oxygen and nitrogen functional groups enhances C2H4/CO2 uptake ratio.

Fe-modified activated carbon obtained from biomass as a catalyst for α-pinene autoxidation

The presented work describes the autoxidation of alpha-pinene for the first time using a catalyst based on activated carbon from biomass with introduced Fe. The raw material for the preparation of the carbon material was waste orange peel, which was activated with a KOH solution. The following instrumental methods characterized the obtained catalyst (Fe/O_AC):N2 adsorption at 77 K, XRD, UV, SEM, TEM, X-ray microanalysis, and catalytic studies. It was shown that the Fe/O_AC catalyst was very active in the autoxidation of alpha-pinene. The main reaction products were: alpha-pinene oxide, verbenone, verbenol, and campholenic aldehyde.