Wasteless Synthesis and Properties of Highly Dispersed MgAl2O4 Based on Product of Thermal Activation of Gibbsite

The study showed that the interaction of the product of centrifugal thermal activation of gibbsite with an aqueous solution of magnesium nitrate at a cationic ratio Mg:Al = 1:2 leads to the formation of mixed double hydroxides both under hydrothermal treatment at 150 °C and at room temperature. The subsequent thermal treatment at 550 °C of the product of mild interaction leads to ~90% alumina-magnesia spinel and ~10% MgO, while the treatment of the hydrothermal interaction product leads to ~100% spinel with the stoichiometric composition MgAl2O4. The obtained spinel samples possess a high specific surface area (above 100 m2/g) and a hierarchical pore structure formed by the micron-level particles of different sizes (1–2 and 10–20 μm) consisting of ~70 nm crystallites with ~3 nm pores; the samples differ mostly in the total volume and quantitative ratio of the pores. The samples have Lewis acid sites of moderate strength on the surface, the amount of which is much lower to how it is when compared with a sample prepared by precipitation in that they also differ by quantity from each other as well (503 μmol/g for stoichiometric spinel and 304 μmol/g for sample with admixture of MgO). As the calcination temperature is raised to 850 °C, the acidity decreases—only weak Lewis acid sites are observed, the amount of which is also higher for stoichiometric spinel (161 and 39 μmol/g, respectively). The method proposed for the synthesis of alumina-magnesia systems provides a high dispersion and a much lower surface acidity for the oxides; in addition, it minimizes or completely excludes wash water, in distinction to the precipitation method.

Continuous Flow Upgrading of Selected C2-C6 Platform Chemicals Derived from Biomass

The ever increasing industrial production of commodity and specialty chemicals inexorably depletes the finite primary fossil resources available on Earth. The forecast of population growth over the next 3 decades is a very strong incentive for the identification of alternative primary resources other than petro-based ones. In contrast with fossil resources, renewable biomass is a virtually inexhaustible reservoir of chemical building blocks. Shifting the current industrial paradigm from almost exclusively petro-based resources to alternative bio-based raw materials requires more than vibrant political messages; it requires a profound revision of the concepts and technologies on which industrial chemical processes rely. Only a small fraction of molecules extracted from biomass bears significant chemical and commercial potentials to be considered as ubiquitous chemical platforms upon which a new, bio-based industry can thrive. Owing to its inherent assets in terms of unique process experience, scalability, and reduced environmental footprint, flow chemistry arguably has a major role to play in this context. This review covers a selection of C₂ to C₆ bio-based chemical platforms with existing commercial markets including polyols (ethylene glycol, 1,2-propanediol, 1,3-propanediol, glycerol, 1,4-butanediol, xylitol, and sorbitol), furanoids (furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural) and carboxylic acids (lactic acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid, malic acid, itaconic acid, and levulinic acid). The aim of this review is to illustrate the various aspects of upgrading bio-based platform molecules toward commodity or specialty chemicals using new process concepts that fall under the umbrella of continuous flow technology and that could change the future perspectives of biorefineries.