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Journal articleKrueger J-DH, Saedi P, Poller MJ, et al., 2026,
Enhancing Biogenic Formic Acid Production in the Modified OxFA Process by Acetonitrile Addition.
, Adv Sci (Weinh)Developing homogeneously catalyzed, selective biomass transformation techniques toward an industrially viable biomass valorization process is one of the major tasks of a more sustainable chemical industry. Specifically, the production of short-chain carboxylic acids like formic acid (FA) in the OxFA process is a promising strategy. In this study, we show the beneficial effect of using acetonitrile as a co-solvent in the modified OxFA process outperforming methanol, demonstrating improved reaction kinetics combined with high selectivity for the HPA-2 (H5PV2Mo10O40) catalyzed oxidation of xylose to FA. Ex situ spectroscopic 51V-NMR as well as optical UV-vis and electrochemical SWV investigations in combination with advanced pulse EPR measurements and DFT calculations clearly reveal the direct interactions of the co-solvents methanol and acetonitrile with the HPA-2 catalyst. This leads to improved selectivity for methanol addition whereby acetonitrile addition leads to both enhanced kinetics and improved selectivity on the kinetics of xylose oxidation to FA compared to the classical OxFA process in pure aqueous solution. This study shows interesting new correlations allowing us to further push the limits of the OxFA technology toward higher productivity.
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Journal articleChakrabarti BK, Hayyan M, Syed Putra SS, et al., 2026,
Deep eutectic solvents in battery recycling: A sustainable path forward
, Journal of Power Sources, Vol: 670, ISSN: 0378-7753The recycling of various energy storage materials, including but not limited to lithium-based batteries, has become increasingly important due to the rapid growth of the battery sector and its potential to strain global material supply chains. Recycling not only helps recover valuable metals and minerals but also reduces reliance on environmentally harmful mining practices and creates local economic opportunities. However, current recycling methods often involve chemical processes that are not entirely environmentally friendly. As a greener alternative, deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are drawing attention for their potential in battery recycling technologies. This review explores the progress on DESs in this field. It also examines the recycling of polymer components, often overlooked but crucial for a complete recycling strategy. Furthermore, a brief life-cycle-assessment (LCA) is included to evaluate the environmental benefits and limitations of DES-based recycling. Early integration of LCA can guide sustainable process development, identify environmental trade-offs, and support sound decision-making, aligning emerging recycling technologies with sustainability targets and regulatory frameworks. While energy storage represents the bottleneck to a successful energy transition, the recycling of materials used in storage devices constitutes the foundation of a true circular economy, in which DES systems possess the potential to play a pivotal role.
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Journal articlePolesca C, Passos H, Hallett JP, et al., 2026,
Sustainable Recovery of Keratin from Chicken Feather Waste and Its Processing for Biomedical Applications
, Accounts of Materials ResearchConspectus: The global poultry industry has grown significantly in recent decades and is currently producing vast amounts of chicken feather waste, corresponding to around 7 wt % of the total weight of an adult chicken. This waste, which is typically incinerated or landfilled, poses both environmental and economic challenges, while being inconsistent with the principles of the circular economy. Chicken feathers are composed primarily of keratin (approximately 90 wt % on a dry weight basis), a natural protein with valuable properties, namely, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, superior cytocompatibility, and ability to promote cellular migration. These characteristics make keratin an ideal candidate for various biomedical applications. However, traditional methods of recovering keratin from natural biomass are inefficient and costly and involve the use of toxic chemicals, limiting the broader use of this waste. In this Account, we discuss a sustainable and efficient process for keratin recovery and processing using ionic liquids. By employing acetate-based ionic liquids (80 wt % in water), we have developed a method that not only dissolves chicken feathers but also allows for high-yield keratin recovery. The developed process significantly reduces the need for harmful chemicals and energy-intensive steps traditionally associated with keratin recovery. Furthermore, the ionic liquids can be recovered and reused, which are important elements highlighted by our technoeconomic assessment. According to the process simulation, the minimum selling price for keratin is 22 $ per kg, based on a productivity of 350 tons of keratin per year, which is suitable for biomedical applications. The recovered keratin has been used to develop biocompatible films and hydrogels for wound healing, incorporated into biocomposites with melanin, cellulose, and chitin to enable tunable material properties, and integrated into advanced 3D printing technologies for tissue engineering ap
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Book chapterHallett J, 2026,
DYERECYCLE – Materials and Longevity
, Global Fashion Conference, Publisher: Springer Nature Switzerland, Pages: 67-71, ISBN: 9783032020697 -
Journal articleEwulonu CM, Akromah S, Lee K-Y, et al., 2025,
Looking beyond pure cellulose to lignocellulose for regenerated continuous spun filaments
, ACS Omega, Vol: 10, Pages: 63583-63596, ISSN: 2470-1343The need to use naturally abundant, renewable, and sustainable precursors, such as lignin and cellulose, to produce technical textile fibers for a range of applications is rapidly growing. Being able to spin fibers directly from the biomass feedstock, without separation and purification, could significantly reduce processing costs, energy consumption, and pollution, and also retain carbon for subsequent use in carbon fiber production and other applications. Going beyond the approach of either spinning pure lignin, cellulose, or combinations of the two, continuous regenerated spun fibers have been successfully produced from dissolved and unbleached miscanthus grass pulp. The rheological and microscopic properties of the spinning dope were fully characterized as well as the structure and mechanical properties of the spun lignocellulose pulp (LCP) fibers. The highly viscous spinning dope had a zero-shear viscosity in the range 26–256 kPa·s, which resulted in spun fibers with a rough surface texture, with some undissolved lignocellulose components in the dope. The LCP fiber’s orientation was determined using X-ray diffraction, displaying low- to mid-range values of <sin2 θ> (0.2–0.5), which was expected at the low draw ratios used to ensure fiber consistency. Despite this, the filaments were found to have strengths in the range of 114–173 MPa, similar to wool or wet viscose rayon, and moduli of 9–12 GPa comparable to lower-range lyocell fibers. Interestingly, the micrometer-scale undissolved lignocellulose components did not inhibit the spinning process, allowing the production of what resembles continuous natural fibers. This approach shows promise for generating sustainable continuous spun fibers, without excessive pretreatment of the precursor, for technical textiles from lignocellulose pulps.
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Journal articleAkaya H, Ouzrour Z, Aziz K, et al., 2025,
Valorization of Moroccan Alfa Grass through Pyrolytic Conversion to Biochar for Atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> Capture
, ACS OMEGA, Vol: 10, Pages: 58991-59003, ISSN: 2470-1343 -
Journal articleLuan S, Nisar S, Phipps J, et al., 2025,
Optimization of the ionoSolv process for the preservation of pulp fibre dimensions
, INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS, Vol: 236, ISSN: 0926-6690 -
Journal articleWesinger S, Rabiner A, Meyer N, et al., 2025,
Sequential fractionation and polyoxometalate‐catalyzed oxidation of lignocellulosic biomass improves cellulose purity and formic acid yield
, Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining, Vol: 19, Pages: 1862-1874, ISSN: 1932-104XLignocellulosic biomass is an important source of renewable chemicals and materials but its full valorization is necessary in order to achieve economic and sustainability goals. This study proposes a two-step approach for the valorization of lignocellulosic biomass combining solvent-assisted fractionation and catalytic oxidation with molecular oxygen to generate cellulose and formic acid. An industrially relevant lignocellulosic substrate, beech wood, was fractionated under a nitrogen atmosphere using either an organosolv (methanol or ethanol) or ionosolv (ionic liquid) aqueous solvent to produce dissolved hemicellulose and lignin as well as a cellulose-rich solid. The dissolved components were oxidized catalytically to formic acid and its derivatives in a second step using the fivefold vanadium substituted Keggin-type polyoxometalate H8[PV5Mo7O40]. Enzymatic hydrolysis of the cellulose-enriched solid generated purified glucose higher in yields than the single-step comparison method. The organosolv-fractionation increased enzymatic saccharification to 78% whereas the ionosolv-fractionation increased the saccharification yield to 68%, in comparison with 18% for the one-step conversion and only 8% for the untreated beech wood. In the oxidation step, a 28% formic acid yield was achieved under 125 °C, 1200 rpm, 30 bar oxygen, and 6.5 h reaction conditions. The improvements observed for the two-step approach are attributed to the influence of the solvent on the catalyst preventing the latter from interacting with the cellulose-enriched solid, which improved the quality of the pulp and increased the overall formic acid yield.
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Journal articleArtime IF, Al Ghatta A, Ouitrakoon P, et al., 2025,
Surfactant-assisted ionic liquid fractionation of spruce produces a low molar weight and less condensed lignin
, Industrial Crops and Products, Vol: 235, ISSN: 0926-6690Surfactant-assisted ionoSolv fractionation of spruce sawdust was investigated with the aim of improving the fractionation performance and the quality of the recovered fractions. Anionic surfactants sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and linear alkylbenzenesulfonate (LAS) were added to ionic liquid (IL) water mixtures of N,N-dimethylbutylammonium hydrogen sulphate ([DMBA][HSO4]) containing 20–50 wt% water to process spruce sawdust at 150 and 170 °C for 30–60 min. 1H NMR spectroscopy established that the processing conditions partly hydrolysed SDS whilst leaving LAS untouched. The use of LAS surfactant decreased the fractionation time but did not encourage the use of a higher water content. IonoSolv fractionation employing 2–10 wt% LAS and 20 wt% water resulted in faster delignification, decreasing the reaction time by 50 % at 150 ºC, with small improvements in cellulose recovery (87.6 % with 2 wt% LAS vs 83.7 % without LAS at 150 ºC). Post-treatment lignin analysis showed that the lignin structure was less condensed when LAS was present during the fractionation. Addition of surfactant had a lightening effect on the colour of the recovered lignin fractions, which is a key feature for its use in applications such as coatings, cosmetics or sunscreen additives. A proportion of LAS surfactant precipitated with the lignin fraction and was found to be mainly physically associated to lignin, although traces of condensed lignin-LAS were also detected. Whilst the extent to which surfactants may assist ionoSolv fractionation was limited, the study highlights the importance of characterising both lignin and cellulose chemical compositions.
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Journal articleWang W, Nakasu PYS, Costa JM, et al., 2025,
Pectin Extracted by a Recyclable Molecular Mixture: A Promising Material for Porous Membranes in Quasi-Solid-State Na-Ion Batteries
, ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING, Vol: 13, Pages: 18061-18074, ISSN: 2168-0485
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