The direct production of liquid fuels from CO2 hydrogenation has attracted enormous interest for its significant roles in mitigating CO2 emissions and reducing dependence on petrochemicals. Here we report a highly efficient, stable and multifunctional Na-Fe3O4/HZSM-5 catalyst, which can directly convert CO2 to gasoline-range (C5-C11) hydrocarbons with selectivity up to 78% of all hydrocarbons w...

We report cross sections for electron-impact excitation of vibrational quanta in furfural, at intermediate incident electron energies (20, 30, and 40 eV). The present differential cross sections are measured over the scattered electron angular range 10°-90°, with corresponding integral cross sections subsequently being determined. Furfural is a viable plant-derived alternative to petrochemicals...

Use of biomass as alternatives to petrochemicals has attracted a broad range of scientific and industrial interests. We propose here a novel environmentally-friendly recycle system for precious metal ions such as gold and platinum ions using protein-rich biomass. My keynote lecture is composed of three pieces; (1) selective adsorption of precious metal ions onto proteins, (2) the mechanism stud...

This report discusses the MARKAL-MATTER results regarding the impact of greenhouse gas policies on the petrochemical industry in Western Europe from an integrated chain perspective. The MARKAL-MATTER model gives insight in how different technologies might develop in the next decades at different emission permit prices. This report first describes the present situation in the petrochemical indus...

Exploiting biomass as an alternative to petrochemicals for the production of commodity plastics is vitally important if we are to become a more sustainable society. Here, we report a synthetic route for the production of terephthalic acid (TPA), the monomer of the widely used thermoplastic polymer poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), from the biomass-derived starting material furfural. Biobased ...

Furfural is a biomass derived-chemical that can be used to replace petrochemicals. In this study, the acid-catalyzed conversion of xylose and xylan to furfural by microwave-assisted reaction was investigated at selected ranges of temperature (140-190°C), time (1-30 min), substrate concentration (1:5-1:200 solid:liquid ratio), and pH (2-0.13). We found that a temperature of 180°C, a solid:liquid...

Lactic acid, a naturally occurring multifunctional organic acid, is a valuable industrial chemical used as an acidulant, preservative in the food industry, pharmaceutical, leather, and textile industries, as well as a chemical feedstock. One of the most promising applications of lactic acid is its use for biodegradable and biocompatible lactate polymers, such as polylactic acid. Lactic acid can...

The acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation industry in China was started in the early 1950s in Shanghai and expanded rapidly thereafter. At its peak, there were about 30 plants all over the country and the total annual production of solvents reached 170,000 tons. This large enterprise was compelled to complete shutdown at the end of the 20th century due to the rapid increase of petrochemica...

Humans and living organisms are unavoidably exposed to various environmental genotoxins. Genotoxic exposures may result from endogenous mutagens, (via cellular metabolic processes associated with oxygen free radical induction) or from exogenous mutagens present in the environment (as a pollution of air, water and soil, e.g. motor-vehicle emissions, pesticides, industrial effluents), or in occup...