Antimicrobial Efficacy of a Vegetable Oil Plasticizer in PVC Matrices.

The growing prevalence of bacterial and viral infections, highlighted by the recent COVID-19 pandemic, urgently calls for new antimicrobial strategies. To this end, we have synthesized and characterized a novel fatty acid epoxy-ester plasticizer for polymers, named GDE. GDE is not only sustainable and user-friendly but also demonstrates superior plasticizing properties, while its epoxy components improve the heat stability of PVC-based matrices. A key feature of GDE is its ability to confer antimicrobial properties to surfaces. Indeed, upon contact, this material can effectively kill enveloped viruses, such as herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and the ß-coronavirus prototype HCoV-OC43, but it is ineffective against nonenveloped viruses like human adenovirus (HAdV). Further analysis using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) on HSV-1 virions exposed to GDE showed significant structural damage, indicating that GDE can interfere with the viral envelope, potentially causing leakage. Moreover, GDE demonstrates antibacterial activity, albeit to a lesser extent, against notorious pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Overall, this newly developed plasticizer shows significant potential as an antimicrobial agent suitable for use in both community and healthcare settings to curb the spread of infections caused by microorganisms contaminating physical surfaces.

New insights into the base catalyzed depolymerization of technical lignins: a systematic comparison.

A first systematic approach on the base catalyzed depolymerization (BCD) of five technical lignins derived from various botanical origins (herbaceous, hardwood and softwood) and covering the main three industrial pulping methods (soda, kraft and organosolv) is reported. This study provides a first of its kind in-depth quantification and structural characterization of two main BCD fractions namely lignin oil and lignin residue, describing the influence of the BCD process conditions. Depolymerization is evaluated in terms of lignin conversion, lignin oil yield, phenolic monomer selectivity and the production of lignin residue and char. Lignin oils were extensively characterized by size exclusion chromatography (SEC), GC-MS, GC-FID, 13C-NMR, HSQC NMR and elemental analysis. GC × GC-FID was used to identify and quantify distinct groups of monomeric compounds (methoxy phenols, phenols, dihydroxy-benzenes) in the lignin oil. The lignin oil yields (w/w) ranged from 20-31% with total monomer contents ranging from 48 to 57% w/w. SEC analysis indicated the presence of dimers/oligomers in the lignin oil, which through HSQC NMR analysis were confirmed to contain new, non-native interunit linkages. 13C NMR analyses of the lignin oils suggest the presence of diaryl type linkages (i.e. aryl-aryl, aryl C-O) evidencing deconstruction and recombination of lignin fragments during BCD. Irrespective of the lignin source, a residue, often regarded as 'unreacted' residual lignin was the main product of BCD (43 to 70% w/w). Our study highlights that this residue has different structural properties and should not be considered as unreacted lignin, but rather as an alkali soluble condensed aromatic material. HSQC, DEPT-135, 13C, and 31P NMR and SEC analyses confirm that the BCD residues are indeed more condensed, with increased phenolic hydroxyl content and lower molecular weights compared to all feed lignins. Subsequent BCD of solid residual fractions produced only low oil yields (6-9% w/w) with lower phenolic monomer yields (4% w/w) compared to original lignin, confirming the significantly more recalcitrant structure. Our study improves the overall understanding of the BCD process, highlights important feedstock-dependent outcomes and ultimately contributes to the complete valorization of BCD-derived lignin streams.

Unexpected Susceptibility of Poly(ethylene furanoate) to UV Irradiation: A Warning Light for Furandicarboxylic Acid?

Poly(ethylene furanoate) (PEF) is widely advocated as a renewable alternative to the fossil-based polyester poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET). Whereas the UV stability of PET is well-studied, little is known for PEF. Here, we compare the UV stability of both polyesters after 500 h of UV irradiation in a Q-SUN xenon arc chamber. Both the virgin and irradiated polyesters were characterized by FTIR, SEC, DSC, NMR, TGA, and MALDI-TOF MS. PET showed only minor signs of degradation under the applied test conditions, while PEF showed significant discoloration as well as evidence of both cross linking/chain extension and chain scission. Also, the thermal properties and the ability to crystallize of PEF were severely impacted by UV irradiation. Although a detailed study on the degradation mechanism is out of the scope of this work, we found indications that Norrish type I and II degradation reactions play an important role in the UV degradation of PEF.

Methyl Perillate as a Highly Functionalized Natural Starting Material for Terephthalic Acid.

Renewable commodity chemicals can be generated from plant materials. Often abundant materials such as sugars are used for this purpose. However, these lack appropriate functionalities and, therefore, they require extensive chemical modifications before they can be used as commodity chemicals. The plant kingdom is capable of producing an almost endless variety of compounds, including compounds with highly appropriate functionalities, but these are often not available in high quantities. It has been demonstrated that it is possible to produce functionalized plant compounds on a large scale by fermentation in microorganisms. This opens up the potential to exploit plant compounds that are less abundant, but functionally resemble commodity chemicals more closely. To elaborate this concept, we demonstrate the suitability of a highly functionalized plant compound, methyl perillate, as a precursor for the commodity chemical terephthalic acid.

Isohexide Dinitriles: A Versatile Family of Renewable Platform Chemicals.

Building blocks of isohexides extended by one carbon atom at the 2- or 5-positions are now synthetically accessible by a convenient, selective, base-catalyzed epimerization of the corresponding dinitriles. Kinetic experiments using the strong organic base 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU) show that all three possible isohexide dinitrile isomers exist within a dynamic equilibrium. An epimerization mechanism based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations is proposed. Structural identification of all three possible isomers is based on NMR analysis and single crystal x-ray crystallography. DFT calculations confirm that the observed crystal structures are indeed the lowest energy conformers of these isohexide derivatives.

Synthesis of Furandicarboxylic Acid Esters From Nonfood Feedstocks Without Concomitant Levulinic Acid Formation.

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is a versatile intermediate in biomass conversion pathways. However, the notoriously unstable nature of HMF imposes challenges to design selective routes to chemicals such as furan-2,5-dicarboxylic acid (FDCA). Here, a new strategy for obtaining furans is presented, bypassing the formation of the unstable HMF. Instead of starting with glucose/fructose and thus forming HMF as an intermediate, the new route starts from uronic acids, which are abundantly present in many agro residues such as sugar beet pulp, potato pulp, and citrus peels. Conversion of uronic acids, via ketoaldonic acids, to the intermediate formylfuroic acid (FFA) esters, and subsequently to FDCA esters, proceeds without formation of levulinic acid or insoluble humins. This new route provides an attractive strategy to valorize agricultural waste streams and a route to furanic building blocks without the co-production of levulinic acid or humins.

Selectivity Control in the Tandem Aromatization of Bio-Based Furanics Catalyzed by Solid Acids and Palladium.

Bio-based furanics can be aromatized efficiently by sequential Diels-Alder (DA) addition and hydrogenation steps followed by tandem catalytic aromatization. With a combination of zeolite H-Y and Pd/C, the hydrogenated DA adduct of 2-methylfuran and maleic anhydride can thus be aromatized in the liquid phase and, to a certain extent, decarboxylated to give high yields of the aromatic products 3-methylphthalic anhydride and o- and m-toluic acid. Here, it is shown that a variation in the acidity and textural properties of the solid acid as well as bifunctionality offers a handle on selectivity toward aromatic products. The zeolite component was found to dominate selectivity. Indeed, a linear correlation is found between 3-methylphthalic anhydride yield and the product of (strong acid/total acidity) and mesopore volume of H-Y, highlighting the need for balanced catalyst acidity and porosity. The efficient coupling of the dehydration and dehydrogenation steps by varying the zeolite-to-Pd/C ratio allowed the competitive decarboxylation reaction to be effectively suppressed, which led to an improved 3-methylphthalic anhydride/total aromatics selectivity ratio of 80 % (89 % total aromatics yield). The incorporation of Pd nanoparticles in close proximity to the acid sites in bifunctional Pd/H-Y catalysts also afforded a flexible means to control aromatic products selectivity, as further demonstrated in the aromatization of hydrogenated DA adducts from other diene/dienophile combinations.

A Facile Solid-Phase Route to Renewable Aromatic Chemicals from Biobased Furanics.

Renewable aromatics can be conveniently synthesized from furanics by introducing an intermediate hydrogenation step in the Diels-Alder (DA) aromatization route, to effectively block retro-DA activity. Aromatization of the hydrogenated DA adducts requires tandem catalysis, using a metal-based dehydrogenation catalyst and solid acid dehydration catalyst in toluene. Herein it is demonstrated that the hydrogenated DA adducts can instead be conveniently converted into renewable aromatics with up to 80% selectivity in a solid-phase reaction with shorter reaction times using only an acidic zeolite, that is, without solvent or dehydrogenation catalyst. Hydrogenated adducts from diene/dienophile combinations of (methylated) furans with maleic anhydride are efficiently converted into renewable aromatics with this new route. The zeolite H-Y was found to perform the best and can be easily reused after calcination.

Substituted Phthalic Anhydrides from Biobased Furanics: A New Approach to Renewable Aromatics.

A novel route for the production of renewable aromatic chemicals, particularly substituted phthalic acid anhydrides, is presented. The classical two-step approach to furanics-derived aromatics via Diels-Alder (DA) aromatization has been modified into a three-step procedure to address the general issue of the reversible nature of the intermediate DA addition step. The new sequence involves DA addition, followed by a mild hydrogenation step to obtain a stable oxanorbornane intermediate in high yield and purity. Subsequent one-pot, liquid-phase dehydration and dehydrogenation of the hydrogenated adduct using a physical mixture of acidic zeolites or resins in combination with metal on a carbon support then allows aromatization with yields as high as 84 % of total aromatics under relatively mild conditions. The mechanism of the final aromatization reaction step unexpectedly involves a lactone as primary intermediate.

Semi-aromatic polyesters based on a carbohydrate-derived rigid diol for engineering plastics.

New carbohydrate-based polyesters were prepared from isoidide-2,5-dimethanol (extended isoidide, XII) through melt polymerization with dimethyl esters of terephthalic acid (TA) and furan-2,5-dicarboxylic acid (FDCA), yielding semi-crystalline prepolymers. Subsequent solid-state post-condensation (SSPC) gave high molecular weight (Mn =30 kg mol(-1) for FDCA) materials, the first examples of high Mn , semi-aromatic homopolyesters containing isohexide derivatives obtained via industrially relevant procedures. NMR spectroscopy showed that the stereo-configuration of XII was preserved under the applied conditions. The polyesters are thermally stable up to 380 °C. The TA- and FDCA-based polyesters have high Tg (105 °C and 94 °C, resp.) and Tm (284 °C and 250 °C, resp.) values. Its reactivity, stability, and ability to afford high Tg and Tm polyesters make XII a promising diol for the synthesis of engineering polymers.

Hydrothermal deoxygenation of triglycerides over Pd/C aided by in situ hydrogen production from glycerol reforming.

A one-pot catalytic hydrolysis-deoxygenation reaction for the conversion of unsaturated triglycerides and free fatty acids to linear paraffins and olefins is reported. The hydrothermal deoxygenation reactions are performed in hot compressed water at 250 °C over a Pd/C catalyst in the absence of external H2 . We show that aqueous-phase reforming (APR) of glycerol and subsequent water-gas-shift reaction result in the in situ formation of H2 . While this has a significant positive effect on the deoxygenation activity, the product selectivity towards high-value, long-chain olefins remains high.

Functionalized carbon nanofibers as solid-acid catalysts for transesterification.

Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) were functionalized with aryl sulfonic acid groups using in situ diazonium coupling. The use of diazonium coupling yielded an acidic carbon material, in which the introduced acidic groups are readily accessible to the triglyceride substrate. The material is an efficient catalyst for the transesterification of triolein and methanol, outperforming conventional sulfonated carbons in both stability and activity per acid site. Upon comparing CNFs with varying degrees of functionalization, a linear correlation between sulfonic acid sites and catalytic performance was found.

Waste not, want not: mild and selective catalytic oxidation of uronic acids.

And isn't it uronic: A mild, highly efficient and selective catalytic oxidation of pectin-derived uronic acids to the corresponding aldaric acids is reported. Fast, quantitative conversions (>99%) of the starting materials are achieved with high selectivity (>97%) at room temperature, using supported gold catalysts and air as oxidizing agent.

Reaction pathways for the deoxygenation of vegetable oils and related model compounds.

Vegetable oil-based feeds are regarded as an alternative source for the production of fuels and chemicals. Paraffins and olefins can be produced from these feeds through catalytic deoxygenation. The fundamentals of this process are mostly studied by using model compounds such as fatty acids, fatty acid esters, and specific triglycerides because of their structural similarity to vegetable oils. In this Review we discuss the impact of feedstock, reaction conditions, and nature of the catalyst on the reaction pathways of the deoxygenation of vegetable oils and its derivatives. As such, we conclude on the suitability of model compounds for this reaction. It is shown that the type of catalyst has a significant effect on the deoxygenation pathway, that is, group 10 metal catalysts are active in decarbonylation/decarboxylation whereas metal sulfide catalysts are more selective to hydrodeoxygenation. Deoxygenation studies performed under H2 showed similar pathways for fatty acids, fatty acid esters, triglycerides, and vegetable oils, as mostly deoxygenation occurs indirectly via the formation of fatty acids. Deoxygenation in the absence of H2 results in significant differences in reaction pathways and selectivities depending on the feedstock. Additionally, using unsaturated feedstocks under inert gas results in a high selectivity to undesired reactions such as cracking and the formation of heavies. Therefore, addition of H2 is proposed to be essential for the catalytic deoxygenation of vegetable oil feeds.

Synthesis of isoidide through epimerization of isosorbide using ruthenium on carbon.

A highly efficient procedure for obtaining resin-grade isoidide through catalytic epimerization of isosorbide using a ruthenium-on-carbon (Ru/C) catalyst is reported. A comprehensive reaction-parameter variation study involving substrate concentration, catalyst (type of metal, support, and loading), initial pH value, hydrogen pressure, solvent, and reaction temperature demonstrates that superior performance and high selectivity can be achieved. Epimerization of isosorbide in water (pH 8) at 220 °C, under 40 bar of hydrogen, and using a Ru/C catalyst (5 % Ru) for 2 h results in a thermodynamic equilibrium mixture containing 55 % isoidide, 40 % isosorbide, and 5 % isomannide. In comparison with previously reported nickel-based catalysts, the Ru/C catalyst is advantageous because it is highly active (as low as 360 ppm Ru) and recyclable. High purity isoidide is obtained by high-vacuum distillation of an equilibrium mixture on a 200 g scale. The high substrate loading (50 wt % in water), high selectivity, and the possibility for substrate reuse makes this procedure highly atom efficient and therefore, highly attractive for industrial use.

Renewable rigid diamines: efficient, stereospecific synthesis of high purity isohexide diamines.

We report an efficient three-step strategy for synthesizing rigid, chiral isohexide diamines derived from 1,4:3,6-dianhydrohexitols. These biobased chiral building blocks are presently the subject of several investigations (in our and several other groups) because of their application in high-performance biobased polymers, such as polyamides and polyurethanes. Among the three possible stereo-isomers, dideoxy-diamino isoidide and dideoxy-diamino isosorbide can be synthesized from isomannide and isosorbide respectively in high yield with absolute stereo control. Furthermore, by using this methodology dideoxy-amino isomannide-a tricyclic adduct-was obtained starting from isoidide in high yield. Our improved synthetic route is a valuable advance towards meeting scale and purity demands for evaluating the properties of new biobased performance materials, which will benefit the development of these plastics.

Estrogenic potency of food-packaging-associated plasticizers and antioxidants as detected in ERalpha and ERbeta reporter gene cell lines.

This study presents the estrogenic potency of 21 food-packaging-associated compounds determined for the first time, using two transfected U2-OS (human osteoblasts devoid of endogenous estrogen receptors) estrogen receptor (ER) alpha and beta cell lines. Six plasticizers and three antioxidants were slightly estrogenic in the ERalpha cells. The model compounds bisphenol A and nonylphenol, one plasticizer [tris(2-ethylhexyl)trimellitate (TEHTM)], and two antioxidants (propyl gallate and butylated hydroxyanisole) were estrogenic in both ERalpha and ERbeta cells. Compared to estradiol (E2), these compounds appeared to be relatively more estrogenic in the ERbeta cells than in the ERalpha cells. Three sorbitol-based plasticizers activated neither ERalpha nor ERbeta and may be good replacements of existing plasticizers. All responses were additive with the response of E2. This indicates that they may contribute to the total effects of the pool of estrogenic compounds humans are exposed to. The estrogenic potencies of these compounds, together with the suggested beneficial effect of ERbeta-mediated responses and adverse ERalpha-mediated effects, support the importance of detecting characteristics for ERalpha and ERbeta response separately in independent models, as done in the present study.