A sustainable process to 100%bio-based nylons integrated chemical and biological conversion of lignocellulose

Considerable progress has been made in recent years to the development of sustainable polymers from bio-based feedstocks.In this study,100%bio-based nylons were prepared via an integrated chemical and biological process from lignocellulose.These novel nylons were obtained by the melt polymerization of 3-propyladipic acid derived from lignin and 1,5-pentenediamine/1,4-butanediamine derived from carbohydrate sugar.Central to the concept is a three-step noble metal free catalytic chemical funnelling sequence(Raney Ni mediated reductive catalytic fractionation-reductive funnelling-oxidative funnelling),which allowed for obtaining a single component 3-propyladipic acid from lignin with high efficiency.The structural and thermodynamic properties of the obtained nylons have been systematically investigated,and thus obtained transparent bio-based nylons exhibited higher Mw(>32,000)and excellent thermal stability(Td5%>265℃).Considering their moderate Tg and good melt strength,these transparent bio-based nylons could serve as promising functional additives or temperature-responsive materials.

Bio-based rejuvenators in asphalt pavements:A comprehensive review and analytical study

The pressing demand for sustainable advancements in road infrastructure has catalyzed extensive research into environmentally conscious alternatives for the maintenance and restoration of asphalt concrete pavements.This paper offers a comprehensive review and analysis of bio-based rejuvenators as a promising avenue for enhancing the longevity and sustainability of asphalt.Through a multifaceted exploration,it delves into various aspects of this innovative approach.Providing a thorough overview of bio-based rejuvenators,the study highlights their renewable and environmentally friendly characteristics.It conducts an in-depth examination of a wide spectrum of bio-derived materials,including vegetable oils,waste-derived bio-products,and biopolymers,through a comprehensive survey.The paper evaluates how bio-based rejuvenators enhance aged asphalt binders and mixes,effectively mitigating the adverse impacts of aging.Furthermore,it investigates how these rejuvenators address environmental concerns by identifying compatibility issues,assessing long-term performance,and evaluating economic feasibility.Finally,the paper outlines potential advancements and research pathways aimed at optimizing the utilization of bio-based rejuvenators in asphalt concrete,thereby contributing to the sustainable evolution of road infrastructure.

Aqueous-phase reforming of hydroxyacetone solution to bio-based H_(2)over supported Pt catalysts

Aqueous-phase reforming(APR)is an attractive process to produce bio-based hydrogen from waste biomass streams,during which the catalyst stability is often challenged due to the harsh reaction conditions.In this work,three Pt-based catalysts supported on C,AlO(OH),and ZrO_(2)were investigated for the APR of hydroxyacetone solution in afixed bed reactor at 225℃and 35 bar.Among them,the Pt/C catalyst showed the highest turnover frequency for H_(2)production(TOF of 8.9 molH_(2)molPt^(-1)min^(-1))and the longest catalyst stability.Over the AlO(OH)and ZrO_(2)supported Pt catalysts,the side reactions consuming H_(2),formation of coke,and Pt sintering result in a low H_(2)production and the fast catalyst deactivation.The proposed reaction pathways suggest that a promising APR catalyst should reform all oxygenates in the aqueous phase,minimize the hydrogenation of the oxygenates,maximize the WGS reaction,and inhibit the condensation and coking reactions for maximizing the hydrogen yield and a stable catalytic performance.

Elastic Bio-based Polyurethane Nanofibrous Membrane with Robust Waterproof and Breathable Properties

Elastic bio-based waterproof and breathable membranes(EBWBMs) allow the passage of water vapor effectively and resist the penetration of liquid water,making it ideal for use under extreme conditions.In this study,we used a facile strategy to design the bio-based polyurethane(PU) nanofibrous membranes with the nanoscale porous structure to provide the membranes with high waterproof and breathable performances.The optimization of nanofibrous membrane formation was accomplished by controlling the relative ambient humidity to modulate the cooperating effects of charge dissipation and non-solvent-induced phase separation.The obtained EBWBMs showed multiple functional properties,with a hydrostatic pressure of 86.41 kPa and a water vapor transmission(WVT) rate of 10.1 kg·m^(-2)·d^(-1).After 1 000 cycles of stretching at 40% strain,the EBWBMs retained over 59% of the original maximum stress and exhibited an ideal elasticity recovery ratio of 85%.Besides,even after 80% deformation,the EBWBMs still maintained a hydrostatic pressure of 30.65 kPa and a WVT rate of 13.6 kg·m^(-2)·d^(-1),suggesting that bio-based PU nanofibrous membranes could be used for protection under extreme conditions.

Fully Bio-Based Composites of Poly(Lactic Acid)Reinforced with Cellulose-Graft-Poly-(ε-Caprolactone)Copolymers

Due to the increasing demand for modified polylactide(PLA)meeting“double green”criteria,the research on sustainable plasticizers for PLA has attracted broad attentions.This study reported an open-ring polymerization method to fabricate cellulose(MCC)-g-PCL(poly(ε-caprolactone))copolymers with a fully sustainable and biodegradable component.MCC-g-PCL copolymers were synthesized,characterized,and used as green plasticizers for the PLA toughening.The results indicated that the MCC-g-PCL derivatives play an important role in the compatibility,crystallization,and toughening of the PLA/MCC-g-PCL composites.The mechanical properties of the fully bio-based PLA/MCC-g-PCL composites were optimized by adding 15 wt%MCC-g-PCL,that is,the elongation at break was 22.6%(~376%higher than that of neat PLA),the tensile strength was 47.3 MPa(comparable to that of neat PLA),and the impact strength was 26 J/m(~130%higher than that of neat PLA).DSC results indicated that MCC-g-PCL reduced the Tg of the PLA blend.When the addition amount was 15 wt%,the Tg of the blend was 58.4°C.Compared with MCC,MCC-g-PCL polyester plasticizer has better thermal stability,T5%(°C)can still be maintained above 300°C.The rheological results showed that MCC-g-PCL acted as a plasticizer,the introduction of PCL flexible chain increased the mobility of PLA molecular chain,and decreased the complex viscosity,storage modulus and loss modulus of PLA blends.The MCC-g-PCL derivatives,as a new green plastic additive,have shown an interesting prospect to prepare fully bio-based composites.

Mechanical Modeling and Analysis of Stability Deterioration of Production Well During Marine Hydrate Depressurization Production

Different from oil and gas production,hydrate reservoirs are shallow and unconsolidated,whose mechanical properties deteriorate with hydrate decomposition.Therefore,the formations will undergo significant subsidence during depressurization,which will destroy the original force state of the production well.However,existing research on the stability of oil and gas production wells assumes the formation to be stable,and lacks consideration of the force exerted on the hydrate production well by formation subsidence caused by hydrate decomposition during production.To fill this gap,this paper proposes an analytical method for the dynamic evolution of the stability of hydrate production well considering the effects of hydrate decomposition.Based on the mechanical model of the production well,the basis for stability analysis has been proposed.A multi-field coupling model of the force state of the production well considering the effect of hydrate decomposition and formation subsidence is established,and a solver is developed.The analytical approach is verified by its good agreement with the results from the numerical method.A case study found that the decomposition of hydrate will increase the pulling-down force and reduce the supporting force,which is the main reason for the stability deterioration.The higher the initial hydrate saturation,the larger the reservoir thickness,and the lower the production pressure,the worse the stability or even instability.This work can provide a theoretical reference for the stability maintaining of the production well.

Eco-friendly physical blowing agent mass loss of bio-based polyurethane rigid foam materials

Through systematical experiment design, the physical blowing agent(PBA) mass loss of bio-based polyurethane rigid foam(PURF)in the foaming process was measured and calculated in this study, and different eco-friendly PBA mass losses were measured quantitatively for the first time. The core of the proposed method is to add water to replace the difference, and this method has a high fault tolerance rate for different foaming forms of foams. The method was proved to be stable and reliable through the standard deviations σ1and σ2for R1(ratio of the PBA mass loss to the material total mass except the PBA) and R2(ratio of the PBA mass loss to the PBA mass in the material total mass) in parallel experiments. It can be used to measure and calculate the actual PBA mass loss in the foaming process of both bio-based and petroleumbased PURF. The results show that the PBA mass loss in PURF with different PBA systems is controlled by its initial mass content of PBA in PU materials ω. The main way for PBA to dissipate into the air is evaporation/escape along the upper surface of foam. This study further reveals the mechanism of PBA mass loss: the evaporation/escape of PBA along the upper surface of foam is a typical diffusion behavior. Its spread power comes from the difference between the chemical potential of PBA in the interface layer and that in the outside air. For a certain PURF system, R1has approximately linear relationship with the initial mass content of PBA in PU materials ω, which can be expressed by the functional relationship R1= kω, where k is a variable related to PBA’s own attributes.

CO_(2)-Responsive Smart Foams Stabilized by an Extremely Rigid Bio-Based Surfactant

Environment friendly and intelligent surfactants have attracted great attention in recent years.A bio-based CO_(2)responsive surfactant rosin acid dimaleimide choline(R-BMI-C)with an extremely rigid skeleton was prepared using rosin and choline as raw materials by Diels-Alder addition reaction and acid-base neutralization reactions.Its structure was confirmed by IR and^(1)H NMR spectra.The foams’properties of R-BMI-C could be adjusted by bubbling CO_(2)/N_(2)to change the structure of the surfactant.At pH 10.4,R-BMI-C forms an unstable foam with a half-life of 1.5 h.When the pH was reduced to 7.4 by bubbling CO_(2),R-BMI-C forms an extremely stable foam with a half-life of 336 h.The surfactant R-BMI-C changed from bola type to conventional type when bubbling CO_(2).And the internal aggregation structure of R-BMI-C aqueous solution changed from spherical micelles to laminar micelles according to the cryogenic-transmission electron microscope.We know that the lamellar structure tends to adsorb at the air/water interface or is trapped in the foam film,which slows down the foam coarsening and agglomeration process,resulting in a significant increase in foam stability.R-BMI-C could be used in oil extraction,fire-fighting and chemical decontamination due to its excellent foaming,stabilization and defoaming properties.

Single-base editing in IGF2 improves meat production and intramuscular fat deposition in Liang Guang Small Spotted pigs

Background Chinese indigenous pigs are popular with consumers for their juiciness,flavour and meat quality,but they have lower meat production.Insulin-like growth factor 2(IGF2) is a maternally imprinted growth factor that promotes skeletal muscle growth by regulating cell proliferation and differentiation.A single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP) within intron 3 of porcine IGF2 disrupts a binding site for the repressor,zinc finger BED-type containing 6(ZBED6),leading to up-regulation of IGF2 and causing major effects on muscle growth,heart size,and backfat thickness.This favorable mutation is common in Western commercial pig populations,but absent in most Chinese indigenous pig breeds.To improve meat production of Chinese indigenous pigs,we used cytosine base editor 3(CBE3)to introduce IGF2 intron3-C3071T mutation into porcine embryonic fibroblasts(PEFs) isolated from a male Liang Guang Small Spotted pig(LGSS),and single-cell clones harboring the desired mutation were selected for somatic cell nuclear transfer(SCNT) to generate the founder line of IGF2^(T/T) pigs.Results We found the heterozygous progeny IGF2^(C/T) pigs exhibited enhanced expression of IGF2,increased lean meat by 18%-36%,enlarged loin muscle area by 3%-17%,improved intramuscular fat(IMF) content by 18%-39%,marbling score by 0.75-1,meat color score by 0.53-1.25,and reduced backfat thickness by 5%-16%.The enhanced accumulation of intramuscular fat in IGF2^(C/T) pigs was identified to be regulated by the PI3K-AKT/AMPK pathway,which activated SREBP1 to promote adipogenesis.Conclusions We demonstrated the introduction of IGF2-intron3-C3071T in Chinese LGSS can improve both meat production and quality,and first identified the regulation of IMF deposition by IGF2 through SREBP1 via the PI3KAKT/AMPK signaling pathways.Our study provides a further understanding of the biological functions of IGF2and an example for improving porcine economic traits through precise base editing.

Synthesis,Characterization and Water Absorption Analysis of Highly Hygroscopic Bio-based Co-polyamides 56/66

This study aims to develop highly hygroscopic bio-based co-polyamides(CPs)by melt co-polycondensation of polyamide(PA)56 salt and PA66 salt with varying molar fractions.The functional groups and the chemical structure of the prepared samples were determined by Fourier transform infrared(FTIR)spectroscopy and proton nuclear magnetic resonance(^(1)H-NMR)spectroscopy.The relative viscosity was determined with an Ubbelohde viscometer.The melting behavior and the thermal stability of CPs were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry(DSC)and thermogravimetric analysis(TGA).Furthermore,the water absorption behavior of CP hot-pressed film was studied.The results reveal that the melting point,the crystallization temperature and the crystallinity of CPs firstly decrease and then increase with the molar fraction of PA66 in CPs.The copolymerization of PA56 with PA66 leads to an obvious increase in water absorption.The CPs with PA66 molar fraction of 50%possess a high saturated water absorption rate of 17.6%,compared to 11.6%for pure PA56 and 7.8%for pure PA66.

High Water Resistance and Enhanced Mechanical Properties of Bio-Based Waterborne Polyurethane Enabled by in-situ Construction of Interpenetrating Polymer Network

In this study,acrylic acid was used as a neutralizer to prepare bio-based WPU with an interpenetrating polymer network structure by thermally induced free radical emulsion polymerization.The effects of the content of acrylic acid on the properties of the resulting waterborne polyurethane-poly(acrylic acid)(WPU-PAA)dispersion and the films were systematically investigated.The results showed that the cross-linking density of the interpenetrating network polymers was increased and the interlocking structure of the soft and hard phase dislocations in the molecular segments of the double networks was tailored with increasing the content of acrylic acid,leading to enhancement of the mechanical properties and water resistance of WPU-PAA films.Notably,with the increase in content of acrylic acid,the tensile strength,Young’s modulus,and toughness of the WPU-PAA-110 film increased by 3 times,and 8 times,and 2.4 times compared with WPU-PAA-80,respectively.The WPU-PAA-100 film showed the best water resistance,and the water absorption rate at 96 h was only 3.27%.This work provided a new design scheme for constructing bio-based WPU materials with excellent properties.

Classification and technical target of water electrolysis for hydrogen production

Continuous efforts are underway to reduce carbon emissions worldwide in response to global climate change.Water electrolysis technology,in conjunction with renewable energy,is considered the most feasible hydrogen production technology based on the viable possibility of large-scale hydrogen production and the zero-carbon-emission nature of the process.However,for hydrogen produced via water electrolysis systems to be utilized in various fields in practice,the unit cost of hydrogen production must be reduced to$1/kg H_(2).To achieve this unit cost,technical targets for water electrolysis have been suggested regarding components in the system.In this paper,the types of water electrolysis systems and the limitations of water electrolysis system components are explained.We suggest guideline with recent trend for achieving this technical target and insights for the potential utilization of water electrolysis technology.

Upcycling plastic wastes into value-added products via electrocatalysis and photoelectrocatalysis

Plastic,renowned for its versatility,durability,and cost-effectiveness,is indispensable in modern society.Nevertheless,the annual production of nearly 400 million tons of plastic,coupled with a recycling rate of only 9%,has led to a monumental environmental crisis.Plastic recycling has emerged as a vital response to this crisis,offering sustainable solutions to mitigate its environmental impact.Among these recycling efforts,plastic upcycling has garnered attention,which elevates discarded plastics into higher-value products.Here,electrocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic treatments stand at the forefront of advanced plastic upcycling.Electrocatalytic or photoelectrocatalytic treatments involve chemical reactions that facilitate electron transfer through the electrode/electrolyte interface,driven by electrical or solar energy,respectively.These methods enable precise control of chemical reactions,harnessing potential,current density,or light to yield valuable chemical products.This review explores recent progress in plastic upcycling through electrocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic pathways,offering promising solutions to the plastic waste crisis and advancing sustainability in the plastics industry.

Quantifying the agreement and accuracy characteristics of four satellite-based LULC products for cropland classification in China

Various land use and land cover(LULC)products have been produced over the past decade with the development of remote sensing technology.Despite the differences in LULC classification schemes,there is a lack of research on assessing the accuracy of their application to croplands in a unified framework.Thus,this study evaluated the spatial and area accuracies of cropland classification for four commonly used global LULC products(i.e.,MCD12Q1V6,GlobCover2009,FROM-GLC and GlobeLand30)based on the harmonised FAO criterion,and quantified the relationships between four factors(i.e.,slope,elevation,field size and crop system)and cropland classification agreement.The validation results indicated that MCD12Q1 and GlobeLand30 performed well in cropland classification regarding spatial consistency,with overall accuracies of 94.90 and 93.52%,respectively.The FROMGLC showed the worst performance,with an overall accuracy of 83.17%.Overlaying the cropland generated by the four global LULC products,we found the proportions of complete agreement and disagreement were 15.51 and 44.72% for the cropland classification,respectively.High consistency was mainly observed in the Northeast China Plain,the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain and the northern part of the Middle-lower Yangtze Plain,China.In contrast,low consistency was detected primarily on the eastern edge of the northern and semiarid region,the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and southern China.Field size was the most important factor for mapping cropland.For area accuracy,compared with China Statistical Yearbook data at the provincial scale,the accuracies of different products in descending order were:GlobeLand30,FROM-GLC,MCD12Q1,and GlobCover2009.The cropland classification schemes mainly caused large area deviations among the four products,and they also resulted in the different ranks of spatial accuracy and area accuracy among the four products.Our results can provide valuable suggestions for selecting cropland products at the national or provincial scale and help cropland mapping and reconstruction,which is essential for food security and crop management,so they can also contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals issued by the United Nations.

Simulation of the Ecosystem Productivity Responses to Aerosol Diffuse Radiation Fertilization Effects over the Pan-Arctic during 2001–19

The pan-Arctic is confronted with air pollution transported from lower latitudes.Observations have shown that aerosols help increase plant photosynthesis through the diffuse radiation fertilization effects(DRFEs).While such DRFEs have been explored at low to middle latitudes,the aerosol impacts on pan-Arctic ecosystems and the contributions by anthropogenic and natural emission sources remain less quantified.Here,we perform regional simulations at 0.2o×0.2ousing a well-validated vegetation model(Yale Interactive terrestrial Biosphere,YIBs)in combination with multi-source of observations to quantify the impacts of aerosol DRFEs on the net primary productivity(NPP)in the pan-Arctic during 2001-19.Results show that aerosol DRFEs increase pan-Arctic NPP by 2.19 Pg C(12.8%)yr^(-1)under clear-sky conditions,in which natural and anthropogenic sources contribute to 8.9% and 3.9%,respectively.Under all-sky conditions,such DRFEs are largely dampened by cloud to only 0.26 Pg C(1.24%)yr^(-1),with contributions of 0.65% by natural and 0.59% by anthropogenic species.Natural aerosols cause a positive NPP trend of 0.022% yr^(-1)following the increased fire activities in the pan-Arctic.In contrast,anthropogenic aerosols induce a negative trend of-0.01% yr^(-1)due to reduced emissions from the middle latitudes.Such trends in aerosol DRFEs show a turning point in the year of 2007 with more positive NPP trends by natural aerosols but negative NPP trends by anthropogenic aerosols thereafter.Though affected by modeling uncertainties,this study suggests a likely increasing impact of aerosols on terrestrial ecosystems in the pan-Arctic under global warming.

Effects of Maillard reaction and its product AGEs on aging and age-related diseases

Maillard reaction(MR)is a non-enzymatic browning reaction commonly seen in food processing,which occurs between reducing sugars and compounds with amino groups.Despite certain advantages based on Maillard reaction products(MRPs)found in some food for health and storage application have appeared,however,the MR occurring in human physiological environment can produce advanced glycation end products(AGEs)by non-enzymatic modification of macromolecules such as proteins,lipids and nucleic acid,which could change the structure and functional activity of the molecules themselves.In this review,we take AGEs as our main object,on the one hand,discuss physiologic aging,that is,age-dependent covalent cross-linking and modification of proteins such as collagen that occur in eyes and skin containing connective tissue.On the other hand,pathological aging associated with autoimmune and inflammatory diseases,neurodegenerative diseases,diabetes and diabetic nephropathy,cardiovascular diseases and bone degenerative diseases have been mainly proposed.Based on the series of adverse effects of accelerated aging and disease pathologies caused by MRPs,the possible harm caused by some MR can be slowed down or inhibited by artificial drug intervention,dietary pattern and lifestyle control.It also stimulates people's curiosity to continue to explore the potential link between the MR and human aging and health,which should be paid more attention to for the development of life sciences.

Product quality prediction based on RBF optimized by firefly algorithm

With the development of information technology,a large number of product quality data in the entire manufacturing process is accumulated,but it is not explored and used effectively.The traditional product quality prediction models have many disadvantages,such as high complexity and low accuracy.To overcome the above problems,we propose an optimized data equalization method to pre-process dataset and design a simple but effective product quality prediction model:radial basis function model optimized by the firefly algorithm with Levy flight mechanism(RBFFALM).First,the new data equalization method is introduced to pre-process the dataset,which reduces the dimension of the data,removes redundant features,and improves the data distribution.Then the RBFFALFM is used to predict product quality.Comprehensive expe riments conducted on real-world product quality datasets validate that the new model RBFFALFM combining with the new data pre-processing method outperforms other previous me thods on predicting product quality.

Research Status and Prospects of Bio-based Materials for Grease Barrier Coatings on Paper Food Packaging

Increased environmental and health concerns over the use of plastic packaging or fluorine-containing coatings,in combination with increased market demand for products with a longer shelf life,make bio-based materials one of the most important research candidates for alternative paper packaging materials for oil resistance.These bio-based materials have excellent oxygen and oil barriers,which are critical for food packaging.Moreover,they are biodegradable,naturally renewable,and safe.In this artical,two main groups of bio-based oil repellents for paper food packaging,including polysaccharide-based biopolymers and protein-based biopolymers,are enumerated,and the advantages and weaknesses of bio-based oil repellents are discussed,and effective solutions are proposed.Finally,research status and prospects on the development of bio-based oil-resistant coatings for the food packaging industry are presented.

High-rate electrochemical H_(2)O_(2) production over multimetallic atom catalysts under acidic–neutral conditions

Hydrogen peroxide(H_(2)O_(2))production by the electrochemical 2-electron oxygen reduction reaction(2e−ORR)is a promising alternative to the energy-intensive anthraquinone process,and single-atom electrocatalysts show the unique capability of high selectivity toward 2e−ORR against the 4e−one.The extremely low surface density of the single-atom sites and the inflexibility in manipulating their geometric/electronic configurations,however,compromise the H_(2)O_(2) yield and impede further performance enhancement.Herein,we construct a family of multiatom catalysts(MACs),on which two or three single atoms are closely coordinated to form high-density active sites that are versatile in their atomic configurations for optimal adsorption of essential*OOH species.Among them,the Cox–Ni MAC presents excellent electrocatalytic performance for 2e−ORR,in terms of its exceptionally high H_(2)O_(2) yield in acidic electrolytes(28.96 mol L^(−1) gcat.^(−1) h^(−1))and high selectivity under acidic to neutral conditions in a wide potential region(>80%,0–0.7 V).Operando X-ray absorption and density functional theory analyses jointly unveil its unique trimetallic Co2NiN8 configuration,which efficiently induces an appropriate Ni–d orbital filling and modulates the*OOH adsorption,together boosting the electrocatalytic 2e−ORR capability.This work thus provides a new MAC strategy for tuning the geometric/electronic structure of active sites for 2e−ORR and other potential electrochemical processes.

Research Progress and Prospects of Total Factor Productivity in the Construction Industry

The high-quality development of the construction industry fundamentally stems from the significant improvement of total factor productivity.Therefore,it is of crucial significance for promoting the development of the construction industry to a higher level by scientifically and accurately measuring the total factor productivity of the construction industry and deeply analyzing the influencing factors behind it.Based on a comprehensive consideration of research methods and influencing factors,this paper systematically reviews the existing relevant literature on total factor productivity in the construction industry,aiming to reveal the current research development trend in this field and point out potential problems.This effort aims to provide a solid theoretical foundation and valuable reference for further in-depth research,and jointly promote the continuous progress and development of total factor productivity research in the construction industry.