Radical and(photo)electron transfer induced mechanisms for lignin photo-and electro-catalytic depolymerization

As one of the three major components of woody biomass,lignin is a kind of natural organic polymer and the only abundant natural renewable resource with aromatic nucleus.Chemical catalysis induced depolymerization is an important and effective approach for lignin utilization.In particular,photocatalysis and electrocatalysis show great potential in accurately activating C-O/C-C bonds,which is a critical point of selective cleavage of lignin.In this contribution,we focus on radical and(photo)electron transfer induced reaction mechanisms of the photo(electro)catalytic depolymerization of lignin.Primarily,the general situation of Carbon-centered radicals and active oxygen species mediated lignin conversion has been discussed.Then the mechanisms for(photo)electron transfer mediated lignin depolymerization have been summarized.At the end of this review,the challenges and opportunities of photo(electro)catalysis in the applications of lignin valorization have been forecasted.

Co@CoO:An efficient catalyst for the depolymerization and upgrading of lignocellulose to alkylcyclohexanols with cellulose intact

The depolymerization and upgrading of lignin from raw biomass,while keeping cellulose intact is important in biorefinery and various metal-based catalysts have been used in reductive catalytic fractionation,a key method in"lignin-first"strategy,Recently,we found that a core-shell structured Co@CoO catalyst with CoO shell as the real active site had excellent performance in the hydrogenolysis of 5-hydromethylfurfural to 2,5-dimethylfuran due to its unique ability to dissociate H_(2)and yield active H^(δ-)species(Xiang et al.,2022).In this work,we report a one-pot depolymerization and upgrading of lignocellulose to alkylcyclohexanols,a flavour precursor,with intact cellulose over this unique core-shell structured catalyst,Co@CoO.Lignin model compounds(β-O-4,4-O-5,α-O-4)were first used to clarify the activity of Co@CoO catalyst.Then,the one-pot conversion of various organosolv lignin(birch,pine and poplar)to alkylcyclohexanols was realized with the mass yield of alkylcyclohexanols up to25.8 wt%from birch lignin under the reaction condition of 210℃,1 MPa H_(2),16 h.Finally,the corresponding woody sawdusts were used as feedstocks and found that the Co@CoO catalyst indeed preferentially depolymerized and upgraded the lignin part and obtained the same alkylcyclohexanols products with the retention of cellulose-rich pulp.The collected alkylcyclohexanols were further esterified to obtain valueadded esters,which can be used as flavors.This work will inspire the design of new efficient metal oxide catalysts in lignin fractionation and depolymerization to high-value-added chemicals with intact cellulose.

New possibility for PET plastic recycling by a tailored hydrolytic enzyme

Plastic waste puts a huge burden on the ecosystem due to the current lack of mature recycling technology.Poly(ethylene terephthalate)(PET)is one of the most produced plastics in the world.Enzymatic decomposition holds the promise of recovering monomers from PET plastic,and the monomers can be used to regenerate new PET products.However,there are still limitations in the activity and thermal stability of the existing PET hydrolases.The recent study by Lu et al.introduced a novel PET hydrolase via machine learning-aided engineering.The obtained PET hydrolase showed excellent activity and thermal stability in the hydrolysis of PET and is capable of directly degrading large amounts of postconsumer PET products.This approach provides an effective method for recycling PET waste and is expected to improve the current state of plastic pollution worldwide.

Synthesis of NaY zeolite from a submolten depolymerized perlite:Alkalinity effect and crystallization kinetics

NaY zeolites are synthesized using submolten salt depolymerized natural perlite mineral as the main silica and alumina sources in a 0.94 L stirred crystallizer.Effects of alkalinity ranging from 0.38 to 0.55(n(Na2O)/n(SiO_(2)))on the relative crystallinity,textural properties and crystallization kinetics were investigated.The results show that alkalinity exerts a nonmonotonic influence on the relative crystallinity and textural properties,which exhibit a maximum at the alkalinity of 0.43.The nucleation kinetics are studied by fitting the experimental data of relative crystallinity with the Gualtieri model.It is shown that the nucleation rate constant increases with increasing alkalinity,while the duration period of nucleation decreases with increasing alkalinity.For n(Na2O)/n(SiO_(2))ratios ranging from 0.38 to 0.55,the as-synthesized NaY zeolites exhibit narrower crystal size distributions with the increase in alkalinity.The growth rates determined from the variations of average crystal size with time are 51.09,157.50,46.17 and 24.75 nm·h^(-1),respectively.It is found that the larger average crystal sizes at the alkalinity of 0.38 and 0.43 are attributed to the dominant role of crystal growth over nucleation.Furthermore,the combined action of prominent crystal growth and the longer duration periods of nucleation at the alkalinity of 0.38 and 0.43 results in broader crystal size distributions.The findings demonstrate that control of the properties of NaY zeolite and the crystallization kinetics can be achieved by conducting the crystallization process in an appropriate range of alkalinity of the reaction mixture.

Scinderin promotes glioma cell migration and invasion via remodeling actin cytoskeleton

BACKGROUND Glioma is one of the most common intracranial tumors,characterized by invasive growth and poor prognosis.Actin cytoskeletal rearrangement is an essential event of tumor cell migration.The actin dynamics-related protein scinderin(SCIN)has been reported to be closely related to tumor cell migration and invasion in several cancers.AIM To investigate the role and mechanism of SCIN in glioma.METHODS The expression and clinical significance of SCIN in glioma were analyzed based on public databases.SCIN expression was examined using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting.Gene silencing was performed using short hairpin RNA transfection.Cell viability,migration,and invasion were assessed using cell counting kit 8 assay,wound healing,and Matrigel invasion assays,respectively.F-actin cytoskeleton organization was assessed using F-actin staining.RESULTS SCIN expression was significantly elevated in glioma,and high levels of SCIN were associated with advanced tumor grade and wild-type isocitrate dehydrogenase.Furthermore,SCIN-deficient cells exhibited decreased proliferation,migration,and invasion in U87 and U251 cells.Moreover,knockdown of SCIN inhibited the RhoA/focal adhesion kinase(FAK)signaling to promote F-actin depolymerization in U87 and U251 cells.CONCLUSION SCIN modulates the actin cytoskeleton via activating RhoA/FAK signaling,thereby promoting the migration and invasion of glioma cells.This study identified the cancer-promoting effect of SCIN and provided a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of glioma.

Application of the Shrinking Particle Model for the Evaluation of Molecular Recyclability of PET versus Semi-Aromatic Polyesters

The molecular recyclability of poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and three semi-aromatic polyesters poly (phloretic acid) (poly-H), poly (dihydroferulic acid) (poly-G), and poly (dihydrosinapinic acid) (poly-S) is evaluated in this study. PET is an extensively used aromatic polyester, and poly-H, poly-G, and poly-S can be considered semi-aromatic poly (lactic acid) modifications. All these polyesters have been depolymerized at neutral pH and by acid- and base-catalyzed hydrolysis at two temperatures, i.e., 50˚C and 80˚C. Base-catalyzed depolymerization of virgin PET leads to an isolated yield of 38% after 48 hours of reaction at 80˚C. Contrary to these results for PET, almost all the monomers of the semi-aromatic polyesters poly-H, poly-G, and poly-S are recovered with isolated yields larger than 90% at the same temperature after 15 minutes in a facile manner. A shrinking particle model used to determine the global kinetics of the base-catalyzed depolymerization showed that the rate rises with increasing temperature. Using the shrinking particle model, the intrinsic reaction rate constants were determined. It has been demonstrated that the rate coefficients of the depolymerization of the semi-aromatic polyesters poly-H, poly-G, and poly-S are between 2 and 3 orders of magnitude higher than those for PET.

Lignin depolymerization for phenolic monomers production by sustainable processes

Biomass wastes(almond shell and olive tree pruning) were used in this work as raw materials for the extraction of high purity lignin by different delignification methods. A pretreatment stage was carried out to remove the major hemicelluloses content in the solid feedstocks. Afterward, two sulfur-free pulping processes(soda and organosolv) were applied to extract the largest fraction of lignin. The extracted lignin contained in the liquors was isolated using selective precipitation methods to design a tailor-made technique for obtaining high-purity lignin(in all cases more 90% of purity was reached). Soda process allowed the extraction of more lignin(around 40%–47%) than organosolv process(lower than 20%) regardless of the lignocellulosic source employed.Once the different lignin samples were isolated and characterized, they were depolymerized for the obtaining of small phenolic compounds. Three main streams were produced after the reaction: phenolic enriched oil, residual lignin and coke. After the purification of these fractions, their quantifications and characterization were conducted.The most abundant product of the reaction was residual lignin generated by the undesirable repolymerization of the initial lignin with yields around 30%–45%. The yield of the stream enriched in phenolic oil was higher than 20%. Coke, the lowest added-value product, presented a yield lower than 12% in all the cases. Lignin from organosolv presented higher phenolic oil yields, mainly due to their lower molecular size. This parameter was, thus, considered a key factor to obtain higher yields.

Catalytic depolymerization of calcium lignosulfonate by NiMgFeO_x derived from sub-micron sized NiMgFe hydrotalcite prepared by introducing hydroxyl compounds

A new method for regulating the synthesis of Ni Mg Fe hydrotalcites(NMF LDHs) with the addition of hydroxyl compounds was proposed. A series of NMF LDHs were prepared by the above method, and then were calcined to obtain the Ni Mg FeOx(NMFOx) samples. The NMFOxsamples were characterized by XRD,SEM, TG-DTG, XPS and CO2-TPD, respectively. The catalytic performance of NMFOxfor depolymerizing calcium lignosulfonate(CLS) was evaluated by hydrothermal reaction. The results showed that the addition of hydroxyl compounds favored reducing the particle sizes of NMF LDHs. For the depolymerization of CSL, the yield of liquid product increased from 45% to 75.8% with the addition of NMFOx-ethanol(NMFOxET). The liquid products were mainly phenolics, aromatics, ketones and esters. The total selectivity of oxy-containing compounds was over 90.6%, among them, the phenolics were approximately 35.2%. The valence of Ni and Fe, crystalline phase and basicity almost remained unchanged. The NMFOx-ET samples were recycled for the depolymerization of CLS, moreover, the NMFOx-ET samples had high activity and stability after 4 cycles.

Depolymerization of Poly(bisphenol A carbonate) in Subcritical and Supercritical Toluene

The depolymerization of poly（bisphenol A carbonate）（PC） in subcritical and supercritical toluene was studied. The experimental parameters, which influence the depolymerization reaction such as temperature （570-633 K）, pressure （4.0-7.0 MPa）, reaction time （5-60 min）, and toluene to PC weight ratio （3.0-11.0）, were investigated, and the reaction products were determined by CrC, GC/MS and FT-IR spectrometer. It was found that the main product of the depolymerization reaction was bisphenol A（BPA）. BPA accounted for over 55.7% of the depolymerization products at reaction temperature 613 K, pressure 5.0-6.0 MPa, reaction time 15 min and toluene/PC weight ratio of around 7.0.

A Bifunctional Brønsted Acidic Deep Eutectic Solvent to Dissolve and Catalyze the Depolymerization of Alkali Lignin

Lignin is an abundant renewable macromolecular material in nature,and degradation of lignin to improve its hydroxyl content is the key to its efficient use.Alkali lignin(AL)was treated with Brønsted acidic deep eutectic solvent(DES)based on choline chloride and p-toluenesulfonic acid at mild reaction temperature,the structure of the lignin before and after degradation,as well as the composition of small molecules of lignin were analyzed in order to investigate the chemical structure changes of lignin with DES treatment,and the degradation mechanism of lignin in this acidic DES was elucidated in this work.FTIR and NMR analyses demonstrated the selective cleavage of the lignin ether linkages in the degradation process,which was in line with the increased content of phenolic hydroxyl species.XPS revealed that the O/C atomic ratio of the regenerated lignin was lower than that of the AL sample,revealing that the lignin underwent decarbonylation during the DES treatment.Regenerated lignin with low molecular weight and narrow polydispersity index was obtained,and the average molecular weight(Mw)decreased from 17680 g/mol to 2792 g/mol(130°C,3 h)according to GPC analysis.The lignin-degraded products were mainly G-type phenolics and ketones,and small number of aldehydes were also generated,the possible degradation pathway of lignin in this acidic DES was proposed.

Oxidative depolymerization of lignin improved by enzymolysis pretreatment with laccase

A new lignin depolymerization approach for improving the yield of aromatic monomers（YAM） by enzymolysis pretreatment was investigated, in which lignin was pretreated with laccase followed by oxidative depolymerization. It was found that lignin depolymeirzation was enhanced significantly by enzymolysis. The oxidative depolymerization contributed to 21.37% of YAM after the enzymolysis pretreatment,whereas the conventional oxidative depolymerization only gave 14.10% of YAM. The addition of ethanol in enzymatic pretreatment process improved the efficiency of enzymolysis, which effectively improved the solubility of pretreated lignin and depolymerization degree（DD） of lignin. The enzymolysis pretreatment increased the content of syringyl（S） style aromatic monomers, which hindered the recondensation among polymerized products. As lignin has low solubility in acidic aqueous solution, ethanol was added into enzymolysis system to improve the efficiency. However, the enzymolysis of lignin should be carried out for a limited period of time to prevent the inactivation of laccase.

Mathematical Modeling and Inverse Analysis for Microbial Depolymerization Processes of Xenobiotic Polymers

Microbial depolymerization processes of xenobiotic polymers are discussed. A mathematical model is formulated and inverse problems for a time factor and a molecular factor of a degradation rate are described. Experimental outcomes are introduced in inverse analyses. Once the time factor and the molecular factor are obtained, the microbial depolymerization process is simu-lated. Numerical techniques are illustrated and numerical results are presented.

Numerical Simulation of Microwaveassisted Depolymerization of Kraft Lignin

Kraft lignin has the potential to replace traditional fossil resources for the preparation of high-value chemicals because it is rich in aromatic rings and active functional groups.An effective method for the pyrolysis of kraft lignin into chemicals/fuels is microwave-assisted depolymerization.A simulation model is urgently needed to illustrate the coupling effect and mechanism of lignin conversion during the depolymerization process.In this study,COMSOL Multiphysics was used to simulate the microwave-assisted depolymerization process.The results showed that microwave power had a significant effect on the electric field and temperature distribution in the microwave cavity,while the reaction time had little effect on the electric field.The effect of the nitrogen flow rate on the electric field and temperature was negligible.The intensity of the electric field,heating rate of lignin,and final temperature of lignin depolymerization increased with increasing microwave power.

DEPOLYMERIZATION AND KINETICS OF DEPOLYMERIZATION OF POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE USING DIBUTYLTIN OXIDE CATALYST

Depolymerization of poly（ethylene terephthalate） （PET） was performed in the tubular bomb microreactor which contained the solution of PET in methanol and dibutyltin oxide at the temperature ranging from 433 K to 473 K, the reaction time from 5 to 45 min and the catalyst-to-PET ratio of 0.3%-2% by weight. The optimal condition for PET depolymerization catalyzed by dibutyltin oxide is the temperature of 443-453 K, the reaction time of 20-25 min and 0.8% by weight of catalyst. By using differential methods, the activation energy for the depolymerization process was found to be 154.05 kJ/mol in the temperature range from 433-463 K.

Depolymerization of <i>α</i>- &<i>β</i>-Chitosan by <i>e</i>-Beam Irradiation

α- and β-chitosan with molecular weight of 190,000 and 800,000 respectively, were depolymerized by e-beam irradiation with various doses. The radiation yield of scission (Gs) and degradation rate of the chitosans were identified. The synergistic chemical degradation in the presence of hydrogen peroxide is more effective at lower doses. Mw of β-chitosan was dramatically decreased from 800,000 to 21,030 at the irradiation dose 5 kGy, on the other hand, that of α-chitosan was decreased much more gradually from 190,000 to 36,000. The values of Gs at 10 kGy in the solution without H2O2 and with H2O2 were respectively 6.09 × 10-5 mol/cal and 30.6 × 10-5 mol/cal for α-Chitosan, and 8.18 × 10-5 mol/cal and 43.8 × 10-5 mol/cal for β-chitosan. It was obviously effective on depolymerization by using the combination of e-beam and H2O2. α-Chitosan molecules are likely to adopt a diffuse conformation in the solution and make the different morphologies depending on the concentration.

Production of Bio-Phenols for Industrial Application:Scale-Up of the Base-Catalyzed Depolymerization of Lignin

Objective of this study was the investigation on the up-scaling of base-catalyzed depolymerization (BCD) of lignin to pilot plant dimension. The cleavage process was carried out in dilute alkaline solution at temperatures up to 340°C and a pressure of 25 MPa in a continuously operated tubular flow reactor with throughputs up to 20 kg/h. Investigations included the proof of the feasibility of the scale-up as well as a parameter study on the cleavage of hardwood Organosolv lignin and softwood Kraft lignin within the established pilot plant. Yields and molecular compositions of the isolated product fractions BCD-oil (liquid phenolic fraction) and BCD-oligomers (solid phenolic fraction) are similar to those described in technical lab scale, showing a good scalability. Here, BCD-oils rich in phenolic monomers such as guaiacol, catechol and/or syringol were obtained with a content of up to 13.3 wt% and 14.5 wt% from Organosolv lignin and Kraft lignin, respectively. Formation of BCD-oligomers strongly depends on temperature and residence times within the reactor.

Artificial Water Channel Promoting Depolymerization of Actin Filaments to Trigger Cancer Cell Apoptosis

Actin filaments play important physiological functions,which have become potential targets of antitumor drugs.Using chemicals to intervene their polymerization-depolymerization dynamics would generate new strategies for designing antitumor drugs.In this report,an artificial water channel appending acetazolamide moiety,a ligand that can selectively bind to carbonic anhydrase IX,has been prepared.

Ionic liquid-trimetallic electrocatalytic system for C–O bond cleavage in lignin model compounds and lignin under ambient conditions

Electrocatalytic depolymerization of lignin into value-added chemicals offers a promising technique to make biorefining sustainable.Herein,we report a robust trimetallic PdNiBi electrocatalyst for reductive C–O bond cleavage of different lignin model dimers and oxidized lignin under mild conditions.The reduction reaction proceeds with complete substrate conversion and excellent yields toward monomers of phenols(80%–99%)and acetophenones(75%–96%)in the presence of an ionic liquid electrolyte with operational stability.Systematic experimental investigations together with density functional theory(DFT)calculations reveal that the outstanding performance of the catalyst results from the synergistic effect of the metal elements,which facilitates the easier formation of a key Cαradical intermediate and the facile desorption of the as-formed products at the electrode.The results open up new opportunities for lignin valorization through the green electrocatalytic approach.

On Depolymerization

Polymers have become an essential part of modern life and the global economy on account of their costeffectiveness and versatile properties.However,most postconsumer polymer wastes are unrecycled,leading to environmental pollution and resource wastage.Depolymerization,as an efficient chemical recycling approach,holds great promise in establishing a circular polymer economy.In this review,we attempt to highlight recent and significant advancements in depolymerization methodologies.Two key research topics are discussed:(1)depolymerization of commodity polymers to produce reusable monomers and high-value chemicals;(2)depolymerization of intrinsically depolymerizable polymers.It is anticipated that this review will reflect the present status and future trends of this rapidly evolving realm of depolymerization.

MONOMER REACTIVITY RATIO AND THERMAL PERFORMANCE OFα-METHYL STYRENE AND GLYCIDYL METHACRYLATE COPOLYMERS

Synthesis and characterization of the copolymers （PAG） of α-methyl styrene （AMS） and glycidyl methacrylate （GMA） are presented. The copolymers of PAG were characterized by gel permeation chromatography （GPC）, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FTIR）, nuclear magnetic resonance （^1H-NMR） and thermogravimetery （TG）. Based on the copolymer compositions determined by ^1H-NMR, the reactivity ratios of AMS and GMA were found to be 0.105 ± 0.012 and 0.883 ± 0.046 respectively by Kelen-Tudos method. TG revealed that thermal stability of the copolymers decreased with increasing the AMS content in the copolymers, which indicated that the degradation was mainly caused by the chain scission of AMS-containing structures. Under heating, the copolymers depolymerize at their weak bonds and form chain radicals, which could further initiate other chemical reactions.