Critical approaches in the catalytic transformation of sugar isomerization and epimerization after Fischer-History,challenges,and prospects

The transformation of aldose to ketose or common sugars into rare saccharides,including rare ketoses and aldoses,is of great value and interest to the food industry and for saccharidic biomass utilization,medicine,and the synthesis of drugs.Nowadays,high-fructose corn syrup(HFCS)is industrially produced in more than 10 million tons annually using immobilized glucose isomerase.Some low-calorie saccharides such as tagatose and psicose,which are becoming popular sweeteners,have also been produced on a pilot scale in order to replace sucrose and HFCS.However,current catalysts and catalytic processes are still difficult to utilize in biomass conversion and also have strong substrate dependence in producing high-value,rare sugars.Considering the specific reaction properties of saccharides and catalysts,since the pioneering discovery by Fischer,various catalysts and catalytic systems have been discovered or developed in attempts to extend the reaction pathways,improve the reaction efficiency,and to potentially produce commercial products.In this review,we trace the history of sugar isomerization/epimerization reactions and summarize the important breakthroughs for each reaction as well as the difficulties that remain unresolved to date.

Effect of mesopore spatial distribution of HZSM-5 catalyst on zinc state and product distribution in 1-hexene aromatization

1-hexene aromatization is a promising technology to convert excess olefin in fluid catalytic cracking(FCC)gasoline to high-value benzene(B),toluene(T),and xylene.Besides,the increasing market demand of xylene has put forward higher requirements for new generation of catalyst.For increasing xylene yield in 1-hexene aromatization,the effect of mesopore structure and spatial distribution on product distribution and Zn loading was studied.Catalysts with different mesopore spatial distribution were prepared by post-treatment of parent HZSM-5 zeolite,including NaOH treatment,tetra-propylammonium hydroxide(TPAOH)treatment,and recrystallization.It was found the evenly distributed mesopore mainly prolongs the catalyst lifetime by enhancing diffusion properties but reduces the aromatics selectivity,as a result of damage of micropores close to the catalyst surface.While the selectivity of high-value xylene can be highly promoted when the mesopore is mainly distributed interior the catalyst.Besides,the state of loaded Zn was also affected by mesopores spatial distribution.On the optimized catalyst,the xylene selectivity was enhanced by 12.4%compared with conventional Zn-loaded parent HZSM-5 catalyst at conversion over 99%.It was attributed to the synergy effect of mesopores spatial distribution and optimized acid properties.This work reveals the role of mesopores in different spatial positions of 1-hexene aromatization catalysts in the reaction process and the influence on metal distribution,as well as their synergistic effect two on the improvement of xylene selectivity,which can improve our understanding of catalyst pore structure and be helpful for the rational design of high-efficient catalyst.

Aromatization and isomerization of methylcyclohexane over Ni catalysts supported on different supports

In this work, nickel metal supported on different supports(SiO_2, Al_2O_3, ZSM-5) were prepared by spraying nickel nitrate on the supports and calcined at 873 K. Then, they were characterized by XRD, XRF, N_2 adsorption–desorption, NH_3-TPD, MCH-TPD, H_2-TPR, and pyridine-FTIR,and tested as catalysts for the dehydrogenation aromatization and isomerization of methylcyclohexane(MCH) under the conditions of S-Zorb catalytic adsorption desulfurization(T ? 673 K, P ? 1.5 MPa, WHSV ? 5 h^(-1)). The H2-TPR results showed that the interaction of NiO with support decreased in the order of NiO/ZSM-5-Fe < NiO/ZSM-5 < NiO/Al_2O_3< NiO/SiO2. The decrease of the interaction appeared to facilitate the reduction of Ni and therefore to promote the dehydrogenation aromatization of MCH.It was found that a direct correlation existed between the gasoline components yields, cracking activity and the total number of different supports acid sites measured by NH_3-TPD tests. Higher total acidity of ZSM-5 resulted in gasoline loss because of higher cracking activity of MCH. The number of total acid sites of NiO/ZSM-5-Fe decreased and the medium strong Br€onsted acid sites necessary for MCH isomerization increased after the modification of ZSM-5 by iron metal. So, NiO/ZSM-5-Fe exhibited enhanced MCH conversion, aromatic and isomerization yields when compared to NiO/ZSM-5 and other Ni-based catalysts. This study shows that NiO/ZSM-5-Fe catalyst may be possible to be integrated into the S-Zorb system achieving the recovery of the octane number of gasoline.

Synthesis of MgO-doped ordered mesoporous carbons by Mg^(2+)-tannin coordination for efficient isomerization of glucose to fructose

In-situ MgO-doped ordered mesoporous carbon(OMC@MgO)was fabricated by formaldehyde-free self-assembly method,in which biomass-derived tannin was used as carbon precursor replacing fossil-based phenolics,Mg^(2+)as both cross-linker and precursor of catalytic sites.Up to~20 wt% MgO could be doped in the carbon skeleton with good dispersion retaining well-ordered mesoporous structures,while more MgO content(35 wt%)led to the failing in the formation of ordered mesoporous structure.The OMC@MgO possessed a high specific surface area(298.8 m^(2) g^(-1)),uniform pore size distribution(4.8 nm)and small crystallite size of MgO(1.73 nm)due to the confinement effect of ordered mesoporous structure.Using OMC@MgO as the heterogeneous catalyst,a maximum fructose yield of 32.4% with a selectivity up to 81.1%was achieved from glucose in water(90℃,60 min),which is much higher than that obtained using the MgO doped active carbon via conventional post-impregnation method(26.5%yield with 58.3% selectivity).Higher reaction temperature(>90℃)resulted in decrease of selectivity due to the formation of humins.The designed OMC@MgO displayed tolerant to high initial glucose concentrations(10 wt%)and could remain good recyclability without significant loss of activity for three cycles.

Comparison on Commercial Application of Two Types of C_8 Aromatics Isomerization Catalysts

The results of commercial application of two types of C_8 aromatics isomerization catalysts under different feed conditions were compared to gain an insight in the techno-economical basis for selecting proper technological route at the plant.The comparison reveals differences in every aspect of feed consumption,unit capacity,product output,product distribution,and unit process parameters depending upon which catalyst type is adopted by the integrated PX complex.The type of aromatics isomerization catalyst has its influence on the plant scale,the construction cost,the process unit capacity and the product cost,with the magnitude of its impact varying with changing feed conditions.

Quasi-solid state synthesis of EU-1 zeolite and its catalytic properties for the isomerization of C_8 aromatics

In this study,EU-1 zeolite was successfully synthesized via a quasi-solid state approach and assembled to catalyst for the C 8 aromatics isomerization process.The catalytic properties were tuned through careful modification of the acidity of EU-1 zeolites and metal-doping of the catalyst.It was shown that EU-1 was an excellent candidate for the C 8 aromatics isomerization process due to its unique structure.In addition,steam treatment of EU-1 at 450-500 ℃ could optimize the acidic properties of the catalyst,hence enhance its catalytic performance.The effect of the amount of Pt on ethylbenzene conversion was studied and the optimum amount was determined to be about 0.3-0.4 wt%.It was confirmed that EU-1 zeolite prepared via a quasi-solid state approach and then dealuminated by steam treatment had better activity and selectivity than conventional mordenite（MOR） zeolite and could be an excellent candidate for C 8 aromatics isomerization.

A novel synthesis of highly active and highly stable non-noble-nickel-modified persulfated Al_(2)O_(3)@ZrO_(2) core-shell catalysts for n-pentane isomerization

The non-noble metal modified sulfated zirconia was found easy to deactivate.Herein,highly active and highly stable non-noble core-shell Ni-S_(2)O_(8)^(2−)/Al_(2)O_(3)@ZrO_(2) catalysts(Ni-SA@Z-x,x=Al content in wt%)have been successfully prepared and investigated for n-pentane isomerization.The results showed that the core-shell Ni-SA@Z-30 provided a sustained high isopentane yield(63.1%)with little or no deactivation within 5000 min at a mild reaction pressure of 2.0 MPa,which can be attributed to the following factors:(i)carbon deposition was greatly suppressed by the large pore size and huge pore volume;(ii)the loss of sulfur entities was suppressed because the small and highly dispersed tetragonal ZrO_(2) particles can bond with the S species strongly;(iii)strong Brønsted acidity can be maintained well after the isomerization.The pore structures and acid nature of the core-shell Ni-SA@Z-x are entirely different from those of the normal structure Ni-S_(2)O_(8)^(2−)/ZrO_(2)-Al_(2)O_(3),even though the Al content and the compositions of the individual components are the same.The Al_(2)O_(3)cores endow the catalysts with high internal surface area and high mechanical strength.Meanwhile,the ZrO_(2) shell,which consists of more and smaller tetragonal ZrO_(2) particles because of the large surface area of the Al_(2)O_(3)core,promotes the formation of more stable sulfur species and stronger binding sites.

Quantum Dynamics Calculations on Isotope Effects of Hydrogen Transfer Isomerization in Formic Acid Dimer

We present a quantum dynamics study on the isotope effects of hydro-gen transfer isomerization in the formic acid dimer,and this is achieved by multidimensional dy-namics calculations with an efficient quantum mechanical theoretical scheme developed by our group,on a full-dimensional neural network ab initio potential energy surface.The ground-state and fundamental tun-neling splittings for four deuterium isotopologues of formic acid dimer are considered,and the calculated results are in very good general agreement with the avail-able experimental measurements.Strong isotope effects are revealed,the mode-specific funda-mental excitation effects on the tunneling rate are evidently influenced by the deuterium sub-stitution of H atom with the substitution on the OH bond being more effective than on the CH bond.Our studies are helpful for acquiring a better understanding of isotope effects in the double-hydrogen transfer processes.

Intensified shape selectivity and alkylation reaction for the two-step conversion of methanol aromatization to p-xylene

Two-step conversion of methanol to aromatics via light hydrocarbons can significantly improve the conversion stability compared with direct aromatization of methanol,but it remains a challenge to achieve a high p-xylene(PX)selectivity.Herein,silica coating was firstly used to passivate external acid sites of ZSM-5 catalyst for the aromatization of light hydrocarbons by the chemical liquid deposition method.With the increase of SiO_(2) deposition,the density of the external acid sites of the catalyst was decreased from 0.1 to 0.03 mmol·g^(-1),which inhibited the surface secondary reactions and increased the PX/X from 34.6% to 60.0%.In view of the fact that the aromatization process in the second step was partly inhibited as methanol was consumed in advance in the upper methanol-to-light hydrocarbons catalyst layer,part of methanol was directly introduced into the lower aromatization catalyst layer to promote the alkylation process during the aromatization,which decreased the toluene selectivity from 34.5% to 14.3% but increased the xylene selectivity from 40.0%to 55.3%.It was also found that an appropriate external acid density was needed for aromatization catalyst to strengthen the alkylation process and improve the selectivity of xylene under the conditions of methanol introduction.

Seed-solution-induced Synthesis of FER Zeolite and Its Catalytic Application in the Skeletal Isomerization of n-Butene

A series of Ferrierite(FER)zeolites were prepared via hydrothermal synthesis in the absence of organic templates with the aid of sodium-type FER zeolite(NaFER)or NaFER suspensions(NaFERsus)acquired by NaOH solution treatment as seeds.The differences in the structures and acid sites of the obtained FER zeolite catalysts arising from the choice of seed were investigated,and the catalytic performances of the obtained FER zeolites were evaluated in the skeletal isomerization of n-butene.The results indicate that the samples synthesized using NaFERsus feature more Br?nsted acid sites(BAS)in the 10-membered-ring(10-MR)at the expense of strong acid and Lewis acid sites(LAS),compared with samples derived from NaFER.Therefore,the FER samples synthesized using NaFERsus outperformed the NaFER counterparts as the BAS in 10-MR and LAS were the main active sites,while BAS in 8-MR and LAS were responsible for side reactions,such as polymerization,cracking,and carbon deposition in n-butene isomerization.The optimized FER catalyst was continuously used for 720 h at 350℃ at 0.1 MPa under an n-butene space velocity of 2.0 h^(-1),during which the n-butene conversion remained at>40%,and the isobutylene yield was>37.5%.

Extend ethylene aromatization single-event kinetic modeling with physical and chemical descriptor based on ZSM-5 catalyst

The ethylene aromatization is critical for the methanol to aromatics and light alkane dehydroaromatization process.The single-event microkinetic(SEMK)model combining the linear free energy theory and solid acid distribution concept were established and extend for the ethylene aromatization process,which can reduce the kinetic parameters and simplify the reaction network by comparison with the SEMK model including subtype elementary steps based on the type of carbenium ions.Further introducing deactivation parametersφinto the model and applying the linear free energy model to the deactivation experimental data,the obtained deactivation parametersφindicate that the carbon deposition precursors have the greatest impact on reducing the reaction rate of single-molecular reactions and the smallest impact on the hydrogen transfer reaction.Meanwhile,according to the change of reaction enthalpy,effect of carbenium ion structure on methylation,ethylation,cyclization and endo-βscission was investigated by introducing linear free energy concept into the SEMK model.The effect of different acid strengths on elementary steps was investigated based on the acid strength distribution model,it was found that the methylation and oligomerization reactions,the ali-βscission reaction,endo-βscission reaction and the cyclization reaction were more sensitive to strong acidity sites.The physisorption and chemisorption heat are separated from the protonation heat in the linear free energy kinetic model and the acid strength distribution kinetic model,and the absolute values of the obtained physisorption and chemisorption heat increase with the carbon number of carbenium ions.Furthermore,the parameters of the acid strength distribution kinetic model were applied to propane dehydroaromatization on H-ZSM-5 and the ethane dehydroaromatization on Zn/ZSM-5 to confirm the independence of parameters in the SEMK model with the similar reaction network.

Photo-isomerization of Aromatic α-Hydroxy Hydrazone

Photo-isomerization of aromatic α-hydroxy hydrazone was reported. We investigated the structures of salicylaldehyde phenylhydrozone（SP） in the ground state using density functional theory（DFT） with the B3LYP functional and the 6-311＋G（d） basis set. All nine possible isomers of SP in the ground state consist of seven phenol forms and two ketone forms. Intrisic reaction coordinate（IRC） analysis discloses the existence of a cycle driven by the two proton transfer processes in the ground and excited states of SP, which suggests that no ketonic form could exist in the ground state. Further theoretical studies of the potential energy surfaces support a trans-cis conversion followed by a relaxation to the stable form of SP in the excited states.

Highly selective extraction of aromatics from aliphatics by using metal chloride-based ionic liquids

The separation of aromatics from aliphatics is essential for achieving maximum exploitation of oil resources in the petrochemical industry.In this study,a series of metal chloride-based ionic liquids were prepared and their performances in the separation of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene(tetralin)/dodecane and tetralin/decalin systems were studied.Among these ionic liquids,1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrachloroferrate([EMIM][FeCl_(4)])with the highest selectivity was used as the extractant.Density functional theory calculations showed that[EMIM][FeCl_(4)]interacted more strongly with tetralin than with dodecane and decalin.Energy decomposition analysis of[EMIM][FeCl_(4)]-tetralin indicated that electrostatics and dispersion played essential roles,and induction cannot be neglected.The van der Waals forces was a main effect in[EMIM][FeCl_(4)]-tetralin by independent gradient model analysis.The tetralin distribution coefficient and selectivity were 0.8 and 110,respectively,with 10%(mol)tetralin in the initial tetralin/dodecane system,and 0.67 and 19.5,respectively,with 10%(mol)tetralin in the initial tetralin/decalin system.The selectivity increased with decreasing alkyl chain length of the extractant.The influence of the extraction temperature,extractant dosage,and initial concentrations of the system components on the separation performance were studied.Recycling experiments showed that the regenerated[EMIM][FeCl_(4)]could be used repeatedly.

Sensory Phenotypic and Molecular Identification of Aromatic Rice Accessions Cultivated in Benin

Rice is one of the most widely cultivated cereals in the world, and its aroma is increasingly in demand. With the advancement of research, a major rice flavor gene has been identified on rice chromosome 8. It encodes non-functional betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase leading to the accumulation of 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline which is the major olfactory compound that confers the fragrant character to rice. The aroma of rice is considered a special trait of enormous economic importance that determines the prime price in world trade. To satisfy the needs of the population and reduce rice imports into Benin, we conducted this study to identify aromatic rice accessions grown in Benin. Seventy-two rice accessions collected across Benin were PCR amplified with three SSR markers RM 7049, Aro 7, and RM 223, linked to the fgr (fragrance of rice) aroma gene. Molecular analysis revealed that 12 of the 72 accessions, namely Bagou 19, Bagou 22, Tchaka 34, Foun 15, Tchaka 41, Nana 32, Kan 61, Kung 69, Kung 67, Bagou 20, Agbab 101 and Koum 55 possess the fgr gene and can be considered as aromatic rice accessions. A sensory phenotypic test using KOH was carried out on rice accessions carrying fgr gene. Of the twelve positives, only one had the smell of aromatic rice, like the Azucena control. These results show that Benin also has aromatic rice varieties that can be sold on national and international markets.

Controllable Condensation of Aromatics and Its Mechanisms in Carbonization

In order to obtain liquefied products with higher yields of aromatic molecules to produce mesophase pitch,a good understanding of the relevant reaction mechanisms is required.Reactive molecular dynamics simulations were used to study the thermal reactions of pyrene,1-methylpyrene,7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzopyrene,and mixtures of pyrene with 1-octene,cyclohexene,or styrene.The reactant conversion rates,reaction rates,and product distributions were calculated and compared,and the mechanisms were analyzed and discussed.The results demonstrated that methyl and naphthenic structures in aromatics might improve the conversion rates of reactants in hydrogen transfer processes,but their steric hindrances prohibited the generation of high polymers.The naphthenic structures could generate more free radicals and presented a more obvious inhibition effect on the condensation of polymers compared with the methyl side chains.It was discovered that when different olefins were mixed with pyrene,1-octene primarily underwent pyrolysis reactions,whereas cyclohexene mainly underwent hydrogen transfer reactions with pyrene and styrene,mostly producing superconjugated biradicals through condensation reactions with pyrene.In the mixture systems,the olefins scattered aromatic molecules,hindering the formation of pyrene trimers and higher polymers.According to the reactive molecular dynamics simulations,styrene may enhance the yield of dimer and enable the controlled polycondensation of pyrene.

Physiology of medicinal and aromatic plants under drought stress

Drought poses a significant challenge,restricting the productivity of medicinal and aromatic plants.The strain induced by drought can impede vital processes like respiration and photosynthesis,affecting various aspects of plants’growth and metabolism.In response to this adversity,medicinal plants employ mechanisms such as morphological and structural adjustments,modulation of drought-resistant genes,and augmented synthesis of secondary metabolites and osmotic regulatory substances to alleviate the stress.Extreme water scarcity can lead to leaf wilting and may ultimately result in plant death.The cultivation and management of medicinal plants under stress conditions often differ from those of other crops.This is because the main goal with medicinal plants is not only to increase the yield of the above-ground parts but also to enhance the production of active ingredients such as essential oils.To elucidate these mechanisms of drought resistance in medicinal and aromatic plants,the current review provides a summary of recent literature encompassing studies on the morphology,physiology,and biochemistry of medicinal and aromatic plants under drought conditions.

Hyperbranched polymer hollow-fiber-composite membranes for pervaporation separation of aromatic/aliphatic hydrocarbon mixtures

The separation of aromatic/aliphatic hydrocarbon mixtures is crucial in the petrochemical industry.Pervaporation is regarded as a promising approach for the separation of aromatic compounds from alkanes. Developing membrane materials with efficient separation performance is still the main task since the membrane should provide chemical stability, high permeation flux, and selectivity. In this study, the hyperbranched polymer(HBP) was deposited on the outer surface of a polyvinylidene fluoride(PVDF)hollow-fiber ultrafiltration membrane by a facile dip-coating method. The dip-coating rate, HBP concentration, and thermal cross-linking temperature were regulated to optimize the membrane structure.The obtained HBP/PVDF hollow-fiber-composite membrane had a good separation performance for aromatic/aliphatic hydrocarbon mixtures. For the 50%/50%(mass) toluene/n-heptane mixture, the permeation flux of optimized composite membranes could reach 1766 g·m^(-2)·h^(-1), with a separation factor of 4.1 at 60℃. Therefore, the HBP/PVDF hollow-fiber-composite membrane has great application prospects in the pervaporation separation of aromatic/aliphatic hydrocarbon mixtures.

Rational design of new in situ reduction of Ni(II)catalytic system for low-cost and large-scale preparation of porous aromatic frameworks

Porous aromatic framework 1(PAF-1)is an extremely representative nanoporous organic framework owing to its high stability and exceptionally high surface area.Currently,the synthesis of PAF-1 is catalyzed by the Ni(COD)2/COD/bpy system,suffering from great instability and high cost.Herein,we developed an in situ reduction of the Ni(II)catalytic system to synthesize PAF-1 in low cost and high yield.The active Ni(0)species produced from the NiCl_(2)/bpy/NaI/Mg catalyst system can effectively catalyze homocoupling of tetrakis(4-bromophenyl)methane at the room temperature to form PAF-1 with high Brunauer-Emmett-Teller(BET)-specific surface area up to 4948 m^(2) g^(−1)(Langmuir surface area,6785 m2 g−1).The possible halogen exchange and dehalogenation coupling mechanisms for this new catalytic process in PAF's synthesis are discussed in detail.The efficiency and universality of this innovative catalyst system have also been demonstrated in other PAFs'synthesis.This work provides a cheap,facile,and efficient method for scalable synthesis of PAFs and explores their application for high-pressure storage of Xe and Kr.

Modeling of C_(8) Aromatics Isomerization in a Radial Bed Reactor

Reactor models were developed to describe the isomerization reaction process of C_(8) aromatics by applying a six-component sequential reaction network.Lab-scale experimental data were used in an axial bed reactor model,and dynamic parameters were fitted by simulated annealing algorithm.In addition,industrial data and calculated dynamic parameters were used to determine the six-component concentration distributions using a radial reactor model.The influence of back-mixing on reaction performance was investigated.It was found that the model considering back-mixing was much closer to the real industrial reaction process.