Active biopolymers in green non-conventional media: a sustainable tool for developing clean chemical processes

Abstract

By understanding structure–function relationships of active biopolymers (e.g. enzymes and nucleic acids) in green non-conventional media, sustainable chemical processes may be developed.

Ultrasound-assisted enzymatic synthesis of xylitol fatty acid esters in solvent-free conditions

“…Rufino et al . [21] described an improvement in the biocatalytic synthesis of xylityl monooleate by direct esterification of oleic acid with chemically-protected xylitol in t -butanol medium and with ultrasound assistance. However, only a maximum yield of 60% product was obtained after 7 h reaction using an ultrasonic cleaning bath (20 kHz, 85 W).…”

Chiral catalysts immobilized on achiral polymers: effect of the polymer support on the performance of the catalyst

“…Thus, in the same way that ionic liquids have been demonstrated to be able to maintain the stability of proteins, including enzymes, and are an excellent medium for biocatalysis, supported ionic liquids have also been shown to contribute to the stability of immobilized catalytic enzymes including the development of efficient flow processes. [327][328][329] Thus, the use of polystyrene monoliths modified with imidazolium groups (supported ionic liquid-like phases) 330 for the immobilization of CALB provided distinct advantages over other supports for esterification processes. 331 Optimum performance and stability was obtained with the most hydrophobic monolith that provided an excellent turnover number (35.8 Â 10 4 ) working at 80 1C and 10 MP (supercritical CO 2 ).…”

Sustainable Process for the Preparation of High‐Performance Thin‐Film Composite Membranes using Ionic Liquids as the Reaction Medium

“…Owing to their unique characteristics, the potential applications of ionic liquids (ILs) are investigated extensively, for example, in (bio)catalysis, polymer formation, gas separations, and energy‐related applications . In the field of membrane preparation, ILs have already been used as casting solvents for the preparation of membranes through phase inversion and as low‐concentration additives in interfacial polymerization …”