Themed collection International Symposium on Green Chemistry 2017

The applicability of microbial electrosynthesis (MES) for chemical synthesis from carbon dioxide (CO₂) requires improved production and energetic efficiencies. The electrode material and its interaction with the biocatalyst greatly influence the MES performance.

This review describes the rapid evolution of chemistry in the context of a sustainable development of our society. Written in collaboration between scientists from different horizons, either from public organizations or chemical companies, we aim here at providing recommendations to accelerate the emergence of eco-designed products on the market.

This review summarizes recent advances in starch etherification and esterification in unconventional media and by unconventional technologies.

Heterogeneous catalysis offers a sustainable toolbox for the synthesis of a wide variety of biomass-derived amines.

Organic electrolyte solutions – mixtures of a (room-temperature) ionic liquid with a neutral, organic, polar co-solvent – are attracting increasing attention as solvents for the regeneration and derivatisation of cellulose.

The design of the thermal behaviour – from an upper critical solution temperature (UCST) to a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) – of aqueous biphasic systems composed of water-soluble ammonium-based zwitterions.

The increasing employment of palladium-catalyzed reactions in the synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) has created a pressing need for ultra-efficient palladium removal of the resulting metal contaminants.

The bifunctional Al(III)–Sn(II) combination efficiently catalyses the conversion of cellulose into lactic acid in water via a series of tandem steps.

The synthesis of urazoles in a one-pot, fast and high-yielding fashion without the use of isocyanates or chloroformates is described.

Bio-based N-alkyl-2-pyrrolidones were successfully synthesized, starting from glutamic acid and simple carbonyl compounds, by Pd-catalyzed reductive N-alkylation and decarboxylation.

The highly efficient eco-friendly synthesis of methanol directly from carbon dioxide and H₂ catalysed by the iron(II) scorpionate catalyst [FeCl₂{κ³-HC(pz)₃}] is reported.

PEI acts not only as a cross-linker but also as a chelating agent for RE ions.

For the first time, nutritional requirements including the effects of yeast extract on the D-lactic acid production by Sporolactobacillus inulinus are presented.

The structure of a bio-based extractant in oils was accessed by combining experiments and molecular dynamics simulations.

Ni nanoparticles could be stabilised to enable the Ni catalyzed dehydration–decarboxylation–hydrogenation of citric acid to methylsuccinic acid.

HMF has been efficiently upgraded into HMFCA with a good yield by using a highly HMF-tolerant strain Comamonas testosteroni SC1588.

A series of Ce@MOR hybrids based on CeO_x nanoparticles (1–2.5 nm) encapsulated in mordenite exhibited high catalytic activity and selectivity for the vapor-phase dehydration of 1,3-butanediol into butadiene.

This work proposes an efficient process allowing the reduction of nitro compounds to the corresponding amines in water, at 70 °C with a quantitative conversion and a maximal yield in only 15 min thanks to the ultrasonic activation.

The environmental assessment of the lab-scale preparation of a new lactose derivative-based degreasing formulation, for the leather manufacturing cycle, was performed by using EATOS and LCA methodologies.

A comparative environmental life cycle assessment of using low-value wheat straw to produce high value biosurfactants using a novel biorefinery, compared to those produced from palm and wheat, is reported.

(Poly)saccharides crosslink silicone boronic acid polymers and stabilize the silicone oil/water interface.

A new reductive process in the field of biomass valorisation for the sustainable production of bio-fuel additives and chemicals.

CNC was converted into a CO₂-responsive composite nanomaterial by grafting PDMAEMA and PDEAEMA on its surface using a grafting-from approach via surface-initiated copper(0)-mediated polymerisation.

A bio-based EcoPd was developed for the Suzuki cross coupling of heteroaryl compounds.

Starting from diformylfuran (DFF) obtained from biomass, a new family of gemini surfactants has been synthesized.