Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiaoling Ma, Wenlong Wang, Chenggong Sun, Jing Sun
Summary: The study focused on using [Bmim][PF6] ionic liquid to absorb toluene and acetone, showing promising adsorption performance and satisfactory thermal stability. Thermal distillation was proven to be a reliable regeneration route for [Bmim][PF6] with satisfying adsorption capacity after multiple cycles.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Suyong Han, Malek Y. S. Ibrahim, Milad Abolhasani
Summary: In this study, an integrated flow chemistry strategy using two membrane-based flow reactors was developed to enhance the extraction and recovery rates of switchable hydrophilicity solvents (SHSs). The overall single-pass recovery efficiency for 2-(dibutyl amino)ethanol was achieved at 60.1%, representing a significant improvement compared to batch reactors.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Chun-Chi Chen, Yen -Hui Huang, Jia-Yu Fang
Summary: The study demonstrates that hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are efficient in eliminating hydrophilic VOCs due to their high absorption capacity and favorable gas-to-liquid mass transfer. Among the DESs explored, the one containing thymol and decanoic acid in a 1:1 molar ratio exhibits the highest acetone absorption capacity, showing the key role of hydrogen bonding interaction in achieving superior solubility of acetone in DESs. The absorbed acetone can be easily removed from the DESs, making the process economically and ecologically beneficial for hydrophilic VOC elimination.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Pedro Villarim, Chengmin Gui, Eric Genty, Zhigang Lei, Jaouad Zemmouri, Sophie Fourmentin
Summary: This study evaluates the removal of toluene using a new heat and mass exchanger and elucidates the absorption mechanism at the molecular level. The results show that benzyl alcohol has a higher absorption capacity compared to other solvents, and the addition of water to the solvent mixture also improves absorption. The interaction energy and Gibbs free energy calculations confirm the enhanced absorption of toluene by benzyl alcohol. The results obtained at different scales are in good agreement.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Pedro Villarim, Eric Genty, Jaouad Zemmouri, Sophie Fourmentin
Summary: This study evaluates and compares the efficiency of hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents (DESs) and conventional absorbents for the absorption of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in biogas. The results show the superior performance of DESs in VOC absorption, and also highlight the impact of temperature on the absorption efficiency of conventional absorbents.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Zhongqi Ren, Hui Yu, Xiaojia Wu, Weidong Liu, Fan Zhang, Shichao Tian, Zhiyong Zhou
Summary: This work investigates the application of two switchable solvents, [DBU][Im] and [TMG][Im], for the separation of toluene from n-heptane. It is found that [TMG][Im] is more effective at lower toluene content. The effects of extraction time, solvent dosage and molar fraction of toluene on separation performance and reusability are studied, showing that [TMG][Im] has good stability and reusability. Furthermore, the mechanism of reversible phase-change extraction process with [TMG][Im] is explored.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Chengmin Gui, Guoxuan Li, Minghao Song, Zhigang Lei
Summary: A series of benzyl-based deep eutectic solvents (DESs) were successfully prepared and used for the capture of condensable dichloromethane gas. The appropriate absorbent DES TEBAC-TEG was screened out using the COSMO-RS model, and its physical properties were measured to validate its feasibility for industrial application. The absorption experiment showed that TEBAC-TEG (with a molar ratio of 1:3) had a high capacity of 581.72 mg/g with a DCM partial pressure of 50 kPa at 303.15 K, and the removal ratio of dichloromethane reached 91.65%. The absorption mechanism was revealed to involve hydrogen bonding and the C-H...pi interaction between TEBA cation and dichloromethane molecule.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Igor T. Cunha, Meghan McKeeman, Maedeh Ramezani, Kayleigh Hayashi-Mehedy, Alana Lloyd-Smith, Marco Bravi, Philip G. Jessop
Summary: Volatile organic solvents are widely used in various industries, but their emissions, inhalation risks, and flammability pose significant concerns. Switchable-hydrophilicity solvents (SHS), which can switch between water-miscible and water-immiscible states, offer a solution to these issues. Anionic SHS (ASHS) systems, composed of hydrophobic carboxylic acid and water-soluble base, provide a new variation of SHS. This study reports the development of a low-toxicity SHS without the need for excess water, using branched carboxylic acids and substoichiometric amounts of NaHCO3 or NaOH.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Juliette Laine, Yann Foucaud, Adrian Bonilla-Petriciolet, Michael Badawi
Summary: Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) pose a threat to human beings and the environment, and their removal through adsorption is a widely studied technique. Kaolinite, a common and inexpensive clay, has shown potential for the removal of VOCs. This study used first-principles modelling techniques to investigate the interaction between kaolinite surfaces and VOCs, as well as atmospheric molecules. The results suggest that kaolinite could selectively remove phenol and toluene from the air.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Junxian Gao, Lingling Tang, Zhizhang Shen, Yuming Dong, Zhenyu Wang, Jinze Lyu, Ji Li, Hanqing Yu
Summary: Combining LaFeO3 and PdOx can enhance the catalytic ozonation of toluene by simultaneously converting the energy from ultraviolet, visible, and infrared light. Additionally, PdOx loading significantly promotes the separation efficiency of photogenerated charge carriers and expands the valid spectrum of photoelectric effect from ultraviolet to visible regions.
APPLIED CATALYSIS B-ENVIRONMENTAL
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Changkai Zhou, Ke Zhou, Huan Li, Xiang Xu, Baogen Liu, Hailong Li, Zheng Zeng, Weiwu Ma, Liqing Li
Summary: The study explores the application of pressure swing adsorption (PSA) for removing and recycling VOCs, with a focus on nonequilibrium time, effective length, and enrichment ratio. Various experiments were conducted to investigate the mechanism and industrial parameters of PSA, revealing that factors such as kinetic diameter, polarity, pore size, and boiling point influence the efficiency of VOCs removal. Methanol and acetone showed shorter effective lengths for complete removal compared to toluene, and the desorption performance was found to be related to desorption activation energy and the boiling point of the adsorbate. Ultimately, the study found that acetone had the highest recovery ratio among the three VOCs studied, presenting new opportunities for VOCs removal and recovery.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Luqman Hakim Mohd Azmi, Pavani Cherukupally, Elwin Hunter-Sellars, P. Bradley Ladewig, R. Daryl Williams
Summary: Competition for adsorption sites between atmospheric moisture and volatile organic compounds can significantly impact the VOC removal performance of metal-organic framework adsorbents like MIL-101. In this study, a vapor phase deposition of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was used to create more hydrophobic MIL-101 composites, resulting in enhanced internal hydrophobicity and intact porosity. The MIL-101-PDMS composite showed superior performance in capturing toluene, exhibiting higher adsorption capacity and overall capture rate compared to pristine MIL-101, and maintaining excellent structural stability and adsorption performance after multiple sorption/desorption cycles.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ryan T. Berry, Elizabeth Dach, Jessica A. Melhorn, Ngai Yin Yip, Lindsay Soh
Summary: The promise of switchable solvents as green alternatives lies in their ability to change properties drastically based on an external trigger. In this study, a switchable hydrophilicity solvent, DMCHA, was found to exhibit different properties based on CO2 addition and temperature variations in the presence of water. The impact of temperature on the solvent properties, underlying the changes in water solubility, was quantified using Kamlet-Taft solvatochromic parameters and dielectric constants. The study validated and quantified the temperature swing effects of DMCHA, as well as its CO2-switching capabilities based on the Kamlet-Taft polarity scale. The binary mixtures of water in DMCHA showed promising tunability in terms of beta and pi* parameters induced by moderate temperature variations. The potential applications of this CO2-switchable and temperature-tunable solvent are discussed.
ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Haojie Qin, Junwei Sun, Xiaobin Yang, Heguo Li, Xiaopeng Li, Ruixue Wang, Song He, Chuan Zhou
Summary: Developing high-performance sorbents for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is crucial for environmental cleaning and personnel protection. In this study, a series of defective UiO-66 metal-organic gels (G66-X) were developed with variable missing linker deficiency, which showed significant impact on the porosity and adsorption capacity. Among them, G66-9 demonstrated optimal performance and outstanding regeneration ability.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2024)
Review
Engineering, Environmental
Patrycja Makos-Chelstowska
Summary: Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are highly problematic atmospheric pollutants emitted from anthropogenic sources. In this literature review, the use of absorption based on deep eutectic solvents (DES) for capturing individual VOCs is critically summarized. The physicochemical properties of used DES, their impact on absorption efficiency, methods for evaluating the effectiveness of new technologies, and the potential for DES regeneration are discussed. The review also provides critical comments on new gas purification methods and presents future perspectives.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jesse R. Vanderveen, Philip G. Jessop
Summary: This exercise allows students to learn about green chemistry principles, QSAR, and virtual screening by finding the greenest chemical in a hypothetical scenario. By generating structure libraries and predicting properties, students improve their ability to select the greenest chemical for an application.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Alexis Bordet, Sami El Sayed, Matthew Sanger, Kyle J. Boniface, Deepti Kalsi, Kylie L. Luska, Philip G. Jessop, Walter Leitner
Summary: This study reports the preparation of a catalytic system designed to respond adaptively to feed gas composition in hydrogenation reactions. Ruthenium nanoparticles immobilized on amine-functionalized polymer-grafted silica act as active and stable catalysts for the hydrogenation of biomass-derived furfural, acetone, and related substrates. The formation of alkylammonium formate species at the amine-functionalized support triggers the selectivity switch in the catalytic reaction, with the catalyst performance responding almost in real time to the feed gas composition.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Michael F. Cunningham, Philip G. Jessop
Summary: This article reviews the principles of CO2 switching and its applications in various materials and processes. It also highlights the recent research conducted on new switchable polymers and related processes, emphasizing the potential opportunities and solutions that CO2 switching may offer for commercial development.
MACROMOLECULAR REACTION ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yuyan Zhang, Sami El Sayed, Liqun Kang, Matthew Sanger, Thomas Wiegand, Philip G. Jessop, Serena Debeer, Alexis Bordet, Walter Leitner
Summary: Ruthenium nanoparticles immobilized on an amine-functionalized polymer-grafted silica support can selectively catalyze the hydrogenation of bicyclic heteroaromatics. The addition of CO2 to the hydrogen gas phase can effectively shut down the arene hydrogenation reaction while maintaining activity for heteroaromatic hydrogenation. This selectivity switch is achieved through the catalytic generation of ammonium formate species on the material's surface by hydrogenation of CO2. By altering the composition of the feed gas, a variety of benzofuran and quinoline derivatives can be selectively hydrogenated to fully or partially saturated products using a single catalyst.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Vanessa Saab Liberato, Tatiana Felix Ferreira, Alex Redmond MacDonald, Bernardo Dias Ribeiro, Maria Alice Zarur Coelho, Philip G. Jessop
Summary: PDO can be produced by fermenting glycerol, but separating it from the aqueous medium is difficult. A new method called Solvent-Assisted Switchable Water (SASW) is proposed. In this method, a hydrophilic solvent is used to extract PDO from water, while a CO2-switchable ionogen prevents the solvent from merging with the aqueous phase. The extraction yield was 73%, but the extracted PDO contained water and amine, indicating that further improvement is needed for selective extraction.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ross D. D. Jansen-van Vuuren, Sina Naficy, Maedeh Ramezani, Michael Cunningham, Philip Jessop
Summary: CO2-responsive materials undergo changes in their properties when CO2 is introduced or removed. CO2 is advantageous as a stimulus due to its abundance, benign nature, affordability, and lack of accumulation in a system. Various CO2-responsive materials such as polymers, latexes, surfactants, and catalysts have been explored. CO2-responsive gels, a subset of CO2-responsive polymers, have unique changes such as swelling or transformed morphology. This paper reviews the preparation, properties, and applications of CO2-responsive gels, including nanogels, microgels, aerogels, and macrogels, and also discusses CO2-induced self-assembled gels.
CHEMICAL SOCIETY REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Robin R. Benedix, Sophia Botsch, Natalie Preisig, Volodymyr Kovalchuk, Philip G. Jessop, Cosima Stubenrauch
Summary: Switchable materials, especially CO2-switchable materials, are of great interest in environmental research. Replacing non-switchable materials with switchable counterparts has the potential to make processes more environmentally friendly by enhancing reusability and circularity, reducing energy costs and material consumption. This study focuses on the surface and foaming properties of aqueous solutions containing a non-switchable surfactant and a CO2-switchable additive. The results show that the additive can change surface properties, foamability, and foam stability when switched with CO2.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Philip G. Jessop, Alex R. Macdonald
Summary: The life cycle of a product contains hotspots, which are the steps causing the majority of harm. Traditional practice often overlooks the importance of identifying these hotspots. Therefore, the utilization of life cycle assessments to identify hotspots and drive the selection of research projects is necessary to maximize environmental benefits.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Michael F. Cunningham, Philip G. Jessop
Summary: The development and design of CO2-switchable colloidal particles were discussed, including the principles and recent progress in the preparation of various types of colloidal particles for different applications. Future opportunities in this field were also analyzed.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Igor T. Cunha, Meghan McKeeman, Maedeh Ramezani, Kayleigh Hayashi-Mehedy, Alana Lloyd-Smith, Marco Bravi, Philip G. Jessop
Summary: Volatile organic solvents are widely used in various industries, but their emissions, inhalation risks, and flammability pose significant concerns. Switchable-hydrophilicity solvents (SHS), which can switch between water-miscible and water-immiscible states, offer a solution to these issues. Anionic SHS (ASHS) systems, composed of hydrophobic carboxylic acid and water-soluble base, provide a new variation of SHS. This study reports the development of a low-toxicity SHS without the need for excess water, using branched carboxylic acids and substoichiometric amounts of NaHCO3 or NaOH.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Tamara M. de Winter, Jaddie Ho, Christopher J. Alridge, Philip G. Jessop
Summary: A new methodology for asymmetric hydrogenation of allylamines is proposed using a reversible reaction between amines and carbon dioxide (CO2) to suppress unwanted side reactions. The effects of various parameters on the enantioselectivity and conversion were studied, and it was found that the addition of base additives can improve the enantioselectivity and chemoselectivity of the reaction.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Bailey A. Smith, Pascale Champagne, Philip G. Jessop
Summary: The new method allows for high-yield CMF synthesis from fructose without chlorinated solvents, and can be extended to the synthesis of CMF from other feedstocks.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Ross D. Jansen-van Vuuren, Guilherme Drechsler Vilela, Maedeh Ramezani, Peter H. Gilbert, Danika Watson, Nathan Mullins, Allen K. Lucas, Alan Jeffrey Giacomin, Michael F. Cunningham, Philip G. Jessop
Summary: A CO2-responsive SAP hydrogel capable of switching between hydrophobic and hydrophilic states in the presence of CO2 has been reported. These hydrogels can absorb and release water with the presence or absence of CO2, demonstrating their reusability and potential for various applications.
ACS APPLIED POLYMER MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Igor T. Cunha, Huilin Yang, Philip G. Jessop
Summary: Biomass conversion to organic products is crucial for a sustainable society, but current energy costs and environmental impacts, particularly in removing water, remain problematic. The new method of high pressure switchable water (HPSW) shows promise in more efficiently separating organic products from water by changing the polarity of organic liquids and utilizing CO2 pressure.