The global utilization of hydrogen peroxide, a green oxidant that decomposes in water and oxygen, has gone from 0.5 million tonnes per year three decades ago to 4.5 million tonnes per year in 2014, ...and is still climbing. With the aim of expanding the utilization of this eminent green chemical across different industrial and civil sectors, the production and use of hydrogen peroxide as a green industrial oxidant is reviewed herein to provide an overview of the explosive growth of its industrial use over the last three decades and of the state of the art in its industrial manufacture, with important details of what determines the viability of the direct production from oxygen and hydrogen compared with the traditional auto‐oxidation process.
No waste: The global utilization of hydrogen peroxide has increased dramatically over the last 30 years. With the aim of expanding the utilization of this eminent green chemical across different industrial and civil sectors, the production and use of hydrogen peroxide as a green industrial oxidant is reviewed herein. Photograph of Henry J. Nye, reproduced with author kind permission.
Focusing on three different applications of sol–gel functional materials holding the potential to replace widely employed commercial products with significant economic and technical benefits, this ...study offers an original perspective on open challenges in sol–gel material science and technology. The applications discussed were selected on the basis of their societal and economic relevance and do not intend to represent the field of sol–gel material in general. The conclusions, however, are of general value and will hopefully aid young researchers and new companies to succeed in their efforts to commercialize chemical innovations based on sol–gel-derived functional materials.
Highlights
Focusing on three different applications of sol–gel functional materials, this study offers an original perspective on open challenges in sol–gel science and technology.
Technical and economic obstacles have limited the industrial uptake of sol–gel functional products to replace conventional products generally based on polymers.
For silica-based sol–gel functional products to become ubiquitous in fields today dominated by polymers, the direct route to obtain silicon alkoxides from waste organic (or inorganic) silica must be commercialized on large scale.
Owing to new biotechnological production units mostly located in China, global supply of citric acid in the course of the last two decades rose from less than 0.5 to more than 2 million tonnes ...becoming the single largest chemical obtained via biomass fermentation and the most widely employed organic acid. Critically reviewing selected research achievements and production trends, we identify the reasons for which this polycarboxylic acid will become a key chemical in the emerging bioeconomy.
Graphical abstract
Palermo's Fabbrica Chimica Italiana Goldenberg today. In 1930 it was Europe’s largest citric acid plant (photo courtesy of Aldo Ferrande)
The creation of silica materials using the solution-gelation (sol-gel) inorganic polymerization process is examined. Recent applications of sol-gel are also discussed.
Understanding the glycerol market Ciriminna, Rosaria; Pina, Cristina Della; Rossi, Michele ...
European journal of lipid science and technology,
October 2014, Letnik:
116, Številka:
10
Journal Article
Recenzirano
As a result of the booming biodiesel and oleochemicals manufacturing taking place worldwide since more than a decade, 2 million tonnes of glycerol consistently reach the market every year, even ...though after a decade of growth the total glycerol supply is expected to slightly decrease in 2014. Today the supply of glycerol is entirely independent of its demand, as there is as much glycerol as the amount of vegetable oils and animal fats are hydrolyzed to make oleochemicals, or transesterified to produce biodiesel. This unique situation has led to consistently low glycerol prices, which initiated both the market penetration of glycerol in countries where it was not used due to traditional high price, as well as new uses of glycerol as raw material for the production of value added chemicals. This article sheds light on the market of this uniquely versatile chemical whose number of applications is unique amid all existing chemicals. About 2 million tonnes of glycerol consistently reach the market every year, even though after a decade of growth the total glycerol supply is expected to slightly decrease in 2014. Today the supply of glycerol is entirely independent of its demand, as there is as much glycerol as the amount of vegetable oils and animal fats are hydrolyzed to make oleochemicals, or transesterified to produce biodiesel. This article sheds light on the market of this uniquely versatile chemical whose number of applications is unique amid all existing chemicals.
Industrial Applications of Gold Catalysis Ciriminna, Rosaria; Falletta, Ermelinda; Della Pina, Cristina ...
Angewandte Chemie (International ed.),
November 7, 2016, Letnik:
55, Številka:
46
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Gold catalysis has recently found its first large‐scale applications in the chemical industry. This Minireview provides a critical analysis of the success factors and of the main obstacles that had ...to be overcome on the long way from the discovery to the commercialization of gold catalysts. The insights should be useful to researchers in both academia and industry working on the development of tomorrow's gold catalysts to tackle significant environmental and economic issues.
Golden future: Gold catalysis has recently found large‐scale applications in industry. This Minireview analyzes the success factors and main obstacles that had to be overcome on the long way from the discovery of gold catalysts to commercialization. The picture shows a carbide‐based PVC plant in China for the gold‐catalyzed hydrochlorination of acetylene. (We thank the United Nations Environment Programme and its Global Mercury Partnership for providing the picture.)
The global adoption of biodegradable and compostable plastics obtained from biomass‐derived monomers, we argue in this account, is now close to the inflection point. The first industrially ...significant impact will affect the packaging segment of the global chemical industry. In this process, China and India will play a pivotal role. Selected guidelines aiming to foster development of bioplastics industry in both developed and developing nations are provided.
Plastic – Quo vadis? Estimates for biodegradable and compostable plastics market growth until 2025 suggest a modest yearly growth of less than 1 %. Yet, the bioplastics market will experience a production and uptake growth curve similar to that of photovoltaic solar cells since 2007, with China and India playing a pivotal role.
From Glycerol to Value-Added Products Pagliaro, Mario; Ciriminna, Rosaria; Kimura, Hiroshi ...
Angewandte Chemie (International ed.),
01/2007, Letnik:
46, Številka:
24
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Today, industrial plants that produce glycerol are closing down and others are opening that use glycerol as a raw material, owing to the large surplus of glycerol formed as a by‐product during the ...production of biodiesel. Research efforts to find new applications of glycerol as a low‐cost feedstock for functional derivatives have led to the introduction of a number of selective processes for converting glycerol into commercially valued products. This Minireview describes a selection of such achievements and shows how glycerol will be a central raw material in future chemical industries.
Getting value from glycerol: Over the past 60 years, glycerol (1,2,3‐propanetriol) has gone from being a key industrial chemical that faced shortage to a by‐product that is formed in surplus during biodiesel production. Recent developments in its applications and its conversion into value‐added chemicals highlight the importance of glycerol as a key raw material in biorefineries of the future.
Limonene: a versatile chemical of the bioeconomy Ciriminna, Rosaria; Lomeli-Rodriguez, Monica; Demma Carà, Piera ...
Chemical communications (Cambridge, England),
01/2014, Letnik:
50, Številka:
97
Journal Article
Recenzirano
(+)-Limonene is a renewable chemical with numerous and growing applications. Its traditional uses such as flavor, fragrance and green solvent are rapidly expanding to include its utilization as a ...platform chemical, extraction solvent for natural products and an active agent for functionalized products. We anticipate that the expansion in uses for limonene will translate into increasing production and use of this relevant natural product, especially for advanced applications.
Flexible Solar Cells Pagliaro, Mario; Ciriminna, Rosaria; Palmisano, Giovanni
ChemSusChem,
01/2008, Letnik:
1, Številka:
11
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Thin‐film flexible photovoltaics are paving the way to low‐cost electricity. Organic, inorganic and organic–inorganic solar cells are deposited over flexible substrates by high‐throughput (often ...roll‐to‐roll printing) technologies to afford lightweight, economic solar modules that can be integrated into, not installed on, various surfaces. Current conversion efficiencies under standard conditions are in the 3–15 % range, but in real applications the overall productivity is high. These new photovoltaic technologies are ready to provide cheap, clean electricity to the 2 billion people who lack access to the grid as well as to energy‐eager companies and families in the developed world facing the increasing costs of electricity generated using fossil fuel resources. This Review focuses on recent achievements in the area of flexible solar cells, highlights the principles behind the main technologies, and discusses future challenges in this area.
Soaking up the sun: Thin‐film flexible photovoltaics are paving the way to low‐cost electricity. Organic (see picture), inorganic and organic–inorganic solar cells are deposited over flexible substrates by high‐throughput (often roll‐to‐roll printing) technologies to afford lightweight, economic solar modules that can be integrated into various surfaces. (Photo courtesy of Konarka.)
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