Catalysis Science & Technology Blog

Scientists from Japan have used waste slag (the high volume byproduct from iron making) to catalyse biofuel synthesis. Not only does this engineering strategy find a much-needed recycling alternative to slag, but renewable fuel, biodiesel is produced – a sustainable and environmentally-friendly alternative to petrochemicals.

Use of the slag-made hydrocalumite catalysts for large scale biodiesel synthesis promises an economical and ecological contribution to alleviate the fuel demands of the future.

Read the article here:  Transesterifications Using Hydrocalumite Synthesized from Waste Slag: An Economical and Ecological Route for Biofuel Production
Yasutaka Kuwahara, Keita Tsuji, Tetsutaro Ohmichi, Takashi Kamegawa, Kohsuke Mori and Hiromi Yamashita

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Heteroaromatic frameworks are valuable products with applications in a range of industries, the largest being in the pharmaceutical and drug discovery business. Developing the synthetic processes used to create these products is a growing field of research and enantioselective organocatalysis is proving to be an interesting and economic route to accomplish this.

This Perspective article from Karl Jørgensen’s group details a recently developed one-pot synthesis for constructing hydroxyalkyl- and aminoalkyl-substituted heteroaromatic compounds, these optically active products are formed in good yields with high enantioselectivities and minimal waste. Their novel methodology provides an important new route to synthesising heteroaromatic compounds for academia and industry alike.

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Organocatalytic synthesis of optically active heteroaromatic compounds
Łukasz Albrecht , Lars Krogager Ransborg and Karl Anker Jørgensen
DOI: 10.1039/C2CY20101A

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Tungsten-based polyoxometalates have been identified as ideal catalysts for epoxidation of alkenes, particularly since the corresponding reaction utilises H₂O₂ as the oxidant where only water is produced as the by-product. In order for this catalytic approach to be useful for industrial scale-up, the catalyst must be able to be separated from the products and recycled – heterogeneous catalysis being one route to achieve this.

In their recent HOT Catalysis Science & Technology article, Jean-Marc Clacens and his team describe how the tungsten POMs can be encapsulated within mesoporous silica (SBA-15) to effect the epoxidation of styrene and methyl oleate in solvent-free conditions. By grafting octyl groups onto the surface at the pore entrances, they ensured that the POM species did not leach from the silica, enabling re-use of the catalyst.

Clacen’s method is sure to inspire further research for developing green syntheses of such synthetically valuable epoxide molecules.

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Catalytic epoxidation of styrene and methyl oleate over peroxophosphotungstate entrapped in mesoporous SBA-15
Evelyne Poli,  Rodolphe De Sousa,  François Jérome,  Yannick Pouilloux and Jean-Marc Clacens

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