Publications related to Optimization of Lignin Extraction from Pine Wood for Fast Pyrolysis by Using γ-valerolactone-Based Binary Solvent System

Development of Sustainable Carbohydrate-Based Solvents by Acetal Functionalisation of Biomass

Organic solvents are ubiquitous in industrial and domestic applications from the production of pharmaceuticals to household consumer products. The negative impact of most traditional solvents, especially aprotic types, on the environment, health, and safet ...

EPFL2024

New Polymers from Biomass-Derived Hydroxycinnamic Acid Derivatives

Ghezae Tekleab

Polymers play a central role in shaping our world across various fields, but their heavy reliance on petrochemicals poses climate change, environmental and health risks. To address and alleviate these issues, transitioning to sustainable polymers, sourced ...

EPFL2024

Influence of Si3N4 fillers and pyrolysis profile on the microstructure of additively manufactured silicon carbonitride ceramics derived from polyvinylsilazane

In this work, various methods were used to improve the printability of a photocurable polyvinylsilazane resin filled with silicon nitride particles for digital light processing. The developed resin was used as a preceramic polymer for polymer-to-ceramic co ...

Taylor & Francis Ltd2024

Iodine oxoacids enhance nucleation of sulfuric acid particles in the atmosphere

Andrea Baccarini, Lubna Dada, André Welti, Houssni Lamkaddam, Imad El Haddad, Mihnea Surdu

The main nucleating vapor in the atmosphere is thought to be sulfuric acid (H2SO4), stabilized by ammonia (NH3). However, in marine and polar regions, NH3 is generally low, and H2SO4 is frequently found together with iodine oxoacids [HIOx, i.e., iodic acid ...

American Association for the Advancement of Science2023

Enhanced Leaching of Zinc Ferrite by the Formation of a Solid Solution With Magnetite in Hydrochloric Acid Solution

The high zinc and iron contents of electric arc furnace (EAF) dust in the forms of zinc ferrite (ZnFe2O4) and magnetite (Fe3O4) make it a valuable secondary source of these metals. ZnFe2O4 and Fe3O4 are known to form a solid solution at all compositions, a ...

SPRINGER2023

Direct conversion of lignin to functionalized diaryl ethers via oxidative cross-coupling

Paul Joseph Dyson, Mingyang Liu

Efficient valorization of lignin, a sustainable source of functionalized aromatic products, would reduce dependence on fossil-derived feedstocks. Oxidative depolymerization is frequently applied to lignin to generate phenolic mono- mers. However, due to th ...

Nature Research2023

Lignin, from biomass waste to sustainable materials for food packaging, antiviral coatings and agriculture

Alice Boarino

Our planet has been challenged for years by our reckless use of fossil fuels, which has led to the ongoing climate change and energy crisis. The transition to the use of renewable alternative sources has now became urgent and inevitable. The valorization o ...

EPFL2023

Zinc hybrid sintering for printed transient sensors and wireless electronics

Danick Briand, Nicolas Francis Fumeaux

Transient electronics offer a promising solution for reducing electronic waste and for use in implantable bioelectronics, yet their fabrication remains challenging. We report on a scalable method that synergistically combines chemical and photonic mechanis ...

2023

Scalable Room-Temperature Synthesis of a Hydrogen-Sieving Zeolitic Membrane on a Polymeric Support

Kumar Varoon Agrawal, Mostapha Dakhchoune, Jian Hao, Xuekui Duan

Thescalable synthesis of high-temperature H-2-sieving membranesfor energy-efficient carbon capture can potentiallyenable the implementation of precombustion carbon capture at a rapidpace. ...

AMER CHEMICAL SOC2023

Understanding the growth mechanism of BaZrS3 chalcogenide perovskite thin films from sulfurized oxide precursors

Anna Fontcuberta i Morral, Elias Zsolt Stutz, Andrea Giunto, Santhanu Panikar Ramanandan, Iléane Tiphaine Françoise Marie Lefevre, Mirjana Dimitrievska

Barium zirconium sulfide (BaZrS3) is an earth-abundant and environmentally friendly chalcogenide perovskite with promising properties for various energy conversion applications. Recently, sulfurization of oxide precursors has been suggested as a viable sol ...

IOP Publishing Ltd2023

Investigation of Biomass Hydrothermal Conversion Products by HRMS

Daniil Salionov

The dependency on fossil fuels and their impact on the environment is a matter of great concern for the future sustainability of modern society. The development of the "green" technologies which utilize renewable energy sources is now under investigation. ...

EPFL2023

How Acid Washing Nickel Foam Substrates Improves the Efficiency of the Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Jan Van Herle, Peter Hugh Middleton, Suhas Nuggehalli Sampathkumar, Thomas Benjamin Ferriday

Nickel foam substrates are frequently utilised as porous 3D substrates for renewable energy applications. The preparation of these substrates usually includes an acid-washing step, but the degree to which this step affects the final electrochemical perform ...

MDPI2023

Poisoning Effects of Cerium Oxide (CeO2) on the Performance of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs)

Jan Van Herle, Hossein Pourrahmani

In this study, the poisoning effects of cerium oxide (CeO2) as the contaminant on the performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are evaluated. An experimental setup was developed to analyze the performance characteristic (I-V) curves in c ...

MDPI2022

Investigation of new particle formation mechanisms and aerosol processes at Marambio Station, Antarctic Peninsula

Lubna Dada

Understanding chemical processes leading to the formation of atmospheric aerosol particles is crucial to improve our capabilities in predicting the future climate. However, those mechanisms are still inadequately characterized, especially in polar regions. ...

Copernicus GmbH2022

Extraction and controlled functionalization of lignin for materials applications

Stefania Bertella

Lignin is a renewable aromatic polymer that due to its abundance and unique chemical structure is a promising candidate to replace aromatic materials that are currently sourced from fossil oil. The same structure of lignin poses however drawbacks for its v ...

EPFL2022

An evaluation of new particle formation events in Helsinki during a Baltic Sea cyanobacterial summer bloom

Marjan Marbouti, Lubna Dada

Several studies have investigated new particle formation (NPF) events from various sites ranging from pristine locations, including forest sites, to urban areas. However, there is still a dearth of studies investigating NPF processes and subsequent aerosol ...

Copernicus GmbH2022

Acid-base-induced fac → mer isomerization of luminescent iridium(iii) complexes

Kay Severin, Albert Ruggi, Farzaneh Fadaei Tirani, Carolina Luciana Plaice, Anastasia Gitlina

Luminescent Ir(C^N)3 complexes (C^N = cyclometalated arylpyridine ligand) exist in the form of two stable isomers with distinct photophysical and electrochemical properties: fac and mer. Herein, we show that fac-Ir(C^N)3 complexes can be converted into the ...

2022

Thermodynamic modelling of hydrogen production in sorbent-enhanced biochar-direct chemical looping process

Hydrogen (H-2) has been widely considered the clean energy carrier of choice for emerging renewable energy generation technologies. However, H-2 is a secondary fuel mainly derived from natural gas. Over the past decades, research on developing H-2 producti ...

2022

Aging of industrial Fe-zeolite based catalysts for nitrous oxide abatement in nitric acid production plants

Oliver Kröcher, Davide Ferri, Filippo Buttignol, Pierdomenico Biasi

The influence of hydrothermal aging on the structural and catalytic properties of two commercial Fe-exchanged zeolite catalysts (Fe-FER and Fe-ZSM-5) in the extruded form employed for the removal of N2O from the exhaust of nitric acid production plants has ...

ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY2022

Molten globule-like transition state of protein barnase measured with calorimetric force spectroscopy

Sebastian James Davis

Understanding how proteins fold into their native structure is a fundamental problem in biophysics, crucial for protein design. It has been hypothesized that the formation of a molten globule intermediate precedes folding to the native conformation of glob ...

National Academy of Sciences2022