Michigan State University

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

Mikhail Y Redko

James E Jackson

Christopher M Saffron

John Muldoon

Michael Jones

Patrick J Bonnick

Ryuta Sugiura

Volodymyr Tarabara

Leo Lacivita

Kyle Matthew Kilponen

Julian Taurozzi

A method for hydrolyzing cellulosic material includes combining the cellulosic material with a sulfonated polyaromatic catalyst in water to at least partially hydrolyze the cellulosic material and to form a monosaccharide hydrolysis product, thereby forming a reaction mixture including (i) an aqueous phase with the monosaccharide hydrolysis product in solution therein, and (ii) a dispersed phase including the sulfonated polyaromatic catalyst as well as any non-hydrolyzed cellulosic material. The sulfonated polyaromatic catalyst includes a mixture of partially sulfonated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that is substantially insoluble in the aqueous phase, thus providing it with an affinity for the water-insoluble cellulosic substrate where it preferentially exhibits its catalytic hydrolytic activity. The monosaccharide hydrolysis product can be recovered from the aqueous phase of the reaction mixture.

Methods for cellulose hydrolysis using sulfonated polyaromatic catalysts

Provided is a composition containing a redox charge-transfer complex of an electron donor polymer and an electron acceptor compound where the anionic form of the electron acceptor has a reduction potential higher than the reduction potential of the electron donor polymer; at least one metal salt and at least one additive compound having a dielectric constant of 10 or greater. The composition is a free-flowing, substantially amorphous powder and is useful as a metal ion conducting component of electrolytic cells.

Polymer electrolyte for a solid state battery

The disclosure relates to methods for extracting lignin from lignocellulosic biomass using volatile trialkylamines. A lignocellulosic biomass is combined with an aqueous extraction solution including the trialkylamine and water to provide a biomass extraction mixture that can at least partially extract lignin from the lignocellulosic biomass. The method further includes removing the trialkylamine from the biomass extraction mixture. The method further relates to the utilization of the resulting materials. For example, the lignin extract can be used to make carbon fibers, carbon-carbon materials, or polyamines. The delignified biomass can be used as feed for animals, fungi and/or bacteria. Also, the cellulosic or carbohydrate components of the delignified biomass can be hydrolyzed into pentoses and/or hexoses, which can be used as a feed or starting material for the subsequent conversion into other products. Acetic acid, removed from the biomass in form of trialkylammonium acetate, can be recovered from the mixture for further use or conversion into other chemicals.

Lignin extraction with volatile trialkylamines

The disclosure relates to methods for electrochemical reductive carboxylation of an unsaturated organic substrate to form a dicarboxylic organic product. The unsaturated organic substrate is electrochemically reduced with a carbon dioxide reactant in an ionically conductive, water-immiscible reactant medium to form the dicarboxylic organic product. The dicarboxylic organic product is recovered in an aqueous product medium. Example dicarboxylic organic products include phthalic acid, naphthalenedicarboxylic acid, furan-2,5-dicarboxylic acid, thiophene-2,5-dicarboxylic acid, pyrrole-2,5-dicarboxylic acid, adipic acid, suberic acid, sebacic acid, and 1,12-dodecanedioic acid.

Electrochemical reductive carboxylation of unsaturated organic substrates in ionically conductive mediums

The disclosure relates to methods of forming a dihydrochalcone using electrocatalytic dehydrogenation. In particular, the disclosure relates to methods of forming a dihydrochalcone electrocatalytically hydrogenating (ECH) a reactant compound over a catalytic cathode in a reaction medium having a non-alkaline pH value, thereby forming a dihydrochalcone product; wherein the reactant compound has a structure according to Formula (I). The method can be used to prepare dihydrochalcone sweeteners, such as, for example, naringin dihydrochalcone and neohesperidin dihydrochalcone.

Electrocatalytic synthesis of dihydrochalcones

Polyazacrown polymers based on the azacrown monomer 1,4,7,10,13,16,21,24-octaazabicyclo[8.8.8]hexacosane ('HAza222') are disclosed. Azacrown monomer units are preferably linked with a suitable linking agent, and the resulting polymers are can absorb mercury from a water stream and form a stable complex therewith. Methods of making and using the polyazacrown polymers are also disclosed. The polymers have a high absorption capacity for and selectivity towards mercury, which properties are useful for the remediation of mercury-contaminated water. The polymers can be regenerated by the efficient removal of the absorbed mercury. Further, the absorbed mercury that is liberated from the polyazacrown polymers can be effectively concentrated and captured to prevent its re-release into the environment.

Polyazacrown-based materials for mercury capture and synthesis of those materials

A process for producing compound 1,4,7,10,13,16,21,24-octaazabicyclo[8.8.8]hexacosa, 4,6,13,15,21,23-hexaene (2) and then compound 1,4,7,10,13,16,21,24-octaazabicyclo[8.8.8]hexacosane (1) from compound (2) is described. The process uses a reaction between triaminoethylamine and glyoxal in the presence of water, alcohol and tertiary amine at low temperature to produce compound 2. Then compound 1 is produced from compound 2 by reduction with an alkali metal containing ammonia as the reductant. The compounds are aza cryptands which are used to bind metals and the like for electrides, and in alkalides, medicine and water treatment, for instance.

Method of synthesis of 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 21, 24-octaazabicyclo [8.8.8] hexacosane (1) and 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 21, 24-octaazabicyclo [8.8.8] hexacosa, 4, 6, 13, 15, 21, 23-hexaene (2)

Growing community of inventors

East Lansing, MI, United States of America

Mikhail Y Redko