Continuous rotary kiln pyrolysis of cassava plant shoot system and wide speciation of oxygenated and nitrogen-containing compounds in bio-oil by HESI and APPI-Orbitrap MS.

This work proposes the pyrolysis of the cassava plant shoot system biomass and a comprehensive chemical characterization of the resulting bio-oil. The highest yields of liquid products were obtained at 600 °C, with 12.6 % bio-oil (organic fraction), which presented the lowest total acid number of 65.7 mg KOH g-1. The bio-oil produced at 500 °C exhibited the highest total phenolic content of approximately 41 % GAE, confirmed by GC/MS analysis (33.8 % of the total area). FT-Orbitrap MS analysis found hundreds of oxygenated constituents in the bio-oils, belonging to the O2-7 classes, as well as nitrogen compounds from the Ny and OxNy classes. Higher pyrolysis temperatures resulted in more oxygenated phenolics (O4-7) undergoing secondary degradation and deoxygenation reactions, generating O2-3 compounds. Additional classes affected were O3-5N2-3, while O1-2N1 presented more stable compounds. These findings show that cassava bio-oils are promising sources of renewable chemicals.

Microwave and ultrasound extraction of antioxidant phenolic compounds from Lantana camara Linn. leaves: Optimization, comparative study, and FT-Orbitrap MS analysis.

INTRODUCTION: The species Lantana camara is used in folk medicine. The biological activities of this medicinal plant are attributable to the presence of various derivatives of triterpenoids and phenolic compounds present in its preparations, indicating excellent economic potential. OBJECTIVE: In this study, the operational conditions of ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) were optimized using Box-Behnken design to improve the total phenolic content (TPC) recovered in hydroethanolic extracts of L. camara leaves. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The TPC, total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant activities of the hydroalcoholic extracts of L. camara, prepared by UAE and MAE under the optimized extraction conditions, were compared with those of the extracts obtained by conventional extraction methods. RESULTS: Under the optimal conditions, the extracts obtained by UAE (35% ethanol, 25 min, and a solvent-to-solid ratio of 60:1 mL/g) and by MAE (53% ethanol, 15 min, and 300 W) provided high yields of 32.50% and 38.61% and TPC values of 102.89 and 109.83 mg GAE/g DW, respectively. The MAE extract showed the best results with respect to TPC, TFC, and antioxidant activities, followed by extracts obtained by UAE, Soxhlet extraction, decoction, maceration, and infusion, in that order. CONCLUSION: The results obtained indicate that L. camara may be used as an important source of antioxidant phenolic compounds to obtain products with high biological and economic potential, especially when the extraction process is performed under appropriate conditions using MAE and/or UAE, employing environmentally friendly solvents such as water and ethanol.

Heterogeneous electro-Fenton process for degradation of bisphenol A using a new graphene/cobalt ferrite hybrid catalyst.

A simple, efficient, environmentally friendly, and inexpensive synthesis route was developed to obtain a magnetic nano-hybrid (GH) based on graphene and cobalt ferrite. Water with a high content of natural organic matter (NOM) was used as solvent and a source of carbon. The presence of NOM in the composition of GH was confirmed by FTIR and Raman spectroscopy, which evidenced the formation of graphene, as also corroborated by XRD analyses. The diffractograms and TEM images showed the formation of a hybrid nanomaterial composed of graphene and cobalt ferrite, with crystallite and particle sizes of 0.83 and 4.0 nm, respectively. The heterogeneous electro-Fenton process (EF-GH) achieved 100% degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) in 50 min, with 80% mineralization in 7 h, at pH 7, using a current density of 33.3 mA cm-2. The high catalytic performance was achieved at neutral pH, enabling substantial reduction of the costs of treatment processes. This work contributes to understanding the role of NOM in the synthesis of a magnetic nano-hybrid based on graphene and cobalt ferrite, for use in heterogeneous catalysis. This nano-hybrid has excellent potential for application in the degradation of persistent organic pollutants found in aquatic environments.