What to Expect When Expecting in Lab: A Review of Unique Risks and Resources for Pregnant Researchers in the Chemical Laboratory.

Pregnancy presents a unique risk to chemical researchers due to their occupational exposures to chemical, equipment, and physical hazards in chemical research laboratories across science, engineering, and technology disciplines. Understanding "risk" as a function of hazard, exposure, and vulnerability, this review aims to critically examine the state of the science for the risks and associated recommendations (or lack thereof) for pregnant researchers in chemical laboratories (labs). Commonly encountered hazards for pregnant lab workers include chemical hazards (organic solvents, heavy metals, engineered nanomaterials, and endocrine disruptors), radiation hazards (ionizing radiation producing equipment and materials and nonionizing radiation producing equipment), and other hazards related to the lab environment (excessive noise, excessive heat, psychosocial stress, strenuous physical work, and/or abnormal working hours). Lab relevant doses and routes of exposure in the chemical lab environment along with literature and governmental recommendations or resources for exposure mitigation are critically assessed. The specific windows of vulnerability based on stage of pregnancy are described for each hazard, if available. Finally, policy gaps for further scientific research are detailed to enhance future guidance to protect pregnant lab workers.

Electrocatalysis for Chemical and Fuel Production: Investigating Climate Change Mitigation Potential and Economic Feasibility.

The manufacture of goods from oil, coal, or gas to everyday consumer products comprises in more or less all cases at least one catalytic step. Compared to conventional hydrothermal catalysis, electrocatalysis possesses the advantage of mild operational conditions and high selectivity, yet the potential energy savings and climate change mitigation have rarely been assessed. This study conducted a life cycle assessment (LCA) for the electrocatalytic oxidation of crude glycerol to produce lactic acid, one of the most common platform chemicals. The LCA results demonstrated a 31% reduction in global warming potential (GWP) compared to the benchmark (bio- and chemocatalytic) processes. Additionally, electrocatalysis yielded a synergetic potential to mitigate climate change depending on the scenario. For example, electrocatalysis combined with a low-carbon-intensity grid can reduce GWP by 57% if the process yields lactic acid and lignocellulosic biofuel as compared to a conventional fossil-based system with functionally equivalent products. This illustrates the potential of electrocatalysis as an important contributor to climate change mitigation across multiple industries. A technoeconomic analysis (TEA) for electrocatalytic lactic acid production indicated considerable challenges in economic feasibility due to the significant upfront capital cost. This challenge could be largely addressed by enabling dual redox processing to produce separate streams of renewable chemicals and biofuels simultaneously.

Greener Routes to Biomass Waste Valorization: Lignin Transformation Through Electrocatalysis for Renewable Chemicals and Fuels Production.

Lignin valorization is essential for biorefineries to produce fuels and chemicals for a sustainable future. Today's biorefineries pursue profitable value propositions for cellulose and hemicellulose; however, lignin is typically used mainly for its thermal energy value. To enhance the profit potential for biorefineries, lignin valorization would be a necessary practice. Lignin valorization is greatly advantaged when biomass carbon is retained in the fuel and chemical products and when energy quality is enhanced by electrochemical upgrading. Though lignin upgrading and valorization are very desirable in principle, many barriers involved in lignin pretreatment, extraction, and depolymerization must be overcome to unlock its full potential. This Review addresses the electrochemical transformation of various lignins with the aim of gaining a better understanding of many of the barriers that currently exist in such technologies. These studies give insight into electrochemical lignin depolymerization and upgrading to value-added commodities with the end goal of achieving a global low-carbon circular economy.