Unstable oil markets with rising environmental concerns have revived widespread interest in production of fuel ethanol from renewable materials. Cellulosic materials are abundant and prominent feedstocks for cheap ethanol production. However, due to recalcitrant structure of these materials, pretreatment is a prerequisite. Depending on the biomass, pretreatment and hydrolysis conditions, a number of degradation products and/or toxic components may be released that show strong inhibitory effects on the fermenting microorganisms. This thesis deals with application of encapsulation technology to ferment the highly toxic hydrolyzates without further pretreatment. Free cells could not tolerate presence of 5 g/l furfural in defined medium, and inhibitors in wood and peel hydrolyzates in batch mode of operation and fermentation failed. Continuous cultivation of wood hydrolyzate was only successful at 0.1 h−1 and the majority of cells lost their viability after 5 retention times. Encapsulated cell system could successfully ferment the synthetic medium containing 5 g/l furfural during sequential batch cultivations with ethanol yield of 0.41-0.42 g/g. Cultivation of undetoxified hydrolyzates was also carried out, where glucose and mannose were converted within 10 h without significant lag phase. However, a gradual decrease in cell activity was observed in sequential batches. Continuous cultivation was more successful, and wood hydrolyzate was fermented to ethanol by encapsulated S. cerevisiae at dilution rates up to 0.5 h−1. More than 75% of the encapsulated cells were viable in the worst conditions. Ethanol was produced with yield 0.44 g/g and specific productivity 0.14–0.17 g/g•h at all dilution rates. Contrary to wood hydrolyzate, where there is no preference for permeation of sugars or inhibitors through the capsules’ membrane, encapsulation technology was applied to eliminate inhibition of limonene in fermentation of orange wastes to ethanol. The capsules’ membrane, of hydrophilic nature, is practically impermeable to hydrophobic compounds such as limonene while allowing penetration of nutrients and products. While presence of 0.1% v/v limonene in the medium results in strong inhibition or even failure of cultivation with free cells, using this technique allowed fermentation of a medium containing 1.5% v/v limonene. The impact of encapsulation on the anaerobic growth pattern, morphological and physiological changes of S. cerevisiae over long-term application was investigated. The growth rate, total RNA and protein content of the encapsulated cells decreased gradually over repeated batch cultivations, while stored carbohydrates content increased. Within 20 batch cultivations, total RNA and protein content of encapsulated cells decreased by 39% and 24%, whereas glycogen and trehalose content increased by factors of 4.5 and 4, respectively. / <p>Akademisk avhandling som för avläggande av teknologie doktorsexamen vid Chalmers tekniska högskola försvaras vid offentlig disputation den 18 april 2008.</p>

Lignocellulosic biomass is a potential feedstock for production of sugars, which can be fermented into ethanol. The work presented in this thesis proposes some solutions to overcome problems with suboptimal process performance due to elevated cultivation temperatures and inhibitors present during ethanol production from lignocellulosic materials. In particular, continuous processes operated at high dilution rates with high sugar utilisation are attractive for ethanol fermentation, as this can result in higher ethanol productivity. Both encapsulation and membrane bioreactors were studied and developed to achieve rapid fermentation at high yeast cell density. My studies showed that encapsulated yeast is more thermotolerant than suspended yeast. The encapsulated yeast could successfully ferment all glucose during five consecutive batches, 12 h each at 42 °C. In contrast, freely suspended yeast was inactivated already in the second or third batch. One problem with encapsulation is, however, the mechanical robustness of the capsule membrane. If the capsules are exposed to e.g. high shear forces, the capsule membrane may break. Therefore, a method was developed to produce more robust capsules by treating alginate-chitosan-alginate (ACA) capsules with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) to get polysiloxane-ACA capsules. Of the ACA-capsules treated with 1.5% APTES, only 0–2% of the capsules broke, while 25% of the untreated capsules ruptured within 6 h in a shear test. In this thesis membrane bioreactors (MBR), using either a cross-flow or a submerged membrane, could successfully be applied to retain the yeast inside the reactor. The cross-flow membrane was operated at a dilution rate of 0.5 h-1 whereas the submerged membrane was tested at several dilution rates, from 0.2 up to 0.8 h-1. Cultivations at high cell densities demonstrated an efficient in situ detoxification of very high furfural levels of up to 17 g L-1 in the feed medium when using a MBR. The maximum yeast density achieved in the MBR was more than 200 g L-1. Additionally, ethanol fermentation of nondetoxified spruce hydrolysate was possible at a high feeding rate of 0.8 h-1 by applying a submerged membrane bioreactor, resulting in ethanol productivities of up to 8 g L-1 h-1. In conclusion, this study suggests methods for rapid continuous ethanol production even at stressful elevated cultivation temperatures or inhibitory conditions by using encapsulation or membrane bioreactors and high cell density cultivations. / <p>Akademisk avhandling som för avläggande av teknologie doktorsexamen vid Chalmers tekniska högskola försvaras vid offentlig disputation den 4 april 2014, klockan 9:30 i KE-salen, Kemigården 4, Göteborg.</p>

Introduction. 5-HMF and novel INN-compounds are left-shifting AEH, shown to have anti-sickling action by forming transiently covalent Schiff-base adducts with hemoglobin (Hb), thereby increasing the Hb O2-affinity. They are hypothesized to be substrates for aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) in the liver and red blood cells (RBC). Methods. Biopharmaceutical assessments were made for AEH, using calculated physicochemical properties. Their in-vitro hepatic metabolism (mediated by ALDH) was characterized using hepatic cytosol, and in-vitro-in-vivo extrapolations (IVIVE) were made. Inter-species differences in hepatic cytosolic ALDH activity were investigated using acetaldehyde as a model substrate in different mammalian species. Time- and concentration-dependent in-vitro disposition of 5-HMF in human whole blood was fully characterized and quantitatively modeled. In-vitro time- and concentration-dependent pharmacodynamic (PD) profiling of AEH (0.5 – 5 mM) was carried out in normal whole blood. 5-HMF binding to (normal) HbA and (sickle) HbS was studied in systematic time- and concentration-dependency studies using isolated Hb solutions. Quantitative PK/PD models were developed to fit the experimental data by nonlinear regression (Scientist®). Results. 5-HMF and the two INN-compounds were classified as BCS-I and BCS-II, respectively. All AEH were substrates for hepatic ALDH, with predicted low/intermediate hepatic extraction. Intrinsic ALDH activity varied significantly between mammalian species. In whole blood, 5-HMF plasma concentrations declined rapidly (t1/2 of 0.8 – 4 hrs), with nonlinear kinetics, due to saturable Hb-binding. AEH showed a time-dependent, biphasic PD effect in whole blood, suggesting transiently covalent Hb binding, with slow recovery to the baseline, corresponding to dissociation from Hb and subsequent metabolism by RBC-ALDH. Binding studies with HbA and HbS demonstrated slight differences in binding affinity, but sustained adduct formation - with slow dissociation t1/2. A novel semi-mechanistic target-site drug disposition (TSDD)/PD model was developed, integrating the information, for simultaneous modeling of 5-HMF concentrations in plasma, and its effect in whole blood. Conclusions. This translational research investigated in detail the in-vitro PK/PD of AEH, and systematically compared findings with older generation compounds. A (generic) novel TSDD/PD model was developed for disposition of AEH, identifying k-1 (dissociation constant of AEH from Hb) and kmet (RBC-ALDH metabolism rate constant) as key properties for the time course of PD effect.

No description available.

Currently, the major sources of fuel, energy, and chemicals are nonrenewable fossil resources such as petroleum, natural gas, and coal. Additionally, petroleum is used for the production of most transportation fuels and for the production of about 95% of organic chemicals. However, the production and use of non-renewable fossil fuels are unsustainable. For economic and environmental sustainability, there is a need to search for new and/or renewable resources and technologies for energy, fuels, and chemicals production that have the potential of effectively substituting fossil resources. In this context, lignocellulosic biomass is one of the candidates that meet these requirements due to its abundance and renewability. Lignocellulosic biomass-derived sugars can be chemically converted into 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF), a versatile platform chemical that can used to generate intermediates for the production of biofuels and chemicals. In this dissertation novel catalytic processes for converting monosaccharides into HMF are described. In chapter one, a literature review of the significance of HMF and the chemical intermediates derived from HMF is presented. The chapter also describes some of recent developments in the catalytic production of HMF from lignocellulosic sugars using homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts. Chapter two discusses the catalytic activity of dimethylaluminum complexes bearing (aminomethyl)phenolate ligands that I developed for converting glucose to HMF in ionic liquids. A systematic study on the effects of modification of the aluminum ancillary ligands on the efficiency of glucose conversion is presented. High HMF yield were obtained with substitution of an aryl substituent on the amino groups of the (aminomethyl)phenolate ligands. In an effort to improve HMF yield, the effects of modifying the ligands on the phenolate moiety of the (aminomethyl)phenolate ligands were investigated in chapter three. Using bulky ortho-phenoxide substituents achieved high HMF yields. The selectivity for HMF production with respect to fructose dehydration was also discussed, together with spectroscopic characterization of the polymeric humins produced from the dehydration reactions. In chapter four a study of the structural differences of poor vs. effective dimethylaluminum complexes bearing (aminomethyl)phenolate ligands is described. Insights from this study shows that different precatalyst intermediate could be formed depending on the aluminum complex used, which in turn affects HMF selectivity of dehydration reactions. The isomerization of glucose to fructose using aluminum complexes in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) is discussed in chapter five. Using NMR spectroscopy on isotopically labeled glucose, a mechanism for glucose isomerization to fructose is presented. Finally, chapter six gives a summary and describes potential future directions for the research detailed in this dissertation.

Thesis (M.S.)--Mississippi State University. Department of Chemistry. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Project I: [Ru(OH2)3(4'-phenyl-2,2':6',2''-terpyridine)](OTf)2 as a Homogeneous Hydrogenation Catalyst for Biomass Derived Substrates. The complex [Ru(OH2)3(4'-phenyl-2,2':6',2''-terpyridine)](OTf)2 has been shown to be an active ionic hydrogenation catalyst for selected carbonyls, diols and glycerol by the Schlaf group. It was postulated to also be active for other biomass derived substrates such as levulinic acid (LA), furfural and 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF). Synthesis of the complex was optimized and full characterization carried out by 1H/13C –NMR. The complex was tested against LA in aqueous sulfolane medium and the furfural/HMF model system 2,5-hexanedione in water. Activity of the complex was compared to the analogous metal-ligand bifunctional (MLB) system described in Project II. The complex exhibited good thermal stability up to 200 oC in 90/10 wt% sulfolane/water mixtures and was capable of hydrogenation of LA to γ-valerolactone in 95% yield. Addition of protic acids to the reaction mixture and increasing proportions of water decreased the activity of the complex towards the hydrogenation of LA. Project II: [Ru(OH2)3(di(picolyl)amine)](OTf)2 as an acid-, water- stable, metal-ligand bifunctional deoxygenation catalyst. The complex [Ru(OH2)3(di(picolyl)amine)](OTf)2 was postulated to be an active MLB ionic hydrogenation catalyst under acidic aqueous conditions. Using the substantially labile [Ru(DMF)6](OTF)3 ruthenium complex as the precursor, the desired complex was prepared insitu by coordination of the DPA ligand and concomitant reduction of Ru3+ to Ru2+. The complex was characterized by 1H/13C-NMR and tested for the hydrogenation of LA, 2,5-hexanedione, furfural and HMF under acidic aqueous conditions. The complex exhibited thermal stability up to 150 oC and was active for the hydrogenation of carbonyls, as demonstrated by the conversion of 2,5-hexanedione to 2,5-hexanediol in 94% yield in water. Addition of H3PO4 as an acid cocatalyst resulted in nearly complete conversion to dimethyltetrahydrofuran (DMTHF) but further deoxygenation could not be achieved. Direct comparision of [Ru(OH2)3(di(picolyl)amine)](OTf)2 and [Ru(OH2)3(4'-phenyl-2,2':6',2''-terpyridine)](OTf)2 under identical conditions against LA and 2,5-hexanedione demonstrated that the[Ru(OH2)3(di(picolyl)amine)](OTf)2 catalyst is more active than the [Ru(OH2)3(4'-phenyl-2,2':6',2''-terpyridine)](OTf)2 complex in all cases, suggesting that the di(picolyl)amine complex operates through a MLB ionic hydrogenation mechanism. / NSERC

The catalytic activity of ruthenium(II) bis(diimine) complexes cis-[Ru(6,6′-Cl2bpy)2(OH2)2](Z)2 (2, Z = CF3SO3; 3, Z = (3,5-(CF3)2C6H3)4B ,i.e. BArF), cis-[Ru(4,4′-Cl2bpy)2(OH2)2](Z)2 (4, Z = CF3SO3; 5, Z = BArF) and cis-[Ru(bpy)2(PR3)(OH2)](CF3SO3)2 (7, bpy = 2,2’-bipyridine, PR3 = P(C6H4F)3; 8, bpy = 2,2-bipyridine, PR3 = PPh3; 9, bpy = 4,4’-dichloro-2,2’-bipyridine, PR3 = PPh3; 10, bpy = 4,4’-dimethyl-2,2’-bipyridine, PR3 = P(C6H4F)3) for the hydrogenation and hydrogenolysis of furfural (FFR), furfuryl alcohol (FFA) and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) was investigated. The compounds 2-5 are active and highly selective catalysts for the hydrogenation of FFR to FFA. Using 2 as catalyst at 100 °C, hydrogenation of FFR proceeded to high conversion (≥98%) and with 100% selectivity to FFA in 2 h. The catalyst cis-[Ru(6,6′-Cl2bpy)2(OH2)2](CF3SO3)2 (2) also showed some activity for hydrogenolysis of FFR and FFA at 130 °C in ethanol, giving up to 25% of 2-methylfuran (MF) yield. The catalyst 3 alsodisplayed high catalytic activity for the hydrogenation of FFA to tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol. Catalysts 7-10 are also active towards the hydrogenation of furfural (FFR) in NMP giving >90% FFR conversion with 100% selectivity for furfuryl alcohol (FFA) in 12 h. Compounds 7-10 are active C-O bond hydrogenolysis catalysts in presence of bismuth halide Lewis acids. For example, hydrogenolysis of FFA in the presence of 1 mol% of catalyst cis-[Ru(4,4’-Cl2bpy)2(PPh3)(OH2)](CF3SO3)2 (9) and 20 mol% bismuth bromide at 180 °C/51 atm H2 pressure gave >96% conversion of FFA and 55% MF yield. Compounds 7-10 in the presence of bismuth halides, showed almost 100% conversion of HMF with a very high selectivity (65-72%) for 2,5-DMF, along with 10-12% of MF, and trace amount of 5-methylfurfural (MeFFR). In order to test the activity of ruthenium hydrides towards the C-O bond hydrogenation and hydrogenolysis of HMF, series of monocationic ruthenium complexes cis-[Ru(bpy)2(PR3)(H)](CF3SO3) (12, bpy = 2,2’-bipyridine, PR3 = P(C6H4F)3; 13, bpy = 2,2-bipyridine, PR3= PPh3; 14, bpy = 4,4’-dimethyl-2,2’-bipyridine, PR3= P(C6H4F)3) were prepared. The hydrogenation of HMF using catalysts 12-14, produced 70-72% of 2,5-DMF and 11% MF, suggesting that ruthenium hydrides are active and efficient catalysts for HMF hydrogenation.

Human exposure to harmful compounds in the environment, from intake via food, occupational exposures or other sources, could have health implications. Exposure to reactive compounds/metabolites can be identified and quantified as hemoglobin (Hb) adducts by mass spectrometry. This thesis aimed at improved synthetic pathways for reference standards, and improved analytical methods for adducts to N-terminal valine in Hb from a range of reactive compounds; isocyanates, aldehydes, methyl vinyl ketone (MVK), and diepoxybutane (DEB). Isocyanates form urea adducts with N-terminal valine by carbamoylation, which are detachable as hydantoins by hydrolysis. A new synthetic pathway for reference standards of adducts from isocyanates and a method for their analysis by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) were developed. Aldehydes form reversible imines (Schiff bases) with N-termini in Hb. After stabilisation by reduction and detachment by isothiocyanates using modified Edman methods, these adducts could be analysed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) or LC/MS. 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural, its metabolites, and other aldehydes related to exposure via food, were studied with regard to analysis by these methods with synthesised standard references. A considerably improved analytical method for imines was developed. Many of the studied adducts are too short-lived in vivo or in vitro to be used for long-term biomonitoring. However, different approaches for the analysis were evaluated. Through synthesised reference standards, an observed unknown adduct in blood was verified as the adduct from MVK. There exist both natural and anthropogenic sources for MVK. DEB, metabolite of butadiene, forms a cyclic adduct to valine-N. A new approach using hydrazinolysis of protein and enrichment by molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction was tested on synthesised reference DEB-adduct and gave promising results. Synthesised standards were characterized by NMR, LC/MS and GC/MS. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 1: Submitted. Paper 3: Submitted. Paper 4: Submitted.</p>

Abstract Lignocellulosic biomass, such as wood or agricultural residues, is a resource widely available for use in chemical production. In a lignocellulosic feedstock biorefinery, the major parts of biomass, cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, are converted to valuable chemicals, materials and energy. Furfural production is one option for the use of the pentose sugars available in hemicellulose, and the process could be integrated with the pulp or cellulosic ethanol industry. In the past, furfural production catalysed by organic acids has been in industrial use, but no detailed studies about the kinetics exist. However, the use of organic acid would prevent the waste problems linked to the mineral acids widely used in the furfural industry. In this thesis, furfural formation in formic acid media was studied. The major part of this work concerns the kinetics of xylose dehydration into furfural and further furfural degradation. Based on the results of this thesis and a literature review, adequate prediction of furfural yield in the conditions used can be achieved using a simple kinetic model, including three reactions: 1) Xylose dehydration into furfural, 2) Furfural degradation, and 3) Xylose degradation to products other than furfural. Moreover, it was shown that the overall order of the furfural degradation reaction, usually modelled as a first order reaction, changes with acidity (H+-concentration). Suggestions for a possible reaction mechanism have been made based on the results. In the last part of this thesis, furfural formation in the presence of kraft lignin (Indulin AT) was considered. Sulphuric acid was used as a baseline for formic acid. It was shown that the lignin has an acid-neutralising capacity, but the higher pH did not explain all the changes in the xylose conversion and the furfural yield. Thus, it is highly likely the lignin inhibits the formation of furfural. Altogether, the effects were smaller in formic acid than in sulphuric acid. This thesis confirms the fact that formic acid is an effective catalyst for furfural production. The focus of the thesis was on the reaction kinetics, and the results can be used in conceptual process design. Moreover, the results emphasise the importance of including acidity explicitly in the kinetic model and monitoring acidity changes when real process streams are used. / Tiivistelmä Lignoselluloosaa, kuten puita tai maanviljelyn jäännösmateriaaleja, on laajasti saatavilla kemiallisen tuotannon raaka-aineeksi. Biojalostamossa lignoselluloosan pääjakeet, selluloosa, hemiselluloosa ja ligniini, muutetaan arvokkaiksi kemikaaleiksi, materiaaleiksi ja energiaksi. Furfuraalin tuotanto on yksi vaihtoehto hemiselluloosan sisältämien pentoosien hyödyntämiseksi. Furfuraaliprosessi voidaan yhdistää sellun tai bioetanolin tuotantoon, ja orgaanisia happoja käyttämällä voitaisiin välttää mineraalihappoihin liittyvät jäteongelmat furfuraalin tuotannossa. Tämän väitöskirjan aiheena on muurahaishappokatalysoitu furfuraalin muodostuminen ksyloosista. Pääpaino on reaktiokinetiikassa, ja työssä on kehitetty kineettinen malli ksyloosin dehydraatiolle furfuraaliksi ja sitä seuraaville furfuraalin sivureaktioille. Tehdyn tutkimuksen ja kirjallisuusselvityksen perusteella yksinkertainen kolmen reaktion malli antaa riittävän tarkan ennustuksen furfuraalisaannoista käytetyissä olosuhteissa. Reaktiot ovat 1) ksyloosin dehydraatio sekä 2) furfuraalin ja 3) ksyloosin reaktiot sivutuotteiksi. Lisäksi huomattiin, että reaktion, jossa syntyy furfuraalin häviämistuotteita, reaktioaste on riippuvainen happamuudesta (H+-konsentraatio). Työssä onkin ehdotettu mahdollisia reaktiomekanismeja furfuraalin sivureaktioille. Työn viimeisessä osassa tutkittiin ligniinin vaikutusta furfuraalin muodos¬tu¬miseen. Vertailukohtana muurahaishapolle käytettiin rikkihappoa. Tutkimuksessa selvisi, että käytetty ligniini, Indulin AT, huononsi furfuraalisaantoa. Suurin osa vaikutuksesta johtui ligniinin neutralointikapasiteetista, jolloin reaktioliuoksen happamuus laski, mutta mahdollisia sivureaktioita ei voitu sulkea pois. Kaiken kaikkiaan vaikutukset olivat pienempiä muurahaishapolla kuin rikkihapolla. Tämä väitöskirjatutkimus osoitti, että muurahaishappo katalysoi furfuraalin tuotantoa tehokkaasti. Tutkimuksessa muodostettiin reaktiokineettinen malli, jota voidaan käyttää käsitteellisessä prosessisuunnittelussa. Tulosten perusteella on tärkeää huomioida reaktioliuoksen happamuus kinetiikassa ja tarkkailla happamuuden muutoksia käytettäessä prosessisivuvirtoja.