Browsing by Author "di Bitonto, Luigi"

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A Closed-Loop Biorefinery Approach for the Valorization of Winery Waste: The Production of Iron-Sulfonated Magnetic Biochar Catalysts and 5-Hydroxymethyl Furfural from Grape Pomace and Stalks
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2024-03) di Bitonto, Luigi; Scelsi, Enrico; Reynel-Ávila, Hilda Elizabeth; Mendoza-Castillo, Didilia Ileana; Bonilla-Petriciolet, Adrián; Hájek, Martin; Mustafa, Ahmad; Pastore, Carlo
In this work, a closed-loop strategy for the management and valorization of winery waste was proposed. The exhausted pomace and grape stalks that are typically obtained from white wine industries were used as a source of simple sugars, namely, glucose and fructose, and of lignocellulosic feedstock for the preparation of selective catalysts for the 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) production from fructose. A novel synthetic procedure was developed for the synthesis of iron-sulfonated magnetic biochar catalysts (Fe-SMBCs). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), BET surface area, porous structure analysis and determination of total amount of acid sites were performed in order to characterize the physico-chemical properties of the synthesized systems. Then, these heterogeneous catalysts were successfully tested via the dehydration of simple sugars into 5-HMF by using methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) and gamma valerolactone (GVL) as co-solvents. The optimum 5-HMF yield of 40.9 ± 1.1%mol with a selectivity of 59.8 ± 2.6%mol was achieved by adopting the following optimized conditions: 0.1 g of catalyst, volume ratio of GVL to H2O = 2 to 1, 403 K, 6 h. In addition, the catalyst was easily recycled using an external magnetic field and used for at least five reaction cycles without significant loss of catalytic activity.
Has the time finally come for green oleochemicals and biodiesel production using large-scale enzyme technologies? Current status and new developments
(Elsevier Inc., 2023-10) Mustafa, Ahmad; Faisal, Shah; Ahmed, Inas A; Munir, Mamoona; Cipolatti, Eliane Pereira; Manoel, Evelin Andrade; Pastore, Carlo; di Bitonto, Luigi; Hanelt, Dieter; Nitbani, Febri Odel; El-Bahy, Zeinhom M; Inayat, Abrar; Abdellatief, Tamer M.M; Tonova, Konstantza; Bokhari, Awais; Abomohra, Abdelfatah
With the growth of the chemical industry over the last decade, the need for cheaper (and more environmentally friendly) alternatives to petrochemicals of ever-increasing cost has grown steadily. Oleochemicals and biodiesel (OC/BD) are considered as green alternatives to petroleum derivatives, because they come from renewable oils and fats. OC/BD are currently produced by the traditional energy intensive chemical catalyzed methods, which have several economic and environmental drawbacks. For these reasons, the enzymatic production of OC/BD has attracted a growing attention for their greener pathway with respect to the chemically catalyzed processes. Lipase-catalyzed processes have a low energy requirement, since reactions are performed under atmospheric pressure and mild temperature and without the creation of side reactions. Furthermore, utilization of enzyme catalysts offers many advantages such as reducing the initial capital investment due to simplified downstream processing steps. Despite all the previous advantages, however, the high cost of lipases restricted their large-scale utilization. In the past decade, efforts have been made to reduce the cost of the enzymatic-catalyzed synthesis of OC/BD. However, most previous studies have studied only the technical feasibility of the lipase-catalyzed re- actions and overlocked the economic viability. This review critically discusses the factors affecting the promotion of the economic feasibility of the enzymatic processes from the lab to large scale. These include reactor configuration, type of feedstock, conditions optimization, immobilization, lipase-producing microorganisms
Sustainable synthesis of 2-ethyl hexyl oleate via lipase-catalyzed esterification: A holistic simulation and cost analysis study
(Elsevier B.V., 2024-07) Faisal, Shah; Sadek, M. Shaaban; Pastore, Carlo; di Bitonto, Luigi; Alshammari, Saud O; Mussagy, Cassamo U; El-Bahy, Salah M; Abdellatief, Tamer M.M; El-Bahy, Zeinhom M; Mustafa, Ahmad
Lipase catalyzed synthesis of fatty acid esters has recently attracted much attention as it represents a cleaner production route compared to the conventional energy intensive chemical method. In this study, the technical and economic viability of 2-ethyl hexyl oleate (2-EHO) synthesis by the catalytic esterification of oleic acid (OA) and 2-ethyl hexyl alcohol (2-EHA) in a stirred tank reactor using Novozym 435 (Candida antarctica lipase B) was investigated. A conversion rate of 91% was obtained by adopting the subsequent optimized parameters: 4% enzyme amount, 2 h reaction time, 4:1 M ratio of alcohol to fatty acid, 150 rpm stirring speed, and 60 °C temperature. The lipase operational stability study showed that enzymes can be used for 30 successive cycles without significant lose in activity. The use of Aspen Plus simulator enabled the development of a detailed process flow diagram, which significantly improved the understanding of this clean production method and assessed the overall costs. A holistic cost analysis revealed a production cost of $2109 per ton of 2-EHO, thereby yielding an approximate 28% profit margin relative to prevailing market rates. Rigorous financial assessments corroborated the project's viability, substantiating a net present value (NPV) of $14.7 MM, a return on investment (ROI) of 583.91% (plant life time = 15 years), projected Payback Period stands at 6 years, and an internal rate of return (IRR) of 23%. These results confirm the technical and economic feasibility of lipase catalyzed production of 2-EHO, highlighting its potential as an environmentally and profitable approach in the synthesis of fatty acid esters.