01755nas a2200145 4500008004100000245016000041210006900201260000800270300001400278490000700292520113600299100002001435700002901455856012501484 2017 eng d00aEfficient hydrogenation of concentrated aqueous furfural solutions in to furfuryl alcohol under ambient conditions in presence of PtCo bimetallic catalysts0 aEfficient hydrogenation of concentrated aqueous furfural solutio cJAN a1144-11540 v193 a

Furfural (FAL), a major biomass-derived chemical, can be hydrogenated to yield the industrially importantplatform chemical, furfuryl alcohol (FOL). Although heterogeneous catalyst-based methods are known toyield FOL from dilute solutions of FAL, they mainly operate at high temperatures and/or high pressures ofhydrogen and in the presence of organic solvents. In this work, we employ bimetallic PtCo/C catalysts withvarying metal concentrations to achieve the maximum possible FOL yield (100%) at 35 °C under 0.1 MPa H2in water. With concentrated FAL (40 wt%) at 50 °C and under 1 MPa H2pressure, 86% yield of FOL wasobserved. Moreover, efficient catalyst recycling was observed over at least four runs with marginal loss inactivity due to handling error and isolation of FOL in pure form confirmed by NMR and HPLC.Characterization of catalysts with several physico-chemical techniques (XRD, TEM, XPS, ICP, TPR) revealsthe presence of electron-rich Pt and ionic Co species in proximity with each other and these worksynergistically to facilitate maximum possible yield of FOL under ambient conditions and in water medium

1 aDohade, Manisha1 aDhepe, Paresh, Laxmikant uhttp://library.ncl.res.in/content/efficient-hydrogenation-concentrated-aqueous-furfural-solutions-furfuryl-alcohol-under01363nas a2200157 4500008004100000022001500041245014900056210006900205260000800274300001400282490000600296520074000302100002001042700002201062856012101084 2018 eng d a 2044-475300a Efficient method for cyclopentanone synthesis from furfural: understanding the role of solvents and solubility in a bimetallic catalytic system0 aEfficient method for cyclopentanone synthesis from furfural unde cOCT a5259-52690 v83 aThe platform chemical, furfural (FAL), is obtained from C5 stream of biomass, and effective conversion into various chemicals including cyclopentanone (CPO) would find many industrial applications. It is desirable to convert FAL to CPO under low H-2 pressure with high selectivity. In the current work, bimetallic catalysts with Pt as the base metal supported on carbon are evaluated in the synthesis of CPO using a biphasic solvent system. By tuning the solvent ratio, with toluene/water (3:4 v/v), 75% yield of CPO is achieved under 1 MPa H-2 at 180 degrees C. The difference in solubility of the substrate, intermediates and products, along with the optimum ratio of Pt and Co metals plays a crucial role in achieving better yields.1 aDohade, Manisha1 aDhepe, Paresh, L. uhttp://library.ncl.res.in/content/efficient-method-cyclopentanone-synthesis-furfural-understanding-role-solvents-and11307nas a2200133 45000080041000000220014000412450130000552100069001852600008002544900017002625201075100279100002011030856012311050 2018 eng d a1097-462800aIncorporation of carbon nanofibers into a matrimid polymer matrix: effects on the gas permeability and selectivity properties0 aIncorporation of carbon nanofibers into a matrimid polymer matri cMAR0 vVolume 135, 3 a

Composite membranes containing carbon nanofibers (CNFs) and Matrimid were prepared by a solution-casting method. Prepared Matrimid–CNF composite membranes were characterized with X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and mechanical testing techniques. The mechanical properties of the composite membranes increased over that of the pristine polymeric membranes. To develop a broad fundamental understanding of the connection between the composite architecture and gas-transport properties, both the gas-permeability and gas-separation characteristics were evaluated. The gas-transport properties of the Matrimid–CNF composite membrane was measured with a single gas-permeation setup (He, H2, N2, CH4 and CO2) at ambient temperature with the variable-volume method. The incorporation of CNFs (0.5–10 wt %) into the Matrimid matrix resulted in approximately a 22% reduction in the gas permeation of various gases, (H2, He, CO2, N2, and CH4). Moreover, an improvement of 1.5 times in the gas selectivity was observed for CO2/CH4, H2/CH4, He/CH4, and H2/N2 compared to pristine polymeric membrane. Hence, such polymer–CNF composite membranes could be suitable for gas-separation applications with high purity requirements. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018135, 46019.

1 aDohade, Manisha uhttp://library.ncl.res.in/content/incorporation-carbon-nanofibers-matrimid-polymer-matrix-effects-gas-permeability-and