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\"This book is aimed at providing a concise discussion on the use of glycerol as a renewable raw material for the chemical industry. With the increasing use of biodiesel produced from oils and fats, there is a surplus of glycerol in the world. This abundant and rather cheap raw material can be transformed in commodities and specialty chemicals, as well as in fuels. The book describes the main processes of chemical transformation of glycerol, highlighting those that are currently in commercial use and pointing out potential processes to be used in the future. The first chapter introduces the concept of biofuel and briefly describes the production of biodiesel. It also highlights glycerol as the main byproduct of biodiesel synthesis and presents some numbers regarding the world production of glycerol. The second chapter shows the common uses of glycerol and addresses the point whether or not they can drain the large amounts of glycerol produced from biodiesel. The chapter addresses pros and cons of each use. The third chapter covers the main biotechnological processes of glycerol transformation. The fourth chapter thoroughly describes the main thermochemical processes to transform glycerol into commodities, products that will be further used in the chemical industry to produce polymers, for instance. The fifth chapter covers the production of glycerol derivatives of high added-value. The sixth chapter addresses the use of glycerol in the context of a biorefinery. The main idea is to show that many of the processes described in the previous chapters could be entirely green, using exclusively renewable raw materials.\"--Publisher's description.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0322838.].

A series of novel functional polycarbonates, specifically poly(solketal glycidyl ether carbonate-co-propylene carbonate)s with varying compositions, were synthesized through the ring-opening copolymerization of solketal glycidyl ether, propylene oxide, and carbon dioxide. The reaction was catalyzed by rac-(salcy)Co[sup.III]X complexes with bis(triphenylphosphine)iminium salts as co-catalysts, achieving high selectivity. The resulting terpolymers exhibited number-average molecular weights ranging from 2 × 10[sup.4] to 1 × 10[sup.5] and a narrow, bimodal molecular weight distribution, with dispersities of 1.02–1.07 for each mode. Interestingly, the addition of a small amount of water to the reaction mixture yielded a terpolymer with a unimodal molecular weight distribution and a dispersity of 1.11. Subsequent acidic hydrolysis of the solketal protective groups produced poly(glyceryl glycerol carbonate-co-propylene carbonate). All terpolymers were amorphous, with Tg near or below room temperature. The hydroxyl-functional polycarbonates underwent cyclodepolymerization under milder conditions compared to polycarbonates with protected hydroxyl groups.

WVO.sub.x bi-metal oxides supported on the cost-effective industrial mesoprous Al.sub.2O.sub.3, SiO.sub.2, active carbon (AC), and TiO.sub.2-Al.sub.2O.sub.3 with different specific surface areas (WVO/Al.sub.2O.sub.3, WVO/SiO.sub.2, WVO/AC, and WVO/TiO.sub.2-Al.sub.2O.sub.3) were designed and prepared through co-impregnation method for large-scale bio-glycerol dehydration to acrolein. The XRD, BET, SEM-EDS, XPS, and NH.sub.3-TPD characterization results revealed the WO.sub.3-VO.sub.x (V.sup.4+/V.sup.5+) species existed with better dispersion, lower molar ratio of V.sup.4+/V.sup.5+, and enhanced strength of surface acid sites on the developed mesoporous TiO.sub.2-Al.sub.2O.sub.3 in comparison with that on the mesoporous Al.sub.2O.sub.3, SiO.sub.2, and AC, demonstrating strong interaction of WO.sub.3-VO.sub.x species with the TiO.sub.2-Al.sub.2O.sub.3 support and accounting for the acrolein selectivity over catalysts following the order of WVO/TiO.sub.2-Al.sub.2O.sub.3 (75.8%) > WVO/AC (71.2%) > WVO/SiO.sub.2 (55.3%) > WVO/Al.sub.2O.sub.3 (42.8%). Over the WVO/TiO.sub.2-Al.sub.2O.sub.3, gas-glycerol conversion reached above 97.0% with acrolein selectivity of about 75.0% under the gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) of 120-360 h.sup.-1, and maintained an improved catalytic stability.

Algae-driven processes, such as direct CO[sub.2] fixation into glycerol, provide new routes for sustainable chemical production in synergy with greenhouse gas mitigation. The marine microalgae Dunaliella tertiolecta is reported to accumulate high amounts of intracellular glycerol upon exposure to high salt concentrations. We have conducted a comprehensive, time-resolved systems biology study to decipher the metabolic response of D. tertiolecta up to 24 h under continuous light conditions. Initially, due to a lack of reference sequences required for MS/MS-based protein identification, a high-quality draft genome of D. tertiolecta was generated. Subsequently, a database was designed by combining the genome with transcriptome data obtained before and after salt stress. This database allowed for detection of differentially expressed proteins and identification of phosphorylated proteins, which are involved in the short- and long-term adaptation to salt stress, respectively. Specifically, in the rapid salt adaptation response, proteins linked to the Ca[sup.2+] signaling pathway and ion channel proteins were significantly increased. While phosphorylation is key in maintaining ion homeostasis during the rapid adaptation to salt stress, phosphofructokinase is required for long-term adaption. Lacking β-carotene, synthesis under salt stress conditions might be substituted by the redox-sensitive protein CP12. Furthermore, salt stress induces upregulation of Calvin–Benson cycle-related proteins.

This paper deals with the results of quantum chemical modeling of the monoacyl-sn-glycerol 2D cluster formation at the air/water interface using a semi-empirical PM3 method. The impact of the 2 or 3 positions of the acyl substituent on the thermodynamics of the monolayer formation is assessed for surfactants with an acyl substituent CnH[sub.2n+1]COO chain length of n = 6–17 carbon atoms. The calculation shows a significant change in the spontaneous clusterization threshold for isomeric compounds, which differs only in the position of the acyl substituent with respect to the glycerol backbone. This change is almost equal to substituent shortening by approximately two methylene fragments. At the same time, the geometric parameters of the unit cell for resulting monolayers are not affected so drastically. The 2D films in question possess an oblique or orthorhombic unit cell with parameters for 2 and 3-monoacyl-sn-glycerol monolayers, as follows: a = 4.91 Å and 4.82 Å and b = 5.00 Å and 4.92 Å, with hydrocarbon chains tilted at t = 23.0° and 23.5°. The calculated results are in accordance with existing experimental data obtained using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction measurements and the π-A isotherm technique.

Solar glycerol photoreforming was investigated on Au-Ni/CeO[sub.2] photocatalysts with an overall metal content equal to 1wt% and different Au/Ni weight ratios. The deposition of gold over ceria was performed by two different methods, deposition–precipitation and photoreduction. Deposition–precipitation was the best method to deposit gold on CeO[sub.2] with the formation of small Au nanoparticles (around 4 nm). The most active sample (0.9 wt% Au-0.1 Ni wt%/CeO[sub.2]) provided a H[sub.2] production rate of 350 µmol/gcat∙h, much higher than the corresponding monometallic samples. A higher amount of Ni led to detrimental effects in H[sub.2] production, likely due to the covering of the gold surface active sites by Ni. On the contrary, the presence of a small amount of Ni (0.1 wt%) allowed a remarkable improvement of the Au/CeO[sub.2] photocatalytic stability after consecutive runs of simulated solar irradiation. This finding, as well as the activation of synergistic effects, the improved charge carrier separation, and the exploitation of the localized surface plasmon resonance property of gold, led to the proposal of an alternative photocatalytic system to the most investigated TiO[sub.2]-based photocatalysts for H[sub.2] production. The enhanced stability is promising to further foster the investigation of these photocatalysts applied to sustainable H[sub.2] production.

This study investigates the adsorption performance of granular activated carbon (GAC) and pelletized activated carbon (PAC) for the purification of syngas produced from glycerol reforming, focusing on the removal of CO[sub.2], CO, and CH[sub.4]. The adsorption process was studied at two different flow rates (0.5 L/min and 1 L/min) to assess the impact of particle size and gas flow rate on adsorption capacity. The results indicate that GAC exhibits superior multi-gas adsorption, particularly at lower flow rates, effectively capturing CO[sub.2], CO, and CH[sub.4], while PAC exhibits lower adsorption performance. Kinetic analysis revealed that the pseudo-second-order and Avrami models fit well with both adsorbents, though GAC aligns more closely with the Avrami model, reflecting its multi-step adsorption mechanism and greater pore diffusion efficiency. These findings highlight the importance of adsorbent size and flow rate in optimizing hydrogen purification processes, with GAC emerging as a highly efficient adsorbent for industrial-scale syngas treatment.

Cartilage defects can be difficult to treat; therefore, tissue engineering of cartilage is emerging as a promising potential therapy. One interesting area of research explores the delivery of cells to the cartilage defect via scaffold-based cell delivery vehicles and microsurgery. This study explores the use of novel poly(glycerol sebacate) methacrylate (PGSm)-polymerised high internal phase emulsion (polyHIPE) microspheres as scaffolds with embedded cells for cartilage tissue engineering. Porous microsphere scaffolds (100 µm–1 mm diameter) were produced from emulsions consisting of water and a methacrylate-based photocurable resin of poly(glycerol sebacate). These resins were used in conjunction with a T-junction fluidic device and an ultraviolet (UV) curing lamp to produce porous microspheres with a tuneable size. This technique produced biodegradable PGSm microspheres with similar mechanical properties to cartilage. We further explore these microspheres as scaffolds for three-dimensional culture of chondrocytes. The microspheres proved to be very efficient scaffolds for primary chondrocyte culture and were covered by a dense extracellular matrix (ECM) network during the culture period, creating a tissue disk. The presence of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and collagen-II was confirmed, highlighting the utility of the PGSm microspheres as a delivery vehicle for chondrocytes. A number of imaging techniques were utilised to analyse the tissue disk and develop methodologies to characterise the resultant tissue. This study highlights the utility of porous PGSm microspheres for cartilage tissue engineering.

Purpose: Duloxetine (DLX) is dual serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor suffering from limited bioavailability ([approximately equal to] 40%) due to extensive hepatic metabolism. This work aims to formulate and evaluate DLX intranasal thermoreversible cubosomal gels to enhance its bioavailability and ensure efficient brain targeting. Materials and Methods: Cubo-gels were prepared by [3.sup.3] central composite design with three independent factors, lipid ratio (glycerol monooleate: glycerol tripalmitate), Pluronic F127%, and Pluronic F68%. The prepared formulations were evaluated for their particle size (PS), gelling temperature (GT), entrapment efficiency (EE%), and in vitro release. The cubogel with the highest desirability (0.88) was chosen as the optimized formulation. DLX cubogel was evaluated using differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. Cytotoxicity study, ex vivo permeation study and in vivo bio-distribution study were conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of brain targeting. Results: The optimum cubo-gel was composed of 3.76 lipid ratio, 20% w/v PF127, and 5% w/v PF68. It had PS of 265.13 [+ or -] 9.85 nm, GT of 32 [+ or -] 0.05[degrees]C, EE% of 98.13 [+ or -] 0.50%, and showed controlled release behavior where 33% DLX was released within 6 hrs. The plain in situ cubo-gel had a significantly higher [IC.sub.50] compared to DLX solution and DLX-loaded in situ cubo-gel. The ex vivo permeation study showed 1.27 enhancement in the drug permeation from DLX in situ cubo-gel. According to the in vivo bio-distribution study in plasma and brain, the intranasal DLX in situ cubo-gel showed a 1.96 fold improvement in brain bioavailability compared to the intranasal solution. Its BTE% and DTP% were 137.77 and 10.5, respectively, indicating efficient brain targeting after intranasal administration. Conclusion: Accordingly, intranasal DLX in situ cubo-gel can be considered as an innovative nano-carrier delivery system for bioavailability enhancement and efficient brain targeting of DLX to maximize its effect. Keywords: duloxetine, central composite design, cubosomes, thermoreversible in situ gel, intranasal, brain targeting