Mustapha Soukri

Boosting catalytic performance of MOFs for steroid transformations by confinement within mesoporous scaffolds

Solid-state crystallization achieves selective confinement of metal-organic framework (MOF) nanocrystals within mesoporous materials, thereby rendering active sites more accessible compared to the bulk-MOF and enhancing the chemical and mechanical stability of MOF nanocrystals. (Zr)UiO-66(NH2 )/SiO2 hybrid materials were tested as efficient and reusable heterogeneous catalysts for the synthesis of steroid derivatives, outperforming the bulk (Zr)UiO-66(NH2 ) MOF. A clear correlation between the catalytic activity of the dispersed Zr sites present in the confined MOF, and the loading of the mesoporous SiO2 , is demonstrated for steroid transformations.

Synthesis of Fluidized CO2 Sorbents Based on Diamine Coordinated to Metal–Organic Frameworks by Direct Conversion of Metal Oxides Supported on Mesoporous Silica

A general and efficient method for shaping MOFs into fluidized forms has been developed by direct conversion of metal oxides supported on fluidized mesoporous silica. The resulting fluidized MOF hybrid materials containing diamines coordinated at the open metal sites have been studied as CO2 solid sorbents from post-combustion flue gas showing similar performance than their bulk counterparts. These new fluidized MOF hybrid materials can be used for other applications involving fluidized bed reactor configurations, in which MOFs have never been considered.

Production and distillative recovery of valuable lignin-derived products from biocrude

Value-added chemicals present in liquid products from direct liquefaction of biomass can be recovered as bioproducts in an integrated biorefinery to enhance the economic viability of biomass-to-liquid fuel technologies and afford a higher return on investment. In recent efforts, RTI International is exploring and developing processes that could be used to produce bioproducts in addition to liquid fuel from biocrude intermediates. The present study focused on the production and recovery of high-value lignin-derived compounds from biocrude. Catalytic pyrolysis with a nonzeolite, alumina-based catalyst was used to produce the biocrude from loblolly pine in RTIs 1-tonne per day pilot-scale plant. Distillation was evaluated as a potential separation method given that the biocrude is relatively thermally stable and distillable compared to raw pyrolysis oils. The distillation studies were performed with a laboratory distillation unit (PETRODIST 300 CC) and the biocrude was fractionated into four distillate cuts: cut 1 (IBP-110 °C), cut 2 (110–200 °C), cut 3 (200–300 °C), and cut 4 (300–400 °C). In a case study, cut 3 was distilled further to concentrate the lignin-derived chemicals boiling between 200 and 270 °C. The results showed that a biocrude containing about 10 wt% guaiacols could be concentrated to about 35 wt% of guaiacols (representing 75% recovery) in the first distillation step. The second distillation step increased the concentration of guaiacols to about 53 wt% (representing 80% recovery). These findings suggest that it is possible to isolate and concentrate the lignin-derived products using a distillation column with a number of plates/trays. The yields, physicochemical properties, and chemical composition of the fractions, as well as the overall distillation separation efficiency, are reported.

Transformation of single MOF nanocrystals into single nanostructured catalysts within mesoporous supports: a platform for pioneer fluidized-nanoreactor hydrogen carriers

Well-dispersed nanostructured catalysts along mesoporous materials have been systematically prepared via a novel multistep approach involving either the pyrolysis under nitrogen, the calcination under oxygen or the reduction under hydrogen of MOF nanocrystals decorated with transition metal complexes and previously confined within the mesoporous cavities via novel solid state synthesis. The resulting supported nanostructured catalysts can be composed of metals, metal oxides, heteroatom-doped carbons and combinations thereof depending on the transformation conditions. The pioneering concept of Fluidized-Nanoreactor Hydrogen Carriers has been proposed for the first time by using the resulting nanostructured catalysts within fluidized mesoporous silica.