Investigating cyanogen rich Manihot esculenta efficacy for Ru phytomining and application in catalytic reactions.
Sifelani DubeLeah C MatsinhaBanothile C E MakhubelaAbayneh A AmbushePublished in: RSC advances (2022)
Phytomining is a newly developing alternative green technology. This technology has been applied for recovering precious metals from mine tailings that are low-grade ores. In this study, effective catalytic transfer hydrogenation of furfural to furfural alcohol was investigated using a ruthenium (Ru) bio-based catalyst, Ru@CassCat. The catalyst was prepared from Ru rich bio-ore recovered during laboratory scale phytomining as a model of mining tailing using the cassava plant ( Manihot esculenta ). Pre-rooted cassava cuttings were propagated and watered with Ru rich solutions for ten weeks before harvest. Harvested cassava roots were calcined to produce the bio-ore used as an in situ bio-based catalyst. The properties of the catalyst were characterized by various techniques, which include transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy coupled to energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), powder X-ray diffraction (pXRD), ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) theory. Characterization by FTIR, SEM and TEM revealed that RuCassCat has spherical component particles, loosely arranged around a cellulose/lignin-like matrix of the biocatalyst. It was also found that calcination strengthened the structure and texture of the support carbon matrix to distribute the Ru particles evenly. An ICP-MS analysis showed that up to 295 μg g -1 of Ru was detected in cassava roots. The variation of test conditions, namely, temperature, time, base, catalyst load, and a hydrogen source, was investigated. Optimally, a 0.00295 wt% ruthenium loading on the Ru@CassCat catalyst resulted in 100% furfural conversion with a turnover frequency of 0.0114 million per hour at 160 °C for 24 h using triethylamine as a base and formic acid as a hydrogen source. The catalyst remained active for up to three recycles, consecutively and produced furfural alcohol in high turnover numbers.
Keyphrases
- electron microscopy
- ionic liquid
- room temperature
- visible light
- reduced graphene oxide
- highly efficient
- energy transfer
- high resolution
- low grade
- carbon dioxide
- metal organic framework
- single molecule
- blood pressure
- mass spectrometry
- high grade
- bone mineral density
- gold nanoparticles
- multiple sclerosis
- climate change
- ms ms
- magnetic resonance
- solid state
- drinking water
- crystal structure
- alcohol consumption