Aqueous-phase catalytic hydrogenation of methyl esters of Cynara cardunculus alternative low-cost non-edible oil: A useful concept to resolve the food, fuel and environment issue of sustainable biodiesel

Cynara cardunculus a perennial thistle grown wild on marginal lands abandoned from agricultural use without competition with food plants is recently recognized as a low-cost multipurpose energy crop with a high potential for industrial applications inter alia biodiesel production. The selective hydrogenation of polyunsaturated methyl esters of C. cardunculus alternative non-edible oil to their monounsaturated counterparts catalyzed by industrially applied water-soluble Ru/TPPTS complexes [TPPTS=trisulfonated triphenylphosphine, P(C6H4-m-SO3Na)3] in green aqueous media to obtain biodiesel with superior oxidative stability energy and environmental performance at a low pour point could represent an elegant and useful approach to resolve the food, fuel and environment trilemma of sustainable biodiesel production. © 2013 Elsevier B.V

Production of hydrogenated methyl esters of palm kernel and sunflower oils by employing rhodium and ruthenium catalytic complexes of hydrolysis stable monodentate sulfonated triphenylphosphite ligands

This study deals with the hydrogenation of renewable polyunsaturated methyl esters of palm kernel and sunflower oils to the saturated (C18:0) methyl stearate (MS) catalyzed by rhodium and ruthenium complexes modified with hydrolysis stable monodentate sulfonated triphenylphosphite (STPP) ligands under mild reaction conditions in the absence or presence of organic solvents. Superior selectivities up to 95.8. mol% of MS were achieved by Rh/STPP catalysts compared with the much lower selectivities (28.0-43.2. mol%) of MS obtained by rhodium catalysts modified with conventional triphenylphosphite or triphenylphosphine ligands. The bulkiness of transition metal STPP catalytic system which is in the form of a triisooctylammonium salt offers the possibility of the easy separation of the catalyst from the reaction mixture by means of a membrane. The hydrogenation reaction of the polyunsaturated C18 esters part of palm kernel oil and sunflower oil methyl esters toward the desired saturated product MS is an interesting catalytic reaction because it could acts as a model reaction for studying the hydrogenation of edible vegetable oil triglycerides to hardfats. Hardfats can be further subjected to interesterification reactions with liquid edible vegetable oils to yield foodstuffs with zero amounts of trans-fats. Very recent investigations have questioned whether there really are direct associations between hardfat consumption and a higher cardiovascular disease risk. Furthermore, MS could be used as a starting material of selective heterogeneous catalytic hydrogenolysis reaction of the C18:0 fatty ester to the corresponding saturated C18:0 stearyl alcohol which is an important industrial fatty alcohol. © 2014 Elsevier B.V

Catalytic conversions in aqueous media: Part 3. Biphasic hydrogenation of polybutadiene catalyzed by Rh/TPPTS complexes in micellar systems

Water-soluble Rh/TPPTS complexes [TPPTS = P(C6H4-m-SO3Na)3] are active catalysts (TOF > 1200 h-1) for the biphasic hydrogenation of the completely water-insoluble heavy polybutadiene (PB) in single micelles formed by the cationic surfactant dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride (DTAC), or mixed micelles created by DTAC with either non-ionic or anionic surfactants. The reaction proceeds under mild conditions (T = 100 °C, PH2 = 20 bar) at a molar ratio of P/Rh = 3 and C{double bond, long}C units/Rh = 1000 within 20 min and at a rhodium concentration of only 10 ppm in water. The pH of the aqueous catalyst solution markedly influenced the activity. High catalytic activities were achieved under neutral conditions whereas at acidic or basic conditions the catalytic activity dramatically decreased. The hydrogenation rate depends critically on the microstructure of PB and the nature of micellar catalysis. The 1,4-units content of PB plays a major role for performing the catalytic hydrogenation reaction in single or mixed micellar systems for obtaining maximum reactivity. When the PB possesses a high 1,4-units content (98.0 wt% of 1,4-units and 2.0 wt% of 1,2-units) higher reaction rates were achieved in mixed micellar systems created by DTAC/Brij-35 surfactants compared to the rates observed in single DTAC micelles. In contrast, with PB starting material consisting of 61.0 wt% of 1,2-units and 39.0 wt% of 1,4-units higher reaction rates were obtained in single DTAC micelles compared to those rates achieved in mixed micellar systems. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Placental inflammation and overweight or obesity in term singleton stillbirths in Stockholm County 2002-2018; a case control study.

IntroductionStillbirth is a severe pregnancy complication. Maternal obesity is one of the most important modifiable risk factors of stillbirth, yet the biological mechanisms behind this association remain unclear. The adipose tissue is an endocrine organ which, in persons with obesity, causes a hyperinflammatory state. The aim of this study was to investigate inflammation as a contributing mechanism to the risk of stillbirth in women with obesity and if there are possible signs of different BMI phenotypes with different risk.Material and methodsThis was a case control study based on all cases of term singleton stillbirth without major fetal malformation in Stockholm County between 2002-2018. Placentas have been examined according to a standardized protocol. Placental inflammatory lesions were compared both between placentas from pregnancies with live born and stillborn infants with different class of body mass index (BMI) as well as among women with stillborn and live born infants with different classes of BMI, respectively.ResultsAll inflammatory placental lesions were more common in placentas from women with stillbirth compared to placentas from women with live born infants. Vasculitis, funisitis and chronic villitis as well as overall fetal and maternal inflammatory response were present with a significantly increased proportion with increasing BMI in placentas from women with term stillbirth however, there were no differences between placentas from women in different BMI classes with term live born infants.ConclusionBoth acute and chronic inflammatory placental lesions were more common in cases of stillbirth compared to pregnancies with live born infants. There were increased proportions of both acute and chronic placental inflammation (vasculitis, chronic villitis, funisitis and overall fetal and maternal inflammatory response) with increasing BMI among cases with term stillbirth, however no differences among controls with term live born infants