[Extract] At James Cook University (JCU) in Townsville, Australia, the Applied and Green Photochemistry Group utilizes both of tropical North Queensland's abundant natural resources: sunlight and biomass. The Solar Chemicals from and for the Tropics activities of the group subsequently focus on the production of commercially important commodity chemicals from these materials

Beqiraj, Alkit

Bolte, Matthew

Glasson, Christopher

Klaeden, Kilian

Oelgemoeller, Michael

English

ResearchOnline at James Cook University

 Regional Focus Korea                                                                                                                                                         Newsletter Number 3, 15th August 2013       Front cover and inside cover photos from Maxim V. Kiryukhin   7  6. Solar Chemicals from and for Tropical Australia  Follow-up article to Regional Focus–Australia  & New Zealand   Matthew Bolte, Kilian Klaeden, Alkit Beqiraj, Christopher Glasson and Michael Oelgemöller* James Cook University, School of Pharmacy and Molecular Sciences, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia. Email: michael.oelgmoeller@jcu.edu.au http://www.jcu.edu.au/phms/chemistry/staff/JCUPRD1_059861.html  Introduction At its beginning in the 19th century, synthetic organic photochemistry was a purely solar research area and photochemical reactions were performed ‘outdoors’ on the roofs of chemical institutes.i Despite the often simplified protocols and setups, the potential of solar photochemistry was recognized over 100 years ago by Giacomo Ciamician, the father of modern photochemistry. In his visionary lecture entitled “The Photochemistry of the Future” he envisaged the replacement of harmful, at that time coal-based, chemical processes with clean, solar-driven alternatives.ii A century has passed and his vision remains largely unfulfilled. Recently, solar photochemistry has seen a remarkable revival within the area of Green Chemistry.iii Modern solar reactors furthermore allow a concentration of sunlight, which in return yields to faster reaction rates and subsequently higher space-time-yields.iv Cost estimation studies for selected photochemical processes have furthermore shown that solar operations can compete economically with lamp-driven processes.v Compared to these traditional ‘indoor’ processes, solar illuminations often proceed more cleanly with fewer side products, thus reducing the need for exhaustive purification and separation steps.  Figure 1: Solar reactors at James Cook University. The red color of the photosensitizer rose Bengal can be clearly seen.  At James Cook University (JCU) in Townsville, Australia, the Applied and Green Photochemistry Group utilizes both of tropical North Queensland’s abundant natural resources: sunlight and biomass.vi Townsville receives over 300 days of direct sunshine per year, which makes it an optimal location for solar research. Likewise, the local sugar and essential oil industry offers a broad portfolio of renewable   8  materials. The Solar Chemicals from and for the Tropics activities of the group subsequently focus on the production of commercially important commodity chemicals from these materials.  Solar Reactors The research group at JCU is equipped with a number of non-concentrating solar reactors (Figure 1). Their differing capacities allow for a rapid transfer from demonstration to pilot-scales. The traditional ‘flask in the sun’ approach of Ciamician is still followed for solar exposures on laboratory-scales. Scale-up is realized in custom-made 1 m2 flatbed reactors (<8 L scale) or in a commercially available 2 m2 Compound Parabolic Collector (CPC; <50 L scale). Both reactor models operate in circulation mode and can harvest direct as well as diffuse sunlight. Using these advanced solar reactors, the Applied and Green Photochemistry Group has already conducted several kilogram-scale syntheses of valuable commodity chemicals within 1-3 days of illumination. Located in costal North Queensland, the group is furthermore investigating applications of ‘solar floats’.vii Developed by Prof. Liu at the University of Hawaii, these devices use natural water-reservoirs as heat-sinks, which make them interesting for environmental applications.  Solar Reactions Photooxygenations are especially suitable model reactions for solar photochemistry. These industrially relevant transformations utilize catalytic amounts of an organic dye, commonly rose bengal, and air for the construction of oxygenated products.viii The targeted commodity chemicals examined within the Solar Chemicals from and for the Tropics initiative are of particular interest for the Australian economy and allow for value-adding to existing processes and products (Scheme 1).   Scheme 1: Solar photooxygenations investigated.  The local sugar industry, for example, offers an easy access to bioethanol and furfural, a sugarcane bagasse-derived compound.ix The solar photooxygenation of furfural into the important C5-building block hydroxyfuranone has been realized successfully at JCU on kg-scales.x At elevated temperatures, this compound is readily converted in situ into its corresponding alkoxy-derivatives, which are useful fragrances. The introduction of solar thermal conditions into the solar photochemical key-process thus opens innovative new markets on demand. Similarly, the Australian essential oils industry is interested in value adding and diversification of its product portfolio. The solar conversion of essential oils into valuable fragrances thus offers a range of new and ‘green’ products. Two representative processes are currently examined. The conversion of citronellol into the important fragrance rose oxide is performed industrially (<100 t/a) using artificial light.xi At JCU, the three-step procedure incorporating a solar-driven photooxygenation step was realized successfully on large-scale. The transformation of β-pinene to the low volume (<10 t/a) fragrance myrtenol is likewise examined but requires prolonged exposure times.xii  Conclusion Tropical North Queensland offers favourable climatic conditions and versatile biomass resources for solar photochemical studies. Dye-sensitized photooxygenations in particular use renewable materials from the   9  local agriculture and forestry industry and convert these sustainable starting materials into high-value chemicals of economic importance to the region. Solar photochemistry can thus contribute substantially to a Green Chemical Industry.  Acknowledgement This work was financially supported by James Cook University (FAIG 2009/2011 and Pathfinder 2012).  References i. H. D. Roth “The beginnings of organic photochemistry” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 1989, 28: 1193-1207. ii. G. Ciamician “The photochemistry of the future” Science 1912, 36: 385-394. iii. P. Esser, B. Pohlmann, H.-D. Scharf “The photochemical synthesis of fine chemicals with sunlight” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 1994, 33: 2009-2023. iv. (a) A. Fernandez-Garcia, E. Zarza, L. Valenzuela, M. Perez “Parabolic-trough solar collectors and their applications” Renew. Sust. Energy Rev. 2010, 14: 1695-1721; (b) K.-H. Funken, J. Ortner, “Technologies for the solar photochemical and photocatalytic manufacture of specialities and commodities: a review” Z. Phys. Chem. 1999, 213: 99-105. v. (a) N. Monnerie, J. Ortner “Economic evaluation of the industrial photosynthesis of rose oxide via lamp or solar operated photooxidation of citronellol” J. Sol. Energy Eng. 2001, 123: 171-174; (b) K.-H. Funken, F.-J. Müller, J. Ortner, K.-J. Riffelmann, C. Sattler “Solar collectors versus lamps – a comparison of the energy demand of industrial photochemical processes as exemplified by the production of ε-caprolactam” Energy 1999, 24: 681-687. vi. (a) M. Oelgemöller, C. Jung, J. Mattay “Green photochemistry: Production of fine chemicals with sunlight” Pure Appl. Chem. 2007, 79: 1939–1947; (b) M. Oelgemöller, C. Jung, J. Ortner, J. Mattay, E. Zimmermann “Green Photochemistry: solar photooxygenations with medium concentrated sunlight” Green Chem. 2005, 7: 35-38. vii. (a) J. Kockler, D. Kanakaraju, B. D. Glass, M. Oelgemöller “Solar Photochemical and Photocatalytic Degradation of Diclofenac and Amoxicillin in Water” J. Sustain. Sci. Manag. 2012, 7: 23-29; (b) Y.-P. Zhao, R. O. Campbell, R. S. H. Liu “Solar reactions for preparing hindered 7-cis-isomers of dienes and trienes in the vitamin A series” Green Chem. 2008, 10: 1038-1042. viii. (a) K. Gollnick “Photooxygenation and its application in chemistry” Chim. Ind. 1982, 63: 156-166; (b) W. Rojahn, H.-U. Warnecke “Die photosensibilisierte Sauerstoffübertragung – eine Methode zur Herstellung hochwertiger Riechstoffe” DRAGOCO-Report 1980, 27: 159-164. ix. A. Mamman, J. Lee, Y. Kim, T. Hwang, N. Park, Y. Hwang, J. Chang, J. Hwang “Furfural: Hemicellulose/xylosederived biochemical” Biofuels Bioprod. Bioref. 2008, 2: 438-454. x. (a) S. Marinković, C. Brulé, N. Hoffmann, E. Prost, J.-M. Nuzillard, V. Bulach “Origin of chiral induction in radical reactions with the diastereoisomers (5R)- and (5S)-5-l-menthyloxyfuran-2[5H]-one” J. Org. Chem. 2004, 69: 1646-1651; (b) G. O. Schenck “Über die unsensibilisierte und photosensibilisierte Autoxydation von Furanen” Liebigs Ann. Chem. 1953, 584: 156-176. xi. G. Ohloff, E. Klein, G. O. Schenck “Darstellung von Rosenoxyden und anderen Hydropyran-Derivaten über Photohydroperoxyde” Angew. Chem. 1961, 73: 578. xii. G. O. Schenck, H. Eggert, W. Denk “Über die Bildung von Hydroperoxyden bei photosensibilisierten Reaktionen von O2 mit geeigneten Akzeptoren, insbesondere mit α- und β-Pinen” Liebigs Ann. Chem. 1953, 584: 177-198.  

Solar chemicals from and for tropical Australia

https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/28796/1/APA-Newslett-2013-p7.pdf

Solar chemicals from and for tropical Australia

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

ResearchOnline at James Cook University