Abstract:
Crystalline cellulose gels useful in the stabilization of emulsions, including nanoemulsions, and for acting as cryptands or clathrates, and methods for their use and production are provided. In some embodiments, the emulsion is an oil-in-water emulsion. In some embodiments, such emulsions and/or vesicles produced in such emulsions, and/or the crystalline cellulose gel itself 15 are useful in the fields of drug delivery, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, feed and food, paints and coatings, mining, or oil and gas recovery.
Abstract:
A process for producing desired compounds from biomass, including treating a lignocellulosic waste stream in some embodiments. The waste stream is conditioned under acidic or basic conditions, and is then treated in a catalytic reaction step using a transition metal catalyst and an oxidant. The transition metal catalyst can be an iron-based nanoparticulate catalyst. In some embodiments, useful compounds such as lignin, crystalline cellulose and various platform chemicals are produced from the waste stream. In some embodiments, the waste stream is lignocellulosic agricultural or forestry waste. In some embodiments, the waste stream is manure. In some embodiments, desirable bioproducts are obtained from lignocellulosic biomasses using an iron-based nanoparticulate-catalyzed reaction conducted at alkaline pH.