Berrin Bozan’s research while affiliated with İskenderun Technical University and other places

In this study, chitosan-based hydroxyapatite/chitosan (HAP/CHI), cellulose/chitosan (CEL/CHI) and montmorillonite/chitosan (MMT/CHI) composites were synthesized and characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) was used as a drug for loading and desorption studies to determine the release behavior of the synthesized composites. The maximum adsorption capacities (qe) were obtained as 251.5 mg/g, 197.7 mg/g and 288.95 mg/g for HAP/CHI, CEL/CHI and MMT/CHI, respectively. In vitro release studies of ASA from the composites HAP/CHI, CEL/CHI, and MMT/CHI were carried out phosphate buffer solution (PBS) and gastric juice (GJ). In the intestinal medium (PBS) controlled drug release continued for 72 hours (4320 minutes), and burst release was observed in the first 5 minutes in all composites. 19.16%, 47.15% and 37.32% of the active ingredient from HAP/CHI, CEL/CHI and MMT/CHI composites, respectively, were released in the first 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, the release slowed down and became more controlled for all three composites. At the end of the release, the highest releasing composite was CEL/CHI, with 95.77% ASA release. A total drug release of 87.48% was achieved with MMT/CHI and 87.37% with HAP/CHI. In the gastric environment (GJ) Controlled drug release continued for 72 hours (4320 minutes), and burst release was observed in the first 5 minutes in all composites. 52.51%, 72.30% and 44.87% of the active ingredient from HAP/CHI, CEL/CHI and MMT/CHI composites, respectively, were released in the first 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, the release slowed down and became more controlled for all three composites. At the end of the release, the highest releasing capacity was found with the CEL/CHI composite, with 96.05% ASA release. A total drug release of 93.26% was achieved with HAP/CHI and 84.89% with MMT/CHI.

Catalysts are very important in the use of cellulose, the main component of biomass, as a raw material for the large-scale production of liquid fuels and chemicals. 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is an extremely important intermediate in the fine chemical industry. HMF can be synthesized by acid-catalyzed dehydration of fructose, glucose, cellulose, or sucrose. The conversion of cellulose to HMF is challenging due to its chemical structure. The objective of the present study was to devise a more facile synthesis method using transition metal-doped montmorillonite catalysts (10Cr-Mnt, 10Cu-Mnt, 10Fe-Mnt, and 10Zn-Mnt) by wet impregnation. Samples were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, specific surface area, and NH3-TPD analyses. The synthesized catalysts were used for the conversion of cellulose to 5-HMF in an aqueous medium. Among the metals studied, Cr showed the greatest catalytic activity. With the use of this catalyst, efficient conversion of cellulose to 5-HMF was achieved, affording a conversion yield of 93.47% and 5-HMF yield of 9.07% within 6 h at 200°C. The study described here could be useful for the efficient conversion of cellulose into 5-HMF, as well as into other biomass-derived chemicals.

In this study, which incorporates many principles of green chemistry (use of renewable feedstocks, catalysis, improvement of energy efficiency, and harmless solvents and auxiliaries), the single-phase catalytic conversion of cellulose to 5-HMF in over silica-alumina catalysts was investigated. A series of dual-template silica-alumina catalysts with CTAB as the main template and F127 or triethylamine (TEA) as the co-template were synthesized at a low temperature of 60 °C and characterized by XRD, N2 adsorption-desorption technique, FT-IR and pyridine adsorption FT-IR. The surface area is increased by using the second template in silica-alumina catalyst. In addition, the acidity of the surface was changed by using the second template. The cellulose conversion and yield of 5-HMF increased from 36% to 52% and from 3.13% to 4.24%, respectively, due to the properties gained by using the second template. 52% cellulose conversion and 8.13% selectivity of 5-HMF were obtained in aqueous medium, 220 °C and 6 h reaction time with the catalyst using TEA as co-template. Eco-friendly silica catalysts synthesized at low temperatures with a dual template can be considered as a potential alternative for the conversion of cellulose into value-added biobased products.

Biodiesel is a useful alternative source of energy and can be used as a support for oil-source diesel. Microbial lipids are considered a promising raw material for biodiesel production. In a previously completed study, Pichia cactophila was found to be the best lipid-producing yeast by lipid screening studies among 107 yeast isolates. In this study, the lipid production conditions of P. cactophila, which was chosen as a lipid producer for the first time, were partially optimized by using response surface methodology in crude glycerol. Plackett-Burman statistical experiment design was used to determine the effect of glycerol, yeast extract, peptone, urea, (NH4)2SO4, NH4Cl, NH4NO3 factors on lipid production. In order to determine the optimum levels of the most effective parameters by the result of screening (glycerol, yeast extract, urea, NH4NO3), Box-Behnken experimental design method was used. The optimum production conditions were determined as 39 g/L glycerol, 20 g/L yeast extract, 5 g/L urea, and 20 g/L NH4NO3, and the result of the experiments carried out under these conditions the lipid value (%) was determined as 91.43. Lipid content was increased 1.408-fold (40.79%) by two-step optimization with the response surface methodology and reached a very high value. The fatty acid composition obtained under optimum conditions is compatible with vegetable oils. This suggests that the microbial lipid of P. cactophila can be used as a raw material for biodiesel production and is promising for further studies. Graphical abstract

In this study, transition metal doped montmorillonite catalyts (Cr-MMT, Cu-MMT, Fe-MMT and Zn-MMT) were successfully synthesized by hydrothermal method and evaluated for the conversion of cellulose to 5-HMF in the water media. Metal-MMT catalysts were characterized by XRD, BET, Ammonia-TPD and pyridine-FTIR to investigate the properties of the samples. Using Cr-MMT, an efficient conversion of cellulose to 5-HMF was achieved in the water system, affording a conversion yield 93.47% and 5-HMF yield 9.07% within 6 h at 200 o C.

Biodiesel is a renewable alternative fuel and glycerol as a main byproduct of the manufacturing process. Lipids could be produced from crude glycerol by using yeasts. The ability of 107 yeast strains to utilize glycerol was screened and 92 of these were selected. 60 strains were determined as a potential for lipid production by Sudan Black B staining. After secondary screening 25 of them showed specific growth rates (OD 600), high biomass production and lipid content. These strains were identified as Pichia cactophila, P. fermentans, P. anomala, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, R. dairenensis, Clavispora lusitaniae, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Wickerhamomyces anomalus, Candida glabrata, C. inconspicua, C. albicans, Yarrowia lipolytica with molecular identifications based on ITS and D1/D2 26S rDNA sequences. The results showed that P. cactophila accumulated lipid up to 64.94%, the highest lipid content. C16:0, C18:0, C18:1 and C18:2 essential fatty acids for biodiesel production were detected by GC–MS in the lipids accumulated by all strains. P. cactophila and C. lusitaniae were reported for the first time as lipid-producing yeasts. The results suggest that selected 25 isolates have the ability to grow on crude glycerol and especially P. cactophila produce lipid that has potential use as a feedstock for second generation biodiesel production. Graphic Abstract

Biodiesel is a renewable alternative fuel and glycerol as a main byproduct of the manufacturing process. Lipids could be produced from crude glycerol by using yeasts. The ability of 107 yeast strains to utilize glycerol was screened and 92 of these were selected. 60 strains were determined as a potential for lipid production by Sudan Black B staining. After secondary screening 25 of them showed specific growth rates (OD 600), high biomass production and lipid content. These strains were identified as Pichia cactophila, P. fermentans, P. anomala, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa , R. dairenensis, Clavispora lusitaniae , Saccharomyces cerevisiae , Wickerhamomyces anomalus, Candida glabrata , C. inconspicua, C. albicans, Yarrowia lipolytica with molecular identifications based on ITS and D1/D2 26S rDNA sequences. The results showed that P. cactophila accumulated lipid up to 64.94%, the highest lipid content. C16:0, C18:0, C18:1 and C18:2 essential fatty acids for biodiesel production were detected by GC-MS in the lipids accumulated by all strains. P. cactophila and C. lusitaniae were reported for the first time as lipid-producing yeasts. The results suggest that selected 25 isolates have the ability to grow on crude glycerol and especially P. cactophila produce lipid that has potential use as a feedstock for second generation biodiesel production.

Hazelnut shells, a high lignin containing biomass, were subjected to individual and sequential liquid hot water (LHW), alkaline (AP) and dilute acid pretreatments (DAP). Among the single pretreatments, LHW demonstrated the highest cellulose recovery of 98.1%, DAP resulted in the highest hemicellulose solubilization of 56.0%, and AP of the highest lignin removal of 49.6%. Employing two-step pretreatment on hazelnut shells, in general, demonstrated an enhanced action of the second pretreatment; therefore, the sequence of the pretreatment methods had a significant impact on both substrate characteristics and enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency of biomass. In terms of delignification, AP-LHW achieved 60.7% lignin removal, while LHW-DAP showed the highest hemicellulose removal of 93.8% and DAP-LHW resulted in the highest cellulose recovery of 94.0%. Structural properties of raw and pretreated hazelnut shells were observed by FTIR. The maximum glucose recovery of 54.9% was observed in DAP-LHW pretreated samples. For this pretreatment combination, almost 1.8 MJ total energy was required to recover 10.2 g glucose. The findings indicated that complete removal of the physical barrier of lignin and hemicellulose might not be essential; partial relocation of lignin and alteration of cellulose structure may also be efficient in increasing the sugar recovery from the lignocellulosic biomass.