{"title":"Legal and social aspects of biotechnology: Toward a circular bioeconomy","authors":"Tomasz Twardowski","doi":"10.1016/j.cogsc.2025.101041","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogsc.2025.101041","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Modern biotechnology, particularly technologies stemming from genetic engineering, is at the core of the scientific and innovative foundation of the most of different bioeconomy policies developed around the world. The challenges and perspectives of bioeconomies are immense, but most of them are focused to guarantee food security and quality, new biomaterials and bioenergy, as well as new drugs and diagnosis techniques in a sustainable and economic way for 9 billion people by the year 2050. In the discussions about bioeconomies, the expectations and needs are enormous; they focus on guaranteeing safety and quality in a sustainable and economical way for all people toward circular bioeconomy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54228,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry","volume":"55 ","pages":"Article 101041"},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144829402","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"In situ functionalization of biomass-based activated carbon for environmental remediation","authors":"Nor Adilla Rashidi , M. Devendran Manogaran","doi":"10.1016/j.cogsc.2025.101047","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogsc.2025.101047","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To date, functionalised biomass-based activated carbon has attracted a high demand due to its enhanced physicochemical properties, which contribute to an improved performance as compared to its pristine materials. However, complexity, high cost, and time-consuming nature of the postmodification techniques has prompted a growing interest in <em>in situ</em> functionalization methods. Thus, this article reviews various <em>in situ</em> functionalization methods, including the chemical enrichment, heteroatom doping, and gas-phase functionalization, toward the improvement of physiochemical properties and performance in gas adsorption and electrochemical energy storage. Moreover, challenges, emerging trends, and future work related to the <em>in situ</em> functionalization techniques are highlighted in this review. Overall, this review article aims to serve as a valuable resource for future work in high-performance biomass-based activated carbon production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54228,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry","volume":"55 ","pages":"Article 101047"},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145121265","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Recent developments and modifications of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for hydrogen adsorption and storage","authors":"Asif Jamil , Muhammad Shahbaz","doi":"10.1016/j.cogsc.2025.101040","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogsc.2025.101040","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This review examines hydrogen energy as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels, noting its high energy density and zero-emission combustion. The paper addresses the critical issue of hydrogen storage, evaluating techniques such as high-pressure storage, liquefaction, and physisorption, with a focus on carbon nanotubes (CNTs). CNTs, especially multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), are acknowledged for their high surface area, stability, and enhancement of hydrogen storage capacity via functionalization. Despite their promise, issues such as slow kinetics, high production costs, safety concerns, and long-term durability must be resolved. The review concludes by discussing ongoing research aimed at optimizing CNT synthesis, functionalization, and storage systems, positing that advancements in these domains could facilitate CNT-based hydrogen (H<sub>2</sub>) storage for clean energy applications, including fuel cells and transportation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54228,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry","volume":"54 ","pages":"Article 101040"},"PeriodicalIF":9.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144605513","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Emerging trend of carbon aerogel synthesis for biomedical applications","authors":"Sahar Kiani , Arnab Dutta , Sasha Au Yong , Solmaz Karamikamkar , Ehsan Behzadfar","doi":"10.1016/j.cogsc.2025.101033","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogsc.2025.101033","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Aerogels are intriguing materials with a wide range of potential applications, from medicine to construction. They can be classified into inorganic, organic, carbon, and biopolymer types, and their properties can be enhanced by incorporating advanced materials and nanofillers. Among these, carbon aerogels are distinguished by their unique solid-state architecture, featuring three-dimensional (3D) interconnected networks permeated with air-filled nanopores. These nanopores greatly enhance the structural characteristics at the macroscopic level, merging the inherent qualities of aerogels, such as low density and high porosity, with the unique attributes of their constituent materials. These features make carbon aerogels highly suitable for specialized biomedical applications. This review emphasizes and examines the recent advancements in the preparation of carbon aerogels and their biomedical applications. It concentrates on the development of aerogels through characterization studies of carbon aerogels and concludes with an analysis of the potential and challenges in creating sustainable materials for biomedical use.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54228,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry","volume":"54 ","pages":"Article 101033"},"PeriodicalIF":9.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144221118","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Systems engineering for waste-to-wealth: Sustainability-oriented process design, comprehensive assessment and system integration","authors":"Jianzhao Zhou , Jingzheng Ren","doi":"10.1016/j.cogsc.2025.101035","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogsc.2025.101035","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Waste disposal involves complex social, economic, and environmental factors, making it a multifaceted problem. With advancements in technology and increased environmental awareness, there is a growing emphasis on turning waste into high value-added products. This review takes a system engineering perspective to hierarchically summarize recent research on the design, evaluation, and integration of waste valorization processes. First, it identifies waste-to-energy as a key area in waste valorization, with gasification emerging as a promising thermochemical conversion technology. Second, it underscores the importance of multi-dimensional assessments in evaluating system's feasibility. While techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment continue to be the main tools, the importance of incorporating social performance into assessment is highlighted. Additionally, this work identifies a clear trend toward integrating renewable energy and carbon-neutral technologies into waste-to-wealth systems. By systematically synthesizing recent research on waste-to-wealth conversion, this review aims to provide valuable insights for achieving sustainable waste valorization.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54228,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry","volume":"54 ","pages":"Article 101035"},"PeriodicalIF":9.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144471162","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jin Kwei Koh , Ethan Dern Huang Kong , Chin Wei Lai , Joon Ching Juan , Irfan Anjum Badruddin
{"title":"Supercapacitors design with green chemistry: Cellulose-based hydrogel","authors":"Jin Kwei Koh , Ethan Dern Huang Kong , Chin Wei Lai , Joon Ching Juan , Irfan Anjum Badruddin","doi":"10.1016/j.cogsc.2025.101034","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogsc.2025.101034","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Nowadays, there is a strong societal focus on energy solutions, with particular attention on supercapacitors. In this context, supercapacitor design has garnered interest, especially with the use of green synthesis approaches. Notably, the emphasis on green chemistry led to cellulose-based hydrogels being increasingly explored in supercapacitor design for their sustainable and eco-friendly properties. This review focusses on the current developments in cellulose-based hydrogels for supercapacitors. This review begins with an overview of hydrogel and cellulose-based hydrogel. Following this, the review explores the development of cellulose-based hydrogel. Finally, the review highlights the future directions and challenges in advancing cellulose-based hydrogels for supercapacitors, underscoring areas for further research and development. This study aims to discuss the future innovations in eco-friendly, high-performance supercapacitors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54228,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry","volume":"54 ","pages":"Article 101034"},"PeriodicalIF":9.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144365142","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alexandre S. França , Gabriela C. Breda , Ivaldo Itabaiana Jr. , Rodrigo O.M.A. de Souza
{"title":"Bridging biocatalysis and chemical catalysis: Innovative approaches for enhancing chemoenzymatic cascades","authors":"Alexandre S. França , Gabriela C. Breda , Ivaldo Itabaiana Jr. , Rodrigo O.M.A. de Souza","doi":"10.1016/j.cogsc.2025.101030","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogsc.2025.101030","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The chemoenzymatic reactions leverage the enzymes' excellent selectivity alongside the robust reactivity of traditional catalysts, offering numerous advantages such as higher yield, enhanced selectivity, and reduced residue generation. Despite the challenge posed by incompatibility between different classes of catalysts, recent advances in synthetic chemistry and biology provide ample opportunities for cascade transformations using new biocatalysts and innovative strategies. By integrating organocatalysis, electrocatalysis, photocatalysis, and metal catalysis with biocatalysis, this review showcases how diverse catalytic strategies can be synergistically employed to expand reaction scope, overcome traditional limitations, and unlock new possibilities for chemoenzymatic transformations. Novel approaches and trends are also highlighted.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54228,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry","volume":"54 ","pages":"Article 101030"},"PeriodicalIF":9.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144329792","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Erandy Correa-Guillen, Karl Alexander Henn, Monika Österberg, Luana Dessbesell
{"title":"Lignin’s role in the beginning of the end of the fossil resources era: A panorama of lignin supply, economic and market potential","authors":"Erandy Correa-Guillen, Karl Alexander Henn, Monika Österberg, Luana Dessbesell","doi":"10.1016/j.cogsc.2025.101038","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogsc.2025.101038","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Lignin, one of nature’s promising biopolymers, has been extensively studied for its potential to support the transition to a less fossil-based economy. Despite evidence from both industry and academia on its various applications, the economic feasibility of lignin still requires further research. This review brings an updated overview of lignin supply and recent techno-economic analysis (TEA) of technical lignin applications. With the global production capacity for kraft lignin reaching 112 kt/year in 2023, there is growing interest in assessing the economic viability of lignin-based products. Besides evaluating technical and economic feasibility, the reviewed TEAs identify bottlenecks and help optimise the processes. They define potential actions (e.g., increase capacity, adjust price strategy, and reduction of lignin cost) that could improve the feasibility of the developed lignin applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54228,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry","volume":"54 ","pages":"Article 101038"},"PeriodicalIF":9.3,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144588338","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cooperative chemoenzymatic approaches to transforming CO2 into high-value products","authors":"Jianming Liu , Xiaowen Xia , Aocong Guan , Anping Zeng","doi":"10.1016/j.cogsc.2025.101016","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogsc.2025.101016","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cooperative chemoenzymatic catalysis, combining the strengths of chemical and enzymatic reactions, has emerged as a powerful strategy for advancing innovative biomanufacturing platforms leveraging CO<sub>2</sub> as a feedstock. This approach enables the synthesis of value-added molecules and materials from abundant low-carbon resources. In this review, we first highlight the critical role that chemoenzymatic reactions play in prebiotic chemistry, offering valuable insights into the design of complex biomolecules from simple precursors. We then examine the opportunities within chemoenzymatic synthesis through prominent examples: the ancient formose reaction followed by biotransformation, the electrochemical conversion of CO<sub>2</sub> into energetic C1 and C2 compounds with subsequent enzymatic conversions for producing long carbon-chain products, the regeneration of energetic molecules such as ATP and NAD(P)H cofactors, and the integration of chemoenzymatic reactions in carbon-chain elongation and downstream purification processes. This synergistic approach not only maximizes the utility of CO<sub>2</sub> as a feedstock but also contributes to the development of sustainable and efficient methods for CO<sub>2</sub> utilization, advancing the fields of green chemistry and sustainable industrial practices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54228,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry","volume":"53 ","pages":"Article 101016"},"PeriodicalIF":9.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143739890","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Reactor design in plasma-liquid systems for wastewater treatment","authors":"Selma Mededovic Thagard","doi":"10.1016/j.cogsc.2025.101023","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogsc.2025.101023","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Low-temperature plasmas (LTPs) represent a promising yet often controversial technology for water treatment that offer unique capabilities for degrading persistent contaminants. Despite demonstrated success at both bench and pilot scales, LTP-based treatment faces skepticism due to perceptions of high energy consumption and limited scalability compared to other advanced oxidation processes.</div><div>This opinion piece advocates for a strategic reorientation in plasma research, urging the scientific community to prioritize the study of relevant contaminants and realistic water matrices while applying chemical engineering principles to systematically describe these systems and develop universal laws guiding plasma reactor design for water treatment. Modular reactor arrangements, pre-concentration strategies, real-world testing, and a clear understanding of how contaminant type (surfactant vs. non-surfactant) influences reactor design are essential for advancing LTP technology beyond proof-of-concept studies. To achieve commercial viability, research must transition from trial-and-error approaches to systematic investigations integrating plasma physics, chemistry, and engineering.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54228,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry","volume":"53 ","pages":"Article 101023"},"PeriodicalIF":9.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143792815","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}