RSC sustainability最新文献

{"title":"A synthetic toolbox for sustainable methods in porphyrin chemistry","authors":"Karolina Urbańska, Liam Cribbin, Brendan Twamley, Fiach O Ceallaigh and Mathias O. Senge","doi":"10.1039/D6SU00176A","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D6SU00176A","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Greener synthesis for red dyes. As the days of chlorinated organic solvents are numbered, we propose a sustainable synthetic protocol for porphyrin synthesis to facilitate the transition into a more viable, safer and greener lab. Here we present a facile flow-assisted method for the sustainable synthesis of 40 <em>meso</em>-substituted planar porphyrins of the A<small>₄</small>-, A<small>₂</small>-, and <em>trans</em>-A<small>₂</small>B<small>₂</small>-type, including 10 examples of dodecasubstituted nonplanar porphyrins. We set forth a sustainable approach towards porphyrin synthesis, saving up to 90% of chlorinated solvents and drastically limiting waste generation by merging a flow synthesis process <em>via</em> a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) with a traditional batch oxidation method.</p>","PeriodicalId":74745,"journal":{"name":"RSC sustainability","volume":" 6","pages":" 2694-2705"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/su/d6su00176a?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148214961","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mechanical, morphological and interfacial characterization of peanut shell powder modified milkweed–Aristida hystrix hybrid fiber reinforced epoxy composites","authors":"Manickaraj Karuppusamy, Sivasubramanian Palanisamy, Silambarasan Balakrishnamoorthi, Ashok Raj Rajendran, Subbiah Parvathy Velmurugan, Kumar Sureshkumar, Syed Kashif Ali, Subramanian Lakshmi Sankar, Karthikayan Sundararajan, Aravindhan Alagarsamy and Mezigebu Belay","doi":"10.1039/D6SU00165C","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D6SU00165C","url":null,"abstract":"<p >The present study investigates the effect of fiber hybridization and peanut shell powder filler incorporation on the mechanical and interfacial performance of milkweed and <em>Aristida hystrix</em> fiber reinforced epoxy composites. A series of hybrid composites were fabricated by maintaining a constant epoxy content (60 wt%) and peanut shell powder filler content (10 wt%), while systematically varying the weight fractions of milkweed and <em>Aristida hystrix</em> fibers. Mechanical characterization was carried out through tensile, flexural, impact, hardness, interlaminar shear strength (ILSS), tensile modulus, and flexural modulus tests. The results indicate a pronounced improvement in mechanical properties with increasing hybridization, achieving optimum performance at an equal fiber distribution (H3: 15 wt% milkweed + 15 wt% <em>Aristida hystrix</em>). The H3 composite exhibited the highest tensile strength (61 MPa), flexural strength (86 MPa), impact strength (10.2 J), hardness (83 Shore D), ILSS (12.1 MPa), tensile modulus (3.5 GPa), and flexural modulus (4.1 GPa). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis of fractured surfaces revealed improved fiber–matrix interfacial adhesion, reduced fiber pull-out, and uniform filler dispersion in the optimized hybrid composites, corroborating the enhanced mechanical performance. In contrast, the unfilled composite exhibited interfacial debonding and void formation, leading to inferior properties. The combined use of fiber hybridization and bio-based peanut shell powder filler is thus demonstrated as an effective approach for developing sustainable, high-performance epoxy composites suitable for lightweight structural applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":74745,"journal":{"name":"RSC sustainability","volume":" 6","pages":" 2665-2679"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/su/d6su00165c?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148214959","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhanced catalytic turnover and robustness of laccase from Trametes pubescens through carrier-free aggregation","authors":"Afsheen Aman, Muhammad, Faiza Shahid, Asma Ansari and Muhammad Sohail","doi":"10.1039/D6SU00142D","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D6SU00142D","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Green biocatalysis has revolutionized industrial processing by replacing whole-cell systems with robust immobilized biocatalysts, significantly streamlining downstream purification. This study reports the fabrication and biocatalytic characterization of carrier-free Crosslinked Enzyme Aggregates (CLEAs) using laccase produced by the white rot fungus <em>Trametes pubescens</em> through solid state fermentation. The resulting L-CLEAs exhibited superior thermal robustness and catalytic performance compared to the soluble laccase (SL). Kinetic analysis revealed that while the apparent substrate binding affinity (<em>K</em><small>_m</small>) increased 5.4-fold due to mass transfer limitations, this was also largely compensated for by a 4.1-fold enhancement in the catalytic rate constant (<em>k</em><small>_cat</small>). Furthermore, L-CLEAs demonstrated a significant 2.2-fold reduction in activation energy (<em>E</em><small>_a</small>) and an increased inactivation energy (<em>E</em><small>_d</small>), indicating a fortified structural conformation. Thermal stability assays confirmed that L-CLEAs nearly doubled the enzyme's half-life (<em>t</em><small>_1/2</small>) at 60 °C, extending it to 406 minutes. Moreover L-CLEAs also retained &gt;80% activity after 20 consecutive cycles of use, demonstrating excellent operational durability and ease of recovery through simple centrifugation. These findings, coupled with exceptional reusability, position L-CLEAs as a highly efficient and stable hybrid system for the industrial degradation of phenolic compounds and other green chemistry applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":74745,"journal":{"name":"RSC sustainability","volume":" 6","pages":" 2680-2693"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/su/d6su00142d?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148214960","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Recycling of solar cells recovered from waste panels into efficient silicon-based composite electrodes for energy-storage applications","authors":"Soumya Ranjan Nayak, Manisha Balkhandia, Imran Chhimpa and Sushil Kumar","doi":"10.1039/D6SU00083E","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D6SU00083E","url":null,"abstract":"<p >The significant increase in the cumulative installation capacity of solar photovoltaic modules as a source of renewable energy has led to a tremendous increase in the volume of end-of-life (EoL) solar modules, creating an essential requirement for sustainable waste management. In this work, an eco-friendly and less toxic recycling process has been developed to recover silicon and native silica (SiO<small>₂</small>) from discarded crystalline silicon solar cells for their use as functional electrode materials for different faradaic energy storage applications. The recovered materials were chemically treated and employed to fabricate slurry-coated electrodes over copper foil. This recovered silicon was also deposited over various substrates, including indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass and graphite sheets, to examine how the substrates affect the overall charge-storage reaction mechanism. The recycled material was structurally characterized using XPS, XRD, XRF and Raman spectroscopy, whereas morphological properties were analysed by employing TEM, SEM, EDAX and AFM. Thermal analysis was carried out using TGA to evaluate the thermal stability and compositional changes of the recycled silicon powder. The surface properties were also analysed using BET to determine the surface area and porosity of the powder. Electrochemical characterizations, including CV, EIS and GCD, were also performed on the prepared electrodes. This study presents an eco-friendly solution by integrating recycled photovoltaic waste into electrode materials for use in Li-ion electrochemical systems, with an emphasis on substrate-dependent faradaic charge storage behaviour. It further highlights substrate-dependent charge storage with electrodes formed on ITO and graphite sheets showing different charge-storage characteristics. The prepared electrodes over Cu foils, ITO and graphite sheets exhibited specific capacitance values of 143.23 Fg<small>⁻¹</small>, 30.53 Fg<small>⁻¹</small> and 163.92 Fg<small>⁻¹</small>, respectively.</p>","PeriodicalId":74745,"journal":{"name":"RSC sustainability","volume":" 6","pages":" 2706-2728"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/su/d6su00083e?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148214962","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tracing oxygen-atom relocation from carbohydrates to renewable chemicals for redox-economic and waste-minimized syntheses","authors":"Saikat Dutta","doi":"10.1039/D6SU00011H","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D6SU00011H","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Small organic molecules bearing oxygen-containing functionalities are key chemical building units in organic chemical manufacturing industries. Biomass-derived carbohydrates are promising feedstocks for synthesizing functionalized organic chemicals with tailored molecular architectures, properties, and functions. The choice and sequence of organic transformations, reagents, synthetic auxiliaries, and other reaction conditions collectively determine the scalability, economic appeal, and environmental sustainability of the synthetic processes. The strategic relocation of oxygen atoms from carbohydrates to renewable chemicals can facilitate the development of redox-economic and waste-minimized synthetic pathways. This review introduces a conceptual framework for tracing the relocation of oxygen atoms from biomolecules to renewable chemicals, providing a quantitative basis for rational synthetic design. The redox economy index (<strong>REI</strong>), a new green chemistry metric, has been introduced to analyze and evaluate the efficacy of multi-step synthetic pathways of renewable chemicals, where redox steps are used tactically and strategically in constructing their molecular framework.</p>","PeriodicalId":74745,"journal":{"name":"RSC sustainability","volume":" 6","pages":" 2491-2509"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/su/d6su00011h?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148214946","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A VR-assisted hybrid teaching model for sustainable mechanochemical synthesis: educational overview and case study of a Cu–N-heterocyclic carbene undergraduate laboratory","authors":"Abeer Shunnar, Abdulrahman Aoudi, Suleiman Musa, Mohamed Aslam, Safaa Mohamad Al Yousif, Aya Shanti, Gihan Daw El Bait, Amin Ahmed Babiker Ali, Meriem Bildsten, Emilia Oueis, Andrew B. Lowe and Janah Shaya","doi":"10.1039/D6SU00054A","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D6SU00054A","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Integrating sustainable synthesis and modern instructional technologies into undergraduate laboratory education is essential for advancing chemistry teaching aligned with sustainability goals. This work presents an overview of the educational implications of virtual reality (VR) in modern education. It describes a hybrid teaching model implemented in an advanced undergraduate inorganic chemistry course, based on a survey of student preferences involving 109 students across multiple courses at Khalifa University of Science and Technology, United Arab Emirates. Using solvent-free mechanosynthesis and characterization of a copper N-heterocyclic carbene (Cu–NHC) complex as a representative example of contemporary, sustainable organometallic chemistry, the module integrates hands-on experimentation with immersive, transferable digital learning tools that can be used as teaching resources when access to mechanochemistry and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) instrumentation is limited. The VR-assisted session was implemented as a case study with a cohort of 15 undergraduate students who volunteered and focused on improving laboratory preparedness, procedural understanding, and familiarity with advanced synthetic and analytical techniques. Overall, this work demonstrates a feasible and scalable teaching model aligned with green chemistry principles and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.</p>","PeriodicalId":74745,"journal":{"name":"RSC sustainability","volume":" 6","pages":" 2601-2610"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/su/d6su00054a?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148214954","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Using curated chatbots to support students' exploration and awareness of sustainability through essay writing","authors":"Morgan J. Clark, Micke Reynders and Thomas Holme","doi":"10.1039/D5SU00948K","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5SU00948K","url":null,"abstract":"<p >In the context of a written essay assignment in first-year general chemistry that combines chemistry content knowledge and sustainability, students' use of a curated chatbot support resource has been analyzed. The chatbot allows the student to engage in exploration of several potential components of the assignment, including technical requirements, chemistry content, and sustainability contexts. Analysis of both chatbot interactions and student essays found a propensity for students to be guided in their exploration of the UN Sustainable Development Goals by the chemical context of the assignment and some, but not all, students gained a level of understanding that supported a sustainability action perspective.</p>","PeriodicalId":74745,"journal":{"name":"RSC sustainability","volume":" 6","pages":" 2589-2600"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/su/d5su00948k?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148214953","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Towards globally conscious chemistry: perspectives on educators' responsibilities, entrepreneurship and a framework for practice","authors":"Nikki Y. T. Man","doi":"10.1039/D5SU00970G","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5SU00970G","url":null,"abstract":"<p >This perspective adds to growing work that sees chemistry classrooms as learning spaces where ideas about justice, power, and equity are learned alongside disciplinary content. When educators design and teach sustainable chemistry, they are not only inviting students to think about these issues; they are also already practicing particular ethical and political commitments through the examples they choose, the problems they centre, and the ways they frame entrepreneurship and innovation. Drawing together literature on systems thinking, socioscientific issues, decolonising and culturally-responsive teaching, as well as critical studies of entrepreneurship, this piece offers the perspective that green and sustainable chemistry education as a lived ethical practice rather than a neutral technical exercise. A reflexive curriculum checklist is proposed as a practical tool for chemistry educators, students, and community partners to make these commitments more explicit, bring hidden curricula to the surface, and orient curriculum design towards more globally concious and liveable chemical futures.</p>","PeriodicalId":74745,"journal":{"name":"RSC sustainability","volume":" 6","pages":" 2546-2555"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/su/d5su00970g?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148214947","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Correction: Mixture design of experiments to improve fungal degradation of cosmetic pigments","authors":"Erika Ribezzi, Fabio Fornari, Nicolo' Riboni, Maria Vittoria Rizzo, Monica Mattarozzi, Maurizio Piergiovanni, Alessandra Mori, Paolo Goi, Corrado Sciancalepore, Daniel Milanese, Giuseppe Vignali, Federica Bianchi and Maria Careri","doi":"10.1039/D6SU90005D","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D6SU90005D","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Correction for ‘Mixture design of experiments to improve fungal degradation of cosmetic pigments’ by Erika Ribezzi <em>et al.</em>, <em>RSC Sustainability</em>, 2026, https://doi.org/10.1039/d5su00770d.</p>","PeriodicalId":74745,"journal":{"name":"RSC sustainability","volume":" 5","pages":" 2431-2431"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/su/d6su90005d?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147923997","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Instructional laboratory personnel's views about practices of chemical safety and security: implications for professional learning and global sustainability","authors":"Francinah Futhane, Kgadi Mathabathe and Rethabile Tekane","doi":"10.1039/D5SU00857C","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5SU00857C","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Although chemical safety and security fall under chemical risk management, research has shown that knowledge about chemical safety is more prevalent at post-secondary institutions than chemical security knowledge. Historically, chemical safety has mainly focused on preventing laboratory accidents and health hazards. However, in response to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) launched by the United Nations in 2015, there have been calls to promote a sustainable chemistry education, research and development. This qualitative study aimed at exploring laboratory personnel's views of chemical safety and security as well as their daily safety and security practices employed in their chemistry laboratories. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews probing for the laboratory personnel's beliefs, knowledge, and understanding of chemical safety and security practices employed in their laboratories were conducted. Thematic analysis was used for data analysis. Findings revealed that laboratory personnel hold a strong understanding of chemical safety, with many participants demonstrating limited knowledge, or unfamiliarity with the term chemical security. However, both concepts are essential and should be mandatory to protect the health of students and staff. A critical absence of chemical inventory control systems across all surveyed laboratories was revealed, leaving the institution vulnerable to undetected internal theft and the diversion of high-risk precursors like acetic anhydride for illicit drug manufacturing. Exploring the laboratory personnel's views about chemical safety and security practices, elucidated the breadth and depth of their knowledge pertaining chemical safety and security as well as its impact on their daily laboratory practice. The views gathered have been found to be useful in informing and guiding the mandate of universities in equipping and improving the laboratory personnel's knowledge including awareness raising necessary to promote global sustainability.</p>","PeriodicalId":74745,"journal":{"name":"RSC sustainability","volume":" 5","pages":" 2211-2221"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/su/d5su00857c?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147924024","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}