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Deep eutectic solvents (DES) are one of the most promising green technologies to emerge in recent years given their combination of environmentally friendly credentials and useful functionalities. Considering the continued search for new DES – especially those that exemplify the aforementioned characteristics, we report the preparation of DES based on natural analogues of l‐ascorbic acid for the first time. The onset of eutectic melting occurred at temperatures far below the melting point of the individual components and resulted in the generation of glass forming fluids with glass transition temperatures, viscosities and flow behavior that are comparable to similar systems. This work expands the current array of DES that can be produced using naturally occurring components, which given their potential to be bio‐derived, interesting physicochemical properties (e. g. propensity to supercool and vitrify) and apparent antibacterial nature, may provide utility within a range of applications., Vitamin boost! Unheralded, naturally‐occurring l‐ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) analogues have been used to form novel DES for the first time. Displaying comparable physicochemical properties to similar state‐of‐the‐art systems, it is hypothesized that these DES may have application as cryoprotectants or antibacterials.

The sustainable synthesis of polymers is a field with growing interest due to the need of modern society to preserve the environment whilst making used products and food sustainable for the future generations. In this work we investigate the possibility of synthesizing aliphatic polyesters derived from various dicarboxylic acid diesters and diols in a solvent-free reaction system. Candida antarctica lipase B was selected as biocatalyst and its selectivity towards the carbon and ester chain length were elucidated. The selected enzyme was able to synthesize various polyesters combining C4-C10 diesters and C4-C8 diols. All combinations led to monomer conversions above 90% in 24 h with the best number average molecular weights (Mn) being obtained through the combination of dimethyl adipate and 1,8-octanediol leading to a Mn of 7141 Da. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis shows a clear trend with an increase in melting temperature of the polymers that correlates with both the increase of the Mn or of the polymer's constitutional repeat unit carbon chain length. Thermogravimetric analysis and rheology measurements performed on selected samples also confirm the trend showing a variation of the polymer's degradation temperatures and viscosity profiles.

Methylbenzenes are among the most important organic chemicals today and, among them, p-xylene deserves particular attention because of its production volume and its application in the manufacture of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). There is great interest in producing this commodity chemical more sustainably from biomass sources, particularly driven by manufacturers willing to produce more sustainable synthetic fibres and PET bottles for beverages. A renewable source for p-xylene would allow achieving this goal with minimal disruption to existing processes for PET production. Despite the fact that recently some routes to renewable p-xylene have been identified, there is no clear consensus on their feasibility or implications. We have critically reviewed the current state-of-the-art with focus on catalytic routes and possible outlook for commercialisation. Pathways to obtain p-xylene from a biomass-derived route include methanol-to-aromatics (MTA), ethanol dehydration, ethylene dimerization, furan cycloaddition or catalytic fast pyrolysis and hydrotreating of lignin. Some of the processes identified suggest near-future possibilities, but also more speculative or longer-term sources for synthesis of p-xylene are highlighted.

HR Discussion - Unconventional job hiring for unconventional resources development. Unconventional resources are those that were bypassed by conventional oil and gas recovery technologies for decades because they were not considered economically feasible to produce. Improvements since the early 1990s in geophysical and geochemical exploration and in drilling and completion technologies have opened up vast new resources both onshore and offshore. Some unconventional resources are in hostile or challenging environments such as the Arctic tundra or deep water. Others are in regions that have not previously experienced extensive oil and gas development and thus lack infrastructure and community and political support. Unconventional resources encompass tight oil and gas formations, shale gas, coalbed methane, heavy oil, oil shale, deep and ultradeepwater plays, and gas hydrates. Each of these types of play requires unique strategies and expertise to develop them. Hiring geoscientists and engineers for unconventional projects has never been more daunting. TWA ’s Human Resources (HR) Discussion Team had a roundtable discussion on unconventional resources, HR requirements, and career development strategy with two experts in unconventional resources development and resourcing—Mike Maneffa and George Alameda of Chevron.