Cost-effective conversion into useful products

Waste products from many industrial processes contain at times significant concentrations of metals which are objectionable on environmental grounds and yet constitute an appreciable economic asset. The presence of toxic metals in such wastes constitutes an environmental hazard, particularly because the ever-decreasing pH of the rainwater makes their leachability and contamination of the ground water more likely. Careful and costly waste-disposal procedures are thus mandatory so as to prevent this from occurring. A preferred alternative is the cost-effective conversion of such waste into useful products. This provides an optimal solution to the waste-disposal problem because (a) it eliminates the need for a safe and costly disposal of the hazardous waste (b) it maximizes resource utilization and conservation through recycling, and (c) it derives an economic benefit from the sale of the obtained products. 

A rapid conversion of benzyl alcohols into N-benzyl-substituted amides can be achieved under microwave irradiation using benzonitriles in the presence of catalytic amount of Envirocatalyst EPZG in solvent-free conditions. EPZG is a novel supported reagent catalyst based on montmorillonite KlOclay. It is selective, eco-friendly, reusable and hence provides cost effective and safe approach for production in industries. 

Enzymes are characterized by unusual specific activities and remarkably high selectivities. They are effective catalysts at relatively low temperatures and ambient pressure. The primary driving force for efforts to develop immobilized forms of these biocatalysts is cost, especially when one is comparing process alternatives involving either conventional inorganic catalysts or soluble enzymes. Immobilization can permit conversion of labile enzymes into forms appropriate for use as catalysts in industrial processes—production of sweeteners, pharmaceutical intermediates, and fine chemicals—or as biosensors in analytical applications. Because of their high specificities, immobilized versions of enzymes are potentially useful in situations where it is necessary to obtain high yields of the desired product... 

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