Current challenges in sustainable development and environmental protection are driving scientists and engineers to innovate and mitigate the negative impact of human activities on ecosystems. Strict legal requirements in the European Union (EU) underscore the need for changes to materials used in fertilizers because all components must be biodegradable by July 2024. The EU has published new guidelines for biodegradable materials based on ISO 17556, which assesses degradability in soil. One of the main directions to meet these expectations is the use of enhanced-efficiency fertilizers made from biodegradable materials. This review critically analyses recent advances in using natural raw materials as mineral fertilizer coatings, addressing a significant gap in the evaluation of their commercial viability. The properties of cellulose and lignin as coating materials and their modifications are discussed, including cellulose acetate, ethylcellulose, cellulose acetate butyrate, and phenolated and oxypropylated lignin. These findings provide practical guidance for fertilizer manufacturers seeking to comply with upcoming regulations while maintaining product efficacy.

According to the regulations of the European Parliament on fertilizer products, by July 2024, all substances used for coating fertilizers should be biodegradable. A series of coated fertilizers was prepared, which differed in the amount of applied coating layer. The core of the composition was granular ammonium nitrate, which contains 27% nitrogen. The effects of the amount of oil layers were examined. The article shows the results of IR testing and Iodine Value of the materials used. The coated fertilizer was evaluated for the release of nutrients under water conditions according to the standard ISO 21263, and the water samples were taken after every day for a 7-day period. The nitrogen content was analysed by elemental analysis. Microscopic pictures of the fertilizer composition were taken before release. The obtained product had potential controlled-release properties and was environmentally friendly. The tested material shows high potential as a component of a two-layer coated fertilizer. This type of fertilizer could be particularly useful in agricultural and horticultural applications.

This study presents an efficient process for producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from soybean oil through hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) and hydroisomerization (HI). The research utilized a commercial nickel catalyst for the HDO step, and a newly developed platinum catalyst supported on SAPO-11 zeolite for the hydroisomerization (HI) stage. The process parameters, including temperature and pressure, were optimized to maximize conversion efficiency and meet ASTM D7566 standards. The results indicate that the HDO process using the nickel catalyst achieved a high yield of n-alkanes (97.8% ± 0.4%) with complete conversion of triglycerides. In the subsequent hydroisomerization step, the platinum catalyst demonstrated excellent selectivity for Jet-A1 fuel, yielding a bio-jet fraction of 87.5% ± 1.6% in a 200 h continuous test. This study also highlights the minimal coking phenomena and high catalyst stability throughout the process. This work suggests that soybean oil, as a readily available feedstock, could significantly contribute to the production of SAF and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the aviation sector. Additionally, the optimization of temperature and pressure conditions is crucial for enhancing the yield and quality of the final bio-jet product.

Glycerol, a major biodiesel byproduct, represents a renewable feedstock for producing high-value chemicals such as 1,2-propanediol (1,2-PDO) via selective hydrogenolysis. However, current catalysts often suffer from insufficient selectivity, limited stability, or reliance on toxic promoters, limiting industrial adoption. This study presents the development of a high-performance, chromium-free bifunctional Cu–Zn/γ-Al2O3 catalyst through systematic optimization, combining one-factor-at-a-time screening and multivariate statistical analysis. Catalysts were prepared by varying the support type (pseudoboehmite-derived γ-Al2O3), copper precursor, promoters (e.g., Zn), peptizing agents, organic additives (e.g., PEG-4), and metal loadings, followed by characterization via XRD, N2 physisorption, H2-TPR, NH3-TPD, SEM-EDS, ICP-OES, and N2O chemisorption. Performance was evaluated in continuous-flow fixed-bed reactors under industrially relevant conditions (220–240 °C, 8 MPa, 50 cm3 catalyst bed, LHSV = 0.33 h–1). The optimized formulation (15%Cu–1%Zn/γ-Al2O3 prepared from Cu(NO3)2 precursor with 3% PEG-4 as additive) achieved a very high TOF of 2136 h–1, 86.5% glycerol conversion, and 95.9% selectivity to 1,2-propanediol (1,2-PDO) maintained after 1000 h on stream at 220 °C and 8 MPa, with only minor copper leaching (8%) and no detectable coke formation or sintering. Successful scale-up to a 200 cm3 catalyst bed was also demonstrated. These results—superior long-term stability under mild conditions—highlight the catalyst's potential for sustainable, bio-based 1,2-propanediol production and provide mechanistic insights into the roles of metal dispersion, acidity, and promoter effects in glycerol hydrogenolysis.