A biomass-based catalyst with amine groups (–NH₂), viz., amine-functionalized sugarcane bagasse (SCB-NH₂), was prepared through the amination of sugarcane bagasse (SCB) in a two-step process. The physicochemical properties of the catalyst were characterized through FT-IR, elemental analysis, XRD, TG, and SEM-EDX techniques, which confirmed the –NH₂ group was grafted onto SCB successfully. The catalytic performance of SCB-NH₂ in Knoevenagel condensation reaction was tested in the batch and continuous flow reactions. Significantly, it was found that the catalytic performance of SCB-NH₂ is better in flow system than that in batch system. Moreover, the SCB-NH₂ presented an excellent catalytic activity and stability at the high flow rate. When the flow rate is at the 1.5 mL/min, no obvious deactivation was observed and the product yield and selectivity are more than 97% and 99% after 80 h of continuous reaction time, respectively. After the recovery of solvent from the resulting solution, a white solid was obtained as a target product. As a result, the SCB-NH₂ is a promising catalyst for the synthesis of fine chemicals by Knoevenagel condensation reaction in large scale, and the modification of the renewable SCB with –NH₂ group is a potential avenue for the preparation of amine-functionalized catalytic materials in industry.

Bio-enzyme pretreatment can effectively reduce the chemical resistance of wood fibers, thereby resulting in a reduction in energy consumption during the pulping process. However, both cellulase and cellulose fibers commonly exhibit negative charge used in water, leading to inherent electrostatic repulsion. The present study developed a novel combined pretreatment approach involving alkali impregnation and poly dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride (PDADMAC)-assisted treatment to enhance the efficiency of cellulase treatment and obtain pulp with superior properties. The results showed that the alkali impregnation effectively destroyed the waxy layer on the surface of wheat straw, enhancing the interaction between subsequent cellulase and wheat straw fibers. The presence of PDADMAC further facilitated cellulase adsorption onto the wheat straw surface. When the PDADMAC dosage was increased to 1.0 × 10⁻³ g/g wheat straw, the cellulase adsorption rate exhibited a significant increase of 42.28%. Additionally, at cellulase dosages of 10 and 15 U/g, the pulp filtration capacity demonstrated improvements of 35.41 and 16.30%, respectively. The present study aims to enhance the processing efficiency of cellulase in the pulping process, optimize the water filtration and paper-forming properties of wheat straw pulp, and provide essential theoretical and technical support for the efficient utilization of this valuable resource.

Graphitic N-doped carbon shell encapsulated Ni nanoparticles after strong acid leaching exhibited high activity and selectivity to aromatics in the conversion of lignin β-O-4 model compounds. The C _α –OH group was essential for product distributions.