Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum essential oil (OEO) is a natural oil with high therapeutic potential. For some applications, however, the development of novel formulations is still needed to improve the bioavailability and stability of OEO. In this study, we describe the fabrication of an original nanocomposite hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) physical hydrogel, containing OEO-loaded polymeric micelles, for topical delivery. The concentration of the main active compounds of OEO—carvacol and thymol—was determined using gas chromatography (GC) analysis. OEO was first encapsulated into Pluronic F127 micelles, and then embedded into HPC gel. Micellar and gel formulations of pure polymers and OEO-containing systems were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and rheology measurements, respectively. Selected formulations were evaluated for cytotoxicity and antiproliferative activity. The hydrogel formulation of HPC with micellar OEO (8% HPC, 2% F127, 1% OEO) exhibited sustained release of the oil and selectivity towards SH-4 tumor cells (an in vitro model of melanoma).

In recent years, deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have attracted a lot of attention as a substitute for the current toxic organic solvents and can be applied in many chemical processes such as extraction and synthesis. The development of new deep eutectic solvents for use in the isolation of valuable biologically active substances with significant benefits for health, the environment, and others is being investigated with increasing scientific interest. Deep eutectic solvents were prepared using menthol as a hydrogen bond donor and different tertiary amines as hydrogen bond acceptors by varying the ratio of the two constituents. The DESs obtained were analyzed using densitometry, viscosimetry, IR, TGA, and DSC. The potential of the DESs for extraction and re-extraction was evaluated with a water solution of lactic acid. All the DESs obtained are suitable for the extraction of lactic acid. Deep eutectic solvents based on menthol and dioctyl amine (M/DOA 2:1), trioctyl amine (M/TOA 2:1), tridodecyl amine (M/TDDA 1:2), and trihexyl amine (M/THA 2:1) show highest results.

In this study, as a product from the efficient Achmatowicz rearrangement and mild subsequent hydrogenation–reduction reactions of biorenewable C5 alcohols derived from lignocellulose, pentane-1,2,5-triol was successfully used after oxypropylation in the preparation of rigid polyurethane foams—one of the most important classes of polymeric materials. Despite the broad range of applications, the production of polyurethanes is still highly dependent on petrochemical materials considering the need of renewable raw materials and new process technologies for the production of polyol or isocyanate components as a key point for the sustainable development of polyurethane foams. The synthesized oxypropylated pentane-1,2,5-triol was analyzed using proton NMR spectroscopy, hydroxyl number, and viscosity, whereas the newly obtained foams incorporated with up to 30% biorenewable polyol were characterized using compressive stress, thermogravimetry, dynamic mechanical analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. The modified rigid polyurethanes showed better compressive strength (>400.0 kPa), a comparable thermal degradation range at 325–450 °C, and similar morphological properties to those of commercial polyurethane formulations.

Among polymer wastes, poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is the most important commercial thermoplastic polyester. Less than 30% of total PET production is recycled into new products. Therefore, large amounts of waste PET need to be recycled. We describe a feasible approach for the direct application of the glycolysis products of PET (GP-PET), without further purification, for the synthesis of value-added products. It was established that GP-PET is valorized via phosphorylation with phenylphosphonic dichloride (PPD), as well as with trimethyl phosphate (TMP). When PPD is used, a condensation reaction takes place with the evolution of hydrogen chloride. During the interaction between GP-PET and TMP, the following reactions take place simultaneously: a transesterification with the participation of the hydroxyl group of GP-PET and the methoxy group of TMP and an exchange reaction between the ester group of GP-PET and the methyl ester group of TMP. The occurrence of the exchange reaction was confirmed by ¹H, ³¹P, ¹³C NMR, and GPC analysis. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) revealed that the percentage of a carbon residual (CR) implies the possibility of using the end products as flame retardant (FR) additives, especially for polyurethanes as well as thermal stabilizers of polymer materials or Li-ion cells.

In recent years, deep eutectic solvents (DES) have attracted a lot of attention as a substitute for current toxic organic solvents and can be applied in many chemical processes such as extraction and synthesis. Development of new deep eutectic solvents for use in the isolation of valuable biologically active substances with significant benefits for the health, the environment, and others are being investigated with increasing scientific interest. Deep eutectic solvents were prepared using menthol as a hydrogen bond donor and different tertiary amines as hydrogen bond acceptors by varying the ratio of the two constituents. The DES obtained were analyzed using densitometry, viscosimetry, IR, TGA, and DSC. The potential of the DES for extraction and re - extraction was evaluated with a water solution of lactic acid. All the DESs obtained are suitable for the extraction of lactic acid. Deep eutectic solvents based on menthol and DOA (2:1), TOA (2:1), TDDA (1:2) and THA (2:1) show highest results.