Alchris Woo Go

To support responsible production and consumption while building sustainable cities and communities, using local resources can help curb the ever-increasing carbon footprint of the construction and cement industries. This study provides baseline estimates of the availability of waste fibers from abaca and pineapple leaf fiber (PALF) production that could be tapped in implementing fiber-reinforced concrete designs. Additionally, this study offers a new perspective on how incorporating waste fibers into concrete mix design can lead to reduced cement usage and a potential reduction in carbon emissions. Approximately 50 kt/yr of waste fibers are generated and remain untapped. Given their availability, using waste fibers from abaca and PALF production in the Philippines could displace between 1 to 25 kg cement/m ³ of concrete, potentially resulting in an annual emissions reduction of 20 to 30 kt CO _2-eq .

Different schemes in the production of structured triglycerides based on solvent‐free esterification of oleic acid and palmitic acid with glycerol were evaluated in terms of reactant conversion, product composition, and yield. Two‐step processes, with or without glycerol dosing, were compared with one‐step versions carried out at temperature conditions within 40°C–60°C to a final oleic acid/palmitic acid/glycerol ratio of 2:1:1, the stoichiometric ratio in 1,3‐dioleoyl‐2‐palmitoyl glycerol (OPO). Substantial amounts of C52 triglycerides, including OPO, were produced in all schemes at 34.98–39.55 wt.% of the total triglycerides and triglyceride yields of 50.10–56.56 wt.% based on the raw materials. The two‐step process with glycerol dosing at 60°C showed the highest palmitic acid incorporation at the sn‐2 position of 46.46%, but the same process carried out with a step increase in temperature from 40°C to 60°C gave the highest OPO yield at 19.30 wt.%. These results demonstrate the possibility of manipulating regioselectivity and triglyceride specificity by varying reactant feeding schemes without the use of solvents and sn‐1,3‐specific lipases common in conventional acidolysis‐based processes.