Catalyzed-Mea conversion of Agro-biomass to paper-pulp: Influence of pulping additives and synergy effect on pulp screened yield

In this research work, the effect of three (3) pulping additives such as polysulfide, Anthraquinone and surfactant used in the monoethanolamine (MEA) pulping of agro-biomass, their possible interactions and synergy effect on pulp screened yield were investigated. The pulping conditions of the digester were adjusted so that the experimental design considered the following factors and levels: 75% MEA charge, 150oC cooking temperature, 90minutes cooking time, 4 to 1Liquor- Biomass ratio. Factor 1: 0, 0.25 and 0.5% Surfactant charge, Factor 2: 0, 2.0 and 4.0% polysulfide charge, Factor 3: 0, 0.25 and 0.5% anthraquinone charge. The Agro-biomass was evaluated in terms of pulp screened yield. Heating time ranged from 5 to 45minutes and maximum cooking time did not exceed 90minutes, liquor biomass ratio was 4 to 1 and Liquor charge was 75% MEA. The yield for MEA with 4% Polysulfide (PS) dosage without the inclusion of Surfactant and Anthraquinone was highest (59.08%) in all the twenty seven (27) experimental runs, but furnished the highest reject (12.26%) and an unimpressive screened yield of 46.82% standing amongst the least possible outcomes. The yield for MEA with 0.25% Anthraquinone (AQ) dosage without the inclusion of Surfactant and Polysulfide furnished a total yield of 50.32%, pulp screened yield of 50.03% with a minimal reject of 0.29 showing to be more efficient than the use of polysulfide. Monoethanolamine (MEA) pulping with 0.5% surfactant (Surf.) dosage without the inclusion of other additives i.e. AQ and PS achieved 51.12% total screened yield with a reject of only 0.33% furnishing the highest pulp screened yield (50.79%) thereby showing more efficiency amongst the three (3) pulping additives investigated in this research study base on single use. However, the result obtained from the combination of the three (3) pulping additives furnished the highest screened yield (52.43) with 4.23% reject in scenario E, experiment No. 15, involving the combination of 0.25% surfactant, 0.25% anthraquinone and 4% polysulfide charge showing the best synergistic effect. Although the highest screened yield (53.04% and the least reject (0.13%) indicating the best possible outcome amongst the entire twenty seven (27) experimental runs came from the combination of 0.25% surfactant and 2% polysulfide charge. If we have to consider the use of surfactant and polysulfide alone, the best possible outcome came from the combination of 0.25% surfactant and 2% polysulfide charge in experiment 20 of scenario G. Analyses of the overall experimental results show that there is considerable advantage and a positive synergy effect in the use of additives in pulping operation.

Hybrids Development between Greek Salvia Species and Their Drought Resistance Evaluation along with Salvia fruticosa, under Attapulgite-Amended Substrate

Aiming to obtain Salvia hybrids with ornamental value and high drought resistance, for xeriscaping, crossbreeding was made with Greek Salvia species. S. fruticosa and S. officinalis when used as seed parent were successfully crossed with S. pomifera ssp. pomifera, S. ringens and S. tomentosa, while when used as pollen parent it only succeeded between S. fruticosa and S. tomentosa. The growth of S. fruticosa and the four hybrids, S. officinalis × S. pomifera, S. officinalis × S. tomentosa, S. officinalis × S. ringens and S. fruticosa × S. ringens, selected for their ornamental traits, was evaluated under limited irrigation and modification of the substrate with attapulgite clay. The hybrids S. officinalis × S. ringens and S. officinalis × S. tomentosa developed a compact plant shape and most lateral shoots, desirable characteristics for potted plants and xeriscaping. All hybrids, especially S. officinalis × S. pomifera and S. officinalis × S. tomentosa, survived water stress better than S. fruticosa. Modification of the substrate with attapulgite, under limited irrigation, caused a decrease in the above ground/root biomass ratio in some hybrids and in S. fruticosa increased the dry weight of the root indicating increased drought resistance.

WORM BIOMASS AND VERMICOMPOST PRODUCTION BY THE EPIGEIC EARTHWORM, PERIONYX EXCAVATUS BY USING DIFFERENT ORGANIC WASTES

As the epigeic earthworms are known to be efcient and potential biodegrades and nutrient releasers, tolerant to wide range of ecological disturbances, aids in litter communication and efcient decomposers. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to nd out the inuence of various organic wastes (such as False Ashoka waste-FAW (Polyalthia longifolia), Parthenium wastePW (Parthenium hysterophorus), Cotton residue waste-CRW (Gossypium), Lawn grass waste-LGW (Agrostis) and Cattle manure-CM) on the production of worm biomass and vermicompost by the epigeic earthworm, Perionyx excavatus along with control compost experiments without worms (in triplicates) to know the potentiality of this worm species in processing of various organic wastes for the production of worm biomass as vermiprotein and vermicompost as biofertilizer. Both compost and vermicompost experimental pots were terminated after 35 and 70 days time intervals. Observations were made with respect to number of old and new adult worms, new sub-clitellates, juveniles, cocoons with their weight were noted to determine the total worm biomass (Gross biomass), biomass ratio (WBR) and Fold Increase in Worm Number (FIWN). Percent compost and vermicompost produced out of different organic waste were also calculated at the end of each experiment at35 and 70 days. The results of the present study revealed that the biomass of Perionyx excavatus such as Gross worm biomass (GWB), Worm biomass ratio (WBR) and Fold increase in worm number (FIWN) increased from 35days to 70 days time intervals in all the organic wastes (FAW, PW, CRW, LGW and CM). It was maximum in CM and minimum in FAW among all the organic wastes. There is a signicant variation was noticed in worm biomass production (GWB, WBR, and FIWN) among and between all the organic wastes except between few organic wastes at 35 and 70 days time intervals. The vermicompost production was more as compared to normal compost in all the organic wastes. Further, both compost and vermicompost production were more in CM followed by LGW, CRW, PW and minimum in FAW among all organic wastes. The signicant difference was also observed in the production of compost and vermicompost among and between different organic wastes except between few organic wastes at different time intervals. Based on the results, it can be concluded that the earthworm, Perionyx excavatus is an efcient epigeic earthworm species, effectively used in vermicomposting for the production of vermicompost and as well as in vermifarming in the production of worm biomass as vermiprotein. Further, earthworm biomass, compost and vermicompost production primarily depends on nature of organic wastes and secondly on the potentiality of earthworm species used in the experimental studies.

Hydrogen rich product gas from air-steam gasification of Indian biomasses with waste engine oil as binder

Present study concerns with the production of H2 rich product gas by thermochemical energy conversion having biomass gasification as a route for the four biomasses i.e., Kasai Saw Dust, Lemon Grass, Wheat Straw and Pigeon Pea Seed Coat. The biomasses are from the family of woody biomass, grasses, agricultural waste and food process industry wastes. Waste engine oil as an additive is used, which also acts as a binder. Air gasification and Air-steam gasification is applied and compared for product gas composition, hydrogen yield and other performance parameters like lower heating value, energy yield. Product gas constituents, hydrogen production is examined with different steam to biomass ratio (S/B ratio) and equivalence ratio. The equivalence ratio varies from 0.20–0.40 and the steam to biomass ratio varies between 0–4. The waster engine oil is mixed with the biomasses with different percentage of 5 and 10 wt%. For enhancement of feedstock quality palletization process is applied. The H2 yield is greatly affected by the equivalence ratio. Results show maximum H2 production and higher calorific value of product gas at an air to fuel of 0.26 for all the biomass pallets. Also, the S/B ratio observed as important aspect for hydrogen enrichment. Hydrogen yield is maximum at 2.4 steam to biomass ratio. This study considers the rarely studied Indian biomasses with waste engine oil as an additive for hydrogen-rich product gas production and will be beneficial for small scale hydrogen-rich syngas production considering the central Indian region originated biomasses. Statement of Novelty (SON): Research work belongs to eco-friendly use of rarely studied Indian biomass pallets. Equivalence air to fuel ratio (E/R ratio), steam to biomass ratio (S/B ratio) and waste engine oil as additive have been considered to upgrade H2 content and Calorific Value (CV) of the product gas. Novelty of work include use of waste engine oil as additive to make biomass pallets.

The Impact of Biomass and Acid Loading on Methanolysis during Two-Step Lignin-First Processing of Birchwood

We optimized the solvolysis step in methanol for two-step lignin-first upgrading of woody biomass. Birchwood was first converted via sulfuric acid methanolysis to cellulose pulp and a lignin oil intermediate, which comprises a mixture of lignin oligomers and C5 sugars in the methanol solvent. The impact of reaction temperature (140–200 °C), acid loading (0.24–0.81 wt%, dry biomass), methanol/biomass ratio (2.3/1–15.8/1 w/w) and reaction time (2 h and 0.5 h) was investigated. At high biomass loadings (ratio < 6.3/1 w/w), operation at elevated pressure facilitates delignification by keeping methanol in the liquid phase. A high degree of delignification goes together to a large extent with C5 sugar release, mostly in the form of methyl xylosides. Gel permeation chromatography and heteronuclear single quantum coherence NMR of lignin fractions obtained at high acid (0.81 wt%) and low biomass (15.8/1 w/w) loading revealed extensive cleavage of β-O-4′ bonds during acidolysis at 180 °C for 2 h. At an optimized methanol/biomass ratio of 2.3/1 w/w and acid loading (0.24 wt%), more β-O-4′ bonds could be preserved, i.e., about 33% after 2 h and 47% after 0.5 h. The high reactivity of the extracted lignin fragments was confirmed by a second hydrogenolysis step. Reductive treatment with Pd/C under mild conditions led to disappearance of ether linkages and molecular weight reduction in the hydrotreated lignin oil.

Utilization of Modified Zeolite as Catalyst for Steam Gasification of Palm Kernel Shell

Syngas from biomass gasification is being developed for alternative feedstock in the chemical industry. Palm kernel shell which is generated from palm oil industry can be potentially used as raw material for gasification process. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of modified natural zeolite catalysts in steam gasification of palm kernel shells. Mordenite type zeolite was modified by acid leaching to be used as a tar cracking catalyst. Steam gasification was conducted at the temperature range of 750–850 °C and the steam to biomass ratio was in the range of 0–2.25. The result showed that steam gasification of palm kernel shell with the addition of zeolite catalyst at 750 °C and steam to biomass ratio 2.25 could reduce tar content up to 98% or became 0.7 g/Nm3. In this study, gasification of palm kernel shells produced syngas with the hydrogen concentration in the range of 52–64% and H2/CO ratio of 2.7–5.7. Copyright © 2021 by Authors, Published by BCREC Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).

Biomass estimates derived from sector subsampling of 360° spherical images

Efficient subsampling designs reduce forest inventory costs by focusing sampling efforts on more variable forest attributes. Sector subsampling is an efficient and accurate alternative to big basal area factor (big BAF) sampling to estimate the mean basal area to biomass ratio. In this study, we apply sector subsampling of spherical images to estimate aboveground biomass and compare our image-based estimates with field data collected from three early spacing trials on western Newfoundland Island in eastern Canada. The results show that sector subsampling of spherical images produced increased sampling errors of 0.3–3.4 per cent with only about 60 trees measured across 30 spherical images compared with about 4000 trees measured in the field. Photo-derived basal area was underestimated because of occluded trees; however, we implemented an additional level of subsampling, collecting field-based basal area counts, to correct for bias due to occluded trees. We applied Bruce’s formula for standard error estimation to our three-level hierarchical subsampling scheme and showed that Bruce’s formula is generalizable to any dimension of hierarchical subsampling. Spherical images are easily and quickly captured in the field using a consumer-grade 360° camera and sector subsampling, including all individual tree measurements, were obtained using a custom-developed python software package. The system is an efficient and accurate photo-based alternative to field-based big BAF subsampling.

Comparative evaluation of multiple protein extraction procedures from three species of the genus Caulerpa

The aim of this study was to define the simplest and least expensive protocol for total protein extraction for three different macroalgae of the genus Caulerpa (the invasive C. taxifolia and C. cylindracea and the autochthonous C. prolifera). Five multi-step protein extraction procedures, set up for other macroalgal species, were tested. For each of them, different pre-treatment and extraction conditions were simultaneously examined, according to a factorial design, considering the starting material, the solvent-to-biomass ratio, and the incubation temperature. Protein yield in the obtained extracts was estimated with the Bradford method. Further, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) was used to resolve proteins, assessing their quality and integrity. Significant differences in protein yield were observed among the extraction protocols and the conditions tested, also in relation to the considered species. Profiles having an acceptable quality were obtained for C. prolifera and C. cylindracea, and from the obtained results, the best method to obtain high yield and quality protein extracts for the two above-mentioned species appears to require the use of a primary TCA/acetone extraction buffer followed by a lysis buffer with NaCl, KCl, urea, Triton, SDS and a protease inhibitor. The best results, in particular, were obtained starting from fresh pulped material with a buffer-to-biomass ratio of 10:1 and an incubation temperature of 4°C. For C. taxifolia, instead, none of the tested protocols produced satisfactory results and further studies will be required.

Composition of Rhizosphere Microbial Communities Associated With Healthy and Verticillium Wilt Diseased Cotton Plants

Rhizosphere microbial communities are known to be related to plant health; using such an association for crop management requires a better understanding of this relationship. We investigated rhizosphere microbiomes associated with Verticillium wilt symptoms in two cotton cultivars. Microbial communities were profiled by amplicon sequencing, with the total bacterial and fungal DNA quantified by quantitative polymerase chain reaction based on the respective 16S and internal transcribed spacer primers. Although the level of V. dahliae inoculum was higher in the rhizosphere of diseased plants than in the healthy plants, such a difference explained only a small proportion of variation in wilt severities. Compared to healthy plants, the diseased plants had much higher total fungal/bacterial biomass ratio, as represented by quantified total fungal or bacterial DNA. The variability in the fungal/bacterial biomass ratio was much smaller than variability in either fungal or bacterial total biomass among samples within diseased or healthy plants. Diseased plants generally had lower bacterial alpha diversity in their rhizosphere, but such differences in the fungal alpha diversity depended on cultivars. There were large differences in both fungal and bacterial communities between diseased and healthy plants. Many rhizosphere microbial groups differed in their abundance between healthy and diseased plants. There was a decrease in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and an increase in several plant pathogen and saprophyte guilds in diseased plants. These findings suggested that V. dahliae infection of roots led to considerable changes in rhizosphere microbial communities, with large increases in saprophytic fungi and reduction in bacterial community.

Process Simulation of Steam Gasification of Torrefied Woodchips in a Bubbling Fluidized Bed Reactor Using Aspen Plus

A comprehensive process model is proposed to simulate the steam gasification of biomass in a bubbling fluidized bed reactor using the Aspen Plus simulator. The reactor models are implemented using external FORTRAN codes for hydrodynamic and reaction kinetic calculations. Governing hydrodynamic equations and kinetic reaction rates for char gasification and water-gas shift reactions are obtained from experimental investigations and the literature. Experimental results at different operating conditions from steam gasification of torrefied biomass in a pilot-scale gasifier are used to validate the process model. Gasification temperature and steam-to-biomass ratio promote hydrogen production and improve process efficiencies. The steam-to-biomass ratio is directly proportional to an increase in the content of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, while gas yield and carbon conversion efficiency enhance significantly with increasing temperature. The model predictions are in good agreement with experimental data. The mean error of CO2 shows the highest value of 0.329 for the steam-to-biomass ratio and the lowest deviation is at 0.033 of carbon conversion efficiency, respectively. The validated model is capable of simulating biomass gasification under various operating conditions.