Search results for: Cellulose acetate

Authors: K. Almi, S. Lakel, A. Benchabane, A. Kriker

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The fiber–matrix compatibility can be improved if suitable enforcements are chosen. Whenever the reinforcements have more thermal stability, they can resist to the main processes for wood–thermoplastic composites. Several researches are focused on natural resources for the production of biomaterials intended for technical applications. Date palm wood present one of the world’s most important natural resource. Its use as insulating materials will help to solve the severe environmental and recycling problems which other artificial insulating materials caused. This paper reports the results of an experimental investigation on the thermal proprieties of date palm wood from Algeria. A study of physical, chemical and mechanical properties is also carried out. The goal is to use this natural material in the manufacture of thermal insulation materials for buildings. The local natural resources used in this study are the date palm fibers from Biskra oasis in Algeria. The results have shown that there is no significant difference in the morphological proprieties of the four types of residues. Their chemical composition differed slightly; with the lowest amounts of cellulose and lignin content belong to Petiole. Water absorption study proved that Rachis has a low value of sorption whereas Petiole and Fibrillium have a high value of sorption what influenced their mechanical properties. It is seen that the Rachis and leaflets exhibit a high tensile strength values compared to the other residue. On the other hand the low value of bulk density of Petiole and Fibrillium leads to high value of specific tensile strength and young modulus. It was found that the specific young modulus of Petiole and Fibrillium was higher than that of Rachis and Leaflets and that of other natural fibers or even artificial fibers. Compared to the other materials date palm wood provide a good thermal proprieties thus, date palm wood will be a good candidate for the manufacturing efficient and safe insulating materials.

Keywords: composite materials, date palm fiber, natural fibers, tensile tests, thermal proprieties

Procedia PDF Downloads 619

Authors: Inayat Ur Rahman Arshad

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Stevia rebaudiana B. is a shrubby perennial herb of Asteraceae family that possesses the unique ability of accumulative non caloric sweet Steviol Glycosides (SGs). The purpose of the study is to optimize sugar concentration, pH level and inoculum size for inducing the callus with optimum growth and efficient antibacterial potential. Three different experiments were conducted in which Callus explant from three-months-old already established callus of Stevia reabudiana of four different sizes were inoculated on Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium supplemented with five different sucrose concentration and pH adjusted at four different levels. Maximum callus induction 100, 87.5 and 85.33% was resulted in the medium supplemented with 30g/l sucrose, pH maintained at 5.5 and inoculated with 1.25g inoculum respectively. Similarly, the highest fresh weight 65.00, 75.50 and 50.53g/l were noted in medium fortified with 40g/l sucrose, inoculated 1.25g inoculum and 6.0 pH level respectively. However, the callus developed in medium containing 50g/l sucrose found highly antibacterial potent with 27.3 and 26.5mm inhibition zone against P. vulgaris and B. subtilize respectively. Similarly, the callus grown on medium inoculated with 1.00g inoculum resulted in maximum antibacterial potential against S. aureus and P. vulgaris with 25 and 23.72mm inhibition zones respectively. However, in the case of pH levels the medium maintained at 6.5pH showed maximum antibacterial activity against P. vulgaris, B.subtilis and E.coli with 27.9, 25 and 23.72mm respectively. The ethyl acetate extract of Stevia callus and leaves did not show antibacterial potential against Xanthomonas campestris and Clavebactor michiganensis. In the entire experiment the standard antibacterial agent Streptomycin showed the highest inhibition zones from the rest of the callus extract, however the pure DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) caused no inhibitory zone against any bacteria. From these findings it is concluded that among various levels sucrose at the rate of 40g L-1, pH 6.0 and inoculums 0.75g was found best for most of the growth and quality attributes including fresh weight, dry weight and antibacterial activities and therefore can be recommended for callus proliferation and antibacterial potential of Stevia rebaudiana

Keywords: Steviol Glycosides, Skoog, Murashige, Clavebactor michiganensis

Procedia PDF Downloads 62

Authors: Inayat Ur Rahman Arshad

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Background: Stevia rebaudiana B. is a shrubby perennial herb of Asteraceae family that possesses the unique ability of accumulative non-caloric sweet steviol glycosides (SGs). Purpose: The purpose of the study is to optimize sugar concentration, pH level, and inoculum size for inducing the callus with optimum growth and efficient antibacterial potential. Method: Three different experiments were conducted in which Callus explant from three-months-old already established callus of Stevia reabudiana of four different sizes was inoculated on Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium supplemented with five different sucrose concentration and pH adjusted at four different levels. Results: Maximum callus induction 100, 87.5, and 85.33% resulted in the medium supplemented with 30 g/l sucrose, pH maintained at 5.5, and inoculated with 1.25g inoculum, respectively. Similarly, the highest fresh weights 65.00, 75.50, and 50.53 g/l were noted in a medium fortified with 40 g/l sucrose, inoculated 1.25g inoculum, and 6.0 pH level, respectively. However, the callus developed in a medium containing 50 g/l sucrose was found to be highly antibacterial potent with 27.3 and 26.5 mm inhibition zone against P. vulgaris and B. subtilis, respectively. Similarly, the callus grown on a medium inoculated with 1.00 g inoculum resulted in maximum antibacterial potential against S. aureus and P. vulgaris with 25 and 23.72 mm inhibition zone, respectively. However, in the case of pH levels, the medium maintained at 6.5 pH showed maximum antibacterial activity against P. vulgaris, B.subtilis, and E.coli with 27.9, 25, and 23.72 mm, respectively. The ethyl acetate extract of Stevia callus and leaves did not show antibacterial potential against Xanthomonas campestris and Clavebactor michiganensis. In the entire experiment, the standard antibacterial agent Streptomycin showed the highest inhibition zones among the rest of the callus extract; however, the pure dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) caused no inhibitory zone against any bacteria. Conclusion: From these findings, it is concluded that among various levels, sucrose @ 40 g L⁻¹, pH 6.0, and inoculums at 0.75 g were found best for most of the growth and quality attributes, including fresh weight, dry weight, and antibacterial activities and therefore can be recommended for callus proliferation and antibacterial potential of Stevia rebaudiana.

Keywords: Stevia rebaudiana, Steviol Glycosides, callus, Xanthomonas campestris

Procedia PDF Downloads 58

Authors: Irsa Ejaz, Siyang He, Wei Li, Naiyue Hu, Chaochen Tang, Songbo Li, Meng Li, Boubacar Diallo, Guanghui Xie, Kang Yu

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Background: Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR) is a non-destructive, fast, and low-cost method to measure the grain quality of different cereals. Previously reported NIR model calibrations using the whole grain spectra had moderate accuracy. Improved predictions are achievable by using the spectra of whole grains, when compared with the use of spectra collected from the flour samples. However, the feasibility for determining the critical biochemicals, related to the classifications for food, feed, and fuel products are not adequately investigated. Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility of using NIRS and the influence of four sample types (whole grains, flours, hulled grain flours, and hull-less grain flours) on the prediction of chemical components to improve the grain sorting efficiency for human food, animal feed, and biofuel. Methods: NIR was applied in this study to determine the eight biochemicals in four types of sorghum samples: hulled grain flours, hull-less grain flours, whole grains, and grain flours. A total of 20 hybrids of sorghum grains were selected from the two locations in China. Followed by NIR spectral and wet-chemically measured biochemical data, partial least squares regression (PLSR) was used to construct the prediction models. Results: The results showed that sorghum grain morphology and sample format affected the prediction of biochemicals. Using NIR data of grain flours generally improved the prediction compared with the use of NIR data of whole grains. In addition, using the spectra of whole grains enabled comparable predictions, which are recommended when a non-destructive and rapid analysis is required. Compared with the hulled grain flours, hull-less grain flours allowed for improved predictions for tannin, cellulose, and hemicellulose using NIR data. Conclusion: The established PLSR models could enable food, feed, and fuel producers to efficiently evaluate a large number of samples by predicting the required biochemical components in sorghum grains without destruction.

Keywords: FT-NIR, sorghum grains, biochemical composition, food, feed, fuel, PLSR

Procedia PDF Downloads 42

Authors: Wanbao Chen, Qianqian Yao, Zhenming Zhou

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Whole grains with intact pericarp are largely resistant to digestion by ruminants because entire kernels are not conducive to bacterial attachment. But processing methods makes the starch more accessible to microbes, and increases the rate and extent of starch degradation in the rumen. To estimate the feasibility of applying a steam-flaking as the processing technique of grains for ruminants, cereal grains (maize, wheat, barley and sorghum) were processed by steam-flaking (steam temperature 105°C, heating time, 45 min). And chemical analysis, in vitro gas production, volatile fatty acid concentrations, and energetic values were adopted to evaluate the effects of steam-flaking. In vitro cultivation was conducted for 48h with the rumen fluid collected from steers fed a total mixed ration consisted of 40% hay and 60% concentrates. The results showed that steam-flaking processing had a significant effect on the contents of neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber (P < 0.01). The concentration of starch gelatinization degree in all grains was also great improved in steam-flaking grains, as steam-flaking processing disintegrates the crystal structure of cereal starch, which may subsequently facilitate absorption of moisture and swelling. Theoretical maximum gas production after steam-flaking processing showed no great difference. However, compared with intact grains, total gas production at 48 h and the rate of gas production were significantly (P < 0.01) increased in all types of grain. Furthermore, there was no effect of steam-flaking processing on total volatile fatty acid, but a decrease in the ratio between acetate and propionate was observed in the current in vitro fermentation. The present study also found that steam-flaking processing increased (P < 0.05) organic matter digestibility and energy concentration of the grains. The collective findings of the present study suggest that steam-flaking processing of grains could improve their rumen fermentation and energy utilization by ruminants. In conclusion, the utilization of steam-flaking would be practical to improve the quality of common cereal grains.

Keywords: cereal grains, gas production, in vitro rumen fermentation, steam-flaking processing

Procedia PDF Downloads 226

Authors: Kausar Harun, Ahmad Azmin Mohamad

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Zinc oxide (ZnO) has been extensively used in optoelectronic devices, with recent interest as photoanode material in dye-sensitize solar cell. Numerous methods employed to experimentally synthesized ZnO, while some are theoretically-modeled. Both approaches provide information on ZnO properties, but theoretical calculation proved to be more accurate and timely effective. Thus, integration between these two methods is essential to intimately resemble the properties of synthesized ZnO. In this study, experimentally-grown ZnO nanoparticles were prepared by sol-gel storage method with zinc acetate dihydrate and methanol as precursor and solvent. A 1 M sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution was used as stabilizer. The optimum time to produce ZnO nanoparticles were recorded as 12 hours. Phase and structural analysis showed that single phase ZnO produced with wurtzite hexagonal structure. Further work on quantitative analysis was done via Rietveld-refinement method to obtain structural and crystallite parameter such as lattice dimensions, space group, and atomic coordination. The lattice dimensions were a=b=3.2498Å and c=5.2068Å which were later used as main input in first-principles calculations. By applying density-functional theory (DFT) embedded in CASTEP computer code, the structure of synthesized ZnO was built and optimized using several exchange-correlation functionals. The generalized-gradient approximation functional with Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof and Hubbard U corrections (GGA-PBE+U) showed the structure with lowest energy and lattice deviations. In this study, emphasize also given to the modification of valence electron energy level to overcome the underestimation in DFT calculation. Both Zn and O valance energy were fixed at Ud=8.3 eV and Up=7.3 eV, respectively. Hence, the following electronic and optical properties of synthesized ZnO were calculated based on GGA-PBE+U functional within ultrasoft-pseudopotential method. In conclusion, the incorporation of Rietveld analysis into first-principles calculation was valid as the resulting properties were comparable with those reported in literature. The time taken to evaluate certain properties via physical testing was then eliminated as the simulation could be done through computational method.

Keywords: density functional theory, first-principles, Rietveld-refinement, ZnO nanoparticles

Procedia PDF Downloads 285

Authors: Amel Bouaziz, Seddik Khennouf, Mussa Abu Zarga, Shtayway Abdalla, Saliha Djidel, Assia Bentahar, Saliha Dahamna, Smain Amira

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The present study aimed to evaluate the hypotensive and the in vitro antioxidant activities of Crataegus azarolus L. (Rosaceae), a plant widely used as natural remedy for hypertension in folk medicine. The antioxidant potential of methanolic extract (ME)and its three fractions of Chloroform (CHE), ethyl acetate (EAE)and water (AqE) have been investigated using several assays, including the DPPH scavenging, ABTS scavenging, hydroxyl radical scavenging. Inhibition of lipid peroxidation was performed by the β-carotene bleaching assay, ferric thiocyanate method and thiobarburic acid method. Total phenolic and total flavonoid contents of the extracts were estimated using Folin-Chiocalteu reagent and AlCl3, respectively. EAE extract showed the highest polyphenolic and flavonoids contents (396,04±1.20 mg GAE/g of dry extract and 32,73 ± 0.03mg QE/g of dry extract) respectively. Similarly, this extract possessed the highest scavenging activity for DPPH radical (IC 50 = 0,006±0,0001mg /ml), ABTS radical (IC50=0.0035±0,0007 mg/ml) and hydroxyl radical(IC 50=0,283± 0.01 mg/ml). In addition, the EAE exhibited the highest antioxidant activity in the inhibition of linoleic acid/ß-carotene coupled oxidation (89,21%), lipid peroxidation in the ferric thiocyanate(FTC) method (90.13%), and thio-barbituric acid (TBA) method (74.23%). Intravenous administration of Me and EAE decreased mean arterial blood pressure, systolic and diastolic blood pressure in anesthetized rats dose-dependently, at the dose range of 0.4 to 12 mg/kg. The mean arterial blood pressure dropped by 27.58 and 39.37% for ME and EAE, respectively. In conclusion, The present study supported the significant potential to use C. azarolus by-products as a source of natural antioxidants and provides scientific justification for its traditional uses as cardio-protective and anti-hypertensive remedy.

Keywords: Crataegus azarolus, polyphenols, flavonoids, hypertension, antioxidant activity, free radicals, peroxidation

Procedia PDF Downloads 317

Authors: Christine O. Wangia, Jennifer A. Orwa, Francis W. Muregi, Patrick G. Kareru, Kipyegon Cheruiyot, Eric Guantai

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Ruellia (syn. Dipteracanthus) species are wild perennial creepers belonging to the Acanthaceae family. These species are reported to possess anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antioxidant, gastroprotective, anticancer, and immuno-stimulant properties. Phytochemical screening of both aqueous and methanolic extracts of Ruellia species revealed the presence of saponins. Saponins have been reported to possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immuno-stimulant, antihepatotoxic, antibacterial, anticarcinogenic, and antiulcerogenic activities. The objective of this study was to quantify and analyze the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of saponins in crude extracts of three Kenyan Ruellia species namely Ruellia prostrata (RPM), Ruellia lineari-bracteolata (RLB) and Ruellia bignoniiflora (RBK). Sequential organic extraction of the ground whole plant material was done using petroleum ether (PE), chloroform, ethyl acetate (EtOAc), and absolute methanol by cold maceration, while aqueous extraction was by hot maceration. The plant powders and extracts were mixed with spectroscopic grade KBr and compressed into a pellet. The infrared spectra were recorded using a Shimadzu FTIR spectrophotometer of 8000 series in the range of 3500 cm^-1 - 500 cm^-1. Quantitative determination of the saponins was done using standard procedures. Quantitative analysis of saponins showed that RPM had the highest quantity of crude saponins (2.05% ± 0.03), followed by RLB (1.4% ± 0.15) and RBK (1.25% ± 0.11), respectively. FTIR spectra revealed the spectral peaks characteristic for saponins in RPM, RLB, and RBK plant powders, aqueous and methanol extracts; O-H absorption (3265 - 3393 cm^-1), C-H absorption ranging from 2851 to 2924 cm^-1, C=C absorbance (1628 - 1655 cm^-1), oligosaccharide linkage (C-O-C) absorption due to sapogenins (1036 - 1042 cm^-1). The crude saponins from RPM, RLB and RBK showed similar peaks to their respective extracts. The presence of the saponins in extracts of RPM, RLB and RBK may be responsible for some of the biological activities reported in the Ruellia species.1

Keywords: Ruellia bignoniiflora, Ruellia linearibracteolata, Ruellia prostrata, Saponins

Procedia PDF Downloads 147

Authors: Irena Maus, Katharina Gabriella Cibis, Andreas Bremges, Yvonne Stolze, Geizecler Tomazetto, Daniel Wibberg, Helmut König, Alfred Pühler, Andreas Schlüter

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Within the agricultural sector, the production of biogas from organic substrates represents an economically attractive technology to generate bioenergy. Complex consortia of microorganisms are responsible for biomass decomposition and biogas production. Recently, species belonging to the phylum Thermotogae were detected in thermophilic biogas-production plants utilizing renewable primary products for biomethanation. To analyze adaptive genome features of representative Thermotogae strains, Defluviitoga tunisiensis L3 was isolated from a rural thermophilic biogas plant (54°C) and completely sequenced on an Illumina MiSeq system. Sequencing and assembly of the D. tunisiensis L3 genome yielded a circular chromosome with a size of 2,053,097 bp and a mean GC content of 31.38%. Functional annotation of the complete genome sequence revealed that the thermophilic strain L3 encodes several genes predicted to facilitate growth of this microorganism on arabinose, galactose, maltose, mannose, fructose, raffinose, ribose, cellobiose, lactose, xylose, xylan, lactate and mannitol. Acetate, hydrogen (H2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) are supposed to be end products of the fermentation process. The latter gene products are metabolites for methanogenic archaea, the key players in the final step of the anaerobic digestion process. To determine the degree of relatedness of dominant biogas community members within selected digester systems to D. tunisiensis L3, metagenome sequences from corresponding communities were mapped on the L3 genome. These fragment recruitments revealed that metagenome reads originating from a thermophilic biogas plant covered 95% of D. tunisiensis L3 genome sequence. In conclusion, availability of the D. tunisiensis L3 genome sequence and insights into its metabolic capabilities provide the basis for biotechnological exploitation of genome features involved in thermophilic fermentation processes utilizing renewable primary products.

Keywords: genome sequence, thermophilic biogas plant, Thermotogae, Defluviitoga tunisiensis

Procedia PDF Downloads 470

Authors: Md. Refat Jahan Rakiba, M. Belal Hossaina, Rakesh Kumarc, Md. Akram Ullaha, Sultan Al Nahiand, Nazmun Naher Rimaa, Tasrina Rabia Choudhury, Samia Islam Libaf, Jimmy Yub, Mayeen Uddin Khandakerg, Abdelmoneim Suliemanh, Mohamed Mahmoud Sayedi

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Microplastics (MPs) have become an emerging global pollutant due to their wide spread and dispersion and potential threats to marine ecosystems. However, studies on MPs of estuarine and coastal ecosystems of Bangladesh are very limited or not available. In this study, we conducted the first study on the abundance, distribution, characteristics and potential risk assessment of microplastics in the sediment of Karnaphuli River estuary, Bangladesh. Microplastic particles were extracted from sediments of 30 stations along the estuary by density separation, and then enumerated and characterize by using steromicroscope and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. In the collected sediment, the number of MPs varied from 22.29 - 59.5 items kg−1 of dry weight (DW) with an average of 1177 particles kg−1 DW. The mean abundance was higher in the downstream and left bank of estuary where the predominant shape, colour, and size of MPs were films (35%), white (19%), and >5000 μm (19%), respectively. The main polymer types were polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene, polyethylene, cellulose, and nylon. MPs were found to pose risks (low to high) in the sediment of the estuary, with the highest risk occuring at one station near a sewage outlet, according to the results of risk analyses using the pollution risk index (PRI), polymer risk index (H), contamination factors (CFs), and pollution load index (PLI). The single value index, PLI clearly demonastated that all sampling sites were considerably polluted (as PLI >1) with microplastics. H values showed toxic polymers even in lower proportions possess higher polymeric hazard scores and vice versa. This investigation uncovered new insights on the status of MPs in the sediments of Karnaphuli River estuary, laying the groundwork for future research and control of microplastic pollution and management.

Keywords: microplastics, polymers, pollution risk assessment, Karnaphuli esttuary

Procedia PDF Downloads 50

Authors: Chee Young Kim, Tae Hyun Kim, Anbok Lee, Hyun-Ah Kim, Woosung Lim, Ku Sang Kim, Jinsun Lee, Yoo Seok Kim, Beom Seok Ko

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Background: CollatampTM is Gentamicin-containing collagen sponge well known for its hemostatic effect, commonly utilized in surgeries. We inserted CollatempTM wrapped by SurgicelTM (oxidized cellulose polymer) to fill up the defect after breast conserving surgery. The purpose of this study is to verify the furthermore cosmetic value of CollatampTM in breast conserving surgery conducted in breast cancer patients. Methods: 17 patients were enrolled in this study, underwent breast conserving surgery with CollatampTM wrapped by SurgicelTM insertion, in Inje University Busan Paik Hospital from October 2015 to September 2016. Patient satisfaction, cosmetic outcome, results at 6 months from operation was analyzed to verify the effectiveness and usefulness of CollatampTM for cosmetics. Patient satisfaction was investigated through interviews on a scale of good, fair, poor, and the cosmetic outcome was investigated through physical examination by a surgeon who did not participate in the operations. Results: Among 17 patients, nine of them gave ‘good’ for patient satisfaction, eight gave ‘fair’ and none of them ‘poor’. Also, cosmetic outcome came out with 11 ‘good’s, six ‘fair’s, no ‘poor’. In ‘good’ patient satisfaction group, the mean value of resection to breast volume ratio was 16%, compared to 24% of ‘fair’ group. The mean value of actual resection volume was 100.6cm3, 102.7cm3 each. In ‘good’ cosmetic outcome group, the mean value of resection to breast volume ratio was 18%, compared to 23% of ‘fair’ group. The mean value of actual resection volume was 99.2cm3, 105.9cm3 respectively. According to these results, patient satisfaction and cosmetic outcome after surgeries were more reliable on the resection to breast volume ratio, rather than the actual resection volume. There were eight cases of postoperative complications, consisting of a lymphedema, a seroma, and six patients had mild pain. Conclusions: Cosmetic effect of CollatampTM in breast conserving surgery was more reliable on the resection to breast volume ratio, rather than the actual resection volume. In this short term survey, patients were tend to be satisfied with the cosmetics, all giving either good or fair scores. However, long term outcomes should be further assessed.

Keywords: breast cancer, breast conserving surgery, collatamp, cosmetics

Procedia PDF Downloads 233

Authors: A. Elsayed, M. H. Dewaidar, M. Ghali, M. Elkemary

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The high production cost of the conventional solar cells requires the search for economic methods suitable for solar energy conversion. Cadmium Sulfide (CdS) is one of the most important semiconductors used in photovoltaics, especially in large area solar cells; and can be prepared in a thin film form by a wide variety of deposition techniques. The preparation techniques include vacuum evaporation, sputtering and molecular beam epitaxy. Other techniques, based on chemical solutions, are also used for depositing CdS films with dramatically low-cost compared to other vacuum-based methods. Although this technique is widely used during the last decades, due to simplicity and low-deposition temperature (~100°C), there is still a strong need for more information on the growth process and its relation with the quality of the deposited films. Here, we report on deposition of high-quality CdS thin films; with low-surface roughness ( < 3.0 nm) and sharp optical absorption edge; on low-temperature glass substrates (70°C) using a new method based on the room-temperature chemical solution. In this method, a mixture solution of cadmium acetate and thiourea at room temperature was used under special growth conditions for deposition of CdS films. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements were used to examine the crystal structure properties of the deposited CdS films. In addition, UV-VIS transmittance and low-temperature (4K) photoluminescence (PL) measurements were performed for quantifying optical properties of the deposited films. The deposited films show high optical quality as confirmed by observation of both, sharp edge in the transmittance spectra and strong PL intensity at room temperature. Furthermore, we found a strong effect of the growth conditions on the optical band gap of the deposited films; where remarkable red-shift in the absorption edge with temperature is clearly seen in both transmission and PL spectra. Such tuning of both optical band gap of the deposited CdS films can be utilized for tuning the electronic bands' alignments between CdS and other light-harvesting materials, like CuInGaSe or CdTe, for potential improvement in the efficiency of solar cells devices based on these heterostructures.

Keywords: chemical deposition, CdS, optical properties, surface, thin film

Procedia PDF Downloads 135

Authors: Raviv Harris, Maggie Levy

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Natural product-based pesticides may serve as an alternative to the traditional synthetic pesticides, which have a potentially damaging effect, both to human health and for the environment. Along with plants, microorganisms are a prospective source of such biological pesticides. A unique and active strain of P. aphidis (designated isolate L12, Israel 2004), an epiphytic and non-pathogenic basidiomycete yeast, was isolated in our lab from strawberry leaves. P. aphidis L12 secretions were found to inhibit broad range of plant pathogens. This work demonstrates that metabolites isolated from the biocontrol agent P. aphidis (isolate L12) can inhibit varied fungal and bacterial phytopathogens. Biologically active metabolites were extracted from P. aphidis biomass, using the organic solvent ethyl acetate. The antimicrobial activity of the extract was demonstrated, both in vitro and in planta. Using disk diffusion assays, the following inhibition zones were obtained: 43cm² for Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato, 28.5cm² for Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria, 59cm² for Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis, 34cm² for Erwinia amylovora and 34cm² for Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Additionally, strong inhibitory activity of the extract against fungi mycelial growth was established, with IC₅₀ values of 606µg ml⁻¹ for Botrytis cinerea, 221µg ml⁻¹ for Pythium spp., 519µg ml⁻¹ for Rhizoctonia solani, 455µg ml⁻¹ for Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, 2270µg ml⁻¹ for Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici, and 2038µg ml⁻¹ for Alternaria alternata. The results of the in planta experiments demonstrated a dose-dependent reduction in disease infection. Significant inhibition of B. cinerea lesions on tomato plants was obtained when a spore suspension of this pathogen was treated with extract concentrations higher than 4.2mg ml⁻¹. Concentration of 7mg ml⁻¹ caused a reduction of over 95% in the lesion size of B. cinerea on tomato plants. The strong antimicrobial activity demonstrated both in vitro and in planta against varied phytopathogens, may indicate that the extracted antimicrobial metabolites have potential to serve as natural pesticides in the field.

Keywords: antimicrobial, B. cinerea, metabolites, natural pesticides, P. aphidis

Procedia PDF Downloads 211

Authors: N. Stevulova, I. Schwarzova, V. Hospodarova, J. Junak, J. Briancin

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Sustainability is becoming a priority for developers and the use of environmentally friendly materials is increasing. Nowadays, the application of raw materials from renewable sources to building materials has gained a significant interest in this research area. Lignocellulosic aggregates and cellulosic fibers are coming from many different sources such as wood, plants and waste. They are promising alternative materials to replace synthetic, glass and asbestos fibers as reinforcement in inorganic matrix of composites. Natural fibers are renewable resources so their cost is relatively low in comparison to synthetic fibers. With the consideration of environmental consciousness, natural fibers are biodegradable so their using can reduce CO₂ emissions in the building materials production. The use of cellulosic fibers in cementitious matrices have gained importance because they make the composites lighter at high fiber content, they have comparable cost - performance ratios to similar building materials and they could be processed from waste paper, thus expanding the opportunities for waste utilization in cementitious materials. The main objective of this work is to find out the possibility of using different wastes: hemp hurds as waste of hemp stem processing and recycled fibers obtained from waste paper for making cement composite products such as mortars based on cellulose fibers. This material was made of cement mortar containing organic filler based on hemp hurds and recycled waste paper. In addition, the effects of fibers and their contents on some selected physical and mechanical properties of the fiber-cement plaster composites have been investigated. In this research organic material have used to mortars as 2.0, 5.0 and 10.0 % replacement of cement weight. Reference sample is made for comparison of physical and mechanical properties of cement composites based on recycled cellulosic fibers and lignocellulosic aggregates. The prepared specimens were tested after 28 days of curing in order to investigate density, compressive strength and water absorbability. Scanning Electron Microscopy examination was also carried out.

Keywords: Hemp hurds, organic filler, recycled paper, sustainable building materials

Procedia PDF Downloads 203

Authors: Karol Rodriguez-Peña, Martha L. Macias-Rubalcava, Leticia Rocha-Zavaleta, Sergio Sanchez

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A bioassay-guided study for anti-cancer compounds from endophytes of the Mexican medicinal plant Amphipteryygium adstringens resulted in the isolation of a streptomycete capable of producing a group of compounds with high cytotoxic activity. Microorganisms from surface sterilized samples of various sections of the plant were isolated and all the actinomycetes found were evaluated for their potential to produce compounds with cytotoxic activity against cancer cell lines MCF7 (breast cancer) and HeLa (cervical cancer) as well as the non-tumoural cell line HaCaT (keratinocyte). The most active microorganism was picked for further evaluation. The identification of the microorganism was carried out by 16S rDNA gene sequencing, finding the closest proximity to Streptomyces scabrisporus, but with the additional characteristic that the strain isolated in this study was capable of producing colorful compounds never described for this species. Crude extracts of dichloromethane and ethyl acetate showed IC50 values of 0.29 and 0.96 μg/mL for MCF7, 0.51 and 1.98 μg/mL for HeLa and 0.96 and 2.7 μg/mL for HaCaT. Scaling the fermentation to 10 L in a bioreactor generated 1 g of total crude extract, which was fractionated by silica gel open column to yield 14 fractions. Nine of the fractions showed cytotoxic activity. Fraction 4 was chosen for subsequent purification because of its high activity against cancerous cell lines, lower activity against keratinocytes. HPLC-UV-MS/ESI was used for the evaluation of this fraction, finding at least 10 different compounds with high values of m/z (≈588). Purification of the compounds was carried out by preparative thin-layer chromatography. The prevalent compound was Steffimycin B, a molecule known for its antibiotic and cytotoxic activities and also for its low solubility in aqueous solutions. Along with steffimycin B, another five compounds belonging to the steffimycin family were isolated and at this moment their structures are being elucidated, some of which display better solubility in water: an attractive property for the pharmaceutical industry. As a conclusion to this study, the isolation of endophytes resulted in the discovery of a strain capable of producing compounds with high cytotoxic activity that need to be studied for their possible utilization.

Keywords: amphipterygium adstringens, cytotoxicity, streptomyces scabrisporus, steffimycin

Procedia PDF Downloads 335

Authors: Bahareh Sarmadi, Paul A. Kilmartin, Leandro D. Araújo, Brandt P. Bastow

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Aim: Sauvignon blanc is the most substantial variety cultivated in almost 62% of all producing vineyards of New Zealand. The popularity of New Zealand Sauvignon blanc is due to its unique taste. It is the most famous wine characterized by its aroma profile derived from mercaptans. 3-mercaptohexan-1-ol (3MH) and 3-mercaptohexyl acetate (3MHA) are two of the most important volatile mercaptans found in Sauvignon blanc wines. “Viticultural” and “Enological” factors such as machine-harvesting, the most common harvesting practice used in New Zealand, can be among the reasons for this distinct flavor. Elemental sulfur is commonly sprayed in the fields to protect berries against powdery mildew. Although it is not the only source of sulfur, this practice creates a source of elemental sulfur that can be transferred into the must and eventually into wines. Despite the clear effects of residual elemental sulfur present in the must on the quality and aroma of the final wines, its measurement before harvest or fermentation is not a regular practice in the wineries. This can be due to the lack of accessible and applicable methods for the equipment at most commercial wineries. This study aims to establish a relationship between the number and frequency of elemental sulfur applications and the concentration of polyfunctional mercaptans in the final wines. Methods: An apparatus was designed to reduce elemental sulfur to sulfide, then an ion-selective electrode to measure sulfide concentration. During harvest 2022, we explored a wider range of residual elemental sulfur levels than what typically applies in the vineyards. This has been done through later manual elemental sulfur applications in the vineyard. Additional sulfur applications were made 20, 10 and 5 days prior to harvesting the treated grapes, covering long and short pre-harvest intervals (PHI). The grapes were processed into juice and fermented into wine; then, they were analyzed to find the correlation between polyfunctional mercaptans concentrations in the wines and residual elemental sulfur in the juice samples. Results: The research showed that higher 3MH/3MHA was formed when elemental sulfur was applied more frequent in the vineyards and supported the proposed pathway in which elemental sulfur is a source of 3MH formation in wines.

Keywords: sauvignon blanc, elemental sulfur, polyfunctional mercaptans, varietal thiols

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Authors: Aastha Paliwal, H. N. Chanakya, S. Dasappa

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Lignocellulose, as an alternate feedstock for biogas production, has been an active area of research. However, lignocellulose poses a lot of operational difficulties- widespread variation in the structural organization of lignocellulosic matrix, amenability to degradation, low bulk density, to name a few. Amongst these, the low bulk density of the lignocellulosic feedstock is crucial to the process operation and optimization. Low bulk densities render the feedstock floating in conventional liquid/wet digesters. Low bulk densities also restrict the maximum achievable organic loading rate in the reactor, decreasing the power density of the reactor. However, during digestion, lignocellulose undergoes very high compaction (up to 26 times feeding density). This first reduces the achievable OLR (because of low feeding density) and compaction during digestion, then renders the reactor space underutilized and also imposes significant mass transfer limitations. The objective of this paper was to understand the effects of compacting lignocellulose on mass transfer and the influence of loss of different components on the bulk density and hence structural integrity of the digesting lignocellulosic feedstock. 10 different lignocellulosic feedstocks (monocots and dicots) were digested anaerobically in a fed-batch, leach bed reactor -solid-state stratified bed reactor (SSBR). Percolation rates of the recycled bio-digester liquid (BDL) were also measured during the reactor run period to understand the implication of compaction on mass transfer. After 95 ds, in a destructive sampling, lignocellulosic feedstocks digested at different SRT were investigated to quantitate the weekly changes in bulk density and lignocellulosic composition. Further, percolation rate data was also compared to bulk density data. Results from the study indicate loss of hemicellulose (r²=0.76), hot water extractives (r²=0.68), and oxalate extractives (r²=0.64) had dominant influence on changing the structural integrity of the studied lignocellulose during anaerobic digestion. Further, feeding bulk density of the lignocellulose can be maintained between 300-400kg/m³ to achieve higher OLR, and bulk density of 440-500kg/m³ incurs significant mass transfer limitation for high compacting beds of dicots.

Keywords: anaerobic digestion, bulk density, feed compaction, lignocellulose, lignocellulosic matrix, cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, extractives, mass transfer

Procedia PDF Downloads 134

Authors: Fatima Mohammed Musa, J. B. Ameh, S. A. Ado, O. S. Olonitola

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The study was undertaken to evaluate the phytochemical constituents of extracts of Terminalia avicennioides leaf and the antidiarrhoeal effect of n-butanol fraction of the leaf extract in Swiss albino rats infected with Salmonella Typhimurium and Escherichia coli. Ethanol crude extract of Terminalia avicennioides leaf was dissolved in 1.5 liters of sterile distilled water. The extract solution was partitioned with 250 ml each of chloroform, ethyl acetate and n-butanol solvents (1:1v/v) to obtain soluble fractions from the extract. The leaf extract and its fractions were screened for the presence of phytocompounds using standard analytical methods. The antidirrhoeal activity of n-butanol fraction was evaluated in Swiss albino rats using standard methods. The results of phytochemical screening of extract of Terminalia avicennioides leaf and its fractions, revealed the presence of carbohydrates, alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, saponins, steroids, triterpens, glycosides and phenols. The results of in vivo activity showed that 60 % of each group of rats infected with 2.0 x 108 cfu/ml viable cells of S. Typhimurium and 2.0 x109 cfu/ml viable cells of E. coli manifested the symptoms of diarrhoea, 72 hours after the rats were challenged with bacteria. Other symptoms observed among the infected animals included, loss of appetite, loss of weight, general body weakness and 40 % mortality in S. Typhimurium infected non treated group of rats. Similarly, 60 %, and 20 % mortality was observed among E. coli infected none treated and E. coli infected antibiotic (metronidazole) treated groups of rats respectively. However, there was a reduction in the number of infected rats defecating watery stools over time among all the infected rats that were treated with n-butanol fraction of the leaf extract and mortality was also not observed in the group, indicating high efficacy of n-butanol fraction of T. avicennioides leaf. The results also indicated that n-butanol can be used as alternative source of antidiarrhoeal agent in the treatment of diarrhoea caused by Salmonella Typhimurium and Escherichia coli. In the light of this, there is a need for further research on the mechanism of action of the candidate fraction of T. avicennioides leaf which could be responsible for the observed in vivo antibacterial activity.

Keywords: antidirrhoeal effect, phytochemical constituents, swiss albino rats, terminalia avicennioides

Procedia PDF Downloads 352

Authors: Mohamed Korany, Azza Gazy, Essam Khamis, Marwa Adel, Miranda Fawzy

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Background: Two new, simple and specific methods; First, a Zero-crossing first-derivative technique and second, a chemometric-assisted spectrophotometric artificial neural network (ANN) were developed and validated in accordance with ICH guidelines. Both methods were used for the simultaneous estimation of the two closely related antioxidant nutraceuticals ; Coenzyme Q10 (Q) ; also known as Ubidecarenone or Ubiquinone-10, and Vitamin E (E); alpha-tocopherol acetate, in their pharmaceutical binary mixture. Results: For first method: By applying the first derivative, both Q and E were alternatively determined; each at the zero-crossing of the other. The D1 amplitudes of Q and E, at 285 nm and 235 nm respectively, were recorded and correlated to their concentrations. The calibration curve is linear over the concentration range of 10-60 and 5.6-70 μg mL-1 for Q and E, respectively. For second method: ANN (as a multivariate calibration method) was developed and applied for the simultaneous determination of both analytes. A training set (or a concentration set) of 90 different synthetic mixtures containing Q and E, in wide concentration ranges between 0-100 µg/mL and 0-556 µg/mL respectively, were prepared in ethanol. The absorption spectra of the training sets were recorded in the spectral region of 230–300 nm. A Gradient Descend Back Propagation ANN chemometric calibration was computed by relating the concentration sets (x-block) to their corresponding absorption data (y-block). Another set of 45 synthetic mixtures of the two drugs, in defined range, was used to validate the proposed network. Neither chemical separation, preparation stage nor mathematical graphical treatment were required. Conclusions: The proposed methods were successfully applied for the assay of Q and E in laboratory prepared mixtures and combined pharmaceutical tablet with excellent recoveries. The ANN method was superior over the derivative technique as the former determined both drugs in the non-linear experimental conditions. It also offers rapidity, high accuracy, effort and money saving. Moreover, no need for an analyst for its application. Although the ANN technique needed a large training set, it is the method of choice in the routine analysis of Q and E tablet. No interference was observed from common pharmaceutical additives. The results of the two methods were compared together

Keywords: coenzyme Q10, vitamin E, chemometry, quantitative analysis, first derivative spectrophotometry, artificial neural network

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Authors: Dorith Tavor, Adi Wolfson

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In the past two decades a variety of green solvents have been proposed, including water, ionic liquids, fluorous solvents, and supercritical fluids. However, their implementation in industrial processes is still limited due to their tedious and non-sustainable synthesis, lack of experimental data and familiarity, as well as operational restrictions and high cost. Several years ago we presented, for the first time, the use of glycerol-based solvents as alternative sustainable reaction mediums in both catalytic and non-catalytic organic synthesis. Glycerol is the main by-product from the conversion of oils and fats in oleochemical production. Moreover, in the past decade, its price has substantially decreased due to an increase in supply from the production and use of fatty acid derivatives in the food, cosmetics, and drugs industries and in biofuel synthesis, i.e., biodiesel. The renewable origin, beneficial physicochemical properties and reusability of glycerol-based solvents, enabled improved product yield and selectivity as well as easy product separation and catalyst recycling. Furthermore, their high boiling point and polarity make them perfect candidates for non-conventional heating and mixing techniques such as ultrasound- and microwave-assisted reactions. Finally, in some reactions, such as catalytic transfer-hydrogenation or transesterification, they can also be used simultaneously as both solvent and reactant. In our ongoing efforts to design a viable protocol that will facilitate the acceptance of glycerol and its derivatives as sustainable solvents, pure glycerol and glycerol triacetate (triacetin) as well as various glycerol-triacetin mixtures were tested as sustainable solvents in several representative organic reactions, such as nucleophilic substitution of benzyl chloride to benzyl acetate, Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling of iodobenzene and phenylboronic acid, baker’s yeast reduction of ketones, and transfer hydrogenation of olefins. It was found that reaction performance was affected by the glycerol to triacetin ratio, as the solubility of the substrates in the solvent determined product yield. Thereby, employing optimal glycerol to triacetin ratio resulted in maximum product yield. In addition, using glycerol-based solvents enabled easy and successful separation of the products and recycling of the catalysts.

Keywords: glycerol, green chemistry, sustainability, catalysis

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Authors: Suboohi Nasrin, MHD. Shahid, Abduraheem K.

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India is a tropical country, and it is estimated that biological and abiological agents are the major factors in the destruction and deterioration of archival materials like herbarium, paper, cellulose, bookbinding, etc. Silverfish, German Cockroaches, Termites, Booklice, Tobacco beetle and Carpet beetles are the common insect's pests in the museum, which causes deterioration to collections of museum specimens. Among them, silverfish is one of the most notorious pests and primarily responsible for the deterioration of Archival materials. So far, the investigation has been carried to overcome this existing problem as different management strategies such as chemical insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, nematicides, etc., have been applied. Moreover, Synthetic molecules lead to affect the ecological balance, have a detrimental effects on human health, reduce the beneficial microbial flora and fauna, etc. With a view, numbers of chemicals have been banned and advised not to be used due to their long-lasting persistency in soil ecosystem, water and carcinogenic. That’s why the authors used natural products with biocidal activity, cost-effective and eco-friendly approaches. In this study, various concentrations (30, 60 and 90 ml/L) of clove and lemongrass essential oil at different treatment duration (30, 60, 90 and 120-minutes) were investigated to test its properties as a silverfish repellent and insecticidal effect. The result of two ways ANOVA revealed that the mortality was significantly influenced by oil concentration, treatment duration and interaction between two independent factors was also found significant. The mortality rate increased with increasing the oil concentration in clove oil, and 100 % mortality was recorded in 0.9 ml at 120-minute. It was also observed that the treatment duration has the highest effect on the mortality rate of silverfish. The clove oil had the greatest effect on the silverfish in comparison to lemongrass. While in the case of percentage, repellency of adult silverfish was oil concentration and treatment duration-dependent, i.e., increase in concentration and treatment duration resulted in higher repellency percentage. The clove oil was found more effective, showing maximum repellency of 80.00% at 0.9ml/cm2 (highest) concentration, and in lemongrass highest repellency was observed at 33.4% at 0.9 ml/cm2 concentration in the treated area.

Keywords: adult silverfish, oils, oil concentration, treatment duration, mortality (%) and repellency

Procedia PDF Downloads 137

Authors: Kara J. Coffman-Rea, Karen E. Samonds

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Microplastic pollution is an urgent global threat to our planet and human health. Microplastic particles have been detected within our food, water, and atmosphere, and found within the human stool, placenta, and lung tissue. However, most spectrometric microplastic detection methods require chemical digestion which can alter or destroy microplastic particles and makes it impossible to acquire information about their in-situ distribution. MALDI TOF MS (Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry) is an analytical method using a soft ionization technique that can be used for polymer analysis. This method provides a valuable opportunity to both acquire information regarding the in-situ distribution of microplastics and also minimizes the destructive element of chemical digestion. In addition, MALDI TOF MS allows for expanded analysis of the microplastics including detection of specific additives that may be present within them. MALDI TOF MS is particularly sensitive to sample preparation and has not yet been used to analyze environmental microplastics within their specific location (e.g., biological tissues, sediment, water). In this study, microplastics were created using polyethylene gloves, polystyrene micro-foam, and polyethylene terephthalate cable sleeving. Plastics were frozen using liquid nitrogen and ground to obtain small fragments. An artificial tissue was created using a cellulose sponge as scaffolding coated with a MaxGel Extracellular Matrix to simulate human lung tissue. Optimal preparation techniques (e.g., matrix, cationization reagent, solvent, mixing ratio, laser intensity) were first established for each specific polymer type. The artificial tissue sample was subsequently spiked with microplastics, and specific polymers were detected using MALDI-TOF-MS. This study presents a novel method for the detection of environmental polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, and polystyrene microplastics within a complex sample. Results of this study provide an effective method that can be used in future microplastics research and can aid in determining the potential threats to environmental and human health that they pose.

Keywords: environmental plastic pollution, MALDI-TOF MS, microplastics, polymer identification

Procedia PDF Downloads 223

Authors: Chi-Chang Lin, Jian-Rong Wu, Jiun-Yan Chiu

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Myopia, ubiquitous symptom that is necessary to correct the eyesight by optical lens struggles many people for their daily life. Recent years, younger people raise interesting on using contact lens because of its convenience and aesthetics. In clinical, the risk of eye infections increases owing to the behavior of incorrectly using contact lens unsupervised cleaning which raising the infection risk of cornea, named ocular keratitis. In order to overcome the identification needs, new detection or analysis method with rapid and more accurate identification for clinical microorganism is importantly needed. In our study, we take advantage of Raman spectroscopy having unique fingerprint for different functional groups as the distinct and fast examination tool on microorganism. As we know, Raman scatting signals are normally too weak for the detection, especially in biological field. Here, we applied special SERS enhancement substrates to generate higher Raman signals. SERS filter we designed in this article that prepared by deposition of silver nanoparticles directly onto cellulose filter surface and suspension nanoparticles - gold nanostars (AuNSs) also be introduced together to achieve better enhancement for lower concentration analyte (i.e., various bacteria). Research targets also focusing on studying the shape effect of synthetic AuNSs, needle-like surface morphology may possible creates more hot-spot for getting higher SERS enhance ability. We utilized new designed SERS technology to distinguish the bacteria from ocular keratitis under strain level, and specific Raman and SERS fingerprint were grouped under pattern recognition process. We reported a new method combined different SERS substrates can be applied for clinical microorganism detection under strain level with simple, rapid preparation and low cost. Our presenting SERS technology not only shows the great potential for clinical bacteria detection but also can be used for environmental pollution and food safety analysis.

Keywords: bacteria, gold nanostars, Raman spectroscopy surface-enhanced Raman scattering filter

Procedia PDF Downloads 140

Authors: M. Ali Mandegari, S. Farzad, , J. F. Görgens

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Sugar is one of the main agricultural industries in South Africa and approximately livelihoods of one million South Africans are indirectly dependent on sugar industry which is economically struggling with some problems and should re-invent in order to ensure a long-term sustainability. Second generation biorefinery is defined as a process to use waste fibrous for the production of biofuel, chemicals animal food, and electricity. Bioethanol is by far the most widely used biofuel for transportation worldwide and many challenges in front of bioethanol production were solved. Biorefinery annexed to the existing sugar mill for production of bioethanol and electricity is proposed to sugar industry and is addressed in this study. Since flowsheet development is the key element of the bioethanol process, in this work, a biorefinery (bioethanol and electricity production) annexed to a typical South African sugar mill considering 65ton/h dry sugarcane bagasse and tops/trash as feedstock was simulated. Aspen PlusTM V8.6 was applied as simulator and realistic simulation development approach was followed to reflect the practical behaviour of the plant. Latest results of other researches considering pretreatment, hydrolysis, fermentation, enzyme production, bioethanol production and other supplementary units such as evaporation, water treatment, boiler, and steam/electricity generation units were adopted to establish a comprehensive biorefinery simulation. Steam explosion with SO2 was selected for pretreatment due to minimum inhibitor production and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) configuration was adopted for enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation of cellulose and hydrolyze. Bioethanol purification was simulated by two distillation columns with side stream and fuel grade bioethanol (99.5%) was achieved using molecular sieve in order to minimize the capital and operating costs. Also boiler and steam/power generation were completed using industrial design data. Results indicates that the annexed biorefinery can be self-energy sufficient when 35% of feedstock (tops/trash) bypass the biorefinery process and directly be loaded to the boiler to produce sufficient steam and power for sugar mill and biorefinery plant.

Keywords: biorefinery, self-energy sufficiency, tops/trash, bioethanol, electricity

Procedia PDF Downloads 518

Authors: M. Ali Mandegari, S. Farzad, J. F. Görgens

Abstract:

Sugar is one of the main agricultural industries in South Africa and approximately livelihoods of one million South Africans are indirectly dependent on sugar industry which is economically struggling with some problems and should re-invent in order to ensure a long-term sustainability. Second generation bio-refinery is defined as a process to use waste fibrous for the production of bio-fuel, chemicals animal food, and electricity. Bio-ethanol is by far the most widely used bio-fuel for transportation worldwide and many challenges in front of bio-ethanol production were solved. Bio-refinery annexed to the existing sugar mill for production of bio-ethanol and electricity is proposed to sugar industry and is addressed in this study. Since flow-sheet development is the key element of the bio-ethanol process, in this work, a bio-refinery (bio-ethanol and electricity production) annexed to a typical South African sugar mill considering 65ton/h dry sugarcane bagasse and tops/trash as feedstock was simulated. Aspen PlusTM V8.6 was applied as simulator and realistic simulation development approach was followed to reflect the practical behavior of the plant. Latest results of other researches considering pretreatment, hydrolysis, fermentation, enzyme production, bio-ethanol production and other supplementary units such as evaporation, water treatment, boiler, and steam/electricity generation units were adopted to establish a comprehensive bio-refinery simulation. Steam explosion with SO2 was selected for pretreatment due to minimum inhibitor production and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) configuration was adopted for enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation of cellulose and hydrolyze. Bio-ethanol purification was simulated by two distillation columns with side stream and fuel grade bio-ethanol (99.5%) was achieved using molecular sieve in order to minimize the capital and operating costs. Also boiler and steam/power generation were completed using industrial design data. Results indicates 256.6 kg bio ethanol per ton of feedstock and 31 MW surplus power were attained from bio-refinery while the process consumes 3.5, 3.38, and 0.164 (GJ/ton per ton of feedstock) hot utility, cold utility and electricity respectively. Developed simulation is a threshold of variety analyses and developments for further studies.

Keywords: bio-refinery, bagasse, tops, trash, bio-ethanol, electricity

Procedia PDF Downloads 499

Authors: Geetika Vajpayee, Sugandha Asthana, Pratibha Kumari, Shanthy Sundaram

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Pseudomonas species possess a variety of promising properties of antifungal and growth promoting activities in the wheat plant. In the present study, Pseudomonas fluorescens MTCC-9768 is tested against plant pathogenic fungus Tilletia indica, causing Karnal bunt, a quarantine disease of wheat (Triticum aestivum) affecting kernels of wheat. It is one of the 1/A1 harmful diseases of wheat worldwide under EU legislation. This disease develops in the growth phase by the spreading of microscopically small spores of the fungus (teliospores) being dispersed by the wind. The present chemical fungicidal treatments were reported to reduce teliospores germination, but its effect is questionable since T. indica can survive up to four years in the soil. The fungal growth inhibition tests were performed using Dual Culture Technique, and the results showed inhibition by 82.5%. The interaction of antagonist bacteria-fungus causes changes in the morphology of hyphae, which was observed using Lactophenol cotton blue staining and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The rounded and swollen ends, called ‘theca’ were observed in interacted fungus as compared to control fungus (without bacterial interaction). This bacterium was tested for its antagonistic activity like protease, cellulose, HCN production, Chitinase, etc. The growth promoting activities showed increase production of IAA in bacteria. The bacterial secondary metabolites were extracted in different solvents for testing its growth inhibiting properties. The characterization and purification of the antifungal compound were done by Thin Layer Chromatography, and Rf value was calculated (Rf value = 0.54) and compared to the standard antifungal compound, 2, 4 DAPG (Rf value = 0.54). Further, the in vivo experiments showed a significant decrease in the severity of disease in the wheat plant due to direct injection method and seed treatment. Our results indicate that the extracted and purified compound from the antagonist bacteria, P. fluorescens MTCC-9768 may be used as a potential biocontrol agent against T. indica. This also concludes that the PGPR properties of the bacteria may be utilized by incorporating it into bio-fertilizers.

Keywords: antagonism, Karnal bunt, PGPR, Pseudomonas fluorescens

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Authors: Abhay Asthana, Gyati Shilakari Asthana

Abstract:

It’s the patient compliance and stability in combination with controlled drug delivery and biocompatibility that forms the core feature in present research and development of sustained biodegradable patch formulation intended for wound healing. The aim was to impart sustained degradation, sterile formulation, significant folding endurance, elasticity, biodegradability, bio-acceptability and strength. The optimized formulation was developed using component including polymers including Hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose, Ethylcellulose, and Gelatin, and Citric Acid PEG Citric acid (CPEGC) triblock dendrimers and active Curcumin. Polymeric mixture dissolved in geometric order in suitable medium through continuous stirring under ambient conditions. With continued stirring Curcumin was added with aid of DCM and Methanol in optimized ratio to get homogenous dispersion. The dispersion was sonicated with optimum frequency and for given time and later casted to form a patch form. All steps were carried out under under strict aseptic conditions. The formulations obtained in the acceptable working range were decided based on thickness, uniformity of drug content, smooth texture and flexibility and brittleness. The patch kept on stability using butter paper in sterile pack displayed folding endurance in range of 20 to 23 times without any evidence of crack in an optimized formulation at room temperature (RT) (24 ± 2°C). The patch displayed acceptable parameters after stability study conducted in refrigerated conditions (8±0.2°C) and at RT (24 ± 2°C) upto 90 days. Further, no significant changes were observed in critical parameters such as elasticity, biodegradability, drug release and drug content during stability study conducted at RT 24±2°C for 45 and 90 days. The drug content was in range 95 to 102%, moisture content didn’t exceeded 19.2% and patch passed the content uniformity test. Percentage cumulative drug release was found to be 80% in 12h and matched the biodegradation rate as drug release with correlation factor R2>0.9. The biodegradable patch based formulation developed shows promising results in terms of stability and release profiles.

Keywords: sustained biodegradation, wound healing, polymers, stability

Procedia PDF Downloads 316

Authors: Débora P. Jaeschke, Eduardo A. Merlo, Rosane Rech, Giovana D. Mercali, Ligia D. F. Marczak

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Carotenoids are high value added pigments that can be alternatively extracted from some microalgae species. However, the application of carotenoids synthetized by microalgae is still limited due to the utilization of organic toxic solvents. In this context, studies involving alternative extraction methods have been conducted with more sustainable solvents to replace and reduce the solvent volume and the extraction time. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the extraction time of carotenoids from the microalgae Heterochlorella luteoviridis using moderate electric field (MEF) as a pre-treatment to the extraction. The extraction methodology consisted of a pre-treatment in the presence of MEF (180 V) and ethanol (25 %, v/v) for 10 min, followed by a diffusive step performed for 50 min using a higher ethanol concentration (75 %, v/v). The extraction experiments were conducted at 30 °C and, to keep the temperature at this value, it was used an extraction cell with a water jacket that was connected to a water bath. Also, to enable the evaluation of MEF effect on the extraction, control experiments were performed using the same cell and conditions without voltage application. During the extraction experiments, samples were withdrawn at 1, 5 and 10 min of the pre-treatment and at 1, 5, 30, 40 and 50 min of the diffusive step. Samples were, then, centrifuged and carotenoids analyses were performed in the supernatant. Furthermore, an exhaustive extraction with ethyl acetate and methanol was performed, and the carotenoids content found for this analyses was considered as the total carotenoids content of the microalgae. The results showed that the application of MEF as a pre-treatment to the extraction influenced the extraction yield and the extraction time during the diffusive step; after the MEF pre-treatment and 50 min of the diffusive step, it was possible to extract up to 60 % of the total carotenoids content. Also, results found for carotenoids concentration of the extracts withdrawn at 5 and 30 min of the diffusive step did not presented statistical difference, meaning that carotenoids diffusion occurs mainly in the very beginning of the extraction. On the other hand, the results for control experiments showed that carotenoids diffusion occurs mostly during 30 min of the diffusive step, which evidenced MEF effect on the extraction time. Moreover, carotenoids concentration on samples withdrawn during the pre-treatment (1, 5 and 10 min) were below the quantification limit of the analyses, indicating that the extraction occurred in the diffusive step, when ethanol (75 %, v/v) was added to the medium. It is possible that MEF promoted cell membrane permeabilization and, when ethanol (75 %) was added, carotenoids interacted with the solvent and the diffusion occurred easily. Based on the results, it is possible to infer that MEF promoted the decrease of carotenoids extraction time due to the increasing of the permeability of the cell membrane which facilitates the diffusion from the cell to the medium.

Keywords: moderate electric field (MEF), pigments, microalgae, ethanol

Procedia PDF Downloads 433

Authors: Francielo Vendruscolo

Abstract:

During industrial processing of raw materials of animal and vegetable origin, large amounts of solid, liquid and gaseous wastes are generated. Solid residues are usually materials rich in carbohydrates, protein, fiber and minerals. Brewer’s spent grain (BSG) is the main waste generated in the brewing industry, representing 85% of the waste generated in this industry. It is estimated that world’s BSG generation is approximately 38.6 x 106 t per year and represents 20-30% (w/w) of the initial mass of added malt, resulting in low commercial value by-product, however, does not have economic value, but it must be removed from the brewery, as its spontaneous fermentation can attract insects and rodents. For every 100 grams in dry basis, BSG has approximately 68 g total fiber, being divided into 3.5 g of soluble fiber and 64.3 g of insoluble fiber (cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin). In addition to dietary fibers, depending on the efficiency of the grinding process and mashing, BSG may also have starch, reducing sugars, lipids, phenolics and antioxidants, emphasizing that its composition will depend on the barley variety and cultivation conditions, malting and technology involved in the production of beer. BSG demands space for storage, but studies have proposed alternatives such as the use of drying, extrusion, pressing with superheated steam, and grinding to facilitate storage. Other important characteristics that enhance its applicability in bioremediation, effluent treatment and biotechnology, is the surface area (SBET) of 1.748 m2 g-1, total pore volume of 0.0053 cm3 g-1 and mean pore diameter of 121.784 Å, characterized as a macroporous and possess fewer adsorption properties but have great ability to trap suspended solids for separation from liquid solutions. It has low economic value; however, it has enormous potential for technological applications that can improve or add value to this agro-industrial waste. Due to its composition, this material has been used in several industrial applications such as in the production of food ingredients, fiber enrichment by its addition in foods such as breads and cookies in bioremediation processes, substrate for microorganism and production of biomolecules, bioenergy generation, and civil construction, among others. Therefore, the use of this waste or by-product becomes essential and aimed at reducing the amount of organic waste in different industrial processes, especially in breweries.

Keywords: brewer’s spent malt, agro-industrial residue, lignocellulosic material, waste generation

Procedia PDF Downloads 190

Authors: Adebisi Adunola Demehin, Wanlaya Thamnarak, Jaruwan Chatwichien, Chatchakorn Eurtivong, Kiattawee Choowongkomon, Somsak Ruchirawat, Nopporn Thasana

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The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a transmembrane glycoprotein involved in cellular signalling processes and, its aberrant activity is crucial in the development of many cancers such as lung cancer. Selaginellaceae are fern allies that have long been used in Chinese traditional medicine to treat various cancer types, especially lung cancer. Biflavonoids, the major secondary metabolites in Selaginellaceae, have numerous pharmacological activities, including anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory. For instance, amentoflavone induces a cytotoxic effect in the human NSCLC cell line via the inhibition of PARP-1. However, to the best of our knowledge, there are no studies on biflavonoids as EGFR inhibitors. Thus, this study aims to investigate the EGFR inhibitory activities of biflavonoids isolated from Selaginella siamensis and Selaginella bryopteris. Amentoflavone, tetrahydroamentoflavone, sciadopitysin, robustaflavone, robustaflavone-4-methylether, delicaflavone, and chrysocauloflavone were isolated from the ethyl-acetate extract of the whole plants. The structures were determined using NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. In vitro study was conducted to evaluate their cytotoxicity against A549, HEPG2, and T47D human cancer cell lines using the MTT assay. In addition, a target-based assay was performed to investigate their EGFR inhibitory activity using the kinase inhibition assay. Finally, a molecular docking study was conducted to predict the binding modes of the compounds. Robustaflavone-4-methylether and delicaflavone showed the best cytotoxic activity on all the cell lines with IC50 (µM) values of 18.9 ± 2.1 and 22.7 ± 3.3 on A549, respectively. Of these biflavonoids, delicaflavone showed the most potent EGFR inhibitory activity with an 84% relative inhibition at 0.02 nM using erlotinib as a positive control. Robustaflavone-4-methylether showed a 78% inhibition at 0.15 nM. The docking scores obtained from the molecular docking study correlated with the kinase inhibition assay. Robustaflavone-4-methylether and delicaflavone had a docking score of 72.0 and 86.5, respectively. The inhibitory activity of delicaflavone seemed to be linked with the C2”=C3” and 3-O-4”’ linkage pattern. Thus, this study suggests that the structural features of these compounds could serve as a basis for developing new EGFR-TK inhibitors.

Keywords: anticancer, biflavonoids, EGFR, molecular docking, Selaginellaceae

Procedia PDF Downloads 173