Carbon Resources Research Articles

Comprehensive framework for data fusion in distributed ledger technologies to enhance supply chain sustainability

This review proposes a comprehensive framework that integrates data fusion with Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLT) to enhance sustainability in supply chain management. In today’s global supply chains, ensuring transparency, efficiency, and environmental responsibility is critical, yet the lack of real-time visibility and data fragmentation presents significant challenges. The framework addresses these issues by merging data from multiple sources, including IoT devices, operational databases, and external environmental factors, using advanced data fusion algorithms. DLT, with its decentralized, immutable, and transparent nature, ensures the integrity and security of the data, allowing all stakeholders to access accurate and tamper-proof information. The fusion of data within a DLT infrastructure not only improves traceability and accountability but also enables the automation of sustainability checks via smart contracts. These contracts can trigger actions based on predefined sustainability metrics such as carbon emissions, energy consumption, and resource efficiency. Furthermore, predictive analytics and machine learning algorithms integrated into the system provide real-time monitoring and optimization of sustainability performance throughout the supply chain. The proposed review offers numerous benefits, including enhanced transparency, reduced operational costs, improved sustainability outcomes, and risk mitigation. It also addresses challenges such as scalability, data privacy, and regulatory compliance, offering solutions to overcome these hurdles. By exploring case studies of successful implementations, this review demonstrates the practical applications and future potential of combining DLT and data fusion for sustainable supply chain management, positioning it as a critical tool for organizations aiming to meet environmental and regulatory demands in an increasingly digital and eco-conscious world.

Investigation of Bottleneck Enzyme Through Flux Balance Analysis to Improve Glycolic Acid Production in Escherichia coli.

Amid rising environmental concerns, attempts have been made to produce glycolic acid (GA) using microbial processes with renewable carbon resources instead of using chemicals. The Dahms pathway for GA production uses xylose as a substrate and consists of relatively simple enzymatic steps. However, employing it leads to a decrease in cell growth and GA productivity. Systematically identifying and addressing metabolic bottlenecks in the Dahms pathway are essential for efficient glycolic acid (GA) production have not yet been performed. Through metabolic flux balance analysis, we found that insufficient aldehyde dehydrogenase (AldA) activity lowers GA production and negatively affects cell growth due to reduced energy production. Thus, we discovered a novel AldA isolated from Buttiauxella agrestis (BaAldA) demonstrated a 1.69-fold lower KM and a 1.49-fold higher turnover rate (kcat/KM) than AldA from Escherichia coli (EcAldA). GA production in E. coli harboring BaAldA was 1.59 times higher than in the original strain. Fed-batch fermentation of E. coli harboring BaAldA produced 22.70g/L GA with a yield of 0.497g/gxylose (98.2% of the theoretical maximum yield in the Dahms pathway), showing a higher final yield for GA than previously reported in E. coli. Our novel BaAldA enzyme shows great potential for the production of GA using microorganisms or enzymes. Furthermore, our approach to identifying metabolic bottlenecks using flux balance analysis could be utilized to enhance the microbial production of various desirable products in future studies.

Advancing Knowledge in Forest Water Use Efficiency Under Global Climate Change Through Scientometric Analysis

Forests are critical in regulation of carbon and water cycles and mitigation of climate change. Forest water-use efficiency (WUE) refers to the ratio of biomass produced (or assimilated carbon) to the amount of water used by forests, which indicates how effectively a forest utilizes water to achieve productivity. Climate change and its impact on forest WUE are important research directions that explore the complex relationship between global environmental change and the forest ecosystem dynamics. The global intensification of climate change underscores the need for an inclusive understanding of forest water use and makes it crucial to know how forests balance carbon and water resources, which is essential for effective forest management and predicting ecosystem responses to climate change. This study aims to comprehensively and objectively analyze current research trends and future directions related to the response of forest WUE to climate change. Our database included 1755 research papers from the Web of Science Core Collection, spanning from 2000 to 2023. Our analysis included cooperative networks of countries, authors, and institutions, as well as the most frequently cited journals and articles, keyword co-occurrence analysis, and a keyword burst analysis. The results showed that the top cooperative country, author, and institution is PR China, Prof. Dr. Jesús Julio Camarero from the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, respectively. The leading journal in this field is “Global Change Biology”. Critical research hot topics include gas exchange, modeling, altitudinal gradients, tree growth dynamics, net carbon exchange, global change drivers, tropical forests, nitrogen stoichiometry, Northern China plains, and extreme drought conditions. Frontier topics that have emerged in recent years include studies on China’s Loess Plateau, stable isotopes, radial growth, gross primary productivity, and Scots pine. The insights from this analysis are vital for researchers, decision-makers, and forestry professionals aiming to mitigate the impacts of climate change on forest WUE and overall ecosystem health and resilience. This study emphasizes the importance of sustained research efforts and global research collaboration in addressing the intricate challenges posed by climate change to forest ecosystems.

Elucidating the synergic mechanism of sodium pyrophosphate assisted enzymolysis on the waste activated sludge fermentation enhancement: Insights from organic conversion and metagenomic analysis

Lysozyme has been identified as a promising approach for enhancing waste activated sludge (WAS) anaerobic fermentation. However, the extracellular polymeric substance (EPS), functioning as a ‘protective shell’ for microbial cells, hindered the lysozyme transfer and subsequent interaction with cell wall, resulting in excessive dosage and limited efficiency in practical engineering applications. This study innovatively proposed a sodium pyrophosphate (SP) assisted lysozyme treatment, aiming to overcome such limitations and enhance the solubilization and hydrolysis efficiency. As a result, 3583.5 mg COD/L short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and 23.1 % acidification rate were achieved after 2-day anaerobic fermentation within SP-lysozyme treatment. Mechanism investigation revealed that SP facilitated EPS disruption by inducing a loosening of the protein structure, leading to the enhanced solubilization of organic matter within the EPS and microbial cells. Consequently, the release of substantial substrates contributed to the enrichment of functional microbes associated with hydrolysis and acidogenesis, accompanied by the augmentation of corresponding metabolic functions. Besides, the key functional genes analysis demonstrated the amino acid metabolism, glycolysis, pyruvate metabolism and SCFAs transport were facilitated and the methanogenesis was inhibited on the contrary with SP-lysozyme treatment, which was undoubtedly responsible for the superior SCFAs accumulation in anaerobic fermentation process. Considering the carbon resource recovery in SCFAs form, such novel SP-lysozyme treatment exhibited 325.1 CNY /ton SS (45.5 USD / ton SS) economic benefit and avoided 0.12 CO2/ton SS carbon emission, suggesting its promising application potential in future WAS management.

Integrated proteome and pangenome analysis revealed the variation of microalga Isochrysis galbana and associated bacterial community to 2,6-Di-tert-butyl-p-cresol (BHT) stress.

The phenolic antioxidant 2,6-Di-tert-butyl-p-cresol (BHT) has been detected in various environments and is considered a potential threat to aquatic organisms. Algal-bacterial interactions are crucial for maintaining ecosystem balance and elemental cycling, but their response to BHT remains to be investigated. This study analyzed the physiological and biochemical responses of the microalga Isochrysis galbana and the changes of associated bacterial communities under different concentrations of BHT stress. Results showed that the biomass of I. galbana exhibited a decreasing trend with increasing BHT concentrations up to 40mg/L. The reduction in chlorophyll, carotenoid, and soluble protein content of microalgal cells was also observed under BHT stress. The production of malondialdehyde and the activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase were further determined. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed that BHT caused surface rupture of the algal cells and loss of intracellular nutrients. Proteomic analysis demonstrated the upregulation of photosynthesis and citric acid cycle pathways as a response to BHT stress. Additionally, BHT significantly increased the relative abundance of specific bacteria in the phycosphere, including Marivita, Halomonas, Marinobacter, and Alteromonas. Further experiments confirmed that these bacteria had the ability to utilize BHT as the sole carbon resource for growth, and genes related to the degradation of phenolic compounds were detected through pangenome analysis.

Multifunctional Wood Composite Aerogel with Integrated Radiant Cooling and Fog–Water Harvesting for All‐Day Building Energy Conservation

AbstractPassive radiative cooling, as a cooling technique with no energy input, can continuously radiate heat into the supercooled universe. However, the continuous cooling effect tends to cause the problem of nighttime overcooling. Moreover, non‐renewable radiative cooling materials and energy‐intensive processing methods lead to increased carbon emissions and resource consumption. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a renewable and environmentally friendly self‐adaption radiative cooling thermal management material. In this paper, a high‐performance self‐adaption thermal management wood composite aerogel material is designed and prepared by in situ growth of multi‐scale silicon dioxide on wood. The constructed passive radiative cooling material has a sub‐ambient cooling effect of up to 13.5 °C and 20.2 °C during daytime in winter and summer, respectively. Meanwhile, it has a certain thermal insulation performance (2.0 °C above ambient) due to low thermal conductivity (0.063370 ± 0.000329 W m−1 k−1) at night in winter. In addition, the material is also suitable for fog–water harvesting (fog–water harvesting rate of 59.27 ± 0.76 mg min−1) due to its hydrophobicity. This work can significantly promote the practical application of passive radiative cooling materials.

A review and research agenda for recent socially and environmentally sustainable practices for warehouse management systems

PurposeThe concept of a sustainable warehouse management system (WMS) is a relevant yet under-researched area within warehousing logistics. The purpose of this research is twofold: first, to review the literature on the topic of socially and environmentally sustainable practices; second, to lay the theoretical base for identifying social and environmental sustainability practices in warehousing operations that can serve as focus areas for WMS operational functions.Design/methodology/approachThis research built knowledge on a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis in Scopus Elsevier and Web of Science Core Collection databases. After comprehensively filtering English literature from 2016 to 2024, only 43 out of the initial 601 studies comprised relevant warehousing practices that can be incorporated into the scope of WMS activities.FindingsAs a result, retrieved practices were allocated to a specifically designed warehouse model within the main processes, equipment and resources. This model could serve as a baseline for incorporating 48 sustainable WMS practices. The prevailing share of practices focuses on environmental rather than social warehouse sustainability. WMS should adopt sustainable warehousing practices to reduce warehouses' carbon footprint, energy and resource consumption and improve working conditions in a warehouse.Originality/valueThere have not been any existing reviews on warehouses' social and environmental sustainability to synthesize knowledge and serve as a base for WMS sustainability. This research will contribute to developing more sustainable and environmentally responsible warehousing operations, ultimately benefiting society and the environment. By incorporating such practices into WMS, warehouse owners can ensure efforts toward social and environmental sustainability while still maintaining efficient operations.

Cu/N-doped carbon spheres derived from soybean flour as an active green nanocomposite for the synthesis of 1,4-disubstituted 1H-1,2,3-triazole derivatives

Cu immobilized onto N-doped carbon spheres (Cu/N-doped CS) derived from soybean flour was synthesized via the hydrothermal method and certified as a green high-efficiency catalyst for the regioselective synthesis of 1,4-disubstituted 1H-1,2,3-triazoles. The obtained N-doped carbon spheres from a combination of glucose and soy flour have a larger size and suitable affinity for load copper species. The morphology and structure of the as-prepared catalyst have been confirmed based on FT-IR, XRD, FE-SEM, EDX, BET, and ICP-OES characterizations. The catalytic performance of the Cu/N-doped carbon spheroids was investigated experimentally. It was found that the Cu/N-doped CS nanocomposite has a high efficiency and recyclability for 5 cycles without any appreciable loss in its catalytic activity in the synthesis of 1,4-disubstituted 1H-1,2,3-triazoles via the three-component condensation reaction of various epoxide/alkyl or aryl halides, sodium azide, and phenylacetylene in a water medium. Furthermore, significant advantages such as stability, ease of preparation, low cost of the carbon resource, high regioselectivity, and good product yield have been achieved in the heterogeneous catalyst system attractive for large-scale in many industrial products.

Conversion of Carbon Dioxide into Molecular-based Porous Frameworks.

ConspectusThe conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) to value-added functional materials is a major challenge in realizing a carbon-neutral society. Although CO2 is an attractive renewable carbon resource with high natural abundance, its chemical inertness has made the conversion of CO2 into materials with the desired structures and functionality difficult. Molecular-based porous materials, such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent-organic frameworks (COFs), are designable porous solids constructed from molecular-based building units. While MOF/COFs attract wide attention as functional porous materials, the synthetic methods to convert CO2 into MOF/COFs have been unexplored due to the lack of synthetic guidelines for converting CO2 into molecular-based building units.In this Account, we describe state-of-the-art studies on the conversion of CO2 into MOF/COFs. First, we outline the key design principles of CO2-derived molecular building units for the construction of porous structures. The appropriate design of reactivity and the positioning of bridging sites in CO2-derived molecular building units is essential for constructing CO2-derived MOF/COFs with desired structures and properties. The synthesis of CO2-derived MOF/COFs involves both the transformation of CO2 into building units and the formation of extended structures of the MOF/COFs. We categorized the synthetic methods into three types as follows: a one-step synthesis (Type-I); a one-pot synthesis without workup (Type-II); and a multistep synthesis which needs workup (Type-III).We demonstrate that borohydride can convert CO2 into formate and formylhydroborate that serve as a bridging linker for MOFs in the Type-I and Type-II synthesis, representing the first examples of CO2-derived MOFs. The electronegativity of coexisting metal ions determines the selective conversion of CO2 into formate and formylhydroborate. Formylhydroborate-based MOFs exhibit flexible pore sizes controlled by the pressure of CO2 during synthesis. In pursuit of highly porous structures, we present the Type-I synthesis of MOFs from CO2 via the in situ transformation of CO2 into carbamate linkers by amines. The direct conversion of diluted CO2 (400 ppm) in air into carbamate-based MOFs is also feasible. Coordination interactions stabilize the intrinsically labile carbamate in the MOF lattice. A recent study demonstrates that the Type-III synthesis using alkynylsilane precursors enables the synthesis of highly porous and stable carboxylate-based MOFs from CO2, which exhibit catalytic activity in CO2 conversion. We also extended the synthesis of MOFs from CO2 to COFs. The Type-III synthesis using a formamide monomer affords stable CO2-derived COFs showing proton conduction properties. The precise design of CO2-derived building units enables expansion of the structures and functionalities of CO2-derived MOF/COFs. Finally, we propose future challenges in this field: (i) expanding structural diversity through synthesis using external fields and (ii) exploring unique functionalities of CO2-derived MOF/COFs, such as carriers for CO2 capture and precursors for CO2 transformation. We anticipate that this Account will lay the foundation for exploring new chemistry of the conversion of CO2 into porous materials.

Coupling In nanoclusters and Bi nanoparticles in nitrogen-doped carbon for enhanced CO2 electroreduction to HCOOH

CO2 electrochemical reduction reaction (CO2RR) to formic acid (HCOOH) is beneficial for the recycling of carbon resources, which needs the highly selective catalysts with long-term stability for HCOOH production. In this study, the coupling of In nanoclusters (Inclus) and Bi nanoparticles (Binps) in nitrogen-doped carbon was designed by the thermal decomposition of the mixture of bimetallic MOFs and dicyanamide. When the In/Bi molar ratio was 1:2 (Inclus/Binps-1:2), the hybrid catalyst achieved a HCOOH Faradaic efficiency (FEHCOOH) of 94.5 % at −1.1 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) in an H-type electrolysis cell, superior to that of single metal counterparts. Moreover, the Inclus/Binps-1:2 can maintain high stability of structures during the catalytic process, leading to no significant decay of FEHCOOH over 32 h. The enhanced performance of Inclus/Binps-1:2 is attributed to the strong electron interactions induced by the charge transfer between the In and Bi sites in Inclus/Binps-1:2 catalyst. The tuned electronic structure results in an offset effect that optimizes the binding energy to HCOO* intermediate, thus accelerating the CO2 to HCOOH conversion, as proven by the in-situ ATR-SEIRAS and density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

Biological characterization and in vitro fungicide screening of a new causal agent of walnut leaf spot in Guizhou Province, China.

Walnut (Juglans regia L.) is a widely grown nut plant worldwide, including in Guizhou Province, located in southwest China. The high quality and special taste make Guizhou walnuts, particularly those produced in Hezhang County, a "Chinese National Geographical Indication Product" that substantially contributes to the local economy and grower's income. In July 2022, a serious occurrence of leaf spot disease was observed in a walnut plantation area, Shuitang Town, Hezhang County, Guizhou Province, China (27°07'67″N, 104°64'61″E). The causal agent was identified as Didymella segeticola through morphological characterization and amplification and sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, beta-tubulin (TUB) gene, and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3PD) gene. Koch's postulates, including re-isolation and identification, were performed to confirm its pathogenicity on healthy leaves. To our knowledge, this is the first report of D. segeticola causing leaf spot on walnuts worldwide. Further, to determine its biological characteristics, which could be utilized for future disease management, the effects of temperature, light, and carbon and nitrogen resources on mycelial growth, conidia production, and conidia germination and the effects of humidity on conidia germination were studied. The optimum temperature for mycelial growth of representative strain D. segeticola C27 was 20°C. Increasing the light period significantly decreased conidia production and conidia germination. Maltose and beef extract were the best carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively, for the pathogen. Conidia germination was enhanced at 90% humidity. In vitro screening of effective fungicides was conducted. Among the 20 screened fungicides, difenoconazole showed the best inhibition rate, with an EC50 (concentration for 50% of the maximal effect) of 0.0007 μg/mL. Tetramycin also showed sufficient inhibitory effects against D. segeticola, with an EC50 value of 0.0009 μg/mL. Our study provides new insights into the causal agent of walnut leaf spot in Guizhou, China, as well as the first pathogen characteristics and promising candidate fungicides for its management.

Enhanced biocatalytic laccase production using agricultural waste in solid-state fermentation by Aspergillus oryzae for p-chlorophenol degradation

Agricultural residues are one of the most cost-effective and readily accessible carbon resources for producing commercially significant enzymes. Several enzymes have been used in different industries like pharmaceuticals, foods, textiles, and dyes that can be generated by various species of microbes found in waste from agriculture. The current research investigated laccase production by Aspergillus oryzae utilizing agricultural wastes. Physical and chemical properties, including pH, temperature, sucrose, yeast extract, and copper sulfate levels, were optimized. The utilization of the response surface methodology along with the centralized composite design method, which assesses multiple media parameters and utilizes a two-level experimental approach, aids in determining the variable and its significance in increasing production quality. The centralized composite design enhancement showed that the optimal conditions for highest laccase activity (623.16 U/mL) were pH 7.0, temperature 25 °C, corn cobs as substrate, sucrose (2.0 %), yeast extract (1.0 %), and copper sulfate (0.1 mM) level. The laccase enzyme was optimized using various pH, temperature, metal ions, and inhibitors combinations. The extracted laccase enzyme maximum activity was attained at pH 6.0 and 40 °C. The inclusion of divalent ions can enhance laccase activity, while the use of various inhibitors decreases laccase activity. Under various pH circumstances, the Aspergillus oryzae laccase enzyme can successfully degrade p-chlorophenol. The present study describes statistically validated optimal methodologies for enhancing laccase synthesis, leading to a laccase production technique that is simultaneously highly efficient and economically profitable, with possible use of p-chlorophenol degradation.

Successive monoculture of Eucalyptus spp. alters the structure and network connectivity, rather than the assembly pattern of rhizosphere and bulk soil bacteria

Eucalyptus as a fast-growing timber tree plays a crucial role in maintaining wood supplication and ecosystem balance worldwide. Nonetheless, the management practices of Eucalyptus plantation in southern China have resulted in productivity decline and soil degradation due to high-intensity successive cultivation. Soil bacteria is a sensitive indicator of soil quality, how does the successive planting of Eucalyptus regulate the soil bacterial community structure for instance the abundance of oligotrophic bacteria, network complexity, and soil bacteria assembly remain ambiguity. To explicate the underlying influencing mechanisms of successive cultivation of Eucalyptus plantations on soil bacterial community structure. Four harvests of Eucalyptus plantations that underwent 0, 1, 2, and 3 times of harvesting were conducted to examine variations in the bacterial community between rhizosphere and bulk soils after successive planting of Eucalyptus. An adjacent evergreen broadleaf forest was employed as control. The present study revealed that successive planting of Eucalyptus increased and reduced the relative abundance of Chloroflexi (oligotrophic bacteria) and Proteobacteria (copiotrophic bacteria), respectively. Continuous planting of Eucalyptus did not modify the assembly pattern of soil bacterial communities, which was governed by stochastic processes. Successive planting of Eucalyptus decreased co-occurrence network complexity, and elevated the proportion of rare microorganisms in the keystone bacterial taxa. Soil particle size composition (clay, silt, sand) indirectly influenced the structure of soil bacterial communities by directly affecting pH, carbon, nutrients, and their stoichiometric ratios. Improving soil physical structure, increasing the input of soil carbon, nitrogen, and other nutrient resources, and maintaining a balanced resource allocation may be effective strategies for ensuring enhanced productivity and sustainable utilization of soil in successive Eucalyptus plantations.

Adsorptive separation of anthracene and carbazole by carboxyl-functionalized carbon material derived from MAF-6

Anthracene and carbazole are high-value heavy carbon resources mainly found in the anthracene oil fraction of high-temperature coal tar. Because of their similar structures, traditional solvent crystallization methods are not capable of achieving the separation of high-purity anthracene and carbazole. In this study, MAF-6, a material that can be synthesized in large quantities at room temperature, was used as a sacrificial precursor, carbonized (MC-1000), and subsequently oxidized to form carboxyl-functionalized carbon material (CMC-1000). The presence of carboxyl groups, along with lactones, hydroxyl groups, and carbonyl groups in MC-1000 and CMC-1000, was confirmed through XPS spectra and Boehm titration. CMC-1000 showed an increase of 5.7 mmol/g in oxygen-containing functional groups. The adsorption and separation capacities of MAF-6, MC-1000, and CMC-1000 for anthracene and carbazole in model oil were investigated. FT-IR analysis and DFT calculations demonstrated that the major interaction between CMC-1000 and carbazole involved hydrogen bonding (N–H···O and N–H···N). The results show that CMC-1000 has a high separation selectivity for carbazole over anthracene, with a selectivity of up to 44.4. The formation of hydrogen bonds between the N–H group of carbazole and the oxygen-containing groups on CMC-1000 plays an essential role in achieving high adsorption capacity and selectivity. In addition, CMC-1000 showed strong regenerative capacity, maintaining a selectivity above 29.7 over five cycles.

A LysR-type regulator influencing swimming motility, galactose utilization, and virulence in Ralstonia solanacearum GMI1000

BackgroundLysR-type transcriptional regulators (LTTRs) are one of the largest families of regulators in prokaryotic organism, which help the bacterium adapt to diverse conditions by controlling a wide array of regulons, encompassing genes responsible for nitrogen and carbon fixation, oxidative stress response, bacterial virulence, and the breakdown of diverse compounds. Ralstonia solanacearum strain GMI1000 possesses 80 LTTR genes, yet the precise roles and functional contributions of only three of these LTTRs have been conclusively established among the total. In this work, our group reveal a novel LTTR member LysR7 (RS_RS02375) that exerts multiple regulatory roles in motility, carbon metabolism and virulence.ResultsIn this investigation, an in-frame deletion mutant ΔlysR7 and a complemented strain CΔlysR7 were prepared. The mutant ΔlysR7 had increased swimming motility on semi-soft medium and showed a reduced replication rate in nutrient-rich medium and in planta. Moreover, ΔlysR7 was unable to grow on nutrient-limited medium, supplemented with galactose as a single carbon resource. RT-qPCR analysis and GUS activity detection indicated that the expression of lysR7 was induced in the presence of galactose. The mutant ΔlysR7 caused weaker wilt disease on either Solanum lycopersicum or Capsicum annuum plants compared to both wild type GMI1000 and CΔlysR7. Transcriptome analysis revealed that 12 upregulated and 8 downregulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in ΔlysR7 were restored in CΔlysR7 relative to wild type. In particular, the expression of hrpG, a key gene responsible for type III secretion system, was downregulated. KEGG analysis revealed that, except for lysR7 gene, the 19 DEGs were most enriched in microbial metabolism in diverse environments and metabolic pathways.ConclusionsThe data indicate that LysR7 regulates multiple processes in association with motility, galactose metabolism and virulence in R. solanacearum. The study offers valuable evidence to understand comprehensive regulatory mechanisms mediated by LTTR family members in R. solanacearum.Graphical

Effect of time series on the degradation of lignin by Trametes gibbosa: Products and pathways

Lignin is the third most abundant organic resource in nature. The utilization of white-rot fungi for wood degradation effectively circumvents environmental pollution associated with chemical treatments, facilitating the benign decomposition of lignin. Trametes gibbosa is a typical white-rot fungus with rapid growth and strong wood decomposition ability. The lignin content decreased from 23.62 mg/mL to 17.05 mg/mL, which decreased by 27 % in 30 days. The activity of manganese peroxidase increased steadily by 9.44 times. The activities of laccase and lignin peroxidase had the same trend of change and reached peaks of 49.88 U/L and 10.43 U/L on the 25th day, respectively. The change in H2O2 content in vivo was opposite to its trend. For FTIR and GC–MS analysis, the fungi attacked the side chain structure of lignin phenyl propane polymer and benzene ring to crack into low molecular weight aromatic compounds. The side chains of low molecular weight aromatic compounds are oxidized, and long-chain carboxylic acids are formed. Additionally, the absorption peak in the vibration region of the benzene ring skeleton became complex, and the structure of the benzene rings changed. In the beginning, fungal growth was inhibited. Fungal autophagy was aggravated. The metal cation binding proteins of fungi were active, and the genes related to detoxification metabolism were upregulated. The newly produced compounds are related to xenobiotic metabolism. The degradation peak focused on the redox process, and the biological function was enriched in the regulation of macromolecular metabolism, lignin metabolism, and oxidoreductase activity acting on diphenols and related substances as donors. Notably, genes encoding key degradation enzymes, including lcc3, lcc4, phenol-2-monooxygenase, 3-hydroxybenzoate-6-hydroxylase, oxalate decarboxylase, and acetyl-CoA oxidase were significantly upregulated. On the 30th day, the N-glycan biosynthesis pathway was significantly enriched in glycan biosynthesis and metabolism. Weighted correlation network analysis was performed. A total of 1452 genes were clustered in the coral1 module, which were most related to lignin degradation. The genes were significantly enriched in oxidoreductase activity, peptidase activity, cell response to stimulation, signal transduction, lignin metabolism, and phenylpropane metabolism, while the rest were concentrated in glucose metabolism. In this study, the lignin degradation process and products were revealed by T. gibbosa. The molecular mechanism of lignin degradation in different stages was explored. The selection of an efficient utilization time of lignin will help to increase the degradation rate of lignin. This study provides a theoretical basis for the biofuel and biochemical production of lignin. SynopsisTrametes gibbosa degrades lignin in a pollution-free way, improving the utilization of carbon resources in an environmentally friendly spontaneous cycle. The products are the new way towards sustainable development and low-carbon technology.

Synthesis of SiC nanowires from retired wind turbine blades and their microwave-absorbing property

Retired wind turbine blades (RWTBs) mainly consist of glass fibers and resins, which have abundant of carbon and silicon resources. This study synthesized SiC nanowires (SiC NWs) by using the RWTBs for the first time. The RWTBs were grinded into powders and pyrolyzed at 600 °C for 2 h, the pyrolysis solid residues (P-RWTBs) mixed with apricot shell char (ASC) and silicon powder in a stoichiometric ratio (C/Si=4), and then the mixture calcined at 1550 °C for 4 h in an argon atmosphere. XRD, FTIR and XPS results indicating that SiC NWs had been successfully synthesized. SEM and TEM micrographs show that the produced SiC NWs exhibit a worm-like shape, with diameters of 50–100 nm, and interweave into a 3D network body. The minimum reflection loss (RLmin) of the SiC NWs 3D network body reached -18.17 dB at the thickness of 4.8 mm, which meet the requirements of microwave-absorbing materials. Its good microwave-absorption property is due to the various loss types of the electromagnetic waves that caused by the special structure. This study provides a new approach for high-value utilization of the RWTBs, which is of great significance in realizing the "green retirement" of glass fiber reinforced polymers.

Monodispersed Cu sites assembled on ultrathin 2D C3N4 for efficient electrocatalytic CO2 methanation

Electrocatalytic CO2 reduction (ECO2R) to methane is a promising technology that could effectively realize carbon resource integration and energy recycling. Currently, Cu-based catalysts are the most effective catalysts for this process, and a long-term goal of high selectivity and high stability still remains elusive. In this study, a controllable and multistep solid-state pyrolysis route is implemented to successfully introduce atomically dispersed Cu sites (Cu SA) into the two-dimensional carbon nitride (2D C3N4) matrices. The active site density and morphology structure of the Cu SA-2D C3N4 catalyst could be precisely controlled by adjusting the calcination process. Through the strategic combination of an ultrathin 2D structure and uniformly dispersed active sites, the Cu SA-2D C3N4 maximizes the exposure of active sites while suppressing competitive C–C coupling reactions. Ultimately, the optimized Cu SA-2D C3N4-30 exhibit a Faradaic efficiency of 62.9 % for CO2-to-CH4 conversion with a partial current density of 172.4 mA cm−2 at -1.68 V vs. RHE. This work demonstrates an advanced Cu-based electrocatalyst that effectively improves the performance of electrocatalytic CO2 methanation.

Noble metal-free tandem catalysis enables efficient upcycling plastic waste into liquid fuel components

The lack of effective approaches for upcycling waste plastic has led to severe environmental pollution and squandering of carbon resources. While hydrocracking macromolecular polyolefins over typical metal-zeolite catalyst produces high quality liquid fuel components, the limited activity of base metal and restricted accessibility of acid sites within microporous zeolite renders this process still not in practical scale. A tandem catalyst comprising Ni-WO3/Al2O3 and Beta zeolite was developed for consecutive hydrocracking polyolefins, achieving a yield of 86.2 % of primarily gasoline-jet ranged hydrocarbons (mainly C5-C16 and minor C16+) at 280 °C. The incorporation of tungsten species onto Ni/Al2O3 largely enhances the surface acidity and accelerates the primary cracking process that converts polyethylene (PE) into medium-sized intermediates, which would readily diffuse into the pore networks of Beta and undergo further cracking to yield desired liquid hydrocarbons. In addition, this tandem catalyst also promotes facile hydrocracking of consumer-grade plastic waste and maintains excellent stability over 5 recycling tests. The noble-metal-free catalyst achieves an impressive liquid formation rate of 5.74 g·gcat.−1·h−1, rivaling the noble metal-based catalyst and demonstrating high application prospects.

Enhanced CO2 Electroreduction to ethylene on Cu nanocube coated with nitrogen-doped carbon shell in-situ electro-derived from metal-organic framework

Electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) to ethylene is one of the most promising technologies to achieve efficient use of carbon resources and sustainable development, in which the development of an efficient and stable electrocatalyst is particularly important. In this work, we develop a catalyst in situ electro-derived from Cu-based MOF for CO2RR to ethylene. We prepared nano Cu-MOF by microwave synthesis and supported it on a Cu foil substrate as a working electrode (denoted as MOF/Cu foil). During in situ electrolysis, Cu-MOF was converted into a highly dispersed nitrogen-doped carbon-coated Cu nanocube (denoted as Cu-cube/CN), which inhibited particle agglomeration and enhanced active site exposure. At a potential of −1.15 V vs. RHE, the Faradaic efficiency (FE) of the Cu-cube/CN catalyst for ethylene is 49.6 %, significantly higher than that of the original Cu foil electrode and Cu-MOF supported on the gas diffusion layer (GDL) prepared working electrode (denoted as MOF/GDL). In situ attenuated total reflection surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (ATR-SEIRAS) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations studies indicate that due to the electron-donating ability of the CN coating, the adsorption of *CO is enhanced, increasing the *CO coverage, lowering the reaction free energy of *CO dimerization, promoting C-C coupling and ethylene generation. This work provides new insights for the development of efficient and stable electrocatalysts for CO2RR-to-ethylene production.