Use Of Ethanol Research Articles

A Novel Carbohydrate-Glycosphingolipid Interaction between a β-(1–3)-Glucan Immunomodulator, PGG-glucan, and Lactosylceramide of Human Leukocytes

The immunomodulator Betafectin(R) PGG-glucan is a homopolymer of glucose derived from yeast cell walls which has been demonstrated to enhance leukocyte anti-infective activity in vitro and in vivo, without the induction of proinflammatory cytokines. We report here the purification of a PGG-glucan-binding element from human leukocytes and its identification as lactosylceramide, a major glycosphingolipid of neutrophils, which includes the CDw17 epitope. The binding of radiolabeled PGG-glucan to purified lactosylceramide was saturable, specific, and time- and temperature-dependent. Lactosylceramides from human leukocytes were fractionated by high performance liquid chromatography in order to analyze the effect of ceramide structure on binding. A variety of fatty acid chain lengths with varying degrees of unsaturation were found to support binding to radiolabeled PGG-glucan. However, DL-lactosylceramides containing dihydrosphingosine did not bind. Radiolabeled PGG-glucan bound several other neutral glycosphingolipids with a terminal galactose, including galactosylceramide, globotriaosylceramide, and gangliotetraosylceramide. The binding of radiolabeled PGG-glucan to lactosylceramide was not inhibited by glycogen, dextran, mannan, pustulan, laminarin, or a low molecular weight beta-(1-3)-glucan, but was inhibited by high molecular weight beta-(1-3)-glucans and by a monoclonal antibody to lactosylceramide. Although this glycosphingolipid has been shown in numerous reports to bind various microorganisms, this represents the first report of lactosylceramide binding to a macromolecular carbohydrate.

Exploitation of agricultural residues as a possible fuel source

Agricultural wastes such as olive tree felling, wheat straw, vine shoots and cotton plant stalks are very abundant in Spain. Their production is estimated to be more than 12 × 10 6 tons per year. From these agriculture wastes it is possible (by acid hydrolysis and subsequent fermentation of the hydrolysate) to obtain ethanol for use as fuel. The kinetics of the acid hydrolysis of these agricultural wastes has been studied in the temperature range 110–140 °C, using hydrochloric acid at concentrations between 0.5 and 4.0 wt%. The experimental results obtained conform to a sequence of two consecutive first-order reactions: cellulose wastes are transformed into sugars, and these are transformed into other products. The experimental results of sugar contents as a function of time are reproduced with errors always less than 10%.

Sunflower stalks as a possible fuel source

Sunflower ( Helianthus annus) is a deciduous plant whose yearly production has grown dramatically in Spain over the last few decades. From sunflower wastes, consisting chiefly of stalks, it is possible (by acid hydrolysis and subsequent fermentation of the hydrolysate) to obtain ethanol for use as fuel. The kinetics of the acid hydrolysis of sunflower stalks has been studied in the temperature range 110–140 °C, using hydrochloric acid at concentrations between 0.5 and 6.0 wt %. The experimental results obtained conform to a sequence of two consecutive first-order reactions: cellulose residue → k 1 sugar → k 2 decomposition products. The rate constants k 1 and k 2 are proportional to the acid concentration and exponentially related to the temperature.

Dehydration of alcohol fuels by pervaporation

Presented are experimental results of the dehydration of a liquid mixture with same composition as fusel oil, a by-product from fermentation of sugar cane to ethanol for use as fuel. Investigations on the pervaporative separation of water from the initial solution were performed with two different pervaporation membranes. Flux through the membranes depends strongly on the water concentration and on feed temperature.

Influence of substituent on rate and equilibrium constants by means of spectral-isolation factor analysis

The key set and spectral isolation methods of factor analysis suggested by Malinowski have been applied to a chemical reactivity data matrix in order to obtain substituent constant scales as orthogonal as possible for the given set of data. The data matrix used consisted of equilibrium and rate constants (24 substituents in the aromatic ring and 10 reaction series). Principal component analysis (p.c.a.) yielded four factors by the indicator function method. The key set method identified the following reaction series: pK values of benzoic acids in water, pK values of phenols in water, pK values of phenols in ethanol–water (23.68 vol.% EtOH), and rate constants for solvolyses of substituted diphenylmethane in ethanol for use as substituent constant scales in correlation analysis of the remaining reaction series. The results of the respective correlation analysis were found to be unsatisfactory: the root mean square error S is 0.23 in logarithmic units. The spectral isolation method enabled us to isolate substituent constant scales whose application to correlation analysis yielded s 0.12, close to the experimental error in the data used, estimated by p.c.a. The first scale is well correlated with the σ° and Hammett σ scales indicating that it reflects the influence of the inductive effect of substituents. The second scale obtained is shown to be related to the resonance effect of substituents because it correlates with σ+R values. It was concluded that the application of the spectral isolation method of factor analysis leads to meaningful substituent constant scales.

Biomass from short-rotation coppice willow on marginal land

A study to determine the economic feasibility of production and utilisation of biomass from short-rotation coppice willow is described. An area of 196 000 ha of marginal agricultural land (surface water mineral gleys), potentially suitable for biomass production, has been identified in Co. Fermanagh and west Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Annual yields of 12–15 t ha −1 year −1 dry matter (DM) have been achieved over a 9 year period (1977–1985) from Salix x ‘Aquatica Gigantea’ Korso (SAG), harvested triennially. In terms of utilised metabolisable energy (UME) from marginal land grass for conventional beef/milk production gives 40 GJ ha −1 compared with 136 GJ ha −1 for willow used as a combustion fuel. Biomass yields have been maintained by recycling the leaf litter which contributes 130 kg ha −1 year −1 nitrogen. A density of 20 000 plants ha −1 (0·7 × 0·7 m) is the optimum for rapid site capture and maximum early yield with SAG. Candidate species of Salix, from breeding programmes in New Zealand, Finland, Sweden and North America, and a range of Alnus, Populus and Fraxinus species are being evaluated. Willow biomass as chips has been used successfully as the energy source for the production of early tomatoes over a 3 year period (1983–1985), at one third the cost of 32 sec. fuel oil. Burned in small chip-fuelled installations, biomass offers potential as an energy source for the commercial generation of electricity for rural based industries, with surpluses fed into the national grid. Briquettes (energy value of 19·5 MJ kg −1) have been successfully manufactured from willow biomass and compare favourably as a market product with briquettes from other resources. The Iotech Process — steam explosion pretreatment of wood chips followed by enzymatic hydrolysis — developed by Techtrol Ltd, Canada, from the mid-1970s, offers new opportunities for biomass, including the economic production of ethanol for use as a high octane enhancer to replace lead in petrol, or the production of a valuable high-digestibility (65%) animal feed supplement.