Hemicellulose Research Articles

Potential of biotechnological conversion of lignocellulose hydrolyzates by Pseudomonas putida KT2440 as a model organism for a bio‐based economy

AbstractLignocellulose‐derived hydrolyzates typically display a high degree of variation depending on applied biomass source material as well as process conditions. Consequently, this typically results in variable composition such as different sugar concentrations as well as degree and the presence of inhibitors formed during hydrolysis. These key obstacles commonly limit its efficient use as a carbon source for biotechnological conversion. The gram‐negative soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida KT2440 is a promising candidate for a future lignocellulose‐based biotechnology process due to its robustness and versatile metabolism. Recently, P. putida KT2440_xylAB which was able to metabolize the hemicellulose (HC) sugars, xylose and arabinose, was developed and characterized. Building on this, the intent of the study was to evaluate different lignocellulose hydrolyzates as platform substrates for P. putida KT2440 as a model organism for a bio‐based economy. Firstly, hydrolyzates of different origins were evaluated as potential carbon sources by cultivation experiments and determination of cell growth and sugar consumption. Secondly, the content of major toxic substances in cellulose and HC hydrolyzates was determined and their inhibitory effect on bacterial growth was characterized. Thirdly, fed‐batch bioreactor cultivations with hydrolyzate as the carbon source were characterized and a diauxic‐like growth behavior with regard to different sugars was revealed. In this context, a feeding strategy to overcome the diauxic‐like growth behavior preventing accumulation of sugars is proposed and presented. Results obtained in this study represent a first step and proof‐of‐concept toward establishing lignocellulose hydrolyzates as platform substrates for a bio‐based economy.

Functional packaging films originating from hemicelluloses laurate by direct transesterification in ionic liquid

An alternative transesterification with vinyl laurate (VL) was applied for chemical modification of hemicelluloses (HC) to prepare functional packaging films. Successful transesterification was confirmed by FT-IR and NMR. Semitransparent laurated HC (LHs) films were prepared by solvent casting method. SEM indicated the ordered honeycomb-patterned surface and the dense cross section of LHs films. The LHs films exhibited excellent hydrophobicity with water contact angle about 120° and the enhanced mechanical properties with tensile strength and elongation at break as 33.94 ± 3.09 MPa and 22.41 ± 2.87%, respectively. The water vapor permeability (WVP) and oxygen permeability (OP) values of LHs films ranged from 1.59 ± 0.07 to 2.23 ± 0.11 (10−10·g/m·s·Pa) and 1.21 ± 0.04 to 4.24 ± 0.30 (cm3·μm/m2·d·kPa), respectively. Moreover, the films had acceptable antioxidant activity. In terms of these properties, the shelf life of green chilies could be largely extended to 15 days after packing with LHs films.

Effects of urea ammonia pretreatment on the batch anaerobic fermentation efficiency of corn stovers.

In order to enhance the biogas production and provide nitrogen sources for the growth of microorganisms, experiments on urea ammonia pretreatment of corn stovers were implemented at (35±1)°C to investigate the effects of urea ammonia pretreatment on the batch anaerobic fermentation efficiency of corn stovers. This study assessed the effects of urea ammonia contents (2%, 4%, and 6%) and moisture contents (30%, 50%, 70% and 90%) on the physical structures of lignocelluloses and the efficiency of biogas production from anaerobic fermentation of corn stovers. The results indicated that the methane production reached 230.31 mL/g VS (volatile solids) at pretreatment with 4% urea ammonia and 70% moisture contents for the batch anaerobic fermentation, which was 26.6% higher than that of the untreated group. The degradation rates of cellulose and hemicellulose were 66.34% and 75.47% after the anaerobic fermentation, respectively, which were about 22.6% and 20.9% higher than that of the untreated group, respectively. Thus, it was concluded that urea ammonia pretreatment can improve the efficiency of biogas production from anaerobic fermentation of corn stovers. Keywords: corn stovers, urea ammonia pretreatment, batch anaerobic fermentation, methane production, degradation DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20191204.4835 Citation: Li Q, Yang F L, Zheng G X, Guan Z J. Effects of urea ammonia pretreatment on the batch anaerobic fermentation efficiency of corn stovers. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2019; 12(4): 169–173.

Fabrication of an all-polysaccharide composite film from hemicellulose and methylcellulose

There is significant interest in preparing packaging film from sustainable polysaccharides, especially hemicellulose (HC). Hemicellulose isolated from wheat straw tends to aggregate into dissolved particles in aqueous solutions and to form poor films. When methylcellulose (MC) was added into the HC solution, HC and MC formed a HC-MC complex. With increased MC content, the size of the HC-MC complex decreased, and its surface charge increased at the same time. When 35 wt% MC was added into the HC, a continuous HC-MC film formed in the layer structure. The HC-MC film with 75 wt% MC showed a more compact layer structure compared with other films. The tensile strengths of the HC-MC film increased with the MC addition. When MC was added to 75 wt%, the tensile strengths of the HC-MC film reached their maximum values, which were higher than that of MC film. This high film strength suggested these HC-MC composite films have potential applications in packaging material.

<i>Lactobacillus plantarum</i> LPBR01 as inoculant in sugarcane silage

Sugar cane is highly productive (dry matter.hectare-1), but after ensiling process nutritional quality is affected, thus additives are needed to control or minimize losses. This study aimed to evaluate if Lactobacillus plantarum LPBR01 strain used as silage inoculant for sugar cane can control fermentation losses. Sugar cane samples (72) were divided in two treatments with three replicates, control (no Lactobacillus) and treatment silage with Lactobacillus (106 CFU g-1 of silage). Nutritional composition of samples in different periods of fermentation (0, 7, 15, 30 and 45 days) was estimated by determining levels of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), hemicellulose (HEM), mineral matter (MM) and acid detergent lignin (ADL). Fermentative profile of the silage was characterized by determining sugars, ammoniacal nitrogen, acidity and pH at 0, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60 and 72 hours. Inoculation of sugar cane silage with Lactobacillus plantarum LPBR01 strain presented no significant results (p ≤ 0, 5) however, interaction between treatment and day (p ≤ 0, 5) could be observed for the levels of ADF. The Lactobacillus plantarum LPBR01 strain was not efficient to control the fermentation losses that occur in the silages of sugar cane at the concentration used in this study.

Prediction of methane production performances based on determination of organic components for different vegetable wastes

The rapid development of the economy has led to rapid consumption of fossil fuels, which results in extremely serious environmental problems. Biomass energy has been accepted as a way to reduce the usage of fossil fuels due to its cleanliness and renewability. In this study, vegetable wastes (VWs), an abundant kind of biomass resource, were treated by anaerobic digestion (AD) to be converted into methane. The total solids (TS), volatile solids (VS), elemental contents, and organic components of 17 kinds of typical VWs were systematically determined. The methane production performances were then measured and ranged from 120.1 mL/g VS (for pepper stem) to 377.7 mL/g VS (for bok choy). To easily and quickly predict the methane yields of VWs, a curvilinear relationship between different organic compositions (e.g., cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, non-structural carbohydrate, protein, and VFA contents) and methane production was established and proved to be a useful tool for methane prediction. Four kinetic models (first-order model, Fitzhugh model, Cone model, modified Gompertz model) were applied to simulate the process of AD, and Cone and modified Gompertz models were shown to describe the AD process well. This study will not only provide basic data about the characteristics and methane production of 17 kinds of VWs but also contribute a method for predicting the methane yields of vegetable wastes, which is also valuable in future agro-industrial applications. Keywords: naerobic digestion, organic components, methane production, vegetable waste, kinetic models DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20191203.4705 Citation: Cai F F, YanH, Zhang R H, Liu G Q, Chen C. Prediction of methane production performances based on the determination of organic components for different vegetable wastes. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2019; 12(3): 154–159.

Bacterial Cellulose Applied to the Production of an Electrical Insulating Biomaterial

Biotechnology is the science that in the future will revolutionize the production of biomaterials for the markets, one of its most promising products is bacterial cellulose (BC). The BC has a high degree of purity, because it is not associated with other components such as lignin and hemicellulose of vegetable cellulose and, due to its nanofibrillar network in 3D, it is able to absorb water and has high tensile strength. Other characteristics, such as biocompatibility and biodegradability, result in the renewable character and in a wide range of technological applications, such as the manufacture of transparent / translucent nanocomposites and, in particular, biomedical applications, such as the production of dressings for the recovery of burned skin, where membranes release of drugs through the skin, polymeric materials for bone repair repair and cartilage, as well as several other technological areas and as reinforcement material in transparent / translucent nanocomposites. The BC membrane has been studied aiming at the usability in the production of garments, accessories and high value-added textile products and in the active packaging sector to avoid or identify contamination of food. In the biomaterials sector, numerous BC blends and composites have been synthesized to overcome their limitations and increase their applications. BC blends have antimicrobial, healing, conductive, magnetic and optical properties. The morphological and electrical characterization of BCs was the objective of this work. The BC production was carried out using agroindustrial residue. The biomaterial was morphologically characterized by MEV before and after impregnation with PHB. The incorporation of PHB into BC served to maximize the properties and physico-chemical and insulating biomaterial. Conductivity values ??compatible with semiconductors were identified for BC. The bio-nanoblend of BC + PHB also showed low conductivity value, similar to pure PHB. All the samples showed IxV behavior that suggests that the samples are

Enzymatic Monolith Continuous Microreactors for the Synthesis of Xylooligosaccharides by Controlled Hydrolysis of Xylans

Immobilized enzymes are increasingly used in enzymatic microreactors, to encourage applications in different fields: food industry, medical diagnostics, organic synthesis, drug discovery, biosensors. As a matter of facts, microfluidic systems offer many advantages over conventional packed-bed bioreactors, such as higher efficiency, feasibility of multi-enzyme systems, higher mechanical stability, reduced amounts of reagents required [Pirozzi et al., 2016].In this study s-1,4-xylan obtained from hemicelluloses was used to obtain xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS), the only nutraceutical that can be produced from lignocellulosic biomass. XOS are considered non-digestible food ingredients, and their prebiotic effect of XOS on Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus species has been recently demonstrated [Aachary et al., 2011; Broekaert et al., 2011; Nacos et al., 2006; Samanta et al, 2015; Vazquez]et al., 2000]. In addition XOS are stable at wide range of pH (2.5–8.0) and temperature (100 °C), they can stimulate the selective growth of the gut microflora, reduce the blood glucose and cholesterol, reduce the pro-carcinogenic enzymes in gastrointestinal tract, and enhance the mineral absorption from large intestine [Aachary et al., 2011; Broekaert et al., 2011; Nacos et al., 2006; Samanta et al, 2015; Vazquez]et al., 2000].In this view, sol-gel methods were used for the physical entrapment of xylanase from T. lanuginosus. Due to the mild conditions usually adopted for the gel synthesis, enzymes could be added to the initial mixture of precursors and so entrapped within monolithic porous layers in capillary tubes [Pirozzi et al., 2016].A suitable combination of sol-gel precursors was found for the simultaneous improvement of the monolith adhesion to the tubing internal surfaces and of the catalytic properties of the entrapped enzymes. Specific attention was devoted to the determination of operating conditions suitable to enhance enzyme stability as well as selectivity in terms of XOS produced.

Dry matter production and chemical composition of tropical forage legumes under different shading levels

ABSTRACT. This study aimed to evaluate the shading influence on production and qualitative traits of four tropical forage legumes (calopo, puero, archer and perennial soybean). Legumes were cultivated under levels of artificial shading (0; 30; 50 and 70%) from January 2006 to June 2007. Dry matter production (DM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), cellulose (CEL), hemicellulose (HEM) and lignin contents were evaluated. In the summer, increases in legumes DM yield were observed when grown under increasing shading levels. Calopo, puero, and archer production showed quadratic effect. Regression analysis derivation for dry matter yield showed levels of maximum values at 35.0; 33.78 and 45.45% in the summer and 34.94; 34.83 and 33.29% in the fall. Significant effect of species for CP, NDF, CEL, HEM and L/S (leaf/stem) ratio and shading level effect for NDF, CEL, HEM and L/S ratio were observed in the summer, however, no interaction was reported. In addition, significant effect of species for CP, NDF, CEL, HEM and L/S ratio was observed in the autumn. Only L/S ratio presented a negative response according to increasing shading levels. The shading promoted an increase in the fiber components and a decrease in the leaf/stem ratio, and the perennial soybean was the most tolerant to the increased shading.

Comparison and rapid prediction of lignocellulose and organic elements of a wide variety of rice straw based on near infrared spectroscopy

Rice straw is a major kind of biomass that can be utilized as lignocellulosic materials and renewable energy. Rapid prediction of the lignocellulose (cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin) and organic elements (carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and sulfur) of rice straw would help to decipher its growth mechanisms and thereby improve its sustainable usages. In this study, 364 rice straw samples featuring different rice subspecies (japonica and indica), growing seasons (early-, middle-, and late-season), and growing environments (irrigated and rainfed) were collected, the differences among which were examined by multivariate analysis of variance. Statistic results showed that the cellulose content exhibited significant differences among different growing seasons at a significant level (p < 0.01), and the contents of cellulose and nitrogen had significant differences between different growing environments (p < 0.01). Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) models for predicting the lignocellulosic and organic elements were developed based on two algorithms including partial least squares (PLS) and competitive adaptive reweighted sampling-partial least squares (CARS-PLS). Modeling results showed that most CARS-PLS models are of higher accuracy than the PLS models, possibly because the CARS-PLS models selected optimal combinations of wavenumbers, which might have enhanced the signal of chemical bonds and thereby improved the predictive efficiency. As a major contributor to the applications of rice straw, the nitrogen content was predicted precisely by the CARS-PLS model. Generally, the CARS-PLS models efficiently quantified the lignocellulose and organic elements of a wide variety of rice straw. The acceptable accuracy of the models allowed their practical applications. Keywords: rice straw, near infrared reflectance spectroscopy models, rapid prediction, competitive adaptive reweighted sampling, partial least-squares, lignocellulose DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20191202.4374 Citation: Diallo A A, Yang Z L, Shen G H, Ge J Y, Li Z C, Han L J. Comparison and rapid prediction of lignocellulose and organic elements of a wide variety of rice straw based on near infrared spectroscopy. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2019; 12(2): 166–172.

A study of thermo-hydro-treated (THT) birch wood by chemical analysis and Py-GC/MS

Abstract The chemical changes in birch wood occurring at thermo-hydro treatment (THT) was studied at temperatures (T) of 150, 160 and 170°C by analytical pyrolysis [Py-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry/flame ionisation detector (GC/MS/FID)], elemental analysis and traditional wet-chemical analysis. THT wood (THTW) was also extracted with acetone. Mass losses (ML) due to THT and acetone extraction of THTW were considered for material balance calculations. The holocellulose and hemicellulose (HC) contents decrease with increasing THT temperature (THTT), thus the apparent lignin content is elevated by ca. 20%. The HC degradation begins at 150°C, while that of α-cellulose modification at 170°C. Compared to unmodified birch, the THT170°C material contains ca. 10% less α-cellulose and up to 40% less HC. The Py-GC/MS also indicates decreasing amounts of volatile products from polymeric carbohydrates (CHs) and lignin origin as a function of increasing THTT. The identified CH-based Py products of THT170°C of non-extracted (ne) and extracted (e) materials resulted in 13 and 22% weight decrements, respectively, while the lignin-type Py products were reduced by 13 and 49%, respectively. With increasing THTT, the total content of CO2, water and methanol decreases, and the amount of unidentified compounds increases by 30%.

Characteristics of Cellulose, Hemicellulose and Lignin of MD2 Pineapple Biomass

Three main lignocellulosic components (lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose) are major plant cell walls. Their content in biomass crops, for example, MD2 pineapple waste will affect the heating values (HHV) if uses as a feedstock for the solid biofuel (biocoke). The aim of this paper is to identify the amount of lignocellulosic content in the MD2 pineapple waste and its effect on heating value. The experiment and parameters setup were carried out by following the chemical composition determination of standard methods. The process involved the sample preparation and treatment process by using NaOH and sodium chlorite for bleaching purposes. The effect of a percent of the lignocellulosic content in the MD2 pineapple waste before and after bleaching process towards heating value was studied. From the result, lignocellulosic in leaves (Cellulose 30 wt%, Hemicellulose 37 wt% and Lignin 22 wt%) showed the similarities (slightly higher and lower) content compared to the stem (Cellulose 46 wt%, Hemicellulose 29 wt% and Lignin 17 wt%) and root (Cellulose 42 wt%, Hemicellulose 32 wt% and Lignin 19 wt%). The majority of the leaves for the whole non-woody plant will give the cumulative effects since the quantity of stem and root is only about 15 % of the total weight of the plant. The cellulose and hemicellulose produce different thermal stability due to their different chemical structure even though they are both polysaccharides. From the data, all parts of MD2 pineapple has high cellulose and hemicellulose content. The hemicellulose can indicate the ignition temperature and time to ignite of the biocoke product produce by MD2 pineapple waste same goes to the cellulose content. The decomposition of lignin from start to end of the burning process can be an indicator that the biocoke product produces from MD2 pineapple waste can withstand up until 900 °C or above with some additional reactor or chemical that can enhance its thermal properties.

Soybean (&lt;i&gt;Glycine Max&lt;/i&gt;): Alternative Sources of Human Nutrition and Bioenergy for the 21&lt;SUP&gt;st&lt;/SUP&gt; Century

Finding the nutritional value in soybeans is essential for keeping commodities at a low price while remaining conscious about people's health. This experiment brings into question whether it would be beneficial to consume soybeans more often and focus on the nutritional aspects of them, as well as the bioenergy benefits it provides. Therefore, the amounts of nutritional elements such as lipids, fatty acids, polyphenols, antioxidants, and soluble fibers tested within different varieties of soybeans. The highest phenolic content was in AS GROW 4754, followed by AS GROW 4632. The antioxidant capacity ranged from 2.35 3.44 µg/g of TEAC per 100g dry sample. The antioxidant activity follows as: AS GROW 4632> AS GROW 4754> AS GROW 4835. AS GROW 14632. AS GROWAG 4934. The Protein content ranges from 34.1 to 44.9 (%). The highest total protein was in AS GROW AG 4934, followed by AS GROW 4632, AS GROW 4754, AS GROW 4835 and AS GROW 14632. The lipid content ranges from 20.8 to 30.8 (%). The highest was in AG GROW 4835, and the lowest was in AS GROW 4632. Eight different fatty acids were found in the soybean. The Linoleic acid was found the predominant fatty acid 54%0 followed by Oleic acid (21%) and Palmitic acid (11%). The Behenic and Eicosenic acids found as trace amounts in soybean. Therefore, consumption of soybeans is beneficial but should also be incorporated within an overall healthy lifestyle. The difference in biomass and cell-wall components of five Arkansas grown soybean varieties examined to find out accessions that exhibited quality traits suitable for a potential bioenergy/biofuel crop. The Hemi-cellulose (HCE), cellulose (CE) and ASH contents ranged 14–30 %, 8-18 % and 1-3 % of the DM, respectively. The results showed that the NDF% ranged from 28 to 47, and ADF% ranged from 22-32. The extensive range of distinction in biomass and cell wall components point out that soybean has great potential for use as bioenergy/biofuel crops. The hypothesis was correct according to the results of the experiment, where several varieties showed high contents within all sources of nutritional value. The high amounts of cell-wall components between its species and in comparison to other bioenergy crops as well. The extensive range of distinction in biomass and cell wall components point out that soybean has great potential for use for multiple uses such as human food and nutrition, oil, energy, and biofuel potentials.

The Purview of Extraction &amp;amp; Economic Suitability of Biofuel by Water Hyacinth (Eicchornia Crassipes) in Rajasthan in India

The power crisis is a considerable bottleneck in the delivery of power assets to an economy. Renewable biofuels are the best substitute to tackle the power crisis due to scarcity of fossil fuels. As the search for alternatives to fossil fuel intensifies in this age of modernization and industrialization, fueled by increasing energy costs, water hyacinth holds a sturdy promise in the 21st century biofuel industry. The LODHA Pond, city Banswara and PICHOLA Lake Udaipur are the major wetland in the Rajasthan state in INDIA, with the potential for production of large quantities of biomass of aquatic floating species, especially water hyacinth (Eicchornia crassipes and E. azurea), during the aquatic phase of the flood-pulse characteristic for this ecosystem. The biofuel from the non aquatic plant like water hyacinth will be used for the different uses and this will not produce and adverse effect to the any ecosystem of natural resources. The extraction of biofuel from water hyacinth is a very economical process because of the lesser cost of raw material & its easy availability. Ethanol is produced from water hyacinth, an aquatic weed plant, comprising of good quantity of cellulose, hemi cellulose, lignin which increases the extraction rate of biofuel from it. Even after extraction of biofuels from water hyacinth, wastes are also utilized for the production of paper making in paper industries. This emerging biofuels based economy in the Rajasthan state in INDIA can be a good example of to human adaption to climate changes by managing carbon export of natural wetlands.

Effect of Spirulina (Spirulina platensis) Supplementation on Nutrient Intake, Digestibility and Rumen Fermentation Pattern in Barbari Goats

Present study was conducted to examine the effect of spirulina (Spirulina platensis) supplementation on nutrient intake, digestibility and rumen fermentation pattern in growing Barbari goats. Eighteen male Barbari goats were divided into three groups, G1 (Control), G2 and G3 (treatment) of six animals each in completely randomized design. All the animals were fed with complete pellet feed having Bengal gram straw and concentrate mixture in 60:40 ratio. In G1 no spirulina was supplemented while in G2 and G3 spirulina was supplemented at 0.25 and 0.50% of DM, respectively. Experimental feeding durations was 90 days. After 60 days of experimental feeding, a metabolism trial of six days collection period was conducted to determine nutrients balance. Rumen liquor samples were collected from each animal at the end of experimental feeding 4h post feeding. The digestibility (%) of dry matter, organic matter, ether extract and total carbohydrate was similar among groups. The digestibility (%) of different fibre fractions (neutral detergent fibre, acid detergent fibre, cellulose and hemi cellulose) was similar in groups. Animals of control and treatment groups were in positive nitrogen balance. Concentration of total volatile fatty acids (mmol/dL SRL) in rumen fluid was statistically similar in goats of G1 (20.75), G2 (24.93) and G3 (20.37). No significant difference in total volatile fatty acid fractions was observed between control and treatment groups. There was no significant difference (P>0.05) in total nitrogen and non-protein nitrogen between control and treatment groups. TCA-precipitable nitrogen showed no significant difference among groups. Ammonia nitrogen (mg/dL SRL) showed significant difference in between control and treatment groups, highest for G1 (29.16) and lowest for G3 (16.80). From present study, it can be concluded that supplementation of spirulina @ 0.25 and 0.50 of DMI had no effect on intake, digestibility of nutrients but reduced the rumen ammonia nitrogen concentration.

Changes in fruit firmness, quality traits and cell wall constituents of two highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) during postharvest cold storage

Blueberries are now the second most economically important soft fruit. However, they are highly perishable and susceptible to rapid spoilage. Softening is one of the main reasons for short postharvest life of blueberries. The changes of fruit firmness, weight loss, flavor quality and cell wall composition of Vaccinium corymbosum cv. Bluecrop and Vaccinium corymbosum cv. Sierra were investigated in this study. The results showed that fruit firmness declined concomitantly with the increase of fruit weight loss and water soluble pectin (WSP) content paralleled by a decrease in the content of cellulose (CEL) and hemicellulose (HCEL) during postharvest cold storage at 0 ℃ and 90% relative humidity. Compared with Sierra blueberries, Bluecrop blueberries were much more resistant to postharvest cold storage as manifested by the higher values in fruit flavor quality and firmness which were associated with less weight loss, lower WSP content and higher amount of CEL and HCEL.

Effects of pre-harvest applications of different source of calcium on the cell wall fractions and stem bending disorder of Gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii L.) cultivar flowers

Gerbera flower belongs to the composite family and is one of the top five cut flowers in the world in terms of production and consumption, which has a great economic value in the international flowering industry. This study was designed to evaluate whether calcium pre-harvest application, provided through 0, 0.5, 1 and 1.5% of calcium chloride (CaCl2) and calcium nitrate (CaNO3), could extend the day of stem bending of gerbera cut flower. In the present study, we used two gerbera cultivars ‘Intense’ and ‘Rosaline’ as resistant and sensitive to stem bending, respectively. For evaluation of associated traits with stem bending, the produced flowers were kept in a vase solution containing 200 mg/L hydroxyquinoline with temperature conditions of 20°C. The results showed that day of stem bending of flowers extended 9.62 and 10.37 days by application of 1% CaCl2 for ‘Rosaline’ and ‘Intense’ respectively. All treatments were effective in the increasing relative water content of flower due to increase water uptake. The results also revealed that the calcium pretreatment delayed flowers senescence and increased antioxidant enzyme activity. Application of calcium resulted in an increase in membrane stability index in the cut flowers of both cultivars, providing evidence for delay of senescence in calcium-treated cut flowers. Also, results showed that calcium application significantly increased lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose content of both cultivars. The maximum and the minimum lignin and cellulose content were observed in resistant and sensitive cultivars, respectively. In general, pre-harvest application of calcium (especially 1% CaCl2) with increasing of antioxidant enzyme activity and stem lignification led to decreasing of stem bending disorder in both cultivars.

On-line analysis on fast pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass: thermal behavior and kinetic analysis of hemicellulose

Thermal conversion of lignocellulosic biomass can provide various products for the energy demand of low carbon city. Pyrolysis is the initial step of other thermochemical method, which is also a potential technology for biomass conversion. Previous research mainly focuses on the thermal behavior of the whole component in lignocellulosic biomass during pyrolysis. The organic component has a significant influence on the products distribution and kinetic characteristic. Thus, in this research hemicellulose (HCE) was selected as one of the typical organic components in biomass. Products distribution and characteristic of gas were explored by a tube furnace and an on-line mass spectrometer from 650 oC to 850 oC. Iso-conversional method was applied to obtain the kinetic parameters of gaseous products (H2、CO、CH4 and CO2) from HCE. The results indicated that gas and tar were the main products from fast pyrolysis of HCE. The yield of gas increased from 26.65 wt.% to 44.63 wt.% as the increase of temperature. CO and CO2 were the main content of gaseous, which accounted about 80 % the gas. The volume of H2 increased from 5.28 vol.% to 15.82 vol.% when temperature increased from 650 oC to 850 oC. The high heating value of the gaseous products was between 10.95 and 12.52 MJ·Nm-3. Releasing properties of the main volatile products from HCE were also obtained, and the intensity of gaseous was similar with the yield changing. The activation energy for CO2, CO, CH4, and H2 were 22.35 kJ·mol-1, 36.13 kJ·mol-1, 26.65 kJ·mol-1, 21.66 kJ·mol-1. The pre-exponential of H2, CO, CH4 and CO2 was 0.3436 s-1, 1.5898 s-1, 1.0298 s-1, 0.4937 s-1, respectively.

Genome-Wide Association Studies for Five Forage Quality-Related Traits in Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.).

Understanding the genetic function of the forage quality-related traits, including crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), hemicellulose (HC), and cellulose (CL) contents, is essential for the identification of forage quality genes and selection of effective molecular markers in sorghum. In this study, we genotyped 245 sorghum accessions by 85,585 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and obtained the phenotypic data from four environments. The SNPs and phenotypic data were applied to multi-locus genome-wide association studies (GWAS) with the mrMLM software. A total of 42 SNPs were identified to be associated with the five forage quality-related traits. Moreover, three and two quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) were simultaneously detected among them by three and two multi-locus methods, respectively. One QTN on chromosome 5 was found to be associated simultaneously with CP, NDF, and ADF. Furthermore, 3, 2, 2, 5, and 2 candidate genes were identified to be responsible for CP, NDF, ADF, HC, and CL contents, respectively. These results provided insightful information of the forage quality-related traits and would facilitate the genetic improvement of sorghum forage quality in the future.

Kinetic Study of Spiny Retamo (Ulex Eurioaeus L.) Waste Oxidative Pyrolysis

The behavior of the pyrolysis and the kinetics of the spiny retamo (Ulex eurioaeus L.), problematic plant in the eastern slope in Bogota Colombia, has been studied in a thermobalance, as a previous step for its valorization by pyrolysis in order to obtain fuels and chemical products. The kinetic model consists of a multicomponent mechanism that describes the formation of volatiles that involves three parallel and independent reaction networks that correspond to the decomposition of the three main pseudo-components of the biomass: hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin. Similarly, other products are considered as fixed coal and ashes produced. The thermogravimetric curves and the kinetic parameters have been compared with those obtained for other materials, and the chemical characteristics of the biomass have been determined. Although the samples are highly heterogeneous due to their composition, the degradation of these is similar to that of other lignocellulosic materials, which shows that their valorization pyrolysis is feasible.