Hydrolysis Performance Research Articles

Enzymatic Preparation and Processing Properties of DPP-IV Inhibitory Peptides Derived from Wheat Gluten: Effects of Pretreatment Methods and Protease Types.

The choice of appropriate proteases and pretreatment methods significantly influences the preparation of bioactive peptides. This study aimed to investigate the effects of different pretreatment methods on the hydrolytic performance of diverse proteases during the production of dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) inhibitory peptides derived from wheat and their foaming and emulsion properties. Dry heating, aqueous heating, and ultrasound treatment were employed as pretreatments for the protein prior to the enzymatic hydrolysis of wheat gluten. FTIR analysis results indicated that all pretreatment methods altered the secondary structure of the protein; however, the effects of dry heating treatment on the secondary structure content were opposite to those of aqueous heating and ultrasound treatment. Nevertheless, all three methods enhanced the protein solubility and surface hydrophobicity. By using pretreated proteins as substrates, five different types of proteases were employed for DPP-IV inhibitory peptide production. The analysis of the DPP-IV inhibitory activity, degree of hydrolysis, and TCA-soluble peptide content revealed that the specific pretreatments had a promoting or inhibiting effect on DPP-IV inhibitory peptide production depending on the protease used. Furthermore, the pretreatment method and the selected type of protease collectively influenced the foaming and emulsifying properties of the prepared peptides.

Novel MOF/COF dual carrier anchoring Ru nanoparticles for improved hydrogen production by hydrolysis of NaBH4

Here, a facile bottom-up strategy has been employed to grow metal organic frameworks on covalent organic frameworks, forming a ZIF-67/JUC-505 dual-carrier material for the first time. Subsequently, ultrafine Ru nanoparticles (NPs) were loaded onto it through hydrogen reduction, resulting in the Ru-(ZIF-67/JUC-505) catalyst. Transmission Electron Microscope and Brunauer Emmett Teller analysis indicate that ZIF-67/JUC-505 possesses a porous structure with both micropores and mesopores, and the ruthenium anchored on it forms ultrafine Ru nanoparticles (< 2 nm). The specific surface area of Ru-(ZIF-67/JUC-505) obtained is 638.8 m²·g⁻¹ . The study on performance of NaBH4 hydrolysis illustrates that Ru-(ZIF-67/JUC-505) with 2.38 wt% Ru NPs has the highest catalytic activity. Specifically, the hydrogen generation rate (HG rate) of NaBH4 is 34790 mL∙min−1∙g−1 at 303 K, significantly higher than Ru/ZIF-67 (2511 mL∙min−1∙g−1) and Ru/JUC-505 (3794 mL∙min−1∙g−1) single-carrier catalysts. Meanwhile, the Ru-(ZIF-67/JUC-505) catalyst also shows excellent cycling stability, that is the Ru-(ZIF-67/JUC-505) still maintained 91.0% of its initial performance after 10 cycles. The mechanistic study indicates that the cycling stability is ascribed to the dual-carrier material ZIF-67/JUC-505. Exploring novel porous hybrid materials is of great significance, and it provides potential for material separation, catalysis and other related fields.

Dual catalytic activity of a cucurbit[7]uril-functionalized metal alloy nanocomposite for sustained hydrogen generation: hydrolysis of ammonia borane and electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction.

H2 is one of the most attractive fuel alternatives to the existing fossil fuels that cause detrimental environmental issues. Thus, there has been an upsurge in the research on the production of green hydrogen. In this view, cucurbit[7]uril (CB7)-functionalized Co:Ni alloy nanocomposites with different compositions, reported here for the first time, were synthesized to synergise the catalytic activities of a nanoalloy and CB7 and screened for hydrogen generation via hydrolysis of ammonia borane (AB). The (Co85:Ni15)50:(CB7)50 nanocomposite exhibited enhanced catalytic performance for AB hydrolysis even at room temperature as compared to the nanoalloy without CB7. Efficient release of ammonia-free green H2 is ensured by the retention of NH3 by the surface functionalized CB7 macrocycles. For sustained release, a novel and cost-effective procedure was used to regenerate AB from the by-product, and the H2 release activity was verified to be on par with commercial AB. The used nanocomposite magnetically separated from the by-product solution was shown to be an efficient electrochemical catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The cucurbit[7]uril-functionalized Co:Ni nanocomposite demonstrates remarkable dual catalytic performance to generate clean hydrogen from both the hydrolysis of AB at room temperature and the electrochemical HER, thus opening new avenues in supramolecular chemistry for developing noble metal-free catalysts with high activity and long-term stability.

Enhanced generation of hydrogen through hydrolysis of biochar-coupled magnesium: Analysis of the performance of biochar-support and the effect of metallic coating on biochar

Hydrolysis is regarded as a safe, efficient and adorable approach to generate hydrogen (H2) from magnesium (Mg) or Mg-based materials. In this work, biochar (BC) and ferric oxide (Fe2O3) coated biochar (magnetic biochar: MBC) were synthesized and applied along with Mg as catalysts for an enhanced H2 generation. The Mg-Xwt%Y (X = 1.0, 3.0, 5.0, 10.0, 15.0 and Y = BC, MBC) composites were prepared via ball milling and employed to investigate their hydrolysis performance through kinetics in seawater. Among employed dosages, 10.0 wt% contents exhibited the best hydrolysis performance. Mg-10.0 wt%BC and Mg-10.0 wt%MBC composites after 1 h ball milling generated 820.03 and 828.02 mL/g (conversion yields of 89.03% and 89.99%) H2 in 40 and 10 min, respectively. Further, 10.0 wt% of BC and MBC decreased the hydrolysis kinetic energy of Mg from 63.9 to 41.07 and 17.16 kJ/mol, respectively. MBC has better catalytic effects for Mg hydrolysis compared with those by BC could be due to relatively more functional groups, providing more channels for water molecules to interact with Mg resulting in subsequent enhanced hydrolysis. Hence, MBC increased the reactivity and galvanic corrosion of Mg as well as prevented the formation of passive layer of magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)2) on fresh surface of Mg. The performance of MBC-supported Mg in hydrolysis process is anticipated to be essential for the creation of environmentally-friendly portable H2 generators, the use of clean generation of H2 energy and the reduction of environmentally adverse emissions.

Conversion of biochar into sulfonate-bearing solid acids used for the hydrolysis of tylosin: the effect of aromaticity and degree of condensation

In the last few decades, sulfonated carbon materials have garnered significant attention as Brønsted solid acid catalysts. The sulfonation process and catalytic activity of sulfonated biochar can be influenced by the aromaticity and degree of condensation exhibited by biochar. However, the relationships between the aromaticity, sulfonating ability, and resultant catalytic activity are not fully understood. In this study, biochar samples pyrolyzed at 300–650 °C exhibiting different aromaticity and degrees of condensation were sulfonated and employed as sulfonate-bearing solid catalysts for hydrolytically removing tylosin. They exhibited excellent hydrolytic performance and their kinetic constants were positively correlated with the total acidity and negatively correlated with their aromaticity. This study has uncovered the relationship between the structure, properties, sulfonating ability, and subsequent hydrolytic performance of biochar samples. It was observed that the aromaticity of biochar decreased as the pyrolysis temperature increased. Lower pyrolysis temperatures resulted in a reduced degree of condensation, smaller ring size, and an increased number of ring edge sites available for sulfonation, ultimately leading to enhanced catalytic performance. These findings provide valuable insights into the fundamental chemistry behind sulfonation upgrading of biochar, with the aim of developing functional catalysts for mitigating antibiotics in contaminated water.Graphical

Interfacial synergy between Pt3Co nanoparticles and CoO for efficient ammonia borane hydrolysis

Ammonia borane (AB, NH3BH3) with the high H2 content has been regarded as a promising material for chemical hydrogen storage. AB can hydrolyze to release H2 under the catalysis of noble-metal catalysts with high activity, but the high cost of noble-metals and their poor long-term stability prohibit the large-scale applications. Developing more cost-effective and stable catalysts by introducing cheap transition metal elements has been a promising strategy. Herein, we adopted a step-by-step precipitation method to synthesize bimetallic Pt-Co catalysts supported on rutile TiO2, which show significantly improved performance in AB hydrolysis reaction. The optimized 0.9Pt3.5Co/TiO2 catalyst (with the Pt and Co loadings of 0.9 and 3.5 wt%, respectively) exhibits an extremely high H2 generation rate, showing a turnover frequency value of 2163 molH2 molPt-1 min−1 at 298 K, 9 times higher than that of 0.9Pt/TiO2 catalyst and superior to those of most of the reported Pt-based catalysts. Structure characterizations and theoretical calculations reveal that the promoted AB hydrolysis performance arises from the interfacial synergistic effect between the supported Pt3Co alloy and cobalt oxide CoO, which accelerates the B-H bond cleavage and water activation, respectively. The excellent AB hydrolysis performance of the Pt-Co catalysts indicates the great prospects of alloy-oxide interfaces in the field of liquid phase chemical hydrogen storage.

A novel solid acid bearing thiophene group: Preparation and catalytic performance in cellulose hydrolysis

Two different aromatic monomers, naphthalene and benzothiophene, were ingeniously selected to prepare a solid acid with thiophene groups, which can selectively convert cellulose into glucose. The content of thiophene groups in the solid acids was regulated by adjusting the proportion of aromatic monomers. The effect of thiophene groups on physico-chemical structures and catalytic activity of solid acids was discussed. The experiment results indicate that the sulfur content in solid acids was up to 19.57 wt%. The introduction of thiophene groups increased –SO3H group density and adsorption capacity by 30.99 % and 64.36 %, respectively. These positive changes result in excellent catalytic activity of solid acids. The cellulose conversion rate and glucose selectivity reached 78.9 % and 97.1 % respectively at 150 °C and 7 h.

Optimizing Co2+ concentration on high-index Co3O4 facets enhances the catalytic performance in NaBH4 hydrolysis

Hydrogen is a viable alternative to fossil fuels due to its clean-burning properties and high energy density. However, a key challenge lies in the environmentally friendly production and storage of H2. NaBH4 could provide a solution by efficiently storing and releasing H2 through hydrolysis. Current catalysts for NaBH4 hydrolysis often contain cobalt (Co) and precious metals, raising concerns about their environmental impact and cost. To address this, this work proposes the development of efficient Co-only catalysts. Specifically, we explore the role of different crystal facets, specifically (311) and (220), in Co3O4 nanoparticles, demonstrating that an elevated CoO concentration in the (220) facet results in better catalysis for NaBH4 hydrolysis compared to traditional Co/precious metal composites. This improved catalyst shows promise for sustained use and minimal loss of catalytic activity, making it a potential solution for clean H2 production. Additionally, the findings may have broader applications in electrocatalysis and photocatalysis.

Maximizing Bioethanol Production from Eucalyptus globulus Using Steam Explosion Pretreatment: A Multifactorial Design and Fermenter Development for High Solid Loads

Steam explosion pretreatment is suitable for bioethanol production from Eucalyptus globulus wood. Multifactorial experiment designs were used to find the optimal temperature and residence time required to obtain the best glucose yield from the enzymatic hydrolysis of pretreated materials. The chemical composition, crystallinity index, morphology and polymerization degree of the pretreated materials were correlated with enzymatic accessibility. Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) using a fed-batch strategy was applied to three different laboratory-scale fermenters. The optimization of the pretreatment was obtained at 208 °C and 11 min. However, the enzymatic hydrolysis performance did not show significant differences from the material obtained at 196 °C and 9.5 min, which was determined to be the real optimum, owing to its lower energy requirement. The vertical fermenter with type “G” blades and the horizontal fermenter with helical blades were both highly efficient for reaching ethanol yields close to 90% based on dry wood, and ethanol concentrations close to 9.0% v/v.

Dairy manure acidogenic fermentation at hyperthermophilic temperature enabled superior activity of thermostable hydrolytic enzymes linked to the genus Caldicoprobacter

In this study, fermentation experiments were conducted under mesophilic, thermophilic, and hyperthermophilic conditions to investigate adaptation of microbial communities and its effect on extracellular enzyme activities toward degradation of cellulose, hemicellulose and proteins in dairy manure. Hyperthermophilic conditions transformed the microbiome structure and stimulated activity of extracellular proteolytic, cellulolytic, and hemicellulolytic enzymes. Specifically, the activities of protease, cellulose 1,4-β-cellobiosidase, and β-glucosidase secreted by hyperthermophilic microbes were higher by 22%, 47% and 49% compared to those produced by mesophilic and thermophilic communities. Enhanced hydrolytic activity of hyperthermophilic microbes enabled improved feedstock solubilization and production of 39% and 22% more soluble COD than mesophilic and thermophilic microbes, respectively. Connections between hydrolytic function and microbial community structure at various temperatures were assessed using the PICRUSt2 computational tool. Genus Caldicoprobacter was identified as the primary candidate responsible for increased production of thermostable endo-1,4-β-glucanase, β-glucosidase and endo-1,4-β-xylanase, and enhanced hydrolytic performance of hyperthermophilic microbial community.

Simple activation effect on the EC hydrolysis performance of MOF structure

Transition metal-based metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are considered as the ideal substitutes or supports for electrochemical catalysis field. However, due to the limited number of surface-active sites and the low conductivity of the bulk of MOFs/COFs, their electrocatalytic (EC) performance is usually promoted by the complicated multi-step decoration procedures. In this paper, a simple sequential-activation-step was verified to have the ability to improve considerably the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance of pristine Co-MOF (ZIF-67) material. For example, NC@Co from the carbonized and electrochemical activated ZIF-67 exhibited enhanced OER properties, while NC@CoxOy obtained via a sequential carbonize-oxidized-electrochemical activated procedure on ZIF-67 exhibited outstanding HER performance relatively. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations indicated that the in situ generated CoOOH was attributed to the improved HER/OER performance of the corresponding ZIF-67 activated derivatives with the redistribution of electron density, increased conductivity, and the optimized adsorption Gibbs free energy of hydrolysis intermediates. This work presents potential directions for the application of MOFs or COFs in the fields of electrochemical energy conversion through the electrochemical pathways.

Selectively fractionate hemicelluloses with high molecular weight from poplar thermomechanical pulp by tetramethylammonium hydroxide

Selective fractionation of hemicelluloses is of great significance for realizing high-value application of hemicelluloses and comprehensive utilization of lignocellulosic biomass. Tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) solvent has been confirmed as a promising solvent to selectively fractionate hemicelluloses from holocellulose. Herein, TMAH solvent was adopted to pretreat poplar thermomechanical pulp (PTMP) for the selective fractionation of hemicelluloses and enhancement of enzymatic hydrolysis performance of residues. The maximal hemicelluloses yield (65.0 %) and excellent cellulose retention rate (93.3 %) were achieved after pretreatment by the 25 wt% TMAH solvent, while the delignification was only 33.9 %. The hemicelluloses fractions could be selectively fractionated with high molecular weights (109,800–118,500 g/mol), the contents of Klason lignin in them were low (3.2–5.9 %), and the dominating structure of them was 4-O-methylglucurono-β-D-xylan. Compared to the H2SO4 and NaOH methods, the hemicelluloses fractionated by TMAH method exhibited higher yields, more complete structures and higher molecular weights. Furthermore, the crystalline structure of cellulose practically remained stable, and the highest yield of enzymatic hydrolysis glucose was 57.5 %, which was 3.3 times of that of PTMP. The fractionation effectiveness of TMAH solvent was not significantly reduced after repeatedly recycling. This work demonstrated TMAH solvent could selectively fractionate hemicelluloses from PTMP and efficiently promote sustainable poplar-based biorefinery.

Comprehensive insights into hydrothermal pretreatment of rice straw from physicochemical structure, organic matter transformation and hydrolysate reuse

Anaerobic digestion is an effective means of biomass utilization from solid waste, but the complex structure and low biodegradability of lignocellulose severely limit the anaerobic degradation conversion efficiency. In this study, hydrothermal pretreatment combined with chemicals was conducted to investigate physicochemical structure, chemical composition and changes, and enzymatic hydrolysis performance of rice straw under various combination hydrothermal pretreatment. The transformation mechanism of main components during alkaline-thermal pretreatment and the potential reuse of hydrolysate were further explored. Results showed that the total sugar concentration after hydrothermal pretreatment was 1.49 times higher than that after dissolution pretreatment. Hydrothermal-KOH pretreatment could destroy the waxy and siliceous layer on the straw surface. The roughness increased from 0.525 to 1.170 nm, and the average pore size 6.20 to 8.99 nm. Alkaline-thermal pretreatment could facilitate lignin dissolution and retained more cellulose and hemicellulose in the solid phase, and sugar concentration after pretreatment could reach 40.82 g/L. Porosity was affected by the dissolution of chemicals, and the pore structure also affected subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis. Dissolution of cellulose and hemicellulose resulted in a reduction in particle size and the formation of micropores, while re-aggregation and precipitation of lignin after dissolution led to the pore collapse and an increase in pore size. Furthermore, the hydrolysates contained nutrients, humic acids, plant hormones, and micronutrients, which had the potential to be developed into foliar fertilizers and reused. The results of this study will provide new insights and technical support for high-value utilization of straw.

Enhancing biomass conversion: Efficient hemicellulose removal and cellulose saccharification in poplar with FeCl3 coupled with acidic electrolyzed water pretreatment

Due to the recalcitrant structure of woody biomass such as poplar, the efficient disassembly and separation of hemicellulose component from woody biomass is crucial for green biomass processing and full component utilization. This study presented an environmentally friendly approach to utilize acidic electrolyzed water (AEW) combined with metal salts and investigated its pretreatment effects on hemicellulose removal and cellulose and lignin retention under different conditions. Meanwhile, the structural properties and enzymatic hydrolysis performance of the pretreated residues were also characterized. As a result, under the optimized pretreatment conditions (0.03 mol/L FeCl3 with AEW at 180 °C for 10 min), hemicellulose removal from poplar wood reached 98.64 %, accompanied by xylose recovery rate of 98.46 %, cellulose retention rate of 93.43 % and lignin retention rate of 94.29 %. Enzymatic hydrolysis rate of the pretreated cellulose-enriched substrate reached 97.65 %. Furthermore, comprehensive structural characterizations revealed that FeCl3 coupled with AEW pretreatment resulted in surface damage to the poplar wood, effective removal of the amorphous hemicellulose component, and partial destruction of the cellulose crystallinity. In conclusion, FeCl3 coupled with AEW pretreatment effectively separates hemicellulose, leading to significant alterations in biomass composition and structure, ultimately resulting in improved enzymatic digestion. These results provide theoretical support for targeted dissociation of hemicellulose and full component utilization of woody biomass.

Computational Insights into the Selecting Mechanism of α-Amylase Immobilized on Cellulose Nanocrystals: Unveiling the Potential of α-Amylases Immobilized for Efficient Poultry Feed Hydrolysis.

The selection of an appropriate amylase for hydrolysis poultry feed is crucial for achieving improved digestibility and high-quality feed. Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), which are known for their high surface area, provide an excellent platform for enzyme immobilization. Immobilization greatly enhances the operational stability of α-amylases and the efficiency of starch bioconversion in poultry feeds. In this study, we immobilized two metagenome-derived α-amylases, PersiAmy2 and PersiAmy3, on CNCs and employed computational methods to characterize and compare the degradation efficiencies of these enzymes for poultry feed hydrolysis. Experimental in vitro bioconversion assessments were performed to validate the computational outcomes. Molecular docking studies revealed the superior hydrolysis performance of PersiAmy3, which displayed stronger electrostatic interactions with CNCs. Experimental characterization demonstrated the improved performance of both α-amylases after immobilization at high temperatures (80 °C). A similar trend was observed under alkaline conditions, with α-amylase activity reaching 88% within a pH range of 8.0 to 9.0. Both immobilized α-amylases exhibited halotolerance at NaCl concentrations up to 3 M and retained over 50% of their initial activity after 13 use cycles. Notably, PersiAmy3 displayed more remarkable improvements than PersiAmy2 following immobilization, including a significant increase in activity from 65 to 80.73% at 80 °C, an increase in activity to 156.48% at a high salinity of 3 M NaCl, and a longer half-life, indicating greater thermal stability within the range of 60 to 80 °C. These findings were substantiated by the in vitro hydrolysis of poultry feed, where PersiAmy3 generated 53.53 g/L reducing sugars. This comprehensive comparison underscores the utility of computational methods as a faster and more efficient approach for selecting optimal enzymes for poultry feed hydrolysis, thereby providing valuable insights into enhancing feed digestibility and quality.

The Immobilization and Stabilization of Trypsin from the Porcine Pancreas on Chitosan and Its Catalytic Performance in Protein Hydrolysis

In this study, trypsin from the porcine pancreas was immobilized on a heterofunctional support prepared by activating chitosan (Chit) hydrogel with glutaraldehyde (GA), then functionalizing it with glycine (Chit–GA–Gly). The catalytic performance of the immobilized trypsin in the hydrolysis reactions was compared with the catalytic performance of the immobilized enzyme on glutaraldehyde-activated chitosan (Chit–GA) and chitosan hydrogel (Chit). The maximum concentration of immobilized protein on Chit–GA–Gly was approximately 16 mg·g−1 at pH 9.0 (5 mmol·L−1 buffer sodium carbonate) at 25 °C from an offered protein loading of 20 mg·g−1. This biocatalyst exhibited maximum specific activity (SA) of 33.1 ± 0.2 nmol·min−1·mg−1 for benzoyl-DL-arginine-p-nitroanilide (BAPNA) hydrolysis, twice as high as the enzyme immobilized on the classic Chit–GA support (SA values ranging between 6.7 ± 0.1 nmol·min−1·mg−1 and 8.1 ± 0.1 nmol·min−1·mg−1). The Elovich kinetic model was used to describe the adsorption process using low (3 mg·g−1) and high (20 mg·g−1) initial protein loadings. The optimum temperature for BAPNA hydrolysis catalyzed by the immobilized trypsin (60 °C) was 10 °C higher than that of its soluble form. Additionally, the immobilized enzyme was 16 to 20 times more stable than its soluble form at 50–55 °C. Thermodynamic studies were conducted to elucidate the kinetics of the thermal inactivation process of soluble and immobilized forms. Complete hydrolysis of bovine serum albumin (BSA) at 37 °C was achieved after 2 h using a soluble enzyme, while for its immobilized form, the hydrolysis yield was 47%. Reuse tests revealed that this biocatalyst retained 37% of its original activity after 10 successive hydrolysis batches. Based on these results, this support could be used as an interesting alternative for producing heterogeneous biocatalysts with high catalytic activity and thermal stability when producing protein hydrolysates.

In-situ construction of TiO2 polymorphic junction nanoarrays without cocatalyst for boosting photocatalytic hydrogen generation

There are significant challenges in developing technologies for high-yield photocatalytic hydrogen production reactions. Current photocatalytic materials face three key problems: low utilization of light, rapid recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, and a limited number of active sites during photocatalytic reactions. As a result, these materials only improve one or two of the three steps involved in photocatalytic hydrogen production reactions. Consequently, achieving simultaneous multifunctional synergy to enhance the efficiency of all three processes is difficult. Here, we report an in situ dissolution-recrystallisation approach to design and fabricate a three-dimensional TiO2 rutile/anatase (AE-TiO2) array photocatalytic material for photocatalytic hydrolysis applications. It is shown that the unique 3D nanoarray structure and in situ fabrication of the AE-TiO2 homojunction with synergistic effects among the components lead to an increase in light harvesting efficiency, charge transport separation efficiency and surface active sites, which remarkably improve the photocatalytic hydrolysis performance. The prepared AE-TiO2 homojunction materials realizes a maximal photoactivity of 4 μmol cm−2·h−1, which is 39 times larger than that of pure TiO2 rutile nanorods.

Local high concentration alkali field accelerated silicon hydrolysis for hydrogen production

Silicon is considered as a promising portable hydrolytic hydrogen production material due to its abundant raw materials, high theoretical capacity (1600 mL/g) and facile storage. However, the low hydrolysis activity and slow hydrolysis rate of silicon hinder its practical application. To address this issue, we introduced CaH2 to form Si-based composites via a flexible ball milling method. The above composites showed ideal yield (1216 mL/g in 10 min), reaction conversion (95.5%) and fast hydrolysis kinetics (225 mL/(s·g)) in deionized water, which is one of the best hydrolysis performances of Si-based composites so far. The hydrolytic process can be divided into two steps: the splitting hydrolysis of CaH2 and the continuous hydrolysis of Si. Combining the dynamic in-situ structural analysis with the analogue simulation, it can be confirmed that the formation of local high concentration alkali field is the key to promote the complete hydrolysis and achieve high yield and fast kinetics of the composites. The existence of lattice defects was proved and the adsorption of Si to hydroxide ion was proved by theoretical calculation. Our work provided a novel idea for the theoretical design of hydrolytic hydrogen production compounds and promoted the practical application of low cost and portable hydrolytic hydrogen production materials.

Extraction of lignin from sugarcane trash and its potency as biosurfactant

Sugarcane trash (SCT) is an environmental concern in Indonesia. The chemical compositions of SCT can be used as benign materials, such as lignin-based biosurfactants, for improving enzymatic hydrolysis performance through the biorefinery concept, yet no one has worked on this. Therefore, the crux of this study is to evaluate lignin and lignin-based biosurfactant characteristics from two different acid-alkali extraction methods: microwave (SCT-A) and autoclave (SCT-B). Both extraction methods successfully isolated lignin with a total lignin content of 82 % and 25 % for SCT-A and 73 % and 35 % for SCT-B, respectively. Lignin was successfully processed into biosurfactant by grafting method, which was proved by ester groups in biosurfactants at 1700 cm−1 from FTIR and δC 163.9–164.4 ppm from 13C NMR. Lignin-based SCT-A can reduce water surface tension up to 50.2 mN/m from 58.8 mN/m (pure water), while the lignin-based SCT-B was 54.4 mN/m. Further studies are required to evaluate the effectiveness of lignin-based biosurfactants in enzymatic hydrolysis.

Endogenous biopolymer hydrolysis for enhancing short-chain fatty acids recovery from excess sludge: Combination of lysozyme-catalyzing and cation exchange resin-mediated metal regulation

In decades, anaerobic fermentation with short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) recovery from excess sludge have attained rising attention. However, rigid particulate organic matter (POMs) structure with slow hydrolysis limited anaerobic fermentation performance of excess sludge. Remarkable sludge hydrolysis performance was supposed to be achievable by the synchronous EPS repture and microbial cell lysis. This study clarified the improvement of overall anaerobic fermentation performance by combination treatment of lysozyme (Lyso) catalysis and metal regulation (MR). The Lyso + MR treatment triggered EPS rupture by protein structure deflocculation while catalyzing microbial cell lysis, which promoted massive extracellular and intracellular POMs hydrolysis. As a result, a significant amount of SCOD (5646.67 mg/L) was produced. Such endogenous organic matters hydrolysis led to considerable SCFAs accumulation (3651.14 mg COD/L) through 48-h anaerobic fermentation at 1.75 g/g SS cation-exchange resin and Lyso dosage of 10% (w/w), which was 5.945 times higher than that in the control. Additionally, it suggested that most of the recovered SCFAs remained in fermentative liquid after chemical conditioning and mechanical dewatering towards solid-liquid separation, which provided considerable economic benefit of 363.6–1059.1 CNY/ton SS.