Mixture Of Sugarcane Bagasse Research Articles

EVALUATING THE BIO-ENERGY POTENTIAL OF SUGARCANE BIOMASS BRIQUETTES

The study was conducted to assess the conversion potentiality of sugarcane bio-mass into bioenergy through briquetting. Samples of sugarcane bagasse, sugarcane trash and a 50:50 mixture of sugarcane bagasse and trash were used to produce briquettes. An automated briquetting press with a capacity of 150-200 kg/hr was employed to produce cylindrical briquettes of 100 mm length. The quality parameters of briquettes such as moisture content, bulk density, compressive strength, shatter resistance, resistance to water penetration,volatile matter, fixed carbon, and calorific value were determined. Among the various briquettes investigated, briquettes made of bagasse have low ash content (5.32%), high shatter resistance (99.4%), and a high calorific value (15.15 MJ/kg), all of which are desirable characteristics for fuel combustion. However, the briquettes produced from bagasse-trash mixture were statistically on par with the briquettes of bagasse alone. Thus, briquettes produced from bagasse alone and bagasse-trash combination can be recommended for use in boilers in the food processing sector as an eco-friendly biofuel, which in turn helps in curbing environmental pollution. Further, there is a scope for entrepreneurship development by converting sugarcane biomass to briquettes, which would create employment for the rural youth.

Sorbitol production from a mixture of sugarcane bagasse and cassava pulp hydrolysates using thermotolerant Zymomonas mobilis TISTR548

The sorbitol production capability of different thermotolerant strains of Zymomonas mobilis and the optimization conditions for sorbitol production using sugarcane bagasse hydrolysate (SBH) and cassava pulp hydrolysate (CPH) as feedstocks were investigated. Among the different bacterial strains and combinations of SBH and CPH, the thermotolerant Z. mobilis TISTR548 and a mixture of SBH and CPH at a ratio of 0.50:0.50 provided the highest sorbitol concentration at 37 °C. A screening of the environmental factors influencing sorbitol production by Z. mobilis TISTR548 using the Plackett-Burman design (PBD) revealed three significant independent variables, i.e., CaCl 2 , NaCl, and pH, which positively affected sorbitol production using a mixture of SBH and CPH as substrate. The response surface methodology (RSM) based on the central composite design (CCD) resulted in the optimum CaCl 2 concentration of 2.47 g/L, a NaCl concentration of 0.08 g/L, and a pH of 6.49, yielding the maximum sorbitol concentration of 5.89 g/L, which was approximately 2.0-fold higher than that of the non-optimal conditions. This finding suggested that the bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomasses into sorbitol through microbial fermentation is another platform for sustainable industrial high-value bioproducts . • Sorbitol production from a mixture of sugarcane bagasse and cassava pulp hydrolysates. • High-temperature sorbitol fermentation using thermotolerant Zymomonas mobilis. • Optimization conditions for sorbitol production using a statistical experimental model.

Hydrolysis of Mixed Sugarcane Bagasse and Rice Husk Using Cellulase Enzyme for Reducing Sugar Production

Reducing sugar can be produced from lignocellulosic raw materials. The content of polysaccharides such as cellulose, hemicellulose, and starch will be broken down into simpler carbohydrates. This study used a mixture of sugarcane bagasse and rice husks as lignocellulosic raw materials. The lignin content in the raw material must be removed through delignification or pretreatment so that enzymes can access cellulose and hemicellulose. This study used a physics-chemical pretreatment method, in which lignocellulosic material soak in 3% NaOH then heated with microwave and boiling water. The next process is enzymatic hydrolysis with variations of cellulase enzymes activity 0.434, 0.871, 2.61, and 3.49 FPU/g mixture of bagasse and rice husks. The cellulase enzyme used in this study was also derived from the fungus Trichoderma viride. Analysis of the sugar concentration resulting from hydrolysis used the DNS method with the 3.5-dinitrosalicylic acid reagent. The concentration of sugar from hydrolysis using a variety of enzymes with microwave heating pretreatment and boiling water pretreatment obtained the highest results which were the same at the addition of enzyme activity 3.49 FPU/g substrate at 24 hours, namely 4.077 g/L and 15.18 g/L. The optimum time for enzymatic hydrolysis is 12 hours and optimum enzyme activity is the addition of enzyme activity 2.61 FPU/g. The average concentration of sugar hydrolyzed by the addition of Trichoderma viride solution in pretreatment using microwave heating was 0.7611 g/L with a yield of 21.01 mg sugar/g substrate and with pretreatment in boiling water obtained 0.8679 g/L with a yield of 23.95 mg sugar/g substrate.

Plastic regulates its co-pyrolysis process with biomass: Influencing factors, model calculations, and mechanisms

Co-pyrolysis of plastics and biomass can effectively improve the quality of bio-oil and solve the problem of plastic pollution. However, synergistic effect of co-pyrolysis on kinetics and the role of biomass H/Ceff in co-pyrolysis are still not conclusive. In this work, the co-pyrolysis synergistic effects of three different hydrogen-to-carbon ratio (H/Ceff) of biomass-rice husk (RH), sugarcane bagasse (SUG), and poplar wood (PW) with hydrogen-rich polypropylene (PP) were studied using a thermogravimetric method. The total synergy degree (φ) and the difference between experimental and theoretical weight losses (ΔW) were defined, and the activation energies of various experimental materials were calculated by the isoconversional method. The results showed that the addition of PP reduced the dependence of product species on biomass H/Ceff during co-pyrolysis. The synergistic effect of biomass and PP was related to biomass types, pyrolysis temperature, and mass ratio of biomass to PP. The mixture of SUG and PP showed positive synergistic effect at all mass ratios. Simultaneously, at the low temperature of pyrolysis, the synergistic effect is inhibited in all mixtures, which might be due to the melting of PP. Kinetic analysis showed that the activation energy could be reduced by 11.14–31.78% by co-pyrolysis with biomass and PP. A multi-step mechanism was observed in both the pyrolysis of a single sample and the co-pyrolysis of a mixture, according to Criado’s schematic analysis.

Co-gasification of different biomass feedstock in a pilot-scale (24 kWe) downdraft gasifier: An experimental approach

Co-gasification is considered as a useful technique for post-treatment of anaerobic digestion residues. The present study has dealt with the efficiency parameter of 24 kWe downdraft biomass gasifier with 50% mixture ratio of wood chips + corn cobs and 50% ratio of sugarcane bagasse + coconut shells. The performance of the gasification process was assessed with respect to biomass ratios on gasification efficiencies, reactor thermal profiles and equivalence ratio on specific yield of syngas composition and tar contents. Trials were conducted at a temperature range of 650–950 °C using equivalence ratios from 0.15 to 0.30. The biomass feeding rate was maintained between 35 and 40 kg/h. The total volume of gas obtained from co-gasification of wood chips + corn cobs was low (75.6 m3) than the mixture of sugarcane bagasse + coconut shells (94.33 m3) of gas at 5% moisture content. The average yield of syngas produced from the mixture of 1 kg wood chips + corn cobs and sugarcane bagasse + coconut shells were 2.52 and 3.14 m3, respectively. These results have shown that the mixture of wood chips + corn cobs produced almost 4238.6 mg/m3 tar impurities compared with the co-gasification sugarcane bagasse + coconut shells that produced 3767 mg/m3 with LHV of 3.8 MJ/Nm3 and 4.56 MJ/Nm3 at 5% moisture content respectively. This research concluded that co-gasification of sugarcane bagasse + coconut shells were found to be a suitable feedstock mixture for gasification and utilization of syngas for power generation depends on tar production, the flowrate of syngas, and performance in a downdraft gasifier.

Porosity and pore size distribution of beds composed by sugarcane bagasse and wheat bran for solid-state cultivation

Porosity and pore size distribution are influencing factors of several physical properties of porous media. For solid-state cultivation (SSC), this structural information is also important to determine the free space available for the microbial growth. The aim of this work was to determine the porosity and the pore size distribution of packed beds of pure sugarcane bagasse (SCB) and mixtures of SCB with wheat bran (WB) with and without cultivation with the fungus Myceliophthora thermophila I-1D3b. Computer-aided 2D photographic technique was used to evaluate the changes of the bed porosity due to the fungal growth in a mixture of SCB:WB with weight proportion 7:3 at 75% moisture content after 48 h of cultivation. The results showed a steep reduction of more than 50% of the porosity due to the fungal mycelium. A longitudinal porosity profile was found, and the midsection of the bed was poorly colonized due to the steric hindrance. In the uncultivated beds, no change of the porosity was found when changing moisture content of the samples of SCB and SCB:WB 7:3. A wide pore size distribution was observed for the uncultivated media, with the majority of the voids being too narrow for an adequate fungal growth and quite few, though very large, voids ensuring enough space for the mycelial expanse. X-ray tomography (μ-CT) imaging was used to assess the 3D structure of the bed and the complex network of voids. The 3D images reveal an average porosity quite close to the one obtained using the 2D image analysis. The results here obtained will be of help for more realistic models of heat, mass and momentum transfer to be proposed considering porosity variation and pore size distribution in this SSC system. The 2D technique is quite simple to apply and it is able to provide bulk bed structure, while the 3D technique is sophisticated and will allow detailed microstructure information in future experiments.

Techno-economic assessment of one-stage furfural and cellulosic ethanol co-production from sugarcane bagasse and harvest residues feedstock mixture

Co-production of furfural and ethanol from mixture of sugarcane bagasse and harvest residues in a biorefinery annexed to a sugar mill was investigated. The study considered energy self-sufficient scenarios producing furfural-only (scenario 1), ethanol-only (scenario 2) and integrated furfural-ethanol co-production at a range of operating conditions (scenarios 3–7). Scenario 1 was based on the industrial furfural process conditions (180 °C), which was replaced with steam explosion pretreatment at 205 °C in the ethanol-only Scenario 2. Furfural process conditions of Scenarios 3,4 and 6 were autocatalytic at 170 °C, 200 °C and 185 °C, respectively, while the furfural conditions with 0.5 wt% H2SO4 at 170 °C and 185 °C were applied for Scenarios 5 and 7, respectively. All investigated scenarios were simulated in Aspen Plus® V8.8, with economic viability expressed by internal rate of return (IRR). The integrated furfural and ethanol biorefinery (Scenario 5) was more profitable than the ethanol-only production (scenario 2) as indicated by 12.78 % and 10.18 % IRR, respectively. However, furfural-only biorefinery was the most profitable with IRR of 12.92 % as it was associated with lower total capital investments (272 million US$) and bypass (51 %). Although total capital investments (305 million US$) and feed bypass (58 %) were higher, the integrated furfural and ethanol biorefinery (Scenario 5) was more economically viable without electricity sales (IRR = 10.30 %) due to higher furfural yield (69 %). The economic benefits of furfural and ethanol co-production were limited by the process energy demands, which could only be supplied by feedstock available in the integrated biorefinery.

Hydrochar obtained with by-products from the sugarcane industry: Molecular features and effects of extracts on maize seed germination

Sugarcane bagasse, vinasse and a mixture of sugarcane bagasse and vinasse were hydrothermally carbonized (HTC), with and without the addition of phosphoric acid, in order to propose new applications of sucroenergetic industry by-products on soil. Detailed information on the composition and properties of hydrochars has been obtained through elemental composition, thermogravimetric analysis, nuclear magnetic resonance and, thermochemolysis GC-MS. The soluble acidic fraction from the hydrochar samples were applied to maize seeds to evaluate the agronomic potential as biostimulants and relate the molecular features with maize seed germination. The HTC treatment converted polysaccharide-based biomasses into hydrochars with hydrophobic characteristics (C-Aryl and C-Akyl). Furthermore, the addition of phosphoric acid further increased the overall hydrophobicity and shifted the thermal degradation of the hydrochars to higher temperatures. Biomass influenced the hydrochars that formed, in which the molecular features of sugarcane bagasse determined the formation of more polar hydrochar, due to the preservation of lignin and phenolic components. Meanwhile, the HTC of vinasse resulted in a more hydrophobic product with an enrichment of condensed and recalcitrant organic fractions. The germination assay showed that polar structures of bagasse may play a role in improving the maize seeds germination rate (increase of ~11%), while the hydrophobic domains showed negative effects. The responses obtained in germination seems to be related to the molecular characteristics that organic extracts can present in solution.

Improving enzyme production by solid-state cultivation in packed-bed bioreactors by changing bed porosity and airflow distribution.

Enzymes production by solid-state cultivation in packed-bed bioreactor needs to be improved by mathematical modeling and also by experimentation. In this work, a mixture of sugarcane bagasse and wheat bran was used for the growth of the fungus Myceliophthora thermophila I-1D3b, able to secrete endoglucanase and xylanase, enzymes of interest in the second-generation ethanol production. Bench and pilot-scale bioreactors were used for the experiments, while critical parameters as bed porosity and airflow distribution were evaluated. Results showed enzymes with higher activities for the most porous medium, even though the less substrate amount to be cultivated. For the pilot-scale bioreactor, only the most porous medium was evaluated using different airflow distribution techniques. Using an inner tube for air supply resulted in more homogeneous enzyme production, with higher activities. The results here presented will be helpful for the scale-up of this class of bioreactor into industrial apparatuses.

An innovative prototype furnace designed to produce activated carbon for removal of chromium from tannery waste

In recent years, the demand for energy is increasing due to increase in population, industrial and agricultural activities. India has most resources of renewable energy and a number of technologies have been developed to harness the energy resources. There is a huge potential to separate energy from agricultural waste using a suitable technology. The organic waste from various forms can be treated either by a biochemical or thermo chemical route. Biochemical conversion through anaerobic digestion results in the energy degradation. Thermo chemical conversion involves in the burning of waste to produce energy. The treatment method depends on factors such as quality, quantity, works and local requirement. Coconut shell and sugarcane bagasse are naturally occurring and abundant biomass which offers an economical solution for heavy metal removal. Heavy metals like nickel and chromium are main toxins which affects lives severely. The adsorption potential of activated carbon derived from a mixture of coconut shell and sugarcane bagasse has been studied for the removal of chromium from the tannery waste water collected from the Common Effluent Treatment Plant(CETP) atPallavaram, Chennai. The activated charcoal is prepared by designing a prototype furnace which accommodates large quantity of biomass and burnt in an inert atmosphere to produce activated carbon. This carbon material was collected and made into energy blocks as briquettes. These briquettes have been used as a filter bed to remove the heavy metals by developing a packed bed column experiment. Thus the experiment indicates that mixture of sugarcane bagasse and coconut shell works out as an effective adsorbent for the removal of chromium from tannery waste water.

Performing under pressure: esterification activity of dry fermented solids in subcritical and supercritical CO2.

Lipases are often used in immobilized form, but commercial immobilized lipases are costly. An alternative is to produce lipases in solid-state fermentation, dry the solids and then use the "dry fermented solids" (DFS) directly. We produced DFS by growing Burkholderia contaminans on a mixture of sugarcane bagasse and sunflower seed meal and used the DFS to esterify oleic acid with ethanol in subcritical and supercritical CO2 at 40°C. Compared to a control without CO2 at atmospheric pressure, subcritical CO2 at 30bar improved esterification activity 1.2-fold. Higher pressures, including supercritical pressures up to 150bar, reduced activity to less than 80% of the control. At 30bar, the esterification activity was improved a further 1.8-fold with the addition of 9% water (i.e. 9g water per 100g oleic acid) to the reaction medium. A subcritical CO2 atmosphere, with the addition of a small amount of water, improved the esterification activity of DFS containing lipases of Burkholderia contaminans.

Simultaneous biofiltration of H2S and NH3 using compost mixtures from lignocellulosic waste and chicken manure as packing material.

Biofiltration offers an efficient and economical alternative for the elimination of offensive odors caused by hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, and volatile organic compounds. Considering that packing materials affect the performance and represent the main installation cost, the purpose of this work was to evaluate the biofiltration of H2S and NH3 comparing three composted mixtures made from chicken manure and lignocellulosic residues (pruning waste, sugarcane bagasse, and rice husk) used as packing material. A range of gas concentrations similar to those of a municipal WWTP was used in the biofiltration of a contaminated stream performed on a laboratory scale. The results indicate that at low concentrations of H2S (6-36 ppm) and NH3 (0-1 ppm), the three biofilters showed 100% removal efficiency. Now, at the maximum levels of gas concentrations of H2S (250 ppm) and NH3 (19 ppm) while the removal efficiency of H2S remained higher than 90% in all cases, the removal efficiency of NH3 remained higher than 90% only in the sugarcane bagasse biofilter. Compost mixtures with sugarcane bagasse and rice husk are highly reliable as packing material for biofiltration at high concentration of H2S. Specifically, the sugarcane bagasse mixture had the highest removal efficiency (99% H2S and 95% NH3) and the highest elimination capacity (15 g H2S/m3h and 0.6 g NH3/m3h), making it a better option for the elimination of both gases. These results represent a contribution to the construction of a low-price elimination system of offensive odors in WTTPs and other industries.

Development and Evaluation of a Disposable Solid-State Culture Packed-Bed Bioreactor for the Production of Conidia from Trichoderma asperellum Grown Under Water Stress

A new prototype of a disposable solid-state culture bioreactor (DSSCB) belonging to the packed-bed category is developed for the production of fungal conidia. The bioreactor has the advantages of being autoclavable, lightweight and disposable. With a working volume of 39.52 L, it can be used for large-scale production of fungal conidia. The DSSCB was successfully tested under forced aeration for the production of conidia (2.1 × 1010/g dry substrate in 140 h) from Trichoderma asperellum, a biocontrol fungus. A mixture of sugarcane bagasse, wheat bran, olive pomace, potato flakes and vine shoots was used as substrate. The DSSCB allowed an overall production of 1.26 × 1014 conidia. Based on its configuration, the fermented substrate can be easily transported and used in either solid or liquid form, for biocontrol application. This is a significant advance in the field of biomass production in solid-state culture as problems associated with the decontamination of the bioreactor prior to its reuse can be avoided. The study demonstrated that the DSSCB is suitable for the production of conidia using T. asperellum.

Humic extracts from hydrochar and Amazonian Anthrosol: Molecular features and metal binding properties using EEM-PARAFAC and 2D FTIR correlation analyses

Organic matter plays many roles in the soil ecosystem. One property of the substance concerns the metal complexation and interaction with organic contaminants. In this sense, the humic substances (HS), a heterogeneous mixture of compounds, naturally derived from degradation of biomass, have been widely studied in environmental sciences. Recent advances showed a new way to produce humic-like substances (HLS) through hydrothermal carbonization of biomass. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the HLS of hydrochars, produced by using a mixture of sugarcane bagasse and vinasse with sulfuric acid added (1 and 4% v/v), and to assess their interactions with metal ions, (Fe(III), Al(III), Cu(II) and Co(II)) using EEM-PARAFAC and a two-dimensional FTIR correlation analysis. The results were compared to the humic substances extracted from the Amazonian Anthrosol, as a model of anthropogenic organic matter. NMR analysis showed that humic-like extracts from hydrochar are mainly hydrophobic, while the soil has a greater contribution of polar moieties. The HLS and HS showed similar complexation capacities for Fe(III), Al(III) and Cu(II) assays. For Co(II) HLS exhibited larger affinities than HS. Two-dimensional correlation analysis FTIR showed that chemical groups may undergo conformational alteration with metal additions to achieve more stable arrangements (higher stability constant). Therefore, these results contribute more knowledge about the mechanism of HS and metal ion interaction, as well as showing that HTC can be an interesting option for HLS production, to be used as humic based materials.

Contemporaneous synthesis of multiple carbohydrate debranching enzymes from newly isolated Aspergillus fumigatus SKF-2 under solid state fermentation: A unique enzyme mixture for proficient saccharification of plant bioresources

The agricultural residues are the most plentiful renewable bioresources in our earth as they enriched with a good amount of polysaccharides like cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin, and starch. A newly isolated soil fungus Aspergillus fumigatus SKF-2 produced a cocktail of carbohydrate debranching enzymes under solid-state fermentation (SSF) using a mixture of sugarcane bagasse, wheat bran and orange peel in equal amount as inducible substrates. During optimization of fermentation condition through one factor at a time approach and subsequently by response surface methodology cellulase [CMCase (1447.89 U/gds), FPase (1401.98 U/gds), β-glucosidase (1461.23 U/gds)], xylanase (1897.43 U/gds), pectinase (1456.95 U/gds) and amylase (1821.34 U/gds) were evolved in higher titer. Most of the enzymes were optimally active at pH 7.0, stable up to pH 7.0-9.0 and at 30°-40 °C. The molecular weight of the CMCase, amylase, xylanase, pectinase, and β-glucosidase was determined as 21, 32, 50, 60 and 70 KDa, respectively. The kinetic indices like Km and Vmax were also in favorable ranges. Chemical as well as FE-SEM-EDX, FTIR and XRD analysis of the SSF substrates revealed a considerable structural deformation occurred by the action of enzymes evolved in the course of fermentation. The produced enzymatic combination mixture may have considerable industrial potentialities for complete saccharification of plant polysaccharides containing bioresources.

Effects of Composted and Vermicomposted Sugarcane Industry Wastes and Farm Manure on Tomato Quality and Yield

A field study was conducted to signify the use of sugarcane industrial and dairy farm wastes through composting and vermi-composting and application to tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum L) crop to evaluate any effects on growth, yield and fruit quality. Composts and vermi-composts of FM (Farm Manure), SB (Sugarcane Bagasse), SP (Sugarcane Pressmud), mixture of SB×SP×SE [sugarcane effluent (1:1:1)] @ 10 t ha1, respectively were applied before transplanting of nursery. The fertilizers NPK @ 81-76-76 kg ha-1 were also applied in all plots. Overall, there were significant (p≤0.05) impacts of treatments on agronomic and fruit quality traits. Plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves, number of fruits and yield were increased by 37, 67, 62, 59 and 24% with FMVC (Farm Manure Vermi-Compost) treatment over control. There was 6% increase in soluble solids of tomato fruit in FMVC plots compared with control treatment. However, maximum titrable acidity (0.0081mg citric acid/100g) in fruit juice was found in MVC plots. TN (Total Nitrogen) concentration of tomato fruit juice was increased by 1.74% in with FMVC over control treatments. Maximum lycopene contents (22.19 mg kg-1) were observed in FMVC plots as compared to all other treatments. It could be concluded that all treatments improved growth, yield and quality of fruit compared with control; whereas FMVC treatment performed better.

Production and purification of xylitol by Scheffersomyces amazonenses via sugarcane hemicellulosic hydrolysate

AbstractXylitol was produced by Scheffersomyces amazonensis UFMG‐HMD‐26.3 in hemicellulosic hydrolysate obtained from a mixture of sugarcane bagasse and straw (1:1) in batch fermentation, and was recovered using supercritical fluid. The xylitol produced was 20.11 g L−1 and the extraction approach reached a xylitol recovery of 40.51% at a high purity level of 99.59%. An analysis of energy consumption for the xylitol production process showed that xylitol production from sugarcane biomass hemicellulosic hydrolysate is feasible, highlighting the potential use of this biomass in sustainable xylitol production and supercritical fluids as a robust proposal for xylitol separation. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Xylooligosaccharides production from a sugarcane biomass mixture: Effects of commercial enzyme combinations on bagasse/straw hydrolysis pretreated using different strategies.

Xylooligosaccharides (XOS) are non-digestible food ingredients with prebiotic properties for selectively promoting the growth of probiotics, which provide many health benefits and several applications in the food and pharmaceutical industry. The objective of this study was to optimize the concentration of commercial hemicellulases for the production of XOS, with a 2-6 polymerization degree, using a mixture of sugarcane bagasse and straw pretreated with ionic liquid or diluted sulfuric acid. The concentrations of enzymes endo-1,4-xylanase (NS50030, Novozyme®) and α-L-arabinofuranosidase (GH51) (Megazyme®) were optimized using a central composite rotatable design (CCRD). The xylooligosaccharides (XOS) released by hydrolysis were analyzed via capillary electrophoresis and quantified with HPAEC-PAD. The XOS profile obtained from the hydrolisis of the pretreated sugarcane biomass mixture (MPSA) was similar to that obtained with the hydrolisis of MBX, which provided higher xylobiose (X2) concentration. Our results also demonstrated that pretreatment with an ionic liquid favored the requirement of lower enzyme concentration in enzymatic hydrolysis for having provided a biomass with lower lignin content than the pretreatment with dilute sulfuric acid. It required up to 20% less of the optimum concentration of the endo-1,4-xylanase mixture to achieve similar values to those obtained with the biomass pretreated with dilute sulfuric acid, representing a possible alternative to reduce enzymatic cost.

The Effect of Sugarcane Bagasse to Rubber Seed Oil Ratios on The Chemical Composition of Liquid Fuels Produced by Zeolite-y Catalyzed Pyrolysis

In this research, co-pyrolysis of sugarcane bagasse and rubber seed oil using zeolite-Y as catalyst was carried out, with the main purpose to study the effect of raw material compositions on chemical composition of liquid fuel produced. For this purpose, the mixture of sugarcane bagasse and rubber seed oil with different mass ratios of bagasse to oil of 1 : 1; 1: 2; 1: 3: and 1: 4 was subjected to pyrolysis at 450 ° C in the presence of zeolite-Y as catalyst, and the liquid fuels were analyzed by GC-MS. The results show that liquid fuel contains hydrocarbons as main components, with several additional components include alcohols, esters, ketones, aldehydes, and acids. The liquid fuel produced from the raw material with the ratio of 1 : 3 was found to contain hydrocarbon with the highest relative percentage (87.91%), and consists of gasoline fraction (42.60%), kerosene fraction (43.59%), and residual fraction (1.72%).

Rhamnolipid production by a gamma ray-induced Pseudomonas aeruginosa mutant under solid state fermentation

Solid-state fermentation has a special advantage of preventing the foaming problem that obstructs submerged fermentation processes for rhamnolipid production. In the present work, a 50:50 mixture of sugarcane bagasse and sunflower seed meal was selected as the optimum substrate for rhamnolipid production using a Pseudomonas aeruginosa mutant 15GR and an impregnating solution including 5% v/v glycerol. Using Box–Behnken design, the optimum fermentation conditions were found to be an inoculum size 1% v/v, temperature 30 °C and unlike other studies, pH 8. These optimized conditions yielded a 67% enhancement of rhamnolipid levels reaching 46.85 g rhamnolipids per liter of impregnating solution, after 10 days, which was about 5.5 folds higher than that obtained by submerged liquid fermentation. Although maximum rhamnolipids concentration was obtained after 10 days of incubation, rhamnolipids concentration already reached high levels (41.87 g/l) after only 6 days. This rhamnolipid level was obtained in a shorter time and using lower carbon source concentrations than most studies reported so far. The findings obtained indicate an enormous potential for employing solid-state fermentation for rhamnolipid production by the studied isolate.