Potential Carbon Source Research Articles

Use of a 700 MHz NMR Microcryoprobe for the Identification and Quantification of Exogenous Carbon in Compounds Purified by Preparative Capillary Gas Chromatography for Radiocarbon Determinations

Preparative capillary gas chromatography (PCGC) is the central technique used for the purification of volatile or semivolatile organic compounds for radiocarbon analysis using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). While thicker film columns offer efficient separations, cyclic poly(dimethylsiloxanes) (PDMS) derived from the column's stationary phase have been highlighted as a potential source of contaminant carbon in "trapped" compounds. The PDMS CH3 groups are of "infinite" radiocarbon age due to the fossil carbon origin of the feedstock used in production. Hence, column bleed, if present at sufficiently high concentrations, would shift the radiocarbon ages of trapped compounds to older ages. Quantification of the column bleed in trapped samples, however, is extremely challenging and up to now has only been achieved through indirect 14C determinations of chromatographic blanks, which are used for post 14C determination "corrections". As part of wider investigations aimed at better understanding the chemical nature of contamination in compound-specific 14C determinations, herein, we report a rigorous approach to column bleed identification and quantification. Using reference fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs), 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), employing a 700 MHz instrument equipped with a 1.7 mm microcryoprobe optimized for 1H observation, was able to detect low submicrogram amounts of low molecular weight compounds (<500 Da). Direct quantification of PCGC "trapped" FAMEs was achieved based on the recorded 1H NMR spectra. Gravimetrically prepared calibration mixtures of cyclic PMDSs and FAMEs showed column bleed abundance to be below 0.03% w/w of the "trapped" FAMEs, which would lead to a maximum shift in radiocarbon age of <3 years toward older values. We therefore conclude that column bleed contamination has a negligible effect on the 14C determination of FAMEs prepared using the chromatographic method described. The 1H NMR analysis also revealed the absence of other protonated carbon-containing components that would affect radiocarbon determinations at the precisions achievable by AMS.

Electrochemical Upgrading of Bio-Oil

Bio-oil produced by fast pyrolysis of biomass is a potential source of low carbon, renewable hydrocarbon fuel. However, the properties such as low heating value, incomplete volatility, acidity, instability, and incompatibility with standard fuels restrict its use. The undesirable properties of pyrolysis oil result from its chemical composition that mostly consists of different classes of oxygenated organic compounds. Current process of Hydrodeoxygenation to remove oxygen involves high-temperature, high-pressure processing in the presence of hydrogen and catalyst. An alternative process of deoxygenation of bio-oil using solid-state, oxygen conductor based electrochemical cell is under investigation. The electrolysis process removes oxygen from the oxygenated organic molecule as well from steam to produce hydrogen in-situ allowing for a distributed, small scale integrated upgrading unit. Mixtures of model compounds and a slip stream of pyrolysis vapor were tested. The results show the potential for integrating a pyrolyzer and an electrochemical device for stabilizing pyrolysis oil.

Development and characterization of bacterial cellulose produced by cashew tree residues as alternative carbon source

Bacterial cellulose (BC) has been extensively exploited for applications in materials science, biomedical and technological fields. The BC production demands culture media rich in carbon sources. Agro-forestry residues constitute an interesting source of nutrients for microorganism, but they are frequently wasted. For cashew crop, exudate is periodically extracted from the tree trunks to increase the production of cashew nut, the most valuable product from cashew trees that produces about 700g of exudate/year, which remains wasted. Here, we associated the nutritional properties of residues from cashew tree with the need of carbon sources for BC, in attempt to valorize the residue and to decrease the costs of BC production. The carbon source from Hestrin Schramm culture medium was totally or partially replaced by cashew tree residues and the BC production was evaluated. The produced BC membrane in static medium was characterized by FTIR, SEM and TGA and the kinetics of production was determined, suggesting the cashew tree residues as a potential carbon source for BC production.

Fructan reduction by downregulation of 1-SST in guayule

The natural rubber producing plant guayule (Parthenium argentatum Gray) stores carbohydrates mainly in the form of fructans, synthesized and stored in the same tissues at the same time as the rubber polymer, and a potential source of carbon for rubber biosynthesis. The first committed step to fructan synthesis is catalyzed by sucrose:sucrose-1-fructosyltransferase (1-SST), which was downregulated to test whether reduction of carbohydrate synthesis would divert carbon instead to rubber biosynthesis. Guayule leaf strips were transformed by Agrobacterium-mediated technology, and plants with downregulated 1-SST were evaluated in the laboratory and greenhouse. The plant tissue fructan concentration was reduced significantly, and sucrose concentration increased, especially in root tissues of greenhouse-grown plants. However, increased natural rubber production did not result.

Fabrication and characterization of rice husk and coconut shell charcoal based bio-briquettes as alternative energy source

Rice husk and coconut shell have been disposed or burned as waste. As biomass, both of materials are the potential sources of carbon which can be utilized as alternative energy sources. The energy content can be exploited more intensively when packaged in a brief and convenient. In this work, the mixtures of rice husks and coconut shells charcoal were prepared as briquettes. After going through the carbonization process, several measurements have been taken to find out the factors that determine the value of heat energy contains by each component of the charcoals. The basic ingredients briquettes prepared from rice husk and coconut shell charcoal with varying composition and addition of tapioca starch gradually as adhesive material to obtain briquettes in solid with the maximum heat energy content. After going through pressing and drying process, the briquettes with 50:50 percent of composition and the 6% addition of adhesive was found has the highest heat energy content, equal to 4966 cal/g.

Effect of glucose and olive oil as potential carbon sources on production of PHAs copolymer and tercopolymer by Bacillus cereus FA11.

In this study, the influence of different physicochemical parameters on the yield of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) produced by Bacillus cereus FA11 is investigated. The physicochemical factors include pH, temperature, time, inoculum size and its age, agitation speed and composition of the glucose rich peptone deficient (GRPD) medium. During two-stage fermentation, B. cereus FA11 produced a significantly high (p<0.05) yield (80.59% w/w) of PHAs copolymer using GRPD medium containing glucose (15g/L) and peptone (2g/L) at pH 7, 30°C and 150rpm after 48h of incubation. On the other hand, the presence of olive oil (1% v/v) and peptone (2g/L) in the GRPD medium resulted in biosynthesis of tercopolymer during two-stage fermentation and the yield of tercopolymer was 60.31% (w/w). The purified PHAs was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and proton resonance magnetic analysis. Proton resonance magnetic analysis confirmed that the tercopolymer was comprised of three different monomeric subunits, i.e., 3-hydroxybutyrate, 3-hydroxyvalerate and 6-hydroxyhexanoate.

Bringing methanotrophy in rivers out of the shadows

AbstractMethane oxidation produces biomass that is a potential source of particulate carbon for consumers, and is in addition to photosynthetic production. We assessed methanotrophy and photosynthetic production under differing conditions of light and methane concentration. We measured methane oxidation and photosynthesis in gravel sediments from adjacent shaded and unshaded stretches of 15 chalk rivers in southern England, and also in 30 artificial channels in which we manipulated light and methane experimentally. The capacity for methane oxidation was 78% higher in the shade than unshaded areas, indicating a denser, or more active, methanotrophic assemblage on shaded riverbeds, and the difference was most pronounced when methane concentration was high. Across the 15 rivers, methanotrophic production ranged from 16 to 650 nmol C cm−2 d−1 and net photosynthetic production from 256 to 35,750 nmol C cm−2 d−1. The relative importance of methanotrophy to their total production (i.e., photosynthetic and methanotrophic) increased with methane concentration and ranged from 0.1–2.4% and 0.2–13% in unshaded and shaded areas, respectively. Over an annual cycle in one river, the response of the methanotrophs in the shade to a high summer methane concentration was ∼ five times greater than in the open; in winter, there was no effect of shading on methane oxidation. The response of methanotrophy to shading and methane concentration in the artificial channels resembled that found in the rivers. Methanotrophy makes a non‐negligible (here up to ∼ 13%) contribution to particulate carbon production in these streams, is disproportionately greater in the shade, and constitutes a distinct carbon pathway available for their food webs.

By-products of the cider production: an alternative source of nutrients to produce bacterial cellulose

In the present work a culture process to produce bacterial cellulose (BC) using by-products of the cider production from the Basque Country was investigated. The apple pomace was mixed with sugar cane (AR/SC medium) and the mixture was found to be a potential carbon source for Gluconacetobacter medellinensis strain ID13488 since higher cellulose production was observed with respect to the commercial Hestrin and Shramm medium (H–S). The culture media were characterized in terms of pH, oxygen and sugars consumption. The expression level of the operon bcs (genes involved in BC biosynthesis) in apple residue containing medium respect to standard H–S medium was determined. It was found that in AR/SC medium the expression levels of bcsA gene, wich is the first gene of the bcs operon, was increased in 1.5-fold respect to the H–S media which correlates with the fact that BC production in AR/SC media is higher than in H–S media. The physico-chemical and mechanical properties, microstructure, crystallinity and water holding capacity of the biosynthesized BC membranes were analyzed and it was found that, in general, the BC obtained from AR/SC medium presented superior properties than that obtained from H–S medium. In this study an economic method for BC production is proposed with suitable properties for many applications.

Effect of various carbon source, temperature and pH on nitrate reduction efficiency in mineral salt medium enriched with Bacillus weinstephnisis (DS45)

The potential bacterial isolates which reduces nitrate using mineral salt medium (MSM) was studied through a batch mode process. Specific nitrate reducing bacteria were isolated from Dharmapuri district (Tamilnadu, India) soil samples. The selected potential bacterium was morphologically and biochemically identified as a Bacillus weinstephnisis (DS45), since it demonstrates more efficiency in removal of nitrate. The effect of various carbon sources, temperatures and pH on removal of 100mg/L of nitrate was checked by amending the MSM. A rapid nitrate reduction (83.05%) was observed in 0.5% of starch, 35°C of temperature in pH 7. This study evaluated that the 0.5% starch could be a potential carbon source to enhance the bacterial growth for the removal of nitrate in the aqueous medium within the suitably optimized conditions.

Food resources of the bivalve Astarte elliptica in a sub-Arctic fjord: a multi-biomarker approach

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 567:139-156 (2017) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12036 Food resources of the bivalve Astarte elliptica in a sub-Arctic fjord: a multi-biomarker approach Blandine Gaillard1,8,*, Tarik Meziane2, Réjean Tremblay1, Philippe Archambault1,3, Martin E. Blicher4, Laurent Chauvaud5, Søren Rysgaard4,6,7, Frédéric Olivier2 1Institut des Sciences de la mer, Université du Québec à Rimouski, 310 Allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, Québec G5L 3A1, Canada 2Biologie des Organismes et Ecosystèmes Aquatiques, UMR-MNHN, CNRS, UPMC, IRD, UCN, UA, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 61 rue Buffon, CP 53, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France 3Québec-Océan, Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec G1V 0A6, Canada 4Greenland Climate Research Centre, Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Kivioq 2, Box 570, 3900 Nuuk, Greenland 5Unité Mixte de Recherche ‘Laboratoire des sciences de l’environnement marin’ (LEMAR, UMR 6539), Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer, Technopôle Brest-Iroise, rue Dumont d’Urville, 29280 Plouzané, France 6Centre for Earth Observation Science, CHR Faculty of Environment Earth and Resources, University of Manitoba, 499 Wallace Building, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2, Canada 7Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, Bldg. 1540, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark 8Present address: Biologie des Organismes et Ecosystèmes Aquatiques, UMR- MNHN, CNRS, UPMC, IRD, UCN, UA, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 61 rue Buffon, CP 53, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France *Corresponding author: blandine.gaillard5@gmail.com ABSTRACT: It is generally agreed that pelagic-benthic coupling is tight on Arctic shelves, i.e. that organic matter produced in the surface layers supports the seafloor and benthos. However, this paradigm is mainly based on the assumption that phytoplankton and ice algae are the main sources of carbon for the benthic communities. Climate change is expected to alter the relative contribution of food sources for benthic organisms. Macroalgal biomass is predicted to increase in near-shore systems in response to increased temperature and reduced sea ice cover. Thus, a better understanding of the relative contribution of benthic and pelagic components in benthic food webs in the Arctic is needed. In this study, a multi-biomarker approach (stable isotopes, fatty acid trophic markers, and compound-specific stable isotope analysis) was applied to link potential sources of carbon, including particulate organic matter from subsurface and bottom waters, sediment organic matter, and 6 macroalgal species to the diet of the bivalve Astarte elliptica collected below the euphotic zone in a sub-Arctic fjord (Kobbefjord, Greenland). Results showed that A. elliptica feeds on particulate and sediment organic matter and that brown macroalgae significantly support the Arctic benthic food web. Multi-biomarker approaches can be used to determine the diet of benthic organisms and track temporal variability in sources of food. It therefore appears to be an interesting method to study food regime strategies in response to changing primary production dynamics. KEY WORDS: Trophic ecology · Stable isotopes · Fatty acid trophic markers · Compound-specific stable isotope analysis · Sub-Arctic fjord · Bivalve Full text in pdf format Supplementary material PreviousNextCite this article as: Gaillard B, Meziane T, Tremblay R, Archambault P and others (2017) Food resources of the bivalve Astarte elliptica in a sub-Arctic fjord: a multi-biomarker approach. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 567:139-156. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12036 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 567. Online publication date: March 13, 2017 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2017 Inter-Research.

Biotechnological route for sustainable succinate production utilizing oil palm frond and kenaf as potential carbon sources.

Due to the world's dwindling energy supplies, greater thrust has been placed on the utilization of renewable resources for global succinate production. Exploration of such biotechnological route could be seen as an act of counterbalance to the continued fossil fuel dominance. Malaysia being a tropical country stands out among many other nations for its plenty of resources in the form of lignocellulosic biomass. To date, oil palm frond (OPF) contributes to the largest fraction of agricultural residues in Malaysia, while kenaf, a newly introduced fiber crop with relatively high growth rate, holds great potential for developing sustainable succinate production, apart from OPF. Utilization of non-food, inexhaustible, and low-cost derived biomass in the form of OPF and kenaf for bio-based succinate production remains largely untapped. Owing to the richness of carbohydrates in OPF and kenaf, bio-succinate commercialization using these sources appears as an attractive proposition for future sustainable developments. The aim of this paper was to review some research efforts in developing a biorefinery system based on OPF and kenaf as processing inputs. It presents the importance of the current progress in bio-succinate commercialization, in addition to describing the potential use of different succinate production hosts and various pretreatments-saccharifications under development for OPF and kenaf. Evaluations on the feasibility of OPF and kenaf as fermentation substrates are also discussed.

Aerobic and anoxic biodegradability of amines applied in CO2-capture

Integrated and sustainable waste handling is becoming essential in large scale employment of amine-based post combustion CO2 capture and storage (CCS). We have previously proven the feasibility of biological nitrogen removal of amines in a moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) in pre-denitrification mode, thereby serving as a carbon source for denitrification. To evaluate novel solvents, it is essential to test their biodegradability under anoxic conditions. Generally, biodegradability is assessed by standardized aerobic tests, but no equivalent method is available for anoxic degradation. Therefore, a new anoxic batch screening test in syringes was used, measuring the headspace volume expansion due to produced N2 gas over time. Aerobic biodegradability was measured the conventional way by determining the biological oxygen demand (BOD). Nine different amine samples were tested, including monoethanolamine (MEA) and reclaimer waste. Comparison of biodegradability under aerobic fresh and sea water conditions showed generally improved biodegradation in fresh water. The anoxic screening identified subgroups of amines classified as a) easily degradable, b) slowly degradable and c) undegraded. The results show that BOD alone cannot be relied upon as the only parameter to describe biodegradability. Our anoxic biodegradability test provides essential information on potential carbon sources for denitrification in MBBR and describes the biodegradation kinetics involved.

Generation and Validation of the iKp1289 Metabolic Model for Klebsiella pneumoniae KPPR1.

Klebsiella pneumoniae has a reputation for causing a wide range of infectious conditions, with numerous highly virulent and antibiotic-resistant strains. Metabolic models have the potential to provide insights into the growth behavior, nutrient requirements, essential genes, and candidate drug targets in these strains. Here we develop a metabolic model for KPPR1, a highly virulent strain of K. pneumoniae. We apply a combination of Biolog phenotype data and fitness data to validate and refine our KPPR1 model. The final model displays a predictive accuracy of 75% in identifying potential carbon and nitrogen sources for K. pneumoniae and of 99% in predicting nonessential genes in rich media. We demonstrate how this model is useful in studying the differences in the metabolic capabilities of the low-virulence MGH 78578 strain and the highly virulent KPPR1 strain. For example, we demonstrate that these strains differ in carbohydrate metabolism, including the ability to metabolize dulcitol as a primary carbon source. Our model makes numerous other predictions for follow-up verification and analysis.

De novo transcriptomic profiling of Dunaliella salina reveals concordant flows of glycerol metabolic pathways upon reciprocal salinity changes

Regulation of glycerol contents is vital for adaptation to salinity changes in Dunaliella salina. However, transcriptional regulation of genes encoding enzymes involved in glycerol metabolisms upon salinity changes remains controversial. To address this issue, we de novo assembled D. salina transcriptome by using Illumina PE90 strategy with an average 700-fold coverage. Transcriptomic profiling analysis of D. salina cells in response to reciprocal salinity changes within the range of optimal growth conditions reveals 330 and 553 differentially transcribed ESTs out of a total of 6700 annotated ones upon salinity increase and decrease, respectively. We found 130 common differentially-transcribed ESTs under both conditions, nearly all of which display salinity-correlated transcriptional response. Based on 33 enzymes involved in metabolisms of glycerol and its potential carbon sources, 8 out of 10 common differentially-transcribed ESTs appear to encode enzymes at key sites. Cluster analysis indicated that 28 out of 33 enzymes exhibit salinity-correlated transcriptional profiles in response to reciprocal salinity changes. Transcriptional profiles of the enzymes are in full agreement with the flow of glycerol metabolisms upon salinity changes. This result is consistent with the observation that glycerol and starch contents are positively and negatively correlated with salinity. Furthermore, it indicates that photosynthetic sugar preferentially avails upon salinity decrease, suggesting that photosynthetic sugar is a preferential carbon source for starch accumulation but not glycerol synthesis. Taken together, our analyses demonstrate that transcriptional profiling in response to reciprocal salinity alterations within the range of optimal growth conditions greatly enriches for salinity-specific responsive ESTs in D. salina. Under these conditions, we are able to show that transcriptional regulation plays a clear role in controlling enzymatic activities involved in metabolisms of glycerol and its potential carbon sources in D. salina. We propose that transcriptional regulation of osmobalancing is likely to be evolutionarily conserved in other halotolerant unicellular organisms.

Decomposition of Emergent Aquatic Plant (Cattail) Litter Under Different Conditions and the Influence on Water Quality

Decomposition of aquatic plant might generate a significant influence on the receiving water body. In this study, decomposition of emergent aquatic plant (cattail) litter was investigated under different conditions to determine the influencing level of the decomposition process on the water quality. Different litter addition rates (0.1, 0.5, 1.0 g L−1), temperature changes, sediment additions, and kinestates (static and dynamic conditions) were selected as the influencing factors for the decomposition process. The results suggested that the decomposition process could be all accelerated when conducted at a higher litter addition rate, under a cold condition, with sediment addition or on dynamic condition, respectively. Additionally, the maximum ratio of releasing carbon to nitrogen (C/N) was increased when the decomposition process was conducted with a higher litter addition rate, under a cold condition (31.0), with sediment addition (24.6) and on a dynamic condition (28.0), respectively, and the C/N ratios were all higher than that with only 0.5 g L−1 litter addition (24.5), suggesting that lowering of water temperature, sediment addition, and increasing of oxygen might also enhance the C/N. The high C/N released during the decomposition process implied that the cattail litter might be utilized as the potential organic carbon source for nitrogen removal in the CW system.

Wheat straw, sawdust, and biodegradable plastics as potential carbon sources for synthetic nitrate-polluted groundwater column denitrification

Wheat straw, sawdust, and biodegradable plastics as potential carbon sources for synthetic nitrate-polluted groundwater column denitrification

Landscape configuration modulates carbon storage in seagrass sediments

Climate change has increased interest in seagrass systems as natural carbon sinks and recent studies have estimated the carbon stocks associated with seagrass meadows. However, the factors that affect their variability remain poorly understood. This paper assesses how landscape-level attributes (patch size and matrix composition) influence carbon storage in seagrass sediments. We quantified the organic carbon (Corg) content and other geochemical properties (δ13C and particle size) in surface sediments of continuous Posidonia oceanica meadows, patchy meadows interspersed with rocky-algal reefs and patchy meadows on sedimentary bottoms. We also took samples of potential carbon sources for isotopic composition determination. Our results indicate that the continuous meadows accumulated larger amounts of Corg than patchy meadows, whether embedded in a rock or sand matrix. The Corg from continuous meadows was also more 13C enriched, which suggests that a high proportion of the carbon was derived from plant material (autochthonous sources); in contrast in patchy meadows (especially in a sand matrix), lower δ13C values indicated a higher contribution from allochthonous sources (mainly suspended particulate organic matter, SPOM). These findings suggest that the sediment of continuous meadows stores more Corg in than that of patchy meadows. This is probably due to the increased contribution from seagrass leaves, which are much more refractory than SPOM. In general, certain landscape configurations, and especially patchiness, appear to reduce the carbon storage capacity of seagrasses. Since the current decline of seagrass is leading to habitat fragmentation, our results increase the argument for the promotion of effective measures to preserve the integrity of these natural carbon sinks.

Use of Crude Glycerol as Sole Carbon Source for Microbial Lipid Production by Oleaginous Yeasts.

Crude glycerol, discharged from biodiesel production process, is a potential carbon source for microbial lipid production. The capability of using crude glycerol as sole carbon source for microbial lipid production by oleaginous yeasts Trichosporon fermentans and Trichosporon cutaneum was investigated for the first time. T. fermentans and T. cutaneum could use crude glycerol for efficient lipid production, and the optimal glycerol concentration for which were 50 and 70g/L, respectively. The optimum nitrogen source, C/N, inoculum concentration, and pH were yeast extract + peptone, 60, 10.0%, and 6.0, respectively. The most suitable culture temperature for T. fermentans and T. cutaneum were 28 and 30°C, respectively. Under the optimal conditions, the maximum biomass, lipid content, lipid yield, and lipid coefficient of T. fermentans and T. cutaneum were 16.0g/L, 32.4%, 5.2g/L, and 16.5%, and 17.4g/L, 32.2%, 5.6g/L, and 17.0%, respectively. Moreover, it was found that methanol present in the crude glycerol had minor influence on the lipid production. Addition of surfactant potassium oleate into the medium could slightly stimulate the cell growth and lipid accumulation of both yeasts. This study shows that T. fermentans and T. cutaneum are promising strains for lipid production on crude glycerol.

Composting as a cleaner strategy to broiler agro-industrial wastes: Selecting carbon source to optimize the process and improve the quality of the final compost

The growth of broiler meat production chain in Brazil has resulted in a strong increase in the wastes produced either at the pre-finishing stages (reproductive poultry litter and hatchery waste) or during finishing and meat processing (floatation sludge, sausage casings, and charcoal waste). These wastes are produced in high amount, mainly the floatation sludge which presents a low C:N ratio. Composting is the primary available stabilization process for broiler agro-industrial solid wastes in Brazil, but these high-nitrogen wastes must be combined with a compatible carbon source to accelerate the process and to produce high quality compost. In this study, five regional materials—cotton fiber waste, urban tree trimmings, sawdust, milled sugarcane bagasse and ground Napier grass—were assessed as potential carbon sources to improve composting of broiler agro-industrial solid wastes. Analyzed variables associated with composting area optimization included composting time and the reduction in dry matter weight and volume. Analyzed variables that reflected the quality of the final compost included electrical conductivity, germination index, concentrations of N, P and K, C:N and humic to fulvic acid ratios. Multivariate analysis, including cluster and principal component analyses, indicated that cotton fiber waste, as a carbon source, optimized composting area utilization and resulted in finished compost with high agronomic value. However, due to its high level of nutrients, cotton fiber waste showed the highest EC, which limits its use as seedling substrate.

Functionalized activated carbon prepared form petroleum coke with high-rate supercapacitive performance

Abstract