Increase In Product Yield Research Articles

Exploring Feedstock Recycling in Liquid-Phase-Exfoliated Nanosheets.

Industrial scale-up of two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterial production is essential if these novel materials are to prove themselves commercially viable for applications ranging from energy conversion and storage to optoelectronic devices and clean water. There are several techniques to produce 2D materials, and liquid phase exfoliation (LPE) is one that has emerged as the most widespread across laboratory, pilot, and industrial production scales. One of the main issues faced in the scale-up of such techniques is the low yield (typically 0.5-5 wt %), resulting in high levels of wasted feedstock material. Similarly, every 10 kg of product can create 1000 L or more of solvent waste, many of which are highly toxic to the environment (e.g., NMP). Using MoS2 as a prototypical 2D material, this work demonstrates a sustainable approach to recover and reuse unexfoliated precursor material and the exfoliation solvent to reduce waste by up to 82% and solvent requirement by up to 72%. Material production efficiency benefits were also achieved, with over 3-fold increase in product yield and energy usage reduced by up to 12%. The approach can be easily scaled and immediately implemented using existing infrastructure, and a pathway for industrial implementation has been outlined to support this.

Hierarchical Zeolites Prepared Using a Surfactant-Mediated Strategy: ZSM-5 vs. Y as Catalysts for Friedel-Crafts Acylation Reaction.

Hierarchical ZSM5 and Y zeolites were prepared through a surfactant-mediated strategy with NH4OH changing the duration of the treatment and the amount of CTAB surfactant and taking as reference multiples of the critical micellar concentration (CMC). The materials were characterized using powder X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption isotherms at -196 °C, and SEM and TEM microscopy. The catalytic performance was evaluated in Friedel-Crafts acylation of furan with acetic anhydride at 80 °C. The alkaline surfactant-mediated treatment had different effects on the two zeolites. For ZSM5, the CTAB molecular aggregates can hardly diffuse inside the medium-size pores, leading mainly to intercrystalline mesoporosity and increased external surface area, with no positive catalytic impact. On the other hand, for large-pore Y zeolite, the CTAB molecular aggregates can easily diffuse and promote the rearrangement of crystal units around micelles, causing the enlargement of the pores, i.e., intracrystalline porosity. The optimized Y-based sample, treated for 12 h with a CTAB amount 32 times the CMC, shows an increase in product yield and rate constant that was not observed when a higher amount of surfactant was added. The reuse of spent catalysts upon thermal treatment at 400 °C shows a regeneration efficiency around 90%, showing good potentialities for the modified catalysts.

Exploring the Catalytic Efficiency of Copper-Doped Magnetic Carbon Aerogel for the Coupling Reaction of Isatin Oxime with Phenylboronic Acid Derivatives

AbstractA highly efficient catalyst, Cu-doped poly(N-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl]methacrylamide, acrylic acid, N-vinyl imidazole) (PDAI) magnetic carbon aerogel (CPIMCA), was successfully employed for the synthesis of isatin nitrone derivatives. The 3D porous CPIMCA catalyst demonstrated outstanding performance through the application of a coupling reaction between isatin oxime and phenylboronic acid derivatives, providing up to 98% yield of the required nitrone derivatives. Remarkably, the incorporation of copper within the polymeric structure of the magnetic carbon aerogel exhibited a significant influence on catalytic activity, even at a low overall copper content of approximately 2%. This was confirmed through EDX elemental mapping analysis, further establishing the competence of the catalyst for catalytic reactions. Comparative studies revealed that CPIMCA outperformed Cu(Oac)2 catalyst, providing a notable 10–15% increase in product yield. This superior performance can be attributed to the unique synergistic effect of copper, iron, and carbon aerogel as the polymeric matrix, highlighting the exceptional capabilities of CPIMCA as a catalyst.

Stereoselective Synthesis of Trisubstituted Alkenes via Copper Hydride-Catalyzed Alkyne Hydroalkylation.

Alkenes are ubiquitous in organic chemistry, yet many classes of alkenes remain challenging to access by current synthetic methodology. Herein, we report a copper hydride-catalyzed approach for the synthesis of Z-configured trisubstituted alkenes with high stereo- and regioselectivity via alkyne hydroalkylation. A DTBM-dppf-supported Cu catalyst was found to be optimal, providing a substantial increase in product yield compared to reactions conducted with dppf as the ligand. DFT calculations show that the DTBM substitution leads to the acceleration of alkyne hydrocupration through combined ground and transition state effects related to preventing catalyst dimerization and enhancing catalyst-substrate dispersion interactions, respectively. Alkyne hydroalkylation was successfully demonstrated with methyl and larger alkyl tosylate electrophiles to produce a variety of (hetero)aryl-substituted alkenes in moderate to high yields with complete selectivity for the Z stereochemically configured products. In the formation of the key C-C bond, computational studies revealed a direct SN2 pathway for alkylation of the vinylcopper intermediate with in situ-formed alkyl iodides.

Results obtained with EVOagri technology to improve yield using filtered water in Africa, Tibet, Italy and Bulgaria

The effectiveness of the application of EVOagri technology for purification of water and its use in agriculture in some African countries (Zimbabwe, Burundi, Egypt and Uganda), Nepal (Asia) and in Europe (Italy and Bulgaria) was evaluated. The performance of EVOdrop turbine for water filtration was analysed and the physicochemical composition of water was tested. This was determined in compliance with Ordinance No. 9/2001, published in the Official State Gazette, issue 30, and decree No. 178/23.07.2004, Bulgaria, European Union on the quality of water intended for drinking and household purposes. The results showed a significant increase in production yield of the tested Solanum spp. and lettuces in Zimbabwe, as well as of dill, spinach and onions in Egypt. Treatment of high-salt irrigation water in Burundi with EVOagri reduced its toxic effect upon vegetable plants. In Uganda, plants absorbed 23% less water, when filtered with EVOagri technology. In Italy, 21% water conservation was achieved through the usage of EVOagri technology. Stimulation of seed-germination after soaking with EVOagri water was established in Burundi and Nepal. The importance of the type and composition of irrigation water for crop growth was proved by the experiments in Bulgaria. In Bulgaria, onion seeds were planted in two separate pots. The first one was watered with tap water and this was taken as the control sample with tap water. The second one was watered with EVOdrop filtered water which was saturated with EVOdrop hydrogen technology (EVOwater). In Bulgaria, under natural conditions, Evodrop water was also tested in beans and the growth result was 11 % better than the control sample.

Computer-assisted stabilization of fibroblast growth factor FGF-18

The fibroblast growth factors (FGF) family holds significant potential for addressing chronic diseases. Specifically, recombinant FGF18 shows promise in treating osteoarthritis by stimulating cartilage formation. However, recent phase 2 clinical trial results of sprifermin (recombinant FGF18) indicate insufficient efficacy. Leveraging our expertise in rational protein engineering, we conducted a study to enhance the stability of FGF18. As a result, we obtained a stabilized variant called FGF18-E4, which exhibited improved stability with 16 °C higher melting temperature, resistance to trypsin and a 2.5-fold increase in production yields. Moreover, the FGF18-E4 maintained mitogenic activity after 1-week incubation at 37 °C and 1-day at 50 °C. Additionally, the inserted mutations did not affect its binding to the fibroblast growth factor receptors, making FGF18-E4 a promising candidate for advancing FGF-based osteoarthritis treatment.

A Two-Tier Superstructure Model for Optimization of Microalgae-Based Biorefinery

Microalgae have attracted great research interest as a feedstock for producing a wide range of end-products. However, recent studies show that the tight processing integration technology for microalgae-based biorefinery makes production less economical and even has a negative impact on sustainability. In this study, a new two-tier superstructure optimization design methodology is proposed to locate the optimal processing pathway. This model is developed based on the decomposition strategy and the relationship-based investigation, coupling an outer-tier structure with an inner-tier structure, wherein the outlet flows of the middle stages is relaxed and then an appropriate level of redundancy for designing the processing is provided. Two scenarios are developed to compare the most promising biorefinery configurations under two different design option favors. By solving the mixed integer nonlinear programming model with the objective functions of maximizing the yield of the desired products and maximizing the gross operating margin, the optimization results obtained show the ability of this framework to provide the promising configurations and cost-effectiveness of microalgae-based biorefinery. Compared with Scenario 1, the optimized solutions in Scenario 2 feature a gross operating margin increase up to 27.09% and an increase in product yield up to 25.00%. The proposed method improves the original huge computing scale and ensures economics without simplifying the processing pathways.

Photoenzymatic Catalysis in a New Light: Gluconobacter "Ene"-Reductase Conjugates Possessing High-Energy Reactivity with Tunable Low-Energy Excitation.

Non-natural light-driven enzymatic reactivity was recently developed to perform the highly stereoselective reactions required for pharmaceutical synthesis. However, photoenzymes require high-intensity light to function because of the poor absorption properties of their photoactive intermediates. Inspired by the modular architecture of photosynthesis, we designed a conjugate composed of a covalently linked photoenzyme and a light antenna to separate light capture from catalysis. Spectroscopic characterization of the conjugate showed the presence of efficient energy transfer from the light-harvesting components to the photoenzyme. In the presence of energy transfer, a ∼4-fold increase in product yield was observed for intramolecular hydroalkylation of alkenes, and reactivity was enabled for intermolecular hydroalkylation of alkenes. These improvements establish the power of incorporating nature's design into non-natural photoenzymatic catalysis.

Biotechnological Innovations and Therapeutic Application of Pediococcus and Lactic Acid Bacteria: The Next-Generation Microorganism.

Lactic acid bacteria represent a worthwhile organism within the microbial consortium for the food sector, health, and biotechnological applications. They tend to offer high stability to environmental conditions, with an indicated increase in product yield, alongside their moderate antimicrobial activity. Lack of endotoxins and inclusion bodies, extracellular secretion, and surface display with other unique properties, are all winning attributes of these Gram-positive lactic acid bacteria, of which, Pediococcus is progressively becoming an attractive and promising host, as the next-generation probiotic comparable with other well-known model systems. Here, we presented the biotechnological developments in Pediococcal bacteriocin expression system, contemporary variegated models of Pediococcus and lactic acid bacteria strains as microbial cell factory, most recent applications as possible live delivery vector for use as therapeutics, as well as upsurging challenges and future perspective. With the radical introduction of artificial intelligence and neural network in Synthetic Biology, the microbial usage of lactic acid bacteria as an alternative eco-friendly strain, with safe use properties compared with the already known conventional strains is expected to see an increase in various food and biotechnological applications in years to come as it offers better hope of safety, accuracy, and higher efficiency.

Coupling of Bio-Reactors to Increase Maximum Sustainable Yield

In the field of fisheries management, the objective is to obtain an optimal catch while maintaining the fishery resource at a sufficiently high level to avoid the extinction of the exploited species. In mathematical fishery models, the fishing effort that must be implemented to have a sustainable fishery with a maximum harvest rate in the long term is sought. This goal is called the “Maximum Sustainable Yield” (MSY). In the chemostat, the substrate can be seen as prey of which the predator is the product. MSY search is thus extended to the classical chemostat model with a Monod function. There exists a dilution rate that maximizes the product synthesis. The study is extended to the case of the gradostat with fast substrate and product exchanges between two coupled bioreactors. The existence of two time scales makes it possible to apply methods of aggregation of variables to derive a reduced model governing a few global variables describing the dynamics of the complete system at the slow time scale. The analysis of the mathematical aggregated model is performed. Existence of equilibria as well as local and global stability are studied. The overall product yield in the system of coupled bioreactors may be greater than the sum of the yields of the two uncoupled bioreactors, i.e., if they functioned without connection between them. The increase in product yield is all the more important as the distribution of the substrate and of the product is asymmetrical between the two coupled bioreactors. The model is applied to fish farming by considering the coupling of two breeding sites. Here again, the model makes it possible to find the fast fish exchanges that must be established between the two breeding basins to optimize the overall yield of the farm.

Ask the plants directly: Understanding plant needs using electrical impedance measurements

• Presenting a measuring system designed to analyse multiple plants at the same time. • Relating environmental parameters and in vivo plant stem electrical impedance. • Presenting results regarding the relation between stem impedance and soil moisture. • Paving the way in reducing cost and complexity of plant monitoring system. • Introducing a new way to check plant health status towards personalized agriculture. Food security is a major problem nowadays. Ensuring enough food for the entire human population is becoming harder due to climate change and world population growth. Smart agriculture is a promising solution: integrating sensors and data analysis in agriculture is leading to a reduction of food production waste and an increase in production yield. However, currently environmental monitoring is not sufficient since different plants may have disparate reactions even if their environmental conditions are similar. This paper shows a novel way of understanding plant status based on direct measurement of in vivo stem electrical impedance. This was achieved with a system designed by the authors and validated by showing relations (correlation and Granger’s causality) between stem electrical impedance and environment parameters. Validation was accomplished by monitoring and analyzing multiple plants at the same time. Statistical analysis showed a correlation of up to 95% between impedance and soil moisture, and that soil moisture variations caused variation in the impedance of the plants.

Immobilization of β-cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase on gelatin enhances β-cyclodextrin production

The β-cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase (β-CGTase) from Bacillus circulans STB01 was immobilized on gelatin with an immobilization yield of 100 % and an activity recovery of 23.1 %. Compared with the free β-CGTase, the immobilized exhibited a broader pH optimum with two peaks (pH 5.5 and pH 8.5) as well as significantly enhanced thermostability and pH stability. Immobilized β-CGTase retained 85.5 % of its activity after storage for 50 days at 4 ℃ and 91.9 % of its activity after 20 cycles of enzyme activity assay. β-Cyclodextrin inhibition experiments showed that immobilized β-CGTase was less susceptible to product inhibition than free β-CGTase. As a result, immobilized β-CGTase delivered a 9.7 % increase of product yield in a single use and the total yield after 10 times of use was 9.2-fold of the yield using free enzyme. According to the results, immobilization can greatly improve the utility of β-CGTase as a catalyst for the industrial production of β-cyclodextrin.

Exploring Effects of Protease Choice and Protease Combinations in Enzymatic Protein Hydrolysis of Poultry By-Products.

A study of the effects of single and combined protease hydrolysis on myofibrillar versus collagenous proteins of poultry by-products has been conducted. The aim was to contribute with knowledge for increased value creation of all constituents of these complex by-products. A rational approach was implemented for selecting proteases exhibiting the most different activity towards the major protein-rich constituents of mechanically deboned chicken residue (MDCR). An initial activity screening of 18 proteases on chicken meat, turkey tendons and MDCR was conducted. Based on weight yield, size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and SDS-PAGE, stem Bromelain and Endocut-02 were selected. Studies on hydrolysis of four different poultry by-products at 40 °C, evaluated by protein yield, SEC, and SDS-PAGE, indicate that the proteases’ selectivity difference can be utilized in tailor-making hydrolysates, enriched in either meat- and collagen-derived peptides or gelatin. Three modes of stem Bromelain and Endocut-02 combinations during hydrolysis of MDCR were performed and compared with single protease hydrolysis. All modes of the protease combinations resulted in a similar approximately 15% increase in product yield, with products exhibiting similar SEC and SDS-PAGE profiles. This shows that irrespective of the modes of combination, the use of more than one enzyme in hydrolysis of collagen-rich material can provide means to increase the total protein yield and ultimately contribute to increased value creation of poultry by-products.

Combustion Synthesis of Aluminum Oxynitride in Loose Powder Beds.

This paper describes combusting loose powder beds of mixtures of aluminum metal powders and aluminum oxide powders with various grain sizes under various nitrogen pressure. The synthesis conditions required at least 20/80 weight ratio of aluminum metal powder to alumina powder in the mix to reach approximately 80 wt% of γ-AlON in the products. Finely ground fused white alumina with a mean grain size of 5 μm was sufficient to achieve results similar to very fine alumina with 0.3 μm grains. A lower nitrogen pressure of 1 MPa provided good results, allowing a less robust apparatus to be used. The salt-assisted combustion synthesis upon addition of 10 wt% of ammonium nitrite resulted in a slight increase in product yield and allowed lower aluminum metal powder content in mixes to be ignited. Increasing the charge mass five times resulted in a very similar γ-AlON yield, providing a promising technology for scaling up. Synthesis in loose powder beds could be utilized for effective production of relatively cheap and uniform AlON powder, which could be easily prepared for forming and sintering without intensive grounding and milling, which usually introduce serious contamination.

Friedel-Crafts acylation reaction over hierarchical Y zeolite modified through surfactant mediated technology

Friedel-Crafts acylation reaction was studied under mild conditions using hierarchical HY zeolite samples prepared through surfactant mediated technology, in the presence of NH4OH, using CTAB or DTAB as surfactants and changing the duration of treatment from 6 to 48 h. The materials were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, low temperature N2 adsorption isotherms, SEM microscopy and pyridine adsorption followed by FTIR. The catalytic behaviour was studied in the acylation of furan by acetic anhydride. The catalytic results reflect the role of the duration of the treatment as well as the surfactant molecule used. As the time of treatment increases, the enlargement of the pores leads to an increase of the rate constant and turnover frequency (TOF), except for sample modified during longer time, 48 h, due to the occurrence of secondary reactions that produce larger products or reaction intermediates that become trapped inside the pores. The role of the surfactant molecule is also relevant since the sample modified in the presence of the larger surfactant molecule, CTAB, a significant increase in product yield and rate constant is obtained when compared with the sample prepared in the same conditions using DTAB. However, in that case, by prolonging the treatment a substantial decrease in the same parameters occurs due to the occurrence of deactivation phenomena, pointing out that the optimized modification of porosity needs to be customized according to the needs of each catalytic system.

Microwave-assisted Pyrolysis of Microalgae in Producing Bio-oil using CaO catalyst and Charcoal as heat Absorber

In the microwave-assisted pyrolysis process the solid material to be cracked requires an absorber material to capture microwaves to be converted into heat as a heat source and a catalyst to accelerate the pyrolysis process. This research is focused on studying the use of a potential heat absorber, namely coconut shell charcoal and CaO as catalyst in the microwave-assisted pyrolysis process in converting microalgae (dry Chlorella sp) into bio-oil. The round boiling flask as a reactor is placed in a microwave oven, equipped with a condenser and a vacuum pump. The operating variables were microwave power, pyrolysis time and catalyst ratio to microalgae. The products obtained consisted of 3 phases, namely solid residue (char), liquid product (bio-oil) and gas products. The results show that microwave power, pyrolysis time, and ratio of catalyst to microalgae using shell charcoal absorbent can provide an increase in product yield. The optimum yield is 20.57% of bio-oil obtained when the microwave power is 600 watts, 20 minutes, and CaO catalyst of 1 gr and ratio absorber to microalgae 1/6. The use of a mixture of catalyst and absorber improve the performance of pyrolysis in producing bio-oil from microalgae using microwave-assisted pyrolysis technology.

Formulation and Evaluation of Eudragit Rl100 Polymeric Drug Loaded Microsponge for Ophthalmic Use

Aims: The aim of this work is the formulation of Eudragit RL100 polymeric microsponges. The Microsponge Delivery System is a patented technique in which there is a polymeric system consisting of porous particles.
 Methodology: The ratio of Diclofenac sodium and eudragit RL100 varied from 1:1 to 13: 1 to formulate microsponge. Dichloromethane was used as internal phase and polyvinylalcohol was used as an external phase. The formed microsponges were characterized for particle size, entrapment efficiency, drug content, in vitro drug release and SEM.
 Results: With increase in drug: polymer ratio there is increase in production yield from 20.04% to 72.14%, and entrapment efficiency from 20.11% to 70.77%. Drug content of formed microsponge varied between 50.18% to 91.09% whereas particle size ranged from 1.41 µm to 17.66 µm. Microsponge formulations F3, F4 and F5 showed desired particle size hence studied for further evaluation. Formulation F3, F4 and F5 showed controlled release of 89.54%, 98.5% and 98.76% respectively up to 6 hr. F3 showed more controlled release at the end of 6 hr. The drug release from microsponges was best fitted to Higuchi’s diffusion kinetics for all microsponge formulations with non-Fickian diffusion mechanism. The formed microsponge particles have spherical porous structure.
 Conclusion: Study showed significance of Microsponge Delivery System for ophthalmic administration.

ANALISIS FAKTOR-FAKTOR YANG MEMPENGARUHI PRODUKSI JAGUNG (Zea Mays) DI DESA LOSSO KECAMATAN SAMPAGA KABUPATEN MAMUJU

The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that influence the level of maize production (zea mays) in Losso Village, Sampaga District, Mamuju Regency. The method used in this study to determine the truth of the hypothesis in this study is the method of multiple linear regression data analysis. The results showed that the variable of land area partially has a significant effect on the production of corn farmers in Losso Village, Sampaga District, Mamuju Regency because the probability value is 0.000 <0.05 with the t test result of 4.730. In the regression model the coefficient of X1 (land area) is obtained a value of 1.013, where each additional land area of ​​1%, there will be an increase in production yields of 1.013% assuming the amount of capital and permanent labor. While capital does not have a significant effect on the production of corn farmers, this is evidenced by the results of the t test of (1.168) with a probability value of 0.257.The X2 coefficient of capital (M) is (0.280) which means that every 1% increase in capital will result in an increase in production yields of (0.280)%, with the assumption of fixed land area and labor. The labor variable partially does not have a positive and significant effect on the production of corn farmers as indicated by the t test results of 1.303 with a probability value of 0.208. The X3 coefficient of Labor (TK) is 0.204, where every 1% addition of labor, there will be an increase in production output of 0.204%, assuming land area and fixed capital.

Comparison of Production Levels and Rice Farming Income Using Technology And Corporate Farming (Case Study In Gapoktan Tani Mandiri Dalangan Village, Tawangsari District, Sukoharjo Regency, Central Java)

This study aims to analyze the comparison of the level of production and income of rice farming using technology and corporate farming at Gapoktan Tani Mandiri in Dalangan Village, Tawangsari District, Sukoharjo Regency, Central Java. The analysis used is quantitative analysis which is used to analyze the comparison of the level of production and income of rice farming using technology and corporate farming. Based on the results of the study, there was a significant increase in production yield from before using corporate farming systems and systems (Second Planting Season 2014), which amounted to 6670 kg/ha after using technology and corporate farming systems (Second Planting Season 2018) of 8675 Kg/ha, which accompanied by a reduction in production costs by 13%. So there is a significant increase in income from before using corporate farming systems and technology (Second Planting Season 2014) of Rp. 17,546,541/ha after using corporate farming technology and systems (Second Planting Season 2018) reached Rp. 28,046,417/ha.

Selective Photocatalytic Reduction of CO2 to CH4 Modulated by Chloride Modification on Bi2WO6 Nanosheets.

Solar-driven photocatalytic CO2 reduction into CH4 with H2O is considered to be a promising way to alleviate the energy crisis and greenhouse effect. However, current CO2 photoreduction technologies tend to overlook the role of photooxidation half reaction as well as the effect of the protons produced by water oxidation on CH4 generation, resulting in low CO2 conversion efficiency and poor CH4 selectivity. In the present study, a series of chloride-modified Bi2WO6 nanosheets were constructed in view of chloride-assisted photocatalytic water oxidation. The results show that the CH4 yield of the synthesized sample can be enhanced up to about 10 times compared to that with no Cl- modification. Besides, the selectivity of CH4 can be regulated by the loading amount of chloride, varying from 51.29% for Bi2WO6 to 94.98% for the maximum. The increase of product yield is attributed to chloride modification, which not only changed the morphology of the catalyst, but also modified the pathway of water oxidation. Further studies on intermediate products and the density functional theory calculation confirm that the Cl- ions on Bi2WO6 nanosheets not only promote H2O oxidation, but also lower the energy barrier for intermediate *CHO generation, thus facilitating CH4 production. The results gained herein may provide some illuminating insights into the design of a highly selective photocatalyst for efficient CO2 reduction.