Raw Materials Research Articles

Effects of Vermicomposting on Compost Quality and Heavy Metals：A Meta-analysis

In order to comprehensively evaluate the effects of vermicomposting on compost quality and the conversion of heavy metals under different control conditions, 109 studies were reviewed. The effects of earthworm species, pre-compost time, ventilation methods, initial C/N, initial pH, and initial moisture of the raw materials on compost quality and the heavy metal toxicity were quantitatively discussed during the vermicomposting process through Meta-analysis. The results showed that the six subgroups of factors all showed obvious influences on the compost quality and heavy metal toxicity. After vermicomposting, the contents of NO3--N (116.2%), TN (29.1%), TP (31.2%), and TK (15.0%) were significantly increased, whereas NH4+-N (-14.8%) and C/N (-36.3%) were significantly decreased. Meanwhile, the total amount of Cu and Cr of the final compost and their bioavailability were significantly reduced. Considering the influences of grouping factors on compost quality and heavy metals, it is recommended to adjust the initial moisture of pile materials to 70%-80%, C/N to 30-85, and pH to 6-7 and to conduct pre-composting for 0-15 d; additionally, vermicomposting should be naturally placed when the composting is aimed at promoting the compost quality. If the main purpose is to weaken the perniciousness of heavy metals in the raw material, it is recommended to adjust the initial moisture of the material to 50%-60%, C/N to less than 30, and pH to 7-8; to conduct no pre-compost; regularly turn the piles; and use the earthworm Eudrilus eugeniae for vermicomposting.

High yield electrosynthesis of oxygenates from CO using a relay Cu-Ag co-catalyst system

As a sustainable alternative to fossil fuel-based manufacture of bulk oxygenates, electrochemical synthesis using CO and H2O as raw materials at ambient conditions offers immense appeal. However, the upscaling of the electrosynthesis of oxygenates encounters kinetic bottlenecks arising from the competing hydrogen evolution reaction with the selective production of ethylene. Herein, a catalytic relay system that can perform in tandem CO capture, activation, intermediate transfer and enrichment on a Cu-Ag composite catalyst is used for attaining high yield CO-to-oxygenates electrosynthesis at high current densities. The composite catalyst Cu/30Ag (molar ratio of Cu to Ag is 7:3) enables high efficiency CO-to-oxygenates conversion, attaining a maximum partial current density for oxygenates of 800 mA cm−2 at an applied current density of 1200 mA cm−2, and with 67 % selectivity. The ability to finely control the production of ethylene and oxygenates highlights the principle of efficient catalyst design based on the relay mechanism.

Promoting Circular Economy of the Building Industry by the Use of Straw Bales: A Review

Over the past decade, the concept of a circular economy has increasingly gained attention as a framework for guiding businesses and policymakers. Given its significant environmental impact, the building industry plays a pivotal role in the transition toward a circular economy. To address this, our review proposes a bio-based building material, specifically straw bale, which elaborates on the circularity of bio-based buildings based on the 3R principles of a circular economy: reduce, reuse, and recycle. In terms of the “reduce” principle, straw-bale buildings can reduce construction waste, the environmental impact, energy requirements, and carbon emissions. Regarding the “reuse” principle, straw-bale buildings utilize agricultural waste resources and are easily disassembled due to their prefabrication. As for the “recycle” principle, straw-bale buildings can undergo physical, biological, and biochemical conversion processes (thermochemical conversion), yielding both wooden composite boards and potential biogas and biomass fuels for electricity and heating. This study evaluates the contribution of straw packaging construction and the use of straw as a raw material, using the 3R principles to determine future research opportunities for the construction industry to achieve a circular economy. The results of this study offer circular economy solutions and interdisciplinary research insights for researchers and practitioners interested in the building environment.

Regulatory microRNAs and phasiRNAs of paclitaxel biosynthesis in Taxus chinensis

Paclitaxel (trade name Taxol) is a rare diterpenoid with anticancer activity isolated from Taxus. At present, paclitaxel is mainly produced by the semi-synthetic method using extract of Taxus tissues as raw materials. The studies of regulatory mechanisms in paclitaxel biosynthesis would promote the production of paclitaxel through tissue/cell culture approaches. Here, we systematically identified 990 transcription factors (TFs), 460 microRNAs (miRNAs), and 160 phased small interfering RNAs (phasiRNAs) in Taxus chinensis to explore their interactions and potential roles in regulation of paclitaxel synthesis. The expression levels of enzyme genes in cone and root were higher than those in leaf and bark. Nearly all enzyme genes in the paclitaxel synthesis pathway were significantly up-regulated after jasmonate treatment, except for GGPPS and CoA Ligase. The expression level of enzyme genes located in the latter steps of the synthesis pathway was significantly higher in female barks than in male. Regulatory TFs were inferred through co-expression network analysis, resulting in the identification of TFs from diverse families including MYB and AP2. Genes with ADP binding and copper ion binding functions were overrepresented in targets of miRNA genes. The miRNA targets were mainly enriched with genes in plant hormone signal transduction, mRNA surveillance pathway, cell cycle and DNA replication. Genes in oxidoreductase activity, protein-disulfide reductase activity were enriched in targets of phasiRNAs. Regulatory networks were further constructed including components of enzyme genes, TFs, miRNAs, and phasiRNAs. The hierarchical regulation of paclitaxel production by miRNAs and phasiRNAs indicates a robust regulation at post-transcriptional level. Our study on transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation of paclitaxel synthesis provides clues for enhancing paclitaxel production using synthetic biology technology.

Effect of wood flour and compatibilizer content on the properties of wood-plastic composites

Wood-plastic composites (WPC) with are prepared by melting and mixing wood flour (WF) and thermoplastics which has green and biodegradable advantages and is of great significance in the development of the era of global resource scarcity. In this work, recycled polypropylene and WF were used as raw materials and commercially available maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAH-g-PP) was used as a compatibilizer. The extrusion injection molding method was used and investigated by varying the amount of WF and compatibilizer added. The composites were analyzed for micro-morphology, melt mass flow rate, mechanical properties, and thermal stability by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), melt flow rate tester (MFR), electronic universal testing machine, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). According to the results, WF shows a positive effect in terms of storage and loss modulus of the composites, but it shows a negative effect in terms of thermal stability and mechanical properties. As an effective compatibilizer, MAH-g-PP plays an important role in improving the mechanical properties of the composites, especially at an additional level of 4 wt%, which maximized the overall performance of the composites.

Co-fermentation and post-processing: development of a novel myrtle rice beverage, and analysis of its product characteristics

ABSTRACT To fully develop the medicinal and edible value of myrtle and improve the market visibility, myrtle berries and glutinous rice were used as raw materials and co-fermented using rice leaven. Uniform design method was used to determine the optimal fermentation conditions. The co-fermentation product was then underwent post-processing, including blending, grinding and homogenization, to produce a novel myrtle rice beverage, which was analyzed for product characteristics. Results showed that the optimal fermentation conditions were a myrtle berries of 24%, a rice leaven of 1%, a water addition amount of 100%, a fermentation temperature of 22°C, a fermentation time of 96 h. The co-fermented product was diluted 1:3 with water, ground, and homogenized with 0.1% agar and 0.2% xanthan gum to produce the final myrtle rice beverage. The beverage boasts a low sugar and alcohol content, along with a moderate level of acidity, making it a healthy beverage with antioxidant properties.

Influence of Various Processing Routes in Additive Manufacturing on Microstructure and Monotonic Properties of Pure Iron—A Review-like Study

Additive manufacturing processes have attracted broad attention in the last decades since the related freedom of design allows the manufacturing of parts with unique microstructures and unprecedented complexity in shape. Focusing on the properties of additively manufactured parts, major efforts are made to elaborate process-microstructure relationships. For instance, the inevitable thermal cycling within the process plays a significant role in microstructural evolution. Various driving forces contribute to the final grain size, boundary character, residual stress state, etc. In the present study, the properties of commercially pure iron processed on three different routes, i.e., hot rolling as a reference, electron powder bed fusion, and laser powder bed fusion, using different raw materials as well as process conditions, are compared. The manufacturing of the specimens led to five distinct microstructures, which differ significantly in terms of microstructural features and mechanical responses. Using optical and electron microscopy as well as transmission electron microscopy, the built specimens were explored in various states of a tensile test in order to reveal the microstructural evolution in the course of quasistatic loading. The grain size is found to be most influential in enhancing the material’s strength. Furthermore, substructures, i.e., low-angle grain boundaries, within the grains play an important role in terms of the homogeneity of strain distribution. On the contrary, high-angle grain boundaries are found to be regions of strain localization. In summary, a holistic macro-meso-micro-nano investigation is performed to evaluate the behavior of these specific microstructures.

Preparation and electrocatalytic oxygen evolution of bimetallic phosphates (NiFe)2P/NF

Abstract The energy and environmental crisis pose a great challenge to human development in the 21st century. The design and development of clean and renewable energy and the solution for environmental pollution have become a hotspot in the current research. Based on the preparation of transition metal phosphates, transition metals were used as raw materials, Prussian blue-like NiFe(CN)6 as a precursor, which was in situ grown on nickel foam (NF) substrate. After low temperature phosphating treatment, a bimetallic phosphide electrocatalyst (NiFe)2P/NF was prepared on NF substrate. Using 1 mol·L−1 KOH solution as a basic electrolyte, based on the electrochemical workstation of a three-electrode system, the electrochemical catalytic oxygen evolution performance of the material was tested and evaluated. Experiments show that (NiFe)2P/NF catalyst has excellent oxygen evolution performance. In an alkaline medium, the overpotential required to obtain the catalytic current density of 10 mA·cm−2 is only 220 mV, and the Tafel slope is 67 mV·dec−1. This is largely due to: (1) (NiFe)2p/NF nanocatalysts were well dispersed on NF substrates, which increased the number of active sites exposed; (2) the hollow heterostructure of bimetallic phosphates promotes the electron interaction between (NiFe)2P and NF, increased the rate of charge transfer, and the electrical conductivity of the material is improved; and (3) theoretical calculations show that (NiFe)2P/NF hollow heterostructure can effectively reduce the dissociation barrier of water, promote the dissociation of water; furthermore, the kinetic reaction rate of electrocatalytic oxygen evolution is accelerated. Meanwhile, the catalyst still has high activity and high stability in 30 wt% concentrated alkali solution. Therefore, the construction of (NiFe)2P/NF electrocatalysts enriches the application of non-noble metal nanomaterials in the field of oxygen production from electrolytic water.

One-step fabrication of millimeter-scale hollow vesicles with chitosan /DADMAC/ sodium alginate graft copolymer for enhanced anionic dye adsorption

Hollow vesicles are promising in water treatment due to their unique structure of the membrane and inner cavity. However, the adsorption capacity needs to be improved for targeted pollutants. Herein, millimeter-scale hollow vesicles were prepared with a one-step process of sequential stirring and grafting using chitosan, diallyldimethylammonium chloride, and sodium alginate as raw materials with the purpose of efficient removal of anionic dyes from wastewater. The composite vesicles were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The hollow vesicles showed the structure of the cationic membrane and the inner cavity, facilitating the dye adsorption. The adsorption capacity for the anionic dye Reactive Black 5 reached 698.1 mg/g, more than twice that of the binary composite vesicles without graft. The adsorption kinetics and isotherm data coincided with the pseudo-second-order and Langmuir models, respectively, and the adsorption mechanism was monolayer chemisorption. Moreover, the vesicles worked well in wide ranges of environment pH, temperature, and co-existing pollutants. They also possessed excellent cyclic regeneration performance, in which 93 % of the initial adsorption capacity was maintained after four cycles. These results indicate that the millimeter-scale hollow vesicles exhibit broad application prospects for wastewater purification.

The impact of COVID-19 vaccines on China’s overall and sectoral stock returns: a quantile-based analysis

ABSTRACT This research analyzes the response of China’s stock market returns (overall and sector-specific) to COVID-19 vaccines. We examine these relationships using quantile-on-quantile (QQR) regression and causality-in-quantile (CQ) approaches. The empirical results show that the higher quantiles of COVID-19 vaccines propel the higher quantiles of the Shanghai stock returns (SSR). Simultaneously, the higher quantiles of COVID-19 vaccines negatively influence the lower quantiles of the Shanghai stock returns. On the sectoral level, consumer discretionary, basic materials, industrial, utilities, and telecommunication sectors exhibit similar trends to those observed in the Shanghai stock market. The study emphasizes that COVID-19 vaccines tend to increase Shanghai stock returns during bullish market condition, and this impact becomes adverse when the market showcases a bearish trend. These findings serve as insights for policymakers, investors, and other stakeholders.

Effects of Different Carbon and Nitrogen Ratios on Yield, Nutritional Value, and Amino Acid Contents of Flammulina velutipes

The carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio in the cultivation medium significantly influences the growth rate, vigor of mycelium, yield of fruiting bodies, and their nutritional composition. Recently, agricultural and forestry wastes have been increasingly used in cultivating Flammulina velutipes. However, systematic research on how these materials affect the nutritional and functional properties of the fruiting bodies is lacking. This study investigated the effects of different C/N ratios on F. velutipes cultivation. We evaluated the agronomic traits, nutritional composition, and flavor compounds of the fruiting bodies. Our findings reveal that an optimal C/N ratio of 27:1 in the composted substrates enhances the total yield of fruiting bodies, with 25.1% soybean straw as the primary raw material. This ratio also significantly increases the levels of crude protein, total amino acids, and essential amino acids in the fruiting bodies (p < 0.05). Fruiting bodies from the high-nitrogen (HN) treatment showed the highest content of umami amino acids and equivalent umami concentration value. Additionally, we employed an untargeted liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based metabolomics approach to analyze the metabolite profiles of fruiting bodies cultivated in high-nitrogen (HN), medium-nitrogen (MN), and low-nitrogen (LN) substrates. We found that the carbon–nitrogen ratio can affect the flavor and quality of fruiting bodies by regulating amino acid biosynthesis and metabolism and other related pathways. Our results suggest that a C/N ratio of 27:1 offers numerous benefits for the cultivation of F. velutipes with comprehensive analyses and has promising application prospects.

Development of Titanium Production in Ukraine: Evolving Prospects Based on National R&D

Introduction. The development of Ukraine’s resource potential in the field of mining and advanced processing of titanium raw materials is one of the important components of countering military threats and the national economy recovering based on new technologies.Problem Statement. The realities of wartime reinforce the importance of domestic resource involvement to resumption of the titanium products complete production cycle in Ukraine, which can facilitate integration into global value chains.Purpose. To determine the directions of titanium production development in Ukraine based on the available resource and production potential, foreign and domestic R&D.Materials and Methods. The authors have used data of statistical observations of the State Statistics Service in Ukraine, the U.S. State Geological Survey, the World Intellectual Property Organization; methods of systematic approach, economic and statistical, calculation and design, graph analytical methods, statistical comparisons and grouping, systematic and comparative analysis.Results. The possibilities of realizing resource, production, and R&D potential for deep processing of titanium metal in Ukraine have been substantiated. The directions of the Ukrainian titanium industry development have been offered. The construction of new and/or modernization of production facilities for processing Ukrainian titanium raw materials based on domestic scientific developments has been substantiated.Conclusions. Ukraine has a strategic potential to create a full cycle of titanium products production. Providing favorable conditions for attracting investment and access to capital and financial and economic instruments facilitates technological modernization. This, in turn, will help open “a window of opportunities” for Ukraine for manufacturing titanium products with high added value for the needs of the military industrial complex and other high-tech industries.

The Effect of Renewable Phosphorus Biofertilizers on Selected Wheat Grain Quality Parameters

Recycling and reusing phosphorus in agriculture can reduce the consumption of natural phosphorus resources, which are continuing to shrink. Phosphorus fertilizers made from renewable raw materials (sewage sludge ash, animal bones, dried animal blood) and activated with phosphorus solubilizing microorganisms (Bacillus megaterium, Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans) offer an alternative to conventional fertilizers. These products should meet consumer and environmental safety standards. In this paper, based on field experiments conducted in northeast Poland, the effects of waste-derived biofertilizers on selected parameters of wheat yield quality are discussed. The study focuses on the technological properties of the grain (hectoliter weight, hardness index, Zeleny index, starch, wet gluten, and protein content), the content of proteogenic amino acids, macro- and micronutrients, and selected toxic elements in the grain. The quality parameters of wheat grain were not affected by the tested biofertilizers applied in P doses up to 35.2 kg ha−1, nor by conventional fertilizers.

Simulation of a catalytic deoxygenation reaction of fatty acids to produce biohydrocarbons and evaluation of the influence of reaction parameters on the conversion and selectivity of products

Nowadays, there has been an urgency in the search for sustainable energy sources, such as those derived from biomass. This search is not only limited to minimizing greenhouse gas emissions but is also related to the increasing scarcity of fossil fuels. This work aims to investigate and analyze the production of bio-hydrocarbons from fatty acids through the simulation of the deoxygenation reaction by the DWSim software. In this simulation, a continuous catalytic deoxygenation reactor of the stirred tank with fluidized bed type was selected, aiming to understand the influence of operating parameters on this reaction. The parameters evaluated were temperature, pressure, hydrogen feed, and catalyst mass. For this simulation, hydrogen and stearic acid were chosen as feedstocks, focusing on the heptadecane and octadecane production. The rate law was chosen based on an extensive literature review, as well as reaction conditions. The kinetic model used as a reference was based on reactions of stearic acid and hydrogen in the presence of NiMo/Al2O3 as a catalyst. A stearic acid feed of 2.4 x 104 m3 year-1 was used as a base, representing the average feed of fatty raw material practiced in biodiesel plants located in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. From the variation of these parameters for a sensitivity analysis, with conversion as the key response, the following optimal operating conditions were defined: temperature of 650 K, pressure of 50 bar, molecular hydrogen feed of 4.1 x 10-3 m³ s-1, and catalyst mass of 8 kg. Under these new circumstances, the conversion of stearic acid reached a value of 99.23 %. The simulation of this reaction allowed us to understand the effect of the main reaction parameters on the reaction products, proved to be an important and robust tool to be used in projects and feasibility analyses of plants and biorefineries.

The improvement of inflammatory infiltration and pregnancy outcome in mice with recurrent spontaneous abortion by human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells.

Recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) is thought to be mostly triggered by immune-related causes. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which exhibit the traits of multi-directional differentiation capacity and low immunogenicity, have recently been recommended as a viable treatment for spontaneous abortion-prone mice to increase the success of pregnancy. Amniotic membrane tissue is a byproduct of pregnancy and delivery that has a wide range of potential uses due to its easy access to raw materials and little ethical constraints. To construct an abortion-prone mouse model for this investigation, CBA/J female mice were coupled with male DBA/2 mice, while CBA/J female mice were paired with male BALB/c mice as a control. The identical volume of hAMSCs or PBS was injected intraperitoneally on the 4.5th day of pregnancy. CBA/J female mice were sacrificed by cervical dislocation on the 13.5th day of pregnancy, the embryo absorption rate was calculated, and the uterus, decidua tissues and placenta were gathered for examination. Through detection, it was discovered that hAMSCs significantly increased the expression of interleukin 10 (IL-10) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), while significantly decreased the expression of interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) and interleukin 6 (IL-6), improved vascular formation and angiogenesis, minimized the embryo absorption rate and inflammatory cell infiltration in the RSA + hAMSCs group. In any case, hAMSCs regulate inflammatory factors and cell balance at the maternal-fetal interface, which result in a reduction in the rate of embryo absorption and inflammatory infiltration and provide an innovative perspective to the clinical therapy of RSA.

The last cave lion of the late Upper Palaeolithic: The engraved feline of Grotta Romanelli (southern Italy)

On the occasion of the review of the portable art of Grotta Romanelli, a decorated stone with a feline figure was object of an interdisciplinary study. The analysis considered different approaches so to: characterise the stratigraphic setting of the finding, the rock support, look into the techniques used to decorate the stone, elaborate a graphic documentation (photographs, 3D models and tracings), relate the symbolic production with the environmental context, and consider the motifs into the wider late Upper Palaeolithic (LUP) art production.The work allows confirming that the represented subject corresponds to a Panthera spelaea, and fixing some issues concerning the variability of the decorating activity, which is in line with the graphic tradition of the European LUP. Style and formal variable features of the figure might have responded to specific social conventions or to single author's skills, tracing new investigation lines about the cultural behaviour and the decorating activity: from the collection of the raw material and the preliminary modelling of the support, to the different artistic techniques (engraving and painting), from the use of the object to the definition of possible local artistic variations and/or inspiration at large scale. Moreover, it questions the thematic aspect in relation to the local fauna and its influence in the symbolic production, highlighting the importance of this stone in the wider debate about the extinction of the cave lions. Indeed, the Romanelli lion may represent the last evidence of this animal in Europe.

Economic trade-offs of harvesting the ocean twilight zone: An ecosystem services approach

The mesopelagic or ocean twilight zone (OTZ) in the ocean contains huge numbers of fish in a relatively pristine environment and may therefore attract interest as a commercial fishery. In this study we evaluate in economic terms, the likely trade-offs between the different services provided by the mesopelagic layer in the Bay of Biscay and the societal benefits of its commercial exploitation. Benefits arise mainly from the likely use of this group of species as raw material for producing fishmeal and fish oil. Costs are derived from the loss in climate regulating and cultural, services, but also from the loss in the provisioning service of other commercial species. To do so we compare the current non-exploited status with a situation in where mesopelagic fishes are harvested at levels capable of producing the Maximum Sustainable Yield. Results suggest that if mesopelagic fishes are harvested, a mean value of 1.2 million Euro loss in a year will be created in the Bay of Biscay, although in a range between 42 million Euro loss and 48 Euro million benefits. This uncertainty comes, mainly, from the limited existing knowledge of the mesopelagic fishes’ biomass but also from the uncertainty on the biomass of the rest of the species of the studied ecosystem. The large range indicates that a better understanding of the mesopelagic ecosystem is needed, however, results also show that ecosystem services under no exploitation provided by the OTZ could be more valuable than the fishmeal and fish oil that potentially could be obtained from the fishes harvested in this sea layer.

Isolation, identification and quantification of flavonoids from the flowers of <i>Staphylea pinnata</i> L.

Introduction. Search for new plant species containing biologically active substances (hereinafter – BAS) is one of the leading tasks of pharmacognosy as a science. The search for flavonoid glycosides in plant raw materials is especially relevant, since they have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immunostimulating, as well as weak fungicidal and bacteriostatic action. Staphylea pinnata L. is an endemic plant of the Caucasus, cultivated not only in Georgia, but also in the Russian Federation in the Northern and Northwestern Caucasus. In foreign literature there are studies of antioxidant, antiproliferative and cytotoxic activity of leaf extracts of several species of S. pinnata L., as well as inhibitory activity of COX-1, COX-2 and LTB4 formation. Meanwhile, no serious Russian-language scientific studies on either the chemical composition or pharmacological action of generative organs of S. pinnata were found in the literature. This work is part of a comprehensive phytochemical study of S. pinnata. The aim of the work is to study the qualitative and quantitative composition of flavonoids in the studied object.Aim. To isolate, identify and quantify flavonoids in flowers and buds of Staphylea pinnata L.Materials and methods. Alcohol-water extracts from dried generative organs of the studied plant were used as analyzed solutions. Solutions were analyzed on a spectrophotometer SF-2000 (LLC "OKB Spectr", Russia) after sample preparation with aluminum chloride and on an HPLC Nexera-i LC-2040 (Shimadzu Corporation, Japan) equipped with a column and sample thermostat, degasser and autosampler using an individually selected elution gradient of the mobile phase (0.1 % orthophosphoric acid/acetonitrile solution). The primary data were processed using LabSolutions Single LC software (Shimadzu Corporation, Japan). Compounds from the flavonoid group were identified by retention times. Detection was carried out using a UV detector with an absorption wavelength of 365 ± 2 nm.Result and discussion. Alcohol-water extracts from flowers and buds of S. pinnata L. were obtained. Quantitative evaluation by spectrophotometry for flavonoid content was carried out. A gradient elution mode for HPLC was selected for simultaneous determination of 7 flavonoid glycosides. These chromatographic conditions allowed the identification and quantification of astragaline, cynaroside, cosmosiin, narcissin and rutin in flowers and buds of Staphylea pinnata L. Flavonoid glycosides: raponticin and kaempferol were not detected.Conclusion. Flavonoid glycosides were isolated from the generative organs of S. pinnata L., a technique for quantitative determination of flavonoid glycosides in alcohol-water extracts was developed, astragalin, cynaroside, cosmosiin, narcissin and rutin were detected and quantified.

Are digital servitization-based Circular Economy business models sustainable? A systemic what-if simulation model

Manufacturing companies are struggling with the implementation of Circular Economy, especially due to the uncertainty regarding its potential sustainability benefits. In particular, and despite digital servitization is advocated by several studies as a way to achieve environmental gains, circular business models based on digital servitization are not always sustainable due to burden shifting and unexpected consequences which are difficult to assess before implementation. This is particularly relevant for the Electrical and Electronics Equipment industry, which suffers structural weaknesses such as the dependance on critical raw materials and an increasing waste generation. However, literature lacks models and tools able to address the complexity inherent in the systemic micro-macro perspective envisioned by Circular Economy, while studies that quantitatively assess the sustainability impacts and trade-offs of digital servitization-based circular scenarios are limited. This article aims to develop a better understanding of how the sustainability impacts of circular and servitized scenarios can be assessed and quantified at the economic, environmental, and social level, adopting a systemic perspective through the development of a what-if simulation model. The model is implemented in a spreadsheet tool and applied to a digital servitization-based Circular Economy scenario inspired by the case of a company offering long-lasting, high-efficient washing machines as-a-service. Results show that digital servitization can actually lead to a win-win-win situation with net positive effects to the environment, the society, and the economy. This result is based on the joint application of product design for digitalization and life extension, pay-per-use business models, and product reuse. These results are robust within a significant range of key parameters values. Practitioners and policymakers may use the model to support the evaluation of different circular and servitized scenarios before implementation.

Effect of storage condition on the viability of sago effluents as carbon source in fermentation medium for bioethanol production

In Sarawak, Malaysia, approximately 237 tons/day of sago effluent is commonly discharged into nearby river due to the sago starch extraction process. Due to the high concentration of polymeric compounds, particularly starch, in sago wastewater, which petrifies easily, this condition severely pollutes the environment in the affected area. This study was conducted to determine the viability of using sago effluent as a carbon source and fermentation medium for bioethanol production which indirectly help to minimize the environmental impact as well as the economics of the sago industry. The sago effluent obtained from the local sago mill was analysed for starch content and pH profile while stored at room and cold (4°C) temperature facility. Enzymatic hydrolysis was conducted to convert the residual starch into glucose as carbon source for bioethanol fermentation. Fresh sago effluent can be stored for up to 5 days in cold temperature where the starch content remains constant. The highest starch concentration in sago effluent was 61.33 g/L, in which 50.57 g/L glucose was obtained through the enzymatic hydrolysis process. Hence 82.5% of the starch to glucose conversion yield is revealed. Then, the sago effluent hydrolysate which acts as a carbon source as well as a fermentation medium able to generate 23.14 g/L of bioethanol, displays a 91% theoretical yield of glucose to ethanol. In conclusion, the utilization of sago wastewater as feasible alternative to cheap and locally available and sustainable source of raw materials to produce bioethanol.