Sunflower Stalks Research Articles

Enhanced bioethanol production from Compositae plant stalks: Integrating dry acid pretreatment and fungal mediated biodetoxification

Compositae is an important economic plant with relatively high contents of water-soluble sugars in stalk section. The pretreatment of Compositae plant stalks quickly converts the water-soluble sugars into high titers of furan aldehydes, which inhibits the viability of consequent fermentation strains. This study used the typical Compositae plant stalks of sunflower, Jerusalem artichoke, and stevia as feedstocks for dry acid pretreatment under high solids loading, then a unique solid-state biodetoxification method was applied to degrade these high-titer inhibitors. The results showed that temperature and sulfuric acid concentration were two key parameters for enhancing pretreatment efficiency. Enzymatic hydrolysis yield of the above pretreated stalks reached up to 79.68%, 66.75% and 74.05%, respectively. For pretreated Jerusalem artichoke stalk, it contained 37.36% of cellulose, 2.72% of xylan, 3.04% of glucose, 11.64% of xylose, 20.54% of lignin, and some inhibitors (3.80% of acetate, 0.24% of HMF and 0.23% of furfural). After biodetoxification, 100% of furfural, 40% of HMF, and 36% of acetate were quickly removed by Amorphotheca resinae ZN1, which resulted in 55.57 g/L ethanol production (equivalent to 7.1% by volumetric percentage) with the yield of 55.54% from 73.59 g/L of glucose and 40.69 g/L of xylose by simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation (SSCF). This study provides a combinational approach of dry acid pretreatment and biodetoxification for Compositae plant stalks biorefinery.

MgO Assisted Catalytic Hydrothermal Carbonization Followed by Pyrolysis of Sunflower Stalks for the Determination of Kinetic and Thermodynamic Parameters

MgO Assisted Catalytic Hydrothermal Carbonization Followed by Pyrolysis of Sunflower Stalks for the Determination of Kinetic and Thermodynamic Parameters

Workability and Environmental Evaluation of Using Sunflower Stalk Ash as an Alkali Activator with Blast Furnace Slag and Black Rice Hull Ash to Prepare Geopolymer Grouts

Workability and Environmental Evaluation of Using Sunflower Stalk Ash as an Alkali Activator with Blast Furnace Slag and Black Rice Hull Ash to Prepare Geopolymer Grouts

Inhibitory Effect of the Extracts from Sunflower Disk and Stalk on Fusarium Sulphureum Causing Potato Dry Rot

Inhibitory Effect of the Extracts from Sunflower Disk and Stalk on Fusarium Sulphureum Causing Potato Dry Rot

Design and Experiment of In-Situ Bionic Harvesting Device for Edible Sunflower

In view of the low degree of mechanization and poor quality of harvesting of edible sunflower after drying, an in situ bionic harvesting device was designed, which can achieve low-loss harvesting of edible sunflower without removing the edible sunflower disc. According to the physical characteristics of sunflower stalks in the field, influencing factors of in situ low-loss feeding were obtained, and the structural parameters of the in situ feeding mechanism were determined. Based on bionic technology and static analysis, the influencing factors on the performance of the bionic threshing mechanism were obtained. By analyzing the mechanical characteristics of edible sunflower seed, the operation parameters of the seed collection mechanism were determined. Based on the structural analysis results of the harvesting device, a response surface optimization test was carried out. The test results show that when the average rotation speed of the bionic loosening roller was 113.57 rpm, the average rotation speed of the simulated artificial striking roller was 230.80 rpm, the average forward speed of the harvesting device was 0.58 m/s, the working quality of the harvesting device was the best, the seed loss rate was 2.12%, and the edible sunflower disc threshing rate was 98.96%. A field verification test further confirms that under the optimal working parameters, the relative deviation between test indexes and response surface optimization test results was less than 2%. During the operation process, the movement of key components of the harvesting device was coordinated and stable. The research results can provide new ideas for the mechanized harvesting of the edible sunflower disc after drying.

Bioconversion of organic wastes: treatment sludges, animal manures, and agricultural wastes

AbstractThis study aimed to investigate the compostability of treatment sludge and to determine the effects of adding different animal manures (cattle, pig, horse, and chicken) and agricultural waste (sunflower stalks) on the composting process. Five different compost reactors (M1, M2, M3, M4, and M5) were operated. Sunflower stalks were added to all reactors as a bulking agent at the rate of 20%. Treatment sludge (80%) and bulking agent were added to the M1 reactor, where animal manure was not added, while 40% treatment sludge and 40% animal manure were added to the other reactors. In the reactors where animal manure was added, cattle (M2), pig (M3), horse (M4), and chicken (M5) manure were used, respectively. The temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, organic matter (OM), carbon to nitrogen ratio (C/N), total Kjeldahl nitrogen, and total phosphorus were monitored during the 21-day process. The highest OM loss (64.8%) occurred in the M2 reactor, and the maximum temperature (62.7 °C) was achieved. The high temperatures reached in the reactor increased microbial activity, resulting in rapid decomposition of OM and elimination of pathogens. With a maximum reduction in the C/N ratio (40%), carbon and nitrogen balance was achieved, thus obtaining a more stable and higher quality compost for plants in this reactor. In the M1 reactor, where only treatment sludge was composted, lower microbiological activity occurred compared to the other mixtures due to the lack of substrate. It can be said that composting treatment sludge together with animal manures will provide higher quality end products.

Effect of Molasses Addition on the Fermentation Quality and Microbial Community during Mixed Microstorage of Seed Pumpkin Peel Residue and Sunflower Stalks

Effect of Molasses Addition on the Fermentation Quality and Microbial Community during Mixed Microstorage of Seed Pumpkin Peel Residue and Sunflower Stalks

Intelligent design and seawater mixing performance of new synchronous grouting materials in a pure-solid-waste framework

Solid waste, as a reliable raw material substitute for synchronous grouting materials in shield tunneling, addresses the issue of recycling traditional waste. Additionally, geopolymer slurries utilizing waste exhibit excellent physical and chemical properties, meeting requirements for the stability and long-term performance of synchronous grouting materials. In this study, an environmentally friendly polymer grouting material based on pure solid waste was developed using sunflower stalk ash, blast furnace slag, and fly ash as raw materials. By varying the proportions of binder materials and quantity of seawater introduced, we systematically analyzed the applicability of grouting materials and reliability of seawater as a mixing medium in a comprehensive solid waste framework. We utilized an artificial intelligence integrated algorithm to predict the compressive strengths of cementitious materials with different ratios through forward performance prediction. The proportions were then inverted using a simulated annealing algorithm according to the strength required for actual engineering applications. The results demonstrated that under the dual effects of sunflower stalk ash alkalinity and seawater composite salts, more active Si and Al ions were released during the hydration process. The solid waste filling and accelerating effects of composite salt hydration can effectively improve the pore structure, resulting in a significant increase in early compressive strength. The artificial intelligence ensemble algorithm proved to be an effective model for predicting compressive strength and the simulated annealing algorithm successfully determined the optimal ratios for meeting practical production requirements. These findings provide a foundation for solid waste treatment and underground engineering using seawater resources, contribute to the preparation of high-performance slurries, and facilitate green development.

Characterization of Cellulosic Pulps Isolated from Two Widespread Agricultural Wastes: Cotton and Sunflower Stalks.

Globally, huge amounts of cotton and sunflower stalks are generated annually. These wastes are being underutilized since they are mostly burned in the fields. So, in this work, we proposed a three-step method consisting of acid pre-treatment, alkaline hydrolysis, and bleaching for the extraction of cellulose pulps. These pulps were characterized to assess their morpho-structural and thermal properties. The design of experiments and response surface methodology were used for the optimization of the acid pre-treatment in order to achieve maximum removal of non-cellulosic compounds and obtain pulps enriched in cellulose. For cotton stalks, optimal conditions were identified as a reaction time of 190 min, a reaction temperature of 96.2 °C, and an acid (nitric acid) concentration of 6.3%. For sunflower stalks, the optimized time, temperature, and acid concentration were 130 min, 73.8 °C, and 8.7%, respectively. The pulps obtained after bleaching contained more than 90% cellulose. However, special care must be taken during the process, especially in the acid pre-treatment, as it causes the solubilization of a great amount of material. The characterization revealed that the extraction process led to cellulose pulps with around 69-70% crystallinity and thermal stability in the range of 340-350 °C, ready to be used for their conversion into derivatives for industrial applications.

Polysaccharide of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) stalk pith inhibits cancer proliferation and metastases via TNF-α pathway

The decoctions of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L. HAL) stalk pith have been used to treat advanced cancer, and polysaccharide of sunflower stalk pith (HSPP) was key ingredient of the decoctions. To forage specially structured HSPP with anti-tumor effects and to uncover its mechanisms of anticancer activity, syngeneic mouse model of lung carcinoma metastasis was established and the HSPP was found to contain long-chain fatty acid. Encouragingly, the mean survival of the polysaccharide group (47.3 ± 12.8 d) and its sub-fractions group HSPP-4 (50.7 ± 13.0 d) was significantly increased compared with control group (38.7 ± 12.7 d) or positive control group (41.8 ± 13.4 d), (n = 20, P < 0.01 vs. the control group or positive control group). Furthermore, the HSPP exerted inhibitory effects on the tumor cells' metastasis. Eventually, it is postulated that the polysaccharide could inhibit tumor proliferation and metastasis by reduction of TNF-α from the macrophage.

Sunflower Stalk ASH: Prime Additive to Latex Paint for Fire Retardancy of Marine Plywood

This research study investigates the use of sunflower stalk ash as a prime additive to latex paint for the fire retardancy of marine plywood. Its main goal was to assess the effectiveness of sunflower stalk ash paint in improving the fire retardancy of marine plywood. The researchers employed a simplified flame spread test to determine the effectiveness of the paint, and statistical analysis alongside observation were used to ascertain the ideal concentration required for the sunflower stalk ash paint. The findings revealed that the use of sunflower stalk ash paint can significantly improve the fire retardancy of marine plywood, with the most effective outcome observed in marine plywood that was coated thrice with 16% concentration of sunflower stalk ash in latex paint. This study suggests that utilizing agricultural waste like sunflower stalk ash could serve as an effective and efficient method for enhancing the fire retardancy of marine plywood.

Ensemble machine learning prediction of anaerobic co-digestion of manure and thermally pretreated harvest residues

This study aimed to clarify the statistical accuracy assessment approaches used in recent biogas prediction studies using state-of-the-art ensemble machine learning approach according to 10-fold cross-validation in 100 repetitions. Three thermally pretreated harvest residue types (maize stover, sunflower stalk and soybean straw) and manure were anaerobically co-digested, measuring biogas and methane yield alongside eight thermal preprocessing and biomass covariates. These were the inputs to an ensemble machine learning approach for biogas and methane yield prediction, employing three feature selection approaches. The Support Vector Machine prediction with the Recursive Feature Elimination resulted in the highest prediction accuracy, achieving the coefficient of determination of 0.820 and 0.823 for biogas and methane yield prediction, respectively. This study demonstrated an extreme dependency of prediction accuracy to input dataset properties, which could only be mitigated with ensemble machine learning and strongly suggested that the split-sample approach, often used in previous studies, should be avoided.

Enhanced phosphorus and potassium recovery through co-pyrolysis of nutrient-rich biomass feedstocks for engineered biochar production

Engineered biochars were produced via slow pyrolysis at 600 °C for 1 h from selected carbon-rich (diyar wood, sawdust, cotton stalk, sunflower straw, and banana stem) and nutrient-rich (eggshell, chicken bone, chicken manure, and sewage sludge) biomass residues with enhanced P and K recovery. Separate pyrolysis of both category feedstocks and co-pyrolysis of selected carbon-rich and nutrient-rich feedstocks mixed at 3:1 ratio was conducted. Higher biochar yield (41 %) was achieved in the co-pyrolysis of sewage sludge and sunflower stalk compared to average (38.5 %) of their separate pyrolysis. Moreover, increased K recovery (5.3 % to 19.5 %) and increased P recovery (1.8 % to 25.5 %) was achieved in biochar through co-pyrolysis of nutrient-rich and selected carbon-rich feed stocks compared with their separate pyrolysis. The chicken bone and sewage sludge can be ideal feedstocks for enhanced P and K recovery through their co-pyrolysis with carbon rich biomass such as banana stem or sunflower stalk.

Bioleaching of Cd from contaminated Helianthus annuus L. stalk and the safe utilization of its byproducts by Aspergillus niger

Disposal and recycling of heavy metal-enriched biomass is the key to measure the success of phytoremediation. This study employed innovative approach to use Aspergillus niger (A. niger) for the treatment of Cd-contaminated Helianthus annuus L. (sunflower) stalk after phytoremediation. Single-factor results showed that the removal of Cd at an initial pH of 3 was superior to sucrose and inoculation amount. 67.67% of Cd was removed by A. niger leaching system after 11 days based on response surface methodology optimum conditions (sucrose: 76.266 g L−1; inoculation amount: 10%; initial pH: 3), while the concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (N, P and K) of sunflower stalk were unaffected. While physicochemical pretreatment effectively enhanced the bioleaching efficiency, it also resulted in significant loss of P and K elements, thereby reducing the value of biomass for recycling and utilization. Therefore, the direct A. niger leaching method without pretreatment is more advantageous for the safe treatment and recycling of Cd-contaminated sunflower stalks.

Design and Performance Analysis of a Sunflower Cutting Table Based on the Principle of Manual Disk Pick-Up

To solve the problems associated with the poor harvesting ability of existing sunflower harvester cutting tables, and high seed drop rates, we designed a sunflower cutting table that can greatly improve the operational performance of sunflower combine harvesters. In this paper, we introduce the structure and principle of the whole machine and select the key parameters of the cutting table with the goal of adapting to a variety of planting modes in Xinjiang, China. Since the harvesting of sunflower in the wrong row easily causes the sunflower stalks to break, ADAMS (Version: 2020) simulation experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of the forward speed of the machine, the height of the sunflower insertion disk, and the angle of inclination of the harvest divider on the offset angle of the sunflower. With the goal of reducing the offset angle of the stalks in the forward direction of the harvest divider and reducing the size of the cutting table, the harvest divider inclination angle was chosen to be 45°; by using Design-Expert V13.0.15 software, a three-factor, three-level field test was carried out to determine the optimal parameter combinations that resulted in the minimum seed loss rate and the maximum success rate of the disk picking. Moreover, a validation test was conducted. The results show that when the forward speed is set to 0.62 m/s, the lifting speed of the pick-up disk device is set to 0.42 m/s, and the height of the inserted disk is set to 1000 mm, the relative errors between the theoretical values of the disk-picking success rate of the cutting table and the seed loss rate and the field test values are 6.5% and 1.3%, respectively. The results of the present study can provide a reference for improving the performance of sunflower harvester cutting tables and for the mechanical harvesting of inserted disk sunflowers.

The Effects of Sunflower and Maize Crop Residue Extracts as a New Ingredient on the Quality Properties of Pork Liver Pâtés.

The present study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant capacity of ethanolic extracts from post-harvest sunflower and maize stalk residues, and their impact on the chemical composition, physicochemical parameters, lipid oxidative stability, microbiological properties, and sensory characteristics of pork liver pâtés over a 90-day storage period. Four formulations were prepared: a control group (CON), a batch with butylated hydroxytoluene as a synthetic antioxidant (BHT), 1% ethanolic extract from sunflower residues (SSRE), and 1% ethanolic extract from maize residues (MSRE). The MSRE had a higher total phenol content and showed better antioxidant activity relative to the SSRE (p < 0.01). The addition of SSRE decreased the lightness and increased the redness in the pork liver pâtés, with these pâtés showing the highest total color difference compared to the control (p < 0.01). The crop extracts increased the n-6 and total PUFA contents in pâtés and improved the PUFA/SFA ratio (p < 0.01). Formulations containing crop residue extracts showed higher TBARs and POV values than the control and BHT group (p < 0.01), indicating a pro-oxidant effect and accelerated lipid oxidation in pâtés during storage. As far as microbiological quality, the presence of crop residue extracts decreased the total viable count, lactic acid bacteria, and psychotropic aerobic bacteria (p < 0.01). The incorporation of crop extracts in the pork pâtés impaired their sensory quality, particularly color, odor, aroma, and flavor, and decreased their overall acceptability. These results indicated that, while the crop residue extracts were not as effective as synthetic antioxidants in preserving the lipid stability of pâtés, they demonstrated potential for enhancing the microbial quality of this type of meat product.

Development and performance evaluation of sunflower straw cellulose ether ecological sand-fixing material

Sunflowers are widely cultivated as a cash crop in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China. However, due to the lack of efficient resource utilization techniques, most of the sunflower stalks are discarded. In the Hetao irrigation area, the problem of desertification has prompted the limited use of sunflower straw to construct physical sand barriers for windbreaks and sand stabilization. In response to this, this study focuses on synthesizing a cellulose ether sand-fixing material using sunflower straw, the primary agricultural waste in Denkou County, Hetao irrigation district. This material enhances the effective adhesion between sand grains, reduces porosity among loose sand grains, and inhibits sand grain movement. The findings from this study conclusively demonstrate that the sand-fixing materials under investigation meet international standards for mechanical properties. They effectively transform loose, unconnected sand grains into a state with strong adhesion properties.

Influence on the fermentation quality, microbial diversity, and metabolomics in the ensiling of sunflower stalks and alfalfa.

With the rapid development of the livestock industry, finding new sources of feed has become a critical issue that needs to be addressed urgently. China is one of the top five sunflower producers in the world and generates a massive amount of sunflower stalks annually, yet this resource has not been effectively utilized. Therefore, in order to tap into the potential of sunflower stalks for animal feed, it is essential to explore and develop efficient methods for their utilization.In this study, various proportions of alfalfa and sunflower straw were co-ensiled with the following mixing ratios: 0:10, 2:8, 4:6, 5:5, 6:4, and 8:2, denoted as A0S10, A2S8, A4S6, A5S5, A6S4, and A8S2, respectively. The nutrient composition, fermentation quality, microbial quantity, microbial diversity, and broad-spectrum metabolomics on the 60th day were assessed. The results showed that the treatment groups with more sunflower straw added (A2S8, A4S6) could start fermentation earlier. On the first day of fermentation, Weissella spp.dominated overwhelmingly in these two groups. At the same time, in the early stage of fermentation, the pH in these two groups dropped rapidly, which could effectively reduce the loss of nutrients in the early stage of fermentation.In the later fermentation period, a declining trend in acetic acid levels was observed in A0S10, A2S8, and A4S6, while no butyric acid production was detected in A0S10 and A2S8 throughout the process. In A4S6, butyric acid production was observed only after 30 days of fermentation. From the perspective of metabolites, compared with sunflower ensiling alone, many bioactive substances such as flavonoids, alkaloids, and terpenes are upregulated in mixed ensiling.

Energy and autohydrolysis by-products from industrial crops

The world is experiencing a growing shortage of raw materials which is especially severe in the energy sector and being worsened by the unfavorable environmental impact of a consumerist culture revolving around the exploitation of non-renewable resources. In this work, the calorific value and chemical composition of liquors resulting from the autohydrolysis of six different lignocellulosic materials was determined (Eucalyptus globulus, Arundo donax, Leucaena diversifolia, Paulownia fortunei, Sunflower stalks and Chamaecytisus proliferus –tagasaste-) and was assesed for the obtainment of energy, sugars and other chemical products by using of integral fractionation based on autohydrolisys. Autohydrolysis processes have been considered interesting in the case of timber species studied compared with herbaceous species with variations in the extraction of the xylan fraction at 180 º C and 200 ° C.

Influence of Thermal Pretreatment on Lignin Destabilization in Harvest Residues: An Ensemble Machine Learning Approach

The research on lignocellulose pretreatments is generally performed through experiments that require substantial resources, are often time-consuming and are not always environmentally friendly. Therefore, researchers are developing computational methods which can minimize experimental procedures and save money. In this research, three machine learning methods, including Random Forest (RF), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGB) and Support Vector Machine (SVM), as well as their ensembles were evaluated to predict acid-insoluble detergent lignin (AIDL) content in lignocellulose biomass. Three different types of harvest residue (maize stover, soybean straw and sunflower stalk) were first pretreated in a laboratory oven with hot air under two different temperatures (121 and 175 °C) at different duration (30 and 90 min) with the aim of disintegration of the lignocellulosic structure, i.e., delignification. Based on the leave-one-out cross-validation, the XGB resulted in the highest accuracy for all individual harvest residues, achieving the coefficient of determination (R2) in the range of 0.756–0.980. The relative variable importances for all individual harvest residues strongly suggested the dominant impact of pretreatment temperature in comparison to its duration. These findings proved the effectiveness of machine learning prediction in the optimization of lignocellulose pretreatment, leading to a more efficient lignin destabilization approach.