Valuable Organic Matter Research Articles

Construction of an interface interaction in a g-C3N4/CdS/NiS for photoreforming of plastic and clean hydrogen regeneration

Converting plastics into organic matter by photoreforming is an emerging way to deal with plastic pollution and produce valuable organic matter. Water shortage can be alleviated by using seawater resources. To solve these problems, we synthesize a ternary heterostructure composite g-C3N4/CdS/NiS. Heterojunctions are formed between graphitized carbon nitride (g-C3N4), cadmium sulfide (CdS) and nickel sulfide (NiS), which effectively improve the problem of fast charge recombination of pure g-C3N4 and CdS. The results of the g-C3N4/CdS/NiS photocatalytic tests show that the hydrogen production rates in seawater and pure water for 5 h are 30.44 and 25.79 mmol/g/h, respectively. In stability test, the hydrogen production rate of the g-C3N4/CdS/NiS in seawater and pure water is similar. This suggests that seawater can replace pure water as a source of hydrogen. While H2 is generated, the lactate obtained by polylactic acid (PLA) hydrolysis is oxidized to form small organic compounds such as formate, acetate and pyruvate. Our study shows that g-C3N4/CdS/NiS can not only use seawater as a hydrogen source to produce H2, but also photoreformate plastics dissolved in seawater into valuable small organic molecules. This has a positive impact on the production and use of clean energy, as well as on plastic pollution and water scarcity.

An Assessment of the Suitability of Contrasting Biosolids for Raising Indigenous Plants in Nurseries

Disposal of biosolids, the solid fraction of sewage treatment, is a global environmental issue. Biosolids contain valuable organic matter and plant nutrients; however, they also contain contaminants including trace elements, xenobiotics, and pathogens. The quality of the biosolids greatly depends on the source of wastewater (i.e., industrial vs. domestic) and the treatment processes. We aimed to determine the potential of three distinct biosolids and one pond sludge to grow indigenous plants for ecosystem restoration. For each amendment, we tested six indigenous species, Veronica salicifolia, Corokia cheesemanii, Griselinia littoralis, Phormium tenax, Poa cita, and Cordyline australis in bark mixed with biosolids and/or pond sludge at rates of 0–50%. There was a significant positive correlation between plant growth and biosolid addition up to a species-dependent plateau. Growth decreased at the highest rates. At a rate of 10% for fresh biosolids and 30% for aged biosolids provided consistent optimal growth across all species. The pond sludge was unsuitable for the establishment of indigenous seedlings. At the optimal rates, there were significant increases in foliar N, P, K, S, and Zn. None of the trace elements accumulated in the plants at phytotoxic concentrations or levels that presented a risk to ecosystems. Future work should determine how plants raised with biosolids perform once planted out in the field.

Enhanced reaction extraction distillation via multi-objective optimization and 4E analysis for sustainable recovery of organic compounds from wastewater

Resource utilization and sustainable treatment of wastewater, which can achieve efficient energy utilization and environmental protection, have received hot social attention. Tetrahydrofuran and methanol are the two most common substances in pharmaceutical wastewater. It is very necessary to explore the wastewater treatment process containing these two substances. In this study, extractive distillation and reactive distillation were proposed to effectively separate the tetrahydrofuran-methanol-water component of pharmaceutical wastewater. To further reduce energy consumption, two strengthening processes, double-column reactive-extractive distillation and reactive-extractive dividing wall column distillation were designed. Taking the minimum operating and equipment cost as the objective function, the processes were optimized by using the multi-objective genetic optimization algorithm to obtain the best process parameters. Four processes were evaluated in terms of total annual cost, energy consumption, gas emissions and thermodynamic efficiency. Compared to the traditional three-column extractive distillation process, the above-mentioned four aspects of the reactive-extractive dividing wall column process was reduced by 40.63%, 43.13%, 43.14% and 17.71%, respectively. The reactive-extractive dividing wall column distillation process is of great significance for the efficient purification of valuable organic matter in wastewater and environmental protection.

Guidelines for The Development of Nutrients for Serow in Captive: A Case Study of Chemical Composition and Feed Intake for Captive Serow (Capricornis milneedwardsii) in Chiang Mai Night Safari

The objective of this research was to determine the chemical composition and feed intake for captive serows (Capricornis milneedwardsii) in Chiang Mai Night Safari. Nine serows (5 years old with average weight of 60.33±5 kg) with 90-day trial period were used in this study. Experimental dietary feeds were pisang awak banana, sweet corn, pangola hay, chinese water convolvulus, and maize plants. Chemical compositions were analysed by proximate analysis and Van Soest methods. Daily feed intakes were recorded to determine the dry matter intake. Completely randomized design (CRD) was used for the experimental design. The results showed that the sweet corn has significantly higher valuable organic matter than other feeds (P<0.001) while pangola hay shows significantly lower amounts of crude protein and lipids than other feeds (P<0.001). In addition, considering the amount of nutrient intake, serows show significantly higher feed intakes of dry matter, organic matter, and crude fiber of maize plants than other feeds (P<0.001). Therefore, the maize plants can be used as a source of energy for serows and utilize it for their livelihood growth. The maize plants also have lower cost compared to other types of feed. Therefore, the maize plants are suitable for use as a feed source to raise serows in captives for the conservation of serows in Thailand.

Emerging transitions in organic waste infrastructure in Aotearoa New Zealand

AbstractAotearoa New Zealand is at a critical juncture in reducing and managing organic waste. Research has highlighted the significant proportion of organic waste sent to landfills and associated adverse effects such as greenhouse gas emissions and loss of valuable organic matter. There is current debate about what practices and infrastructure to invest in to better manage and use organic waste. We highlight the diversity of existing organic waste practices and infrastructures, focusing on Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. We show how debates about organic waste practices and infrastructure connect across three themes: waste subjectivities, collective action in place and language.

Short-term effect of biochar on the improvement of calcareous soil biological properties and marjoram (Origanum majorana L.) growth under greenhouse conditions in a Mediterranean climate

In the cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants may be possible to improve the biological properties of the soil and to grow plants with properties close to those in the natural environment by using the valuable organic matter resources obtained by special methods such as biochar in an economical. In this study, oak wood biochar (OBC) was used as fertilizing material for aromatic marjoram cultivation and applied to soil as follows: 0 t ha-1 OBC-control (OBC-0), 20 t ha-1 OBC (OBC-2), 40 t ha-1 OBC (OBC-4), 60 t ha-1 OBC (OBC-6), 0 t ha-1 OBC + chemical fertilizer (OBC-0+CF), 20 t ha-1 biochar + chemical fertilizer (OBC-2+CF), 40 t ha-1 biochar + chemical fertilizer (OBC-4+CF), 60 t ha-1 biochar + chemical fertilizer (OBC-6+CF). Afterwards, the effects of the applications on the biological properties of the soil where marjoram is grown and the physical properties of the plant, volatile oil yield and oil components were investigated. Accordingly, it was determined that the number of bacteria and enzyme activities (dehydrogenase, urease, alkaline phosphatase, β-glycosidase) of the soil reached ​​with the biochar applications alone. It was determined that the application that increased the green herb yield the most with the fresh and dry weight of marjoram was the application of the biochar with chemical fertilizer added. On the other hand, in contrast to the addition of chemical fertilizers, it was determined that the application of biochar alone increased the volatile oil rate and the amount of carvacrol and thymol in the plant.

Unveiling TMP Process Water Potential As an Industrial Sourcing of Valuable Lignin–Carbohydrate Complexes toward Zero-Waste Biorefineries

The development of zero-waste biorefineries is a promising yet challenging pathway toward a sustainable bioeconomy. Deep insights on the composition of biorefineries side streams along with the development of green technologies are mandatory to achieve such a goal. In this Article, a sustainable pilot-scale membrane process was used to recover valuable organic matter dissolved in the main side stream of a thermomechanical pulping (TMP) plant. A great number of analytical tools were combined to get an extensive characterization of the generated fraction, including inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), high-performance ion chromatography coupled with pulse amperometric detection (HPIC-PAD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), size-exclusion chromatography (SEC), and C-13 and 2D heteronuclear single quantum correlation (HSQC) NMR. The results revealed the presence of a considerable amount of native lignin-carbohydrate complexes (LCCs) in the fraction representing 40% of the dry weight. The LCCs are composed of partially acetylated galactoglucomannans (GGMs) covalently linked to low condensed and ) beta-O-4-rich lignin through phenyl glycosidic bonds (25.5 bonds/100 aromatic rings (ar)) and characterized by a relatively low molecular weight around 7 kDa. Such complexes present an interesting potential for valorization with unique properties resulting from the combination of their aromatic and sugar moieties. Different applications are discussed in regards to the generated data in this work as an industrial sourcing of LCC is reported.

Composting of Posidonia oceanica (Neptune grass) mixed with poultry droppings residues for agricultural and environmental purpose

Posidonia oceanica and poultry droppings cause serious economic and environmental problems. Composting is the most reasonable way to profit from their highly valuable organic matter. A mixture of Posidonia oceanica and poultry droppings at different proportion: C1 (100%, 0), C2 (80%, 20%) and C3 (60%, 40%) were selected for composting. The physical and chemical parameters were monitored during composting over 85 days. The most appropriate parameters selected should be to establish the quality and maturity of final compost. The C3 compost gives a better quality of compost by increasing the bioavailability of nutrient contents such as N, Ca, K, P, Mg and their C/N = 12.20 is the established value for highly mature compost. The germination index (GI) was recorded as 46.67 ± 1.15%, 70 ± 0.82% and 86.67 ± 1.7% for C1, C2 and C3 mature compost, respectively. The GI was best correlated to the poultry droppings percentage in compost substrate (R2 = 0.91). Thus C3 may improve soil fertility and soil quality for horticulture purpose.

A study of demineralization of whey by nanofiltration membrane

Whey is the main byproduct obtained from cheese production, and it contains a high concentration of valuable organic matter, but demineralization is needed before it can be used. Nanofiltration (NF) membranes have high permeability for monovalent salts (e.g. NaCl, KCl) and organic compounds with low molecular weight, and very low permeability for organic compounds of molecular weight higher than 300 Da, so it is a good alternative for simultaneous concentration and demineralization of whey. In this paper, whey was acidified at different pH to measure the desalination. The results indicated that the best condition for demineralization was at the isoelectric point of whey (pH = 4.60). On the other hand, when the pH was at the isoelectric point of β-lactoglobulin (5.18, the main protein of whey), a good effect of demineralization could be obtained as well, and when diafiltration was applied, the demineralization effect was even higher at the pH of 4.60, and the demineralization rate was 72%.

WOOD CHIPPING ALMOND BRUSH AND ITS EFFECT ON THE ALMOND RHIZOSPHERE, SOIL AGGREGATION AND SOIL NUTRIENTS

WOOD CHIPPING ALMOND BRUSH AND ITS EFFECT ON THE ALMOND RHIZOSPHERE, SOIL AGGREGATION AND SOIL NUTRIENTS

Characterization of the Organic Matter for Some Crude Oils from the North Western Part of the Western Desert, Egypt

A direct method for crude oil evaluation based on spectral techniques is demonstrated. This direct method is demonstrated for five crude oils from the north western part of the western desert, Egypt. FTIR spectroscopy was used to study the distribution of functional groups contained in the crude oil samples. Some ratios calculated from peak heights of selected infrared bands allow for a better comparison of the spectra. These ratios will be useful to give valuable informations about the origin and thermal maturation of the organic matters. 13C NMR spectroscopy could provide a measure of the relative proportions of crude oils aliphatic and aromatic carbons so that the technique is proving to be a valuable organic matter maturation and typing tool. The proportion of organic carbon present in aliphatic structures correlates with oil-generating potential of a source rock. These spectroscopic techniques have been used to study the entire structures of crude oil samples. They may provide valuable informations about the aromaticity and diverse functionalities which are important to find out about the thermal history of the crude oil samples.

Recovery of proteins from fishmeal factory wastewaters

Attempts were made to recover valuable organic matter from wastewaters from the fishmeal industry. The most efficiency system was flocculation with ferric chloride. The optimal conditions for flocculation with this salt were developed and successfully assayed on an industrial scale. The treated effluent had a large organic load and so ultrafiltration was also carried out. The results suggest that ultrafiltration removed a high percentage of the remaining proteins, but that it would require a large membrane area and troublesome washing procedures to maintain an adequate flux rate. Ultrafiltration was therefore considered inappropriate for secondary treatment on an industrial scale.