Vinegar Residue Research Articles

Use of mixed solid waste as a soil amendment for saline-sodic soil remediation and oat seedling growth improvement.

Soil salinization has become a worldwide problem that imposes restrictions on crop production and food quality. This study utilizes a soil column experiment to address the potential of using mixed solid waste (vinegar residue, fly ash, and sewage sludge) as soil amendment to ameliorate saline-sodic soil and enhance crop growth. Mixed solid waste with vinegar residue content ranging from 60-90%, sewage sludge of 8.7-30%, and fly ash of 1.3-10% was added to saline-sodic soil (electrical conductivity (EC1:5)=1.83dSm-1, sodium adsorption ratio (SAR1:5)=129.3 (mmolc L-1)1/2, pH=9.73) at rates of 0 (control), 130, 260, and 650kgha-1. Results showed that the application of waste amendment significantly reduced SAR, while increasing soil soluble K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+, at a dose of 650kgha-1. The wet stability of macro-aggregates (>1mm) was improved 90.7-133.7% when the application rate of amendment was greater than 260kgha-1. The application of this amendment significantly reduced soil pH. Germination rates and plant heights of oats were improved with the increasing rate of application. There was a positive correlation between the percentage of vinegar residue and the K/Na ratio in the soil solutions and roots. These findings suggest that applying a mixed waste amendment (vinegar residue, fly ash, and sewage sludge) could be a cost-effective method for the reclamation of saline-sodic soil and the improvement of the growth of salt-tolerant plants.

Design and calibration of a new compound sensor for water content and electrical conductivity in soilless substrates

Reliable and affordable compound sensors for measuring the water content and electrical conductivity simultaneously in soilless substrates are limited. In this study, a new compound sensor based on dielectric theory and four-electrode method is presented, and the size of the sensor is determined with the help of ANSYS software. A water content calibration test is designed in vinegar residue and coconut chaff with the same electrical conductivity. Test results show that the water content calibration equation is suitable for different substrates. Similarly, an electrical conductivity calibration equation is obtained in different concentrations of salt solutions. Considering the influence of electrical conductivity to water content measurement, a two-factor (water content and electrical conductivity) orthogonal test is designed in coconut chaff. Based on the analysis of test results, two compensation models – the multiplicative model and the additive model – are proposed. To evaluate the reliability of the models, a multiple linear regression analysis is employed. The results indicate that the additive model has a relatively higher reliability, i.e. the additive model can be regarded as the compensation model. After compensation, the relative errors of the measured values (including volumetric water content and electrical conductivity) are no more than 10%, and the compound sensor is suitable for different soilless substrates without recalibration.

Vinegar residue compost as a growth substrate enhances cucumber resistance against the Fusarium wilt pathogen Fusarium oxysporum by regulating physiological and biochemical responses.

Fusarium wilt caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum (FOC) is the most severe soil-borne disease attacking cucumber. To assess the positive effects of vinegar residue substrate (VRS) on the growth and incidence of Fusarium wilt on cucumber, we determined the cucumber growth parameters, disease severity, defense-related enzyme and pathogenesis-related (PR) protein activities, and stress-related gene expression levels. In in vitro and pot experiments, we demonstrated the following results: (i) the VRS extract exhibited a higher biocontrol activity than that of peat against FOC, and significantly improved the growth inhibition of FOC, with values of 48.3%; (ii) in response to a FOC challenge, antioxidant enzymes and the key enzymes of phenylpropanoid metabolic activities, as well as the PR protein activities in the roots of cucumber, were significantly increased. Moreover, the activities of these proteins were higher in VRS than in peat; (iii) the expression levels of stress-related genes (including glu, pal, and ethylene receptor) elicited responses to the pathogens inoculated in cucumber leaves; and (iv) the FOC treatment significantly inhibited the growth of cucumber seedlings. Moreover, all of the growth indices of plants grown in VRS were significantly higher than those grown in peat. These results offer a new strategy to control cucumber Fusarium wilt, by upregulating the activity levels of defense-related enzymes and PR proteins and adjusting gene expression levels. They also provide a theoretical basis for VRS applications.

Influence of steam explosion pretreatment on the anaerobic digestion of vinegar residue.

Vinegar residue is the by-product in the vinegar production process. The large amount of vinegar residue has caused a serious environmental problem owing to its acidity and corrosiveness. Anaerobic digestion is an effective way to convert agricultural waste into bioenergy, and a previous study showed that vinegar residue could be treated by anaerobic digestion but still had room to improve digestion efficiency. In this study, steam explosion at pressure of 0.8, 1.2, and 1.5 MPa and residence time of 5, 10, 15, and 20 min were used to pretreat vinegar residue to improve methane production, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analyses were applied to validate structural changes of vinegar residue after steam explosion. Results showed that steam explosion pretreatment could destroy the structure of lignocellulose by removing the hemicellulose and lignin, and improve the methane yield effectively. Steam explosion-treated vinegar residue at 0.8 MPa for 5 min produced the highest methane yield of 153.58 mL gVS (-1), which was 27.65% (significant, α < 0.05) more than untreated vinegar residue (120.31 mL gVS (-1)). The analyses of pH, total ammonia-nitrogen, total alkalinity, and volatile fatty acids showed that steam explosion did not influence the stability of anaerobic digestion. This study suggested that steam explosion pretreatment on vinegar residue might be a promising approach and it is worth further study to improve the efficiency of vinegar residue waste utilisation.

Effect of vinegar residue compost amendments on cucumber growth and Fusarium wilt.

Fusarium wilt of cucumber caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum J. H. Owen is one of the major destructive soilborne diseases and results in considerable yield losses. Methyl bromide was once the most effective disease control method but has been confirmed as harmful to the environment. Using suppressive media as biological controls to assist crop growth is becoming popular. In this study, Fusarium wilt of cucumber was successfully controlled by a newly identified suppressive media: vinegar residue compost-amended media (vinegar residue compost mixed with peat and vermiculite in a 6:3:1 ratio (v/v) vinegar residue substrate (VRS). Greenhouse experiments were carried out to evaluate the effect of VRS on the growth of cucumber seedlings and disease suppression. The control was peat/vermiculite (2:1, v/v). To identify the mixed media most suitable for the growth of plants and their suppressiveness indicators, we evaluated the biological characteristics of cucumber, the physicochemical and biochemical properties of the growth media, and the enzyme activities. Total organic C (C(org)), microbial biomass C (C(mic)), basal respiration (R(mic)), and enzyme (catalase, invertase, urease, proteinase, phosphatase, β-glucosidase, and hydrolysis of fluorescein diacetate) activities increased significantly after vinegar waste compost amendment. The compost media also showed a significantly positive effect on the growth of cucumber seedlings and the suppression of the disease severity index (DSI, 38% reduction). The cucumber rhizosphere population of F. oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum (FOC) was significantly lower in VRS than in the control. These results demonstrate convincingly that vinegar residue compost-amended media has a beneficial effect on cucumber growth and could be applied as a method for biological control of cucumber Fusarium wilt.

Design and Calibration of the Unilateral Sensitive Soil Moisture Sensor

Reliable and affordable moisture sensors with a simplified calibration process for obtaining the water content information of soil/soilless substrates were limited. In this paper, an unilateral sensitive capacitive soil moisture sensor, based on the improved ECH2O sensor probe structure, was presented. Through simulating the relationship between the ratio of plate space and plate width (a/b) and probe sensitivity, sensitive depth, respectively, the size of the sensor was determined with ANSYS first. Capacitance measurement circuit based on resonant principle was then designed. The relationship between the output of the sensor and the soil water content calibration model (β parameter model), was investigated. As a result, we proposed a two-step calibration β method. Experimental results showed that β parameter model appropriately described the relationship between the output and the soil water content, the minimum correlation coefficient R 2 = 0.9554 in the soil, peat, perlite, and vinegar residue. The measurement error of β parameter model was <;0.025 units except in perlite. The error caused by the change of bulk density was <;0.025 units in peat and vinegar residue. Therefore, the two-step calibration β method is suitable for calibrating the sensor.

Degradation of Lignocellulosic Components in Un-pretreated Vinegar Residue Using an Artificially Constructed Fungal Consortium

The objective of this work was to degrade lignocellulosic components in un-pretreated vinegar residue (VR) using a fungal consortium. Consortium-29, consisting of P. chrysosporium, T. koningii, A. niger, and A. ficuum NTG-23, was constructed using orthogonal design combined with two-way interaction analysis. After seven days of cultivation, the reducing sugar yield reached 35.57 mg per gram of dry substrate (gds-1), which was 108.01% higher than the control (17.10 mg gds-1). Additionally, the xylanase and CMCase activity reached 439.07 U gds-1 and 8.15 U gds-1, which were 432.08% and 243.88% higher than that of pure cultures of A. niger (82.52 U gds-1) and P. chrysosporium (2.37 U gds-1), respectively. The cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin contents decreased by 17.11%, 68.61%, and 14.44%, respectively, compared with that of the raw VR. The optimal fermentation conditions of consortium-29 were as follows: incubation temperature 25 °C, initial pH 6, initial moisture content 70%, inoculum size 1 x 10^6 spores/mL, incubation time 5 days, urea/VR 1%, and MnSO4 . H2O/VR 0.03%. This study suggests that consortium-29 is an efficient fungal consortium for un-pretreated VR degradation and has a potential application in lignocellulosic waste utilization with a low cost of operation.

Anaerobic digestion performance of vinegar residue in continuously stirred tank reactor

Anaerobic digestion (AD) of vinegar residue was investigated in continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR). The influence of organic loading rate (OLR) and effluent recirculation on AD performance of vinegar residue was tested. Five OLRs, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0gvsL−1d−1, were used. The highest volumetric methane productivity of 581.88mLL−1 was achieved at OLR of 2.5gvsL−1d−1. Effluent reflux ratio was set as 50%, the results showed that effluent recirculation could effectively neutralize the acidity of vinegar residue, raise the pH of the feedstock, and enhance the buffering capacity of the AD system. Anaerobic digestion of vinegar residue could be a promising way not only for converting this waste into gas energy but also alleviating environmental pollution which might be useful for future industrial application.

Pretreatment of vinegar residue and anaerobic sludge for enhanced hydrogen and methane production in the two-stage anaerobic system

To enhance the conversion of vinegar residue to bio-energy gas, pretreatment of vinegar residue and anaerobic sludge were investigated in a two-stage anaerobic system. SEM and XRD were applied to observe the variation of cellulosic materials in vinegar residue. Alkaline and acid pretreatments were applied. The alkaline pretreatment of anaerobic sludge was an effective approach for hydrogenogen enrichment. Compared with oxalic acid, hydrochloric acid released more organic substrates. Analysis of SEM and XRD illustrated that the amorphous cellulosic structure of vinegar residue was significantly disintegrated by acid. The higher hydrogen yield, the shorter lag phase and digestion time indicated that the performance of anaerobic digestion was enhanced by pretreatment of vinegar residue and anaerobic sludge. The fracture of cellulosic materials and the higher concentration of reducing sugar explained the higher efficiency of the two-stage anaerobic digestion.

Effects of Fermentation Product Containing Phytase on Productive Performance, Egg Quality, and Phosphorous Apparent Metabolism of Laying Hens Fed Different Levels of Phosphorus

This study investigated the effects of fermentation product containing phytase (FPP) that was fermented using waste vinegar residue (WVR) as substrate from Aspergillus ficuum NTG-23 on productive performance, egg quality, and phosphorus apparent metabolism of laying hens. First, 375 22-wk-old Jinghong hens were allocated into 5 treatments (5 replicates of 15 hens each) in an 8-wk experiment for evaluating the parameters of productive performance, egg quality, serum, and tibia. Experimental diets contained 4% FPP and 96% corn-soybean diet. The levels of dicalcium phosphate (DCP) were 1.34, 1.01, 0.67, 0.34 and 0%. Next, thirty 31-wk-old Jinghong hens were fed 5 types of diets for evaluating phosphorous apparent metabolism rate. Egg productive rate, egg weight, feed conversion ratio, Haugh unit, egg albumen height, serum calcium, tibia ash, tibia ash calcium and tibia breaking strength were not different significantly among 5 treatments. The significant difference of average daily feed intake was not appeared when the DCP content of corn-soybean-FPP diet was reduced to 0.67%; the eggshell hardness, eggshell thickness and serum phosphorus were not reduced significantly until the DCP content of corn-soybean-FPP diet was reduced to 0.34%. The yolk color was improved when the laying hens fed deficient DCP corn-soybean-FPP diet. A 22.14% reduction in excreta phosphorus was observed when the laying hens fed low phosphorus (0.67% DCP) corn-soybean-FPP diet. A 30% elevation of phosphorus apparent metabolism rate was obtained when the DCP content of corn-soybean-FPP diet was decreased from 1.34 to 1.01%. The reducing cost of layer diet was totalized about 120 CNY 1 000 kg−1 diet when the content of DCP was 0.67% in corn-soybean-FPP diet. These results indicated that FPP could be applied in laying hen as a potential, cost-effective and rational application of WVR.

Effects of inclusion of waste vinegar residue in the diet of laying hens on chyme characteristics and gut microflora

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of inclusion of waste vinegar residue (WVR) in the diet of laying hens on chyme characteristics and gut microflora. A total of 96 60-wk-old Hy-Line Brown laying hens were selected and fed three diets including a corn and soybean meal-based control diet and two other diets with 20g/kg and 40g/kg of WVR. After 27d feeding period, digesta was collected for protease activity, pH value and microflora determination. Bacterial genetic diversity was determined using DGGE analysis of the V3 region of 16S rDNA PCR products (230bp) obtained from primers specific for the domain Bacteria. Inclusion of 20g/kg and 40g/kg of WVR in the diet decreased the digesta pH value in the gizzard (P=0.003) and increased pepsin activities in the gizzard of laying hens (P=0.032). Species of Enterobacter and Peptostreptococcaceae were more predominant in the cecum and ileum of laying hens, respectively. It is concluded that inclusion of 40g/kg of WVR in the laying hen diet modifies intestinal pH value and pepsin activities in upper gastrointestinal tract and affects the lower gut microflora in laying hens.

Rapid Determination of Total Nitrogen, Ammonium and Nitrate Nitrogen in Vinegar Residue Growing Substrates using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) to determine the total nitrogen, ammonium and nitrate nitrogen in growing substrates of vinegar residues. Samples of 106 substrates were collected from the cultivation experiments of vinegar residue substrates. Spectra of the visible and near infrared region (350-2500 nm) were obtained for all samples after drying and grinding (variant A) or in a moist state (variant B). Across validation was carried out using a partial least square method which was based on the entire spectra. For parameters $TN, NO_3^-$ and $NH_4^+$, precisions of the calibration and prediction models were inconsistent between variant A and B. For variant A, the prediction coefficient (r), Root Mean Squared Error of Cross-Validation (RMSECV) and the ratio of standard deviation and RMSECV (RSC) were 0.97, 0.64 g/kg and 4.4 for TN, 0.58, 15.4 mg/kg and 1.2 for $NO_3^-$, 0.79, 0.75 g/kg and 1.5 for $NH_4^+$, respectively. For moist samples, the r, RMSECV and RSC were 0.79, 1.81 g/kg and 1.6 for TN, 0.85, 9.95 mg/kg and 1.9 for $NO_3^-$, 0.92, 0.45 g/kg and 2.5 for $NH_4^+$, respectively. The results indicate a marked usefulness of NIRS in the nitrogen assessment and management of growing substrates, especially for TN and $NH_4^+$. However, further research is needed to improve the prediction precision of calibration models by enlarging the number of samples and using other growing substrates.

The Numerical Simulation of Combustion on Vinegar Residue in a Biomass Boiler

Numerical simulation had been used to study the combustion characteristic of vinegar residue in a straw-fired boiler in this paper. Achievement of the paper was based on a kind of CFD. The results paid more attention to the following points: the influences of different loads and the flow ratio of primary air and the second air on the combustion condition, the gas phase concentration, and mean mixture fraction. The results showed vinegar residue was easy to burn out. The increase of load was helpful to the combustion of vinegar residue in the straw-fired boiler. It was reasonable when the ratio of primary air and the second air is 1:1. And the straw-fired boiler showed good combustion adaptability to vinegar residue.

Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP) of Vinegar Residue and the Influence of Feed to Inoculum Ratios on Biogas Production

Vinegar residue, a typical agro-industrial by-product in the vinegar production process, constitutes a huge environmental problem in China. Though utilization of vinegar residue has drawn much attention, there is still no effective, economical, and environmentally friendly method to deal with it. Anaerobic digestion is an effective method widely used in organic waste processing which might be an alternative to convert this acidic waste into biogas energy. A biochemical methane potential assay was conducted, and the influence of different feed to inoculum ratios (F/I) was determined. The highest methane yield of 242.69 mL g VS-1 was achieved at a F/I of 1, while the lowest methane yield of 182.94 mL g VS-1 was obtained at a F/I of 6. The TVFA/TA ratio was higher than the limiting value (0.4) at F/I ratios of 5 and 6, which demonstrated destabilization during the anaerobic digestion process. The modified Gompertz equation was developed to calculate the cumulative methane yields from different F/I ratios. The results suggested that the vinegar residue had extensive potential in biogas production and anaerobic digestion as a promising method that may be applied to deal with such waste, thus it is worth doing further research in the future.

In sacco evaluation of ruminal degradability of waste vinegar residue as a feedstuff for ruminants

Waste vinegar residue (WVR) is a by-product of vinegar processing by solid-state fermentation. In this study, two experiments were conducted to determine chemical composition and ruminal degradability of WVR and whether WVR can be used as a feedstuff for ruminants. In Experiment 1, 14 WVR samples were incubated in the rumen of three Inner Mongolia White Cashmere Goats to determine the in sacco ruminal degradability parameters for DM, crude protein (CP) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF). The NDF, CP and ether extract (EE) contents of the WVR samples were 796.6, 125.2 and 93.3 g/kg, respectively. The greatest variation was observed for lactic acid, which ranged from 150.39 to 4391.12 mg/kg with an average of 1023.84 mg/kg. The average A, B and C fractions of DM for the 14 samples of WVR were 122, 350, and 528 g/kg, respectively. The effective degradability of DM, CP and NDF were 275, 550 and 211 g/kg, respectively. In Experiment 2, the in sacco degradation parameters for DM, CP and NDF of Chinese leymus, corn stalk and WVR were evaluated in a 3 × 3 Latin-square design. The rapidly degradable fraction of the DM and NDF for WVR was significantly (P &lt; 0.01) greater than that of Chinese leymus and corn stalk. No difference in rumen-degraded DM, rumen-degraded CP and rumen-degraded NDF was found between Chinese leymus and WVR (P &gt; 0.05). It is concluded that, WVR is not well digested ruminally but is a good source of protein for ruminants giving it value as an ingredient in ruminant diets.

Effects of waste vinegar residue on nutrient digestibility and nitrogen balance in laying hens

The aim of this study was to evaluate apparent metabolizable energy (AME) of waste vinegar residue (WVR) and to evaluate the effects of WVR on nutrient digestibility and nitrogen excretion in laying hens. In the first experiment the AME value and the nitrogen-corrected apparent metabolizable energy (AMEn) of WVR were studied by feeding hens 0, 100, 150, or 200g/kg WVR. In the second experiment, 96 38-wk-old Hy-line laying hens were divided into four treatment groups, fed corn–soybean meal-based diets with 0, 20, 40, and 60g/kg WVR, and nutrient digestibility and nitrogen excretion were measured. Regression analysis revealed that the AME and AMEn value of the WVR were 650kcal/kg and 716kcal/kg respectively. Diet including 40g/kg WVR increased total tract apparent digestibilities (TTADs) of nitrogen (P=0.006) of hens. Inclusion of 60g/kg WVR in the diet resulted in lower TTADs of dry matter (P=0.005). Inclusion of 40g/kg WVR in the diet significantly decreased the nitrogen excretion (P=0.006) and uric acid N excretion (P<0.001). These results suggest that inclusion of 40g/kg WVR in laying hen diet reduces nitrogen excretion.

Effects of Inoculating Thermophiles and Rhizopus on Composting Process of Vinegar Residue and their Nutrients Status

In order to increase the efficiency of composting vinegar residue, the effect of different strain combination,a thermophiles(OP-2) and two rhizopus(FM1,SL10) combined,on the composting pocess and effect was studied. The results showed: Inoculating thermophilic bacteria OP-2 can increase the speed of composting vinegar residue, which can increase the heap temperature to 70°C in 7days ahead. Also inoculating inocula accelerated the mineralization of organic nitrogen. In the end of composting, the contents of total nitrogen、total phosphorus and total potassium, as well as GI were higher than the control treatment, which showed that inoculating inocula can accelerate the maturity process of composting vinegar residue and increase the composting quality.

Waste vinegar residue as substrate for phytase production

Waste vinegar residue, the by-product of vinegar processing, was used as substrate for phytase production from Aspergillus ficuum NTG-23 in solid-state fermentation to investigate the potential for the efficient re-utilization or recycling of waste vinegar residue. Statistical designs were applied in the processing of phytase production. First, a Plackett-Burman (PB) design was used to evaluate eleven parameters: glucose, starch, wheat bran, (NH(4))(2)SO(4), NH(4)NO(3), tryptone, soybean meal, MgSO(4)·7H(2)O, CaCl(2)·7H(2)O, FeSO(4)·7H(2)O, incubation time. The PB experiments showed that there were three significant factors: glucose, soybean meal and incubation time. The closest values to the optimum point were then derived by steepest ascent path. Finally, a mathematical model was created and validated to explain the behavioural process after these three significant factors were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). The best phytase activity was attained using the following conditions: glucose (7.2%), soybean meal (5.1%), and incubation time (271 h). The phytase activity was 7.34-fold higher due to optimization by PB design, steepest ascent path design and RSM. The phytase activity was enhanced 0.26-fold in comparison with the results by the second step of steepest ascent path design. The results indicate that with waste vinegar residue as a substrate higher production of phytase from Aspergillus ficuum NTG-23 could be obtained through an optimization process and that this method might be applied to an integrated system for recycling of the waste vinegar residue.

Vinegar production residue as substrates for phytase production by Aspergillus ficuum

Two kinds of vinegar production residues, sorghum vinegar residue (SVR) and corn vinegar residue (CVR), were used as a substrate for phytase production in solid-state fermentation (SSF) by Aspergillus ficuum. Various process parameters influencing phytase production were evaluated by single factor design experiments; further study involved CVR and its goodness-of-fit levels. An incubation time of 48 hours, initial moisture of 55% and an inoculum of 1.2 x 10(7) spores per millilitre were the optimum cultural conditions for the production of phytase in waste corn vinegar residue, without adding in vitro nutrient elements by orthogonal design experiment. Results showed that vinegar production residue as substrates for phytase production by Aspergillus ficuum through microbiology fermentation could be applied to treatment of an integrated system for waste from vinegar processing.

Fermentation characteristics of vinegar residue and some natural materials

Solid state fermentation is an attractive process to produce cellulase economically due to its lower financial investment and lower operating costs. Generally available natural materials in our study included vinegar residue, wheat bran, rice bran and wheat straw. Cellulase production was carried out by solid state fermentation using these materials as the substrate of Trichoderma koningii. The ingredients of natural materials, associated with the effects of water content, time and nitrogen sources on cellulase synthesis were studied. A comparatively high cellulase activity (>4 IU·g−1 SDM) was obtained in the fermentation batch. The optimum culture time of vinegar residue, wheat bran and wheat straw were 72 hours, but that of rice bran was 60 hours. Total water contents of wheat bran, rice bran and wheat straw should not exceed 50% and that of vinegar residue should not be more than 60%. It was also shown that nitrogen salts contributed much to fermentation. (NH4)3PO4 and urea achieved good results in promoting enzyme activity.