Wide Variety Of Organic Materials Research Articles

Future opportunities for products derived from black soldier fly (BSF) treatment as animal feed and fertilizer - A systematic review

AbstractThe pursuit of novel food products with good nutritional value for both direct and indirect human consumption is crucial. Given the nutritional benefits of insects and the sustainability of this sort of farming, using them as food for farmed animals is a promising alternative. In this regard, the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) is most capable of efficiently converting a wide variety of organic materials, from food waste to manure, into insect biomass generating value and closing nutrient loops as they reduce pollution and costs. Their larvae have 29% fat and 42% crude protein, yet they have more saturated fats than most insects. They don't concentrate hazards such as mycotoxins or insecticides. Although rapid development is expected, insects remain underutilized in the animal feed industry mainly due to technical, financial, and regulatory barriers. The social stigmas and legal prohibitions against eating organisms that eat waste are added to extant taboos facing insect consumption. Bridging the knowledge gap is crucial to bring together stakeholders and to better understand the opportunities and challenges of this novel industry, so as to develop guidelines on producing insects on an industrial scale to facilitate the wider use of BSF products as animal feed, and fertilizer.

Enhancement of fruit byproducts through bioconversion by Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae).

Bioconversion is a biological process by which organic materials are converted into products with higher biological and commercial value. During its larval stage the black soldier fly Hermetia illucens is extremely voracious and can feed on a wide variety of organic materials. To study the impact of different fruit byproducts on the insect's growth, final larval biomass, substrate reduction, bioconversion parameters, and larval nutritional composition, 10 000 black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) were reared on 7.0 kg of one of three substrates (strawberry, tangerine, or orange) or on a standard diet as a control. The results highlight that BSFL can successfully feed and grow on each of these diets, though their development time, growth rate, and final biomass were differently impacted by the substrates, with strawberry being the most suitable. The lipid and protein contents of BSFL were similar among larvae fed on different substrates; however, major differences were detected in ash, micronutrient, fiber, fatty acid, and amino acid contents. Overall, the results indicate that fruit waste management through the BSFL bioconversion process represents a commercially promising resource for regional and national agrifood companies. Our study offers new perspectives for sustainable and environmentally friendly industrial development by which fruit byproducts or waste might be disposed of or unconventionally enhanced to create secondary products of high biological and economic value, including BSFL biomass as animal feed or, in perspective, as alternative protein source for human nutrition.

Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Biomass as One of the Most Promising Alternatives for the Synthesis of Advanced Liquid Biofuels: A Review.

The use of biofuels offers advantages over existing fuels because they come from renewable sources, they are biodegradable, their storage and transport are safer, and their emissions into the atmosphere are lower. Biomass is one of the most promising sustainable energy sources with a wide variety of organic materials as raw material. Chemical, biochemical, and thermochemical methods have been proposed to obtain biofuels from raw materials from biomass. In recent years, a thermochemical method that has generated great interest is hydrothermal liquefaction. In this paper, a brief review of the main sources for liquid biofuels and the synthesis processes is presented, with special emphasis on the production of biofuels using hydrothermal liquefaction by using waste generated by human activity as raw material.

Overview of the Benefits and Challenges Associated with Pelletizing Biochar

Biochar can be derived from a wide variety of organic materials including agricultural wastes and residues, animal wastes, municipal solid wastes, pulp and paper mill wastes, and sewage sludge. Its productivity relies on feedstock type and thermochemical conditions of production. Biochar has many application advantages in several fields and has been widely studied in recent years. However, most of these studies are mainly on the powder form of biochar, while its pelleted form is sparsely reported. Even with the reported studies on biochar pellets, there is still lack of knowledge and awareness of the effects of different feedstock on the densification behavior of biochar. The mechanisms of biochar densification, which appear to be sensitive to the conditions predominating during its thermochemical production, are affected by the material from which the biochar is derived. This partly accounts for why biochar pellets have not been widely adopted in various application fields. Therefore, this paper presents an overview of the benefits associated with the use of biochar pellets and discusses the challenges encountered when pelleting biochars that are derived from different feedstock under various carbonization conditions. Research priority areas needed to overcome the challenges are also identified and discussed. The purpose is to contribute to better understanding on biochar pelletization behavior, and to offer insights useful to comprehend some basic principles that may occur in the pelleting process and to ease further and more thorough investigations.

Review of Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) as Animal Feed and Human Food.

Food futurists accept that sustainability-minded humanity will increasingly incorporate insects as alternative protein. The most studied and easily reared species are not necessarily the most sustainable, acceptable, or delicious. Here, we review the literature on the black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens, which is capable of efficiently converting a wide variety of organic materials, from food waste to manure, into insect biomass. They can be grown and harvested without dedicated facilities and are not pestiferous. Their larvae are 42% crude protein and 29% fat, although they are higher in saturated fats than most insects. They do not concentrate pesticides or mycotoxins. They are already grown and recommended for use as animal feed, but with regional legal restrictions on how this is done. For commercial use in human foods, larvae could potentially be milled and converted into a textured protein with a strong flavor. Their biggest advantage over other insects is their ability to convert waste into food, generating value and closing nutrient loops as they reduce pollution and costs. This general advantage is also their greatest disadvantage, for the social stigmas and legal prohibitions against eating organisms that eat waste are added to extant taboos facing insect consumption.

Visible near infrared reflectance spectroscopy to predict soil phosphorus pools in chernozems of Saskatchewan, Canada

To date, there are few direct or rapid methods to quantify the concentration of many soil phosphorus (P) pools, including organic P (OP). Visible near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (VNIRS) is a rapid, inexpensive, and accurate technique for analyzing a wide variety of organic materials and is increasingly used in soil science. The aim of this study was to examine the potential of VNIRS to predict the concentrations of a number of soil P pools, including OP, total P analyzed by digestion (TP), available P using the Olsen (POls) and Mehlich-3 (PM3) methods, and other related soil chemical properties [organic matter (SOM) and Mehlich-3 extractable Al, Fe, Ca, Mg, and Mn] that could influence the soil P cycle. Soil samples (n=360) were taken from experimental sites near Indian Head, SK, Canada, from short-term (8yr) and long-term (31yr) no-tillage plots of a field pea (Pisum sativum L.)–spring wheat (Triticum aetivum L.) rotation receiving five P fertilizer application rates annually. We randomly selected 80% of each sample set for calibration, while the remaining 20% was used for validation. Prediction models were developed using modified partial least squares regression with cross-validation. The VNIRS models were evaluated using the coefficient of determination of validation (Rv2) and the ratio of standard error of prediction to standard deviation (RPD). The VNIRS predictions for OP were moderately successful for the total soil sample set and for the short-term set (0.80≤Rv2<0.90 and 2.25≤RPD<3.00), and were moderately useful for the long-term set (0.70≤Rv2<0.80 and 1.75≤RPD<2.25). The VNIRS predictions were successful for soil CaM3 and SOM, moderately successful for MgM3, moderately useful for POls, PM3, and AlM3, and less reliable for TP, FeM3, and MnM3. This study demonstrated that VNIRS is a promising analysis technique for soil OP, POls, PM3, CaM3, AlM3, MgM3, and SOM. Success in predictions of OP, POls, and PM3 may be attributed to their relationship to SOM and/or to CaM3 or MgM3.

MS/MSを搭載したTOF-SIMSによる有機材料表面の化学構造解析

Recently, applications of TOF-SIMS have expanded into a wide variety of organic materials, because the sensitivity of high mass molecular ions was improved dramatically. However, it was very difficult to determine the chemical formula from the measured mass above m/z 200. The ambiguous peak identification was a significant problem in TOF-SIMS. In order to determine the chemical formula as well as detailed chemical structure, we developed the TOF-SIMS instrument equipped with MS/MS, and applied it to the various organic materials. In this article, we will introduce this unique instrument, and demonstrate the results of the spectra analyses by using MS/MS.

Improvement of the Wettability Properties of Compost Using Seaweed

ABSTRACT. Composting substrate components from a wide variety of organic materials are becoming more prevalent in ornamental growing medium mixes. Hazelnut husk (HH) and seaweed (HHSW) composts were investigated for their different hydro-physical roles in substrate dynamics. The water repellent material HH was composted either solely or mixed with seaweed (1:1 by volume) and the hydro-physical properties related to the water retention and wettability of the two composts were evaluated using the water drop penetration (WDPT) and molarity of ethanol droplet (MED) tests and contact angle (θ) determination. The addition of seaweed to the HH compost mixture had positive effects on the water holding capacity, water conductivity, air porosity, and wettability characteristics compared to pure HH compost. Although both composts exhibited signs of hydrophobicity under dry conditions, the repellency rate was more severe in the pure HH compost. The wettability tests results indicate that seaweed improved the hydrophobicity of HH compost by at least two ranking classes, from severe hydrophobicity to moderate hydrophobicity. Also, the contact angle reduced from 107° to 103° by composting seaweed. Seaweed was found to have an influence on the hydrological properties when incorporated as a compost component with the HH substrate.

Electrochemical Oxidation of Phenol Using Boron-Doped Diamond Electrodes

IntroductionThe cleanup of liquids or slurries that contain >1% total organic carbon (TOC), defined as non-wastewater hazardous waste (1), offer particular difficulties for on-site remediation efforts. The electrolytic destruction of organic wastes shows real promise for remediation of a wide variety of organic materials in aqueous waste streams (2). However, the electrochemical oxidation of organic waste is limited with the traditional electrode materials, platinum, ruthenium dioxide, lead dioxide and tin dioxide. The specific limitations arise from low reaction rates and efficiencies, corrosion of the electrodes and fouling and poisoning of the active electrode surfaces. Using phenol as a test compound, the work reported here demonstrates that boron-doped diamond electrodes prepared by chemical vapor deposition (cvd) are not susceptible to these limitations and can oxidize phenol completely to CO2 (3).The oxidation of phenol was chosen as a test reaction because it is one of the most difficult organic molecules to oxidize electrochemically. It is well known for its rapid fouling of the electrode surface due to formation of a blocking polymer layer produced by the polymerization of the phenoxy radicals generated in the initial stages of the reaction (4,5). This results in termination of the reaction in minutes. This communication compares previous work using Ti mesh substrates with approximately 10 μm of boron doped diamond to results obtained using a parallel plate flow cell (3). ExperimentalThe working electrode is a Nb plate (8.5 cm x 9 cm) coated with approximately 1 μm of boron doped diamond via microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. A two step deposition process was utilized to achieve uniform nucleation and good film adhesion. The films were characterized with SEM and Raman to establish the quality and stability of the cvd-carbon films.The oxidation of phenol was studied with cyclic voltammetry in a solution of 0.1M H2SO4 containing 0.16 mM phenol in a beaker cell with a Pt counter electrode and a reversible hydrogen reference electrode. Experiments were also run with a parallel flow cell in which 5 liters of 10 mM phenol in 0.1M H2SO4 was circulated through the cell at 100 ml/sec and the total organic carbon (TOC) was monitored as a function of time and cell current. Results and DiscussionIn our previous experiments phenol has been oxidized on boron-doped diamond electrodes without any reduction of the current arising from fouling or poisoning of the electrode even for concentrations of phenol which would put it in the category of non-wastewater hazardous waste. The total carbon in solution was reduced at high efficiency (80-90 %) from ~1% TOC to <0.1% TOC with no observable decrease in decomposition rate. This means that the reacted phenol was converted completely to CO2. These results are extraordinary in that they are preliminary experiments on small surface area electrodes and the experiment has not been optimized. In light of these results, it should also be possible to treat a 10 % TOC solution as readily as a 1 % TOC solution. We will report recent efforts that explore this possibility with more concentrated phenol solutions using a parallel plate flow cell and compare degradation rates to our previous work. AcknowledgementsSupport for this work from the Naval Research Laboratory is gratefully acknowledged.

Comparison of Infusions of Commercially Available Garden Products for Collection of Container-Breeding Mosquitoes

In 2004, gravid-trap infusions made from commercially available garden products were compared in field assays to determine their attractiveness to ovipositing female mosquitoes. Experiments were conducted simultaneously at a residential site and at an auto salvage yard in Lee County, AL, each site having an abundance of container-breeding mosquitoes. Several infusion types were initially screened, from which the following 4 infusions were selected to be compared using gravid traps for their attractiveness to mosquitoes under field conditions: oak leaves, pine straw, red (dyed) hardwood mulch, and composted manure. Culex quinquefasciatus was the only species collected in greater numbers with gravid traps than with light traps, and the difference was more than 5-fold at both study sites. Gravid traps collected (mean +/- SD) 3.1 +/- 4.3 and 6.9 +/- 11.5 Cx. quinquefasciatus females at the residential and auto salvage sites, respectively. The response of Cx. quinquefasciatus females to infusions tested was variable, and no single infusion was consistently more attractive throughout the experiment. Gravid traps collected 1.7 +/- 1.9 and 4.7 +/- 4.4 Aedes albopictus females, 0.3 +/- 1.4 and 0.5 +/- 1.3 Cx. nigripalpus females, and 0.3 +/- 0.9 and 0.2 +/- 0.8 Cx. restuans females at the residential and auto salvage sites, respectively. Roughly 5-, 20- and 10-fold the numbers of females of Aedes albopictus, Cx. nigripalpus, and Cx. restuans were collected by light traps than by gravid traps at both sites. Aedes albopictus females did not demonstrate a preference for any of the infusions tested. Significant difference among infusions for Cx. restuans and Cx. nigripalpus were detected on just 1 trap-night. On this occasion, traps with red (dyed) hardwood mulch collected significantly more females of Cx. restuans and Cx. nigripalpus than did traps with other infusions. This work indicates that gravid traps are effective tools for collecting Cx. quinquefasciatus females, and a wide variety of organic materials may be used to produce infusions that can be used to attract ovipositing container-breeding mosquitoes.

Near Infrared Spectroscopic Analysis of Foundry Moulding and Core Sands

Sands coated, mixed and polymerised with a wide variety of materials are used to make moulds and cores for the casting of metals. Heating results in the production of a wide variety of organic materials by pyrolysis. These resulting compounds may need to be characterised before waste sands can be beneficially used in the environment. The objective of this work was to examine the potential of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy to qualitatively identify organic residues in waste green sands (clay-bonded moulding sand). Examination of spectra of waste green sands, burnt and unburnt cores and components used in producing sands for the foundry industry have demonstrated that NIR spectroscopy has potential for use to confirm the identity and composition of source materials. Additional research is needed to determine if NIR spectroscopy can be successfully used to quantify organics present in waste foundry sands.

Ecology of the Rio Grande Silvery Minnow (Cyprinidae: Hybognathus amarus) Inferred from Specimens Collected in 1874

The Rio Grande silvery minnow (Hybognathus amarus) was historically an abundant and widespread species in the Rio Grande Basin. Its decline to endangered status had many probable causes and has spanned more than a century. Specimens of H. amarus collected in July 1874 at San Ildefonso, near Santa Fe, New Mexico, allowed a retrospective assessment of the ecology and morphology of the species and the environmental conditions of the Rio Grande in areas foraged by these minnows. Analysis of diatoms from the gut showed that H. amarus foraged mainly in nutrient-enriched areas on mud substrates in 1874 and to lesser extents on periphyton associated with plant, sand, and rock substrates. Gut contents included a considerable amount of fine-grained sediment and a wide variety of organic materials including detritus, pine pollen, cyanobacteria, algae, and diatoms. Scale annuli showed that H. amarus was once a relatively long-lived minnow; all age classes from 1 to 5 were present in 1874. The presence of multiple individuals of several ages suggested that annual survival rates were high historically and that the species may be iteroparous, rather than short-lived and semelparous as widely held. The morphology of H. amarus from a captive stock in 2003 was consistent with the morphology of the 1874 specimens.

Nitrogen Release from Crop Residues and Organic Amendments as Affected by Biochemical Composition

Although amounts and patterns of nitrogen mineralization from decomposing crop residues and other organic materials are known to be affected by their initial chemical composition and quality (e.g., C/N ratio, lignin and soluble polyphenol concentrations), published results differed in which properties correlated best with the N release. Six crop residues (leguminous and non‐leguminous) and two organic materials (spent mushroom compost and dairy pond sludge) were incubated to determine the release of mineral N and its relationships to residue chemical composition. A previously proposed equation for calculating plant residue quality index (PRQI) was modified to PRQIM (Plant residue quality index‐modified) to include C/N, lignin/N and polyphenol/N ratios of crop residues and organic materials so as to integrate these three major variables, which control the residue decomposition and nutrient release. The PRQIM was significantly and highly correlated with N release not only for the data obtained in the present study but also for three independent data sets obtained from the literature for a wide variety of organic materials ranging from arable crop residues, tropical savanna woodland litter and leguminous tree prunings.

Chemiluminescence Techniques for the Characterization of Materials [New Analytical Methods (41)

AbstractPhotons are emitted at low levels from a wide variety of organic materials at wavelengths ranging from the visible to infrared. This light emission accompanies free‐radical autoxidation and charge‐recombination processes and is particulary useful in assessing thermal oxidation and radiation damage as well as polymer curing reactions. IR chemiluminescence, which offers advantages because of reduced self‐absorption, has been shown to mark the end of induction periods in inhibited systems. With the introduction of sensitive solid‐state devices, the chemiluminescence technique has been extended to two‐dimensional imaging and presentation.

Ageing of electrically conducting organic materials

Ageing with respect to conductivity has been investigated for a wide variety of organic materials ranging from polyacetylene and polypyrrole salts to carbon black and carbon fibres, which are conducting materials in their electrically neutral state. For two polyacetylenes of different composition and a polypyrrole phenylsulphonate the influence of temperature on conductivity and its change with time could be described quantitatively. Data on the stability of polypyrrole salts under humidity and under extreme inert conditions are given. The influence of the degree of oxidation on the stability under ambient conditions is reported for a polypyrrole perchlorate. A comparison of the stability of the conductivity of organic salts like tetrathiofulvalene/tetracyanoquinoline (TTF/TCNQ) and those based on polyacetylene, polypyrrole, polythiophene and polyaniline with carbon black and carbon fibres, which are conductive in their neutral state, gives rise to the assumption that carbenium ion-structures are not stable with respect to the attack of oxygen and water. Covalent bonds cause the decrease in conductivity.

ChemInform Abstract: ′ORGANIC METALS′ ‐ THE INTERMOLECULAR MIGRATION OF AROMATICITY

AbstractDa die bisherigen Veröffentlichungen zu diesem Gebiet (einschließlich Übersichtsartikel und Konferenzergebnisse) sich größtenteils an Festkörperphysiker wenden, wurde " dieser Übersichtsartikel von einem Festkörperchemiker für Chemiker, vor allem für synthetisch orientierte Chemiker" geschrieben.

“Organic Metals”—The Intermolecular Migration of Aromaticity

AbstractThe electrical conductivity of a wide variety of organic materials is reviewed and a comparison made between those materials which transport charge efficiently and those that do not. This comparison reveals that the most efficient conductors contain molecules (a) whose radical ions form a new aromatic sextet upon one‐electron oxidation or reduction and (b) whose aromaticity can migrate by mixed‐valence interaction. The electrical data are presented in light of the chemistry of these materials and the importance of chemical bonding interactions in the electron transport process. Several new examples are discussed and directions for further research explored.

The thermal analysis—hydrogen flame ionization detector system for characterizing organic materials

The combination technique of thermal analysis—flame ionization detection (TAFID) offers attractive new possibilities for the precise measurement of the volatilization patterns of a wide variety of organic materials. Advantages over other methods are due chiefly to the sensitivity, specificity, and small sample requirement of the flame detector. Essential features of apparatus design are a close coupling of the detector to the sample furnace and provision for operating the detector at high temperatures in order to avoid condensation and thus allow quantitative measurements. Advances that have been made in instrumentation of the system provide speed and convenience. Recent improvements in techniques and apparatus will be discussed. The wide applicability of this approach to thermal analysis will be illustrated by a number of methods developed for specific purposes, including the characterization of various polymers, oils, bitumens, rubber compositions, and other organic materials.

The Mexican Book Beetle, Catorama herbarium, Established in the United States (Coleoptera: Anobiidae)

This tropical species, which is known to attack a wide variety of organic materials, has several times been intercepted in commerce, but is now recorded as established in Florida. Descriptions and illustrations of the adult and larva are given, together with a discussion of the biology of the species. Its systematics are examined, and C. sharpi Pic is removed from its synonymy. C. pici n.n. is proposed to replace C. mexicana Pic, 1927, nee Sharp, 1885.

Inhibition of the formation of 3,4-benzpyrene during hydrocarbon combustion.

IT is well known that polycyclic hydrocarbons including the carcinogen 3,4-benzpyrene occur in association with the carbonaceous deposits or smokes resulting from the incomplete combustion of a wide variety of organic materials. Thus 3,4-benzpyrene has been identified in soots, carbon black, certain smoked foods, cigarette- and tobacco-smoke and in the exhaust smoke of Diesel engines. The mode of formation of 3,4-benzpyrene has been reviewed by Badger et al.1, who have suggested possible intermediates during the pyrolysis of organic compounds, and have pointed out that the observed products can be accounted for by secondary reactions involving initial or primary free radicals. A recent examination of the products from the pyrolysis of petroleum hydrocarbons by electron spin resonance supports the view that free radicals participate; the phenalenyl radical2 has been identified.