Sulfate- and pH-driven metabolic flexibility in sugarcane vinasse dark fermentation stimulates biohydrogen evolution,sulfidogenesis or homoacetogenesis

Dark fermentation of sugarcane vinasse can be used as a “cleaning” step to remove sulfate prior to methanogenesis because sulfidogenic conditions can be successfully established in parallel with biohydrogen production. Using a 2² central composite rotational design (CCRD) and response surface methodology (RSM), this study assessed the impacts of bicarbonate and sulfate availability on the establishment of sulfidogenesis in the thermophilic (55 °C) fermentation of vinasse in batch reactors, equally assessing the impacts on biohydrogen evolution. CCRD-RSM results indicated the favoring of biohydrogen production at the lowest sulfate and bicarbonate concentrations, whilst the opposite was observed for sulfidogenesis. Glycerol, lactate, and hydrogen were the preferential electron donors utilized by sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), whilst ethanol was markedly consumed only at high sulfate concentrations. SRB were inhibited by sodium when dosing excess NaHCO₃ and Na₂SO₄. Complementary tests revealed maximum biohydrogen production (2.40 mmol) out of the CCRD, at pH exceeding 7.5 with no interference of sulfidogenesis. Non-efficient biohydrogen production was observed at low pH (<5.0; ～1.90 mmol) because the uptake of lactate was inhibited. Meanwhile, homoacetogenesis was established under intermediate pH range (5.5–6.5), as revealed by the accumulation of acetate (up to 2.5 g L^?1). 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing further revealed the genera Thermoanaerobacterium/Pseudoclostridium, Desulfotomaculum/Desulfohalotomaculum and Sporomusaceae/Moorella as the main biohydrogen-producing, sulfate-removing and biohydrogen-consuming (homoacetogens) microbial groups, respectively. Hence, using a single inoculum source, vinasse may provide a butyrate-rich (along with biohydrogen-rich biogas) or a sulfate-free and acetate-rich fermented effluent, depending mainly on proper pH control.     

关于加快推动广西甘蔗产业绿色发展路径选择的研究

在国际食糖市场严峻的新形势下,笔者认为加快构建广西甘蔗产业绿色发展技术体系,是加快推动甘蔗产业绿色发展,提高广西乃至我国甘蔗产业质量效益竞争力的必由之路,本文提出6点对策措施,即:"必须抓好甘蔗生产保护区的划定与建设"、"必须转变甘蔗生产经营方式"、"必须加大甘蔗优良新品种的推广力度"、"必须加快推广甘蔗生产全程机械化技术"、"必须加大各项轻简高效农业绿色技术推广力度"、"必须进一步创新政策和服务措施"。笔者提出上述措施,以期为加快推进广西甘蔗产业绿色发展提供参考建议。     

Soluble dietary fibres from sugarcane bagasse

Soluble dietary fibres from sugarcane bagasse were extracted under alkaline conditions and characterised. Precipitated fibres were dialysed, and the fibre composition was evaluated before and after the dialysis step. Compositional analysis indicated that the fibres both before and after dialysis consisted of 39% w/w total sugars, 16% w/w protein, 10% w/w Klason lignin and 30% w/w ash. Xylose was the main neutral sugar followed by arabinose with glucose, galactose and uronic acids also present in all samples. The structural properties were also spectroscopically examined, which confirmed the presence of arabinoxylans. Macromolecular characterisation revealed that molecular weight is reduced after dialysis, indicating that a range of dietary fibres with different macromolecular characteristics may be obtained depending on the specific processing steps. The present work shows that soluble arabinoxylans may be obtained from sugarcane agricultural wastes that may be used as a source of novel dietary fibres.     

Enhancing saccharification of Agave tequilana bagasse by oxidative delignification and enzymatic synergism for the production of hydrogen and methane

Agave tequilana bagasse is a suitable lignocellulosic residue for energy production. However, the presence of lignin and the heterogeneous structure of hemicellulose may hinder the availability of polysaccharides. In this work, the pretreatment of A. tequilana bagasse with alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP) followed by enzymatic saccharification with hemicellulases and cellulases was assessed for the removal of lignin and extraction of fermentable sugars, respectively. Results of the AHP pretreatment indicated that it is possible to attain up to 97% delignification and recover 88% of cellulose and hemicellulose after only 1.5 h of treatment. Regarding the saccharification process, the total sugar yield and productivity were both increased by 2-fold using an enzymatic mixture (cellulases + hemicellulases) compared to single enzyme hydrolysis (cellulases), evidencing synergism. Further evaluation of the hydrolyzates as substrate for hydrogen and methane production, resulted in yields 1.5 and 3.6-times (215.14 ± 13 L H₂ and 393.4 ± 13 L CH₄ per kg bagasse, respectively) superior to those obtained with hydrolyzates of non-pretreated bagasse processed with a single enzyme. Overall, using AHP pretreatment and subsequent hydrolysis with enzymatic mixtures improves the saccharification of A. tequilana bagasse enhancing the production of hydrogen and methane.     

Preparation and Characterization of Hydrophobic Bagasse Hemicellulose-based Films

To improve the hydrophobicity of bagasse hemicellulose-based films, glutaraldehyde was applied when preparing films of original and cationic bagasse hemicellulose with the addition of polyvinyl alcohol and sorbitol. The results showed that the cationic modification could increase the hydrophobicity of the hemicellulose-based film, and the hydrophobicity of hemicellulose-based films crosslinked with glutaraldehyde also increased. However, cationic modification of hemicellulose decreased the stress of the hemicellulose-based film. While crosslinking with glutaraldehyde increased the stress of both the original and cationic hemicellulose-based films. Macrophotography indicated that the film formability of the original hemicellulose was better than that of cationic hemicellulose. Through SEM observation, the degree of bonding of different components of the films was found to be increased due to crosslinking with glutaraldehyde. The crosslinking reaction between glutaraldehyde and hemicellulose was further confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy.     

甘蔗产业扶贫的发展模式探讨与应用实践

以内江隆昌市龙市镇点灯村为例,概括了内江甘蔗产业发展历史及现状,通过分析甘蔗产业在精准扶贫中的发展模式,提出甘蔗产业扶贫以科技为支撑、多方入股经营模式、建立产业基地、完善保险机制以及三产融合发展等5点建议,以期为产业扶贫提供思路。     

Etherification of Alkali-pretreated Sugarcane Bagasse Cellulose in Tetrahydrofuran

Sugarcane bagasse (SCB) is an important by-product in the sugar industry. It is a source of cellulose fibers or cellulose for paper mills and textiles factories. In this study, SCB was ethyl etherified in tetrahydrofuran (THF) after alkali pretreatment. The alkali concentration for the pre-treatment, the ratio of ethyl bromide (EtBr) to dried SCB in the reaction, reaction time, and temperature were investigated for the etherification of SCB. The ethoxyl content and characterization of the product were determined using headspace gas chromatography (HS-GC), Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) and ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy, respectively. It was found that SCB was well-etherified with EtBr in alkali-THF. Upon ethylation of SCB, the ethoxyl content of the product was high when the alkali concentration and the ratio of EtBr to dried SCB were controlled from 50% to 75% and 4:1 (V/w) to 6:1 (V/w), respectively. The reaction occurred optimally when the temperature was controlled below 110℃; above this temperature, the degree of etherification decreased. The thermal stability of ethylated SCB was higher than that of SCB but slightly lower than that of commercial ethyl cellulose. Ethylated SCB has the potential to form composites with many materials because it is soluble in a wide variety of solvents.     

Incorporation of sugarcane bagasse in the development of high dietary fibre noodles

Sugarcane bagasse (SB) is one of the most abundant food wastes. In this research, SB was incorporated into the development of noodles at three different ratios, i.e. 5%, 10% and 15%. Total dietary fibre of noodles significantly increased from 3.39% (control noodles; – without SB) to 13.85% with 15% SB incorporation. All SB incorporated noodles (SBNs) were qualified to be labelled as ‘High in dietary fibre’. The 15% SBN had the highest fibre content and lowest dialyzable glucose, but the organoleptic properties were the lowest. Due to that, 5% SBN was deemed to be the most suitable ratio for noodles incorporation, as it had the closest value towards the commercial noodles in terms of colour, texture, fibre content and dialyzable glucose concentration of noodles samples. In terms of sensory evaluation, the 5% SBN had the highest overall acceptability, and the ratio was suitable for noodles development.