Technical/Economical Evaluation of Sugarcane Bagasse Hydrolysis for Bioethanol Production

In an attempt at improving bioethanol production, a bench‐scale comparison has been performed between the traditional one‐step process of sugarcane bagasse hydrolysis with 70 % sulfuric acid, and a modified operation including a second step with more dilute acid, at higher temperature. The influence of the reaction time, the percentage of solids in the sugarcane bagasse suspension and temperature on the hydrolysis efficiency, was investigated. Although the modified protocol allows for an appreciable improvement in the yield of conversion to fermentable sugars in comparison to the one‐step hydrolysis, a technical/economical analysis demonstrated that it would demand higher production costs and a longer payback period. Therefore, the latter process should be recommended for the setting up of a pilot plant with a production capacity of 80 m³ of alcohol per day.     

蔗渣纤维素乙醇的预处理技术研究进展

从蔗渣的物化特性及预处理的必要性出发,综述了近年来国内外预处理蔗渣方面发展的不同技术途径(包括物理法、化学法、生物法和联合法)及其研究进展,对各种技术的作用效果和特点进行了总结和对比分析,并对蔗渣预处理技术的发展方向予以展望。蔗渣作为糖厂的主要副产物,具有量大、集中且纤维含量高等特点,是生产第二代生物乙醇的重要潜在原料之一,对其进行有效预处理是利用其制取生物乙醇的关键,直接影响着后续的酶解糖化和乙醇发酵效果。     

Kinetics of Bioethanol Production Employing Mono‐ and Co‐Cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia stipitis

The kinetics of bioethanol production using mono‐ and co‐cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia stipitis with glucose, xylose, and glucose‐xylose sugar mixtures were investigated. A MATLAB® program was formulated for simulation of experimental results in order to get predicted values of ethanol production and sugar consumption and for kinetic parameter estimation. Kinetic parameters implied less extent of substrate and/or product inhibition when the co‐culture scheme of immobilized S. cerevisiae and free P. stipitis was employed for fermentation of mixed sugars. In addition, a high ethanol yield was achieved by applying this co‐culture strategy to wheat straw hydrolysates.     

Microwave‐Assisted Continuous‐Flow Reactor Based on a Ridged Waveguide

Microwave‐assisted continuous‐flow reactors (MCFRs) are a valuable alternative to conventional reactors for accelerating chemical reactions. However, despite several interesting applications, only little quantitative research has been conducted on the temperature uniformity of the heating load. With water as a common inorganic solvent, a novel MCFR type based on a special ridged waveguide for heating water is studied by optimizing some parameters of micropipes in order to achieve better temperature uniformity. Compared to the original reactor, the standard deviation of the electric field decreased significantly when using the optimized reactor under the same heating conditions while the average electric field density increased. The optimized results were verified by experiments.     

Microwave‐Assisted Synthesis of Magnetic Hydroxyapatite for Removal of Heavy Metals from Groundwater

A simple, fast, and economic methodology to fabricate a highly efficient superparamagnetic Fe₃O₄/hydroxyapatite nanocomposite (MHAP) was successfully developed. Hydroxyapatite was functionalized with magnetite nanoparticles through coprecipitation‐assisted microwave processes to improve the magnetic properties. The synthesized magnetic hybrid adsorbent matrix was investigated by different methods. Transmission electron microscopy demonstrated a good impregnation of Fe₃O₄ on the hydroxyapatite matrix with uniform morphology. Magnetic hysteresis measurement revealed that MHAP nanocomposites exhibit excellent strong, soft‐magnetic properties. The synergistic effect was an evidence for iron and manganese ion removal, enlightening their potentialities in treatment of polluted ground water.     

Optimizing Microwave‐Assisted Extraction Conditions to Obtain Phenolic‐Rich Extract from Chromolaena odorata Leaves

Phenolic compounds are secondary metabolites that are mainly responsible for different pharmacological activities of plant extracts. In this study, microwave‐assisted extraction (MAE) variables were optimized for the extraction of phenolic compounds from Chromolaena odorata leaves by using a Box‐Behnken design of response surface methodology. The concentration of polyphenols and functional characteristics of the extracts were identified by using liquid chromatography quadrupolar time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry and FTIR analyses, respectively. The obtained results indicated the MAE conditions for the optimal recoveries of the total phenolic content and total flavonoid content from C. odorata leaves. The results reveal that the C. odorata leaf is enriched with phenolic compounds.     

过氧化氢-乙酸联合预处理对甘蔗渣酶解和发酵的影响

采用过氧化氢-乙酸(HPAC)对甘蔗渣(SCB)进行了联合预处理。以预处理后的甘蔗渣为原料,先进行酶水解,然后将水解液进行乙醇发酵,探讨预处理对甘蔗渣酶解和发酵的影响。实验结果表明：20 g甘蔗渣,加入150 mL过氧化氢水溶液(75 mL过氧化氢(30%)和75 mL水)和150 mL乙酸(99%),硫酸用量为过氧化氢-乙酸溶液体积的0.5%,在70℃反应2 h时,HPAC预处理脱除了88.85%的木质素,并使90.10%的纤维素保留在底物中。底物(HPAC/70-SCB-0.5)的酶可及度是80.30 mg/g,与相同条件下单独过氧化氢预处理(HP/70-SCB)和单独乙酸预处理(AC/70-SCB)相比,分别增加了38.26%和31.08%,甘蔗渣木质素的表面覆盖率从原料的0.66降低至0.22。酶解上清液在酶用量为5 FPIU/g(以底物计)条件下水解后,葡萄糖得率是87.63%,分别是HP/70-SCB和AC/70-SCB的6.89和20.62倍,发酵产乙醇质量浓度是7.57 g/L,分别是HP/70-SCB和AC/70-SCB的7.65和22.94倍。     

Thermal‐Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Wheat Straw in a Single High Pressure Fixed Bed

An integrated flow‐through fixed‐bed reactor concept for lignocellulose separation at 3 L scale is presented. Wheat straw is degraded using sequential liquid hot water treatment and enzymatic hydrolysis in a single‐pot reactor setup. System responses on process parameters are modeled and optimized using response surface methodology. Accurate empiric models and significant factor influences could be identified for both treatment steps. With optimal factor settings, 23.9 and 49.2 wt % hot‐water‐soluble lignin and C5 oligomers could be recovered, respectively. 70.0 wt % cellulose solubilization could be achieved in the fixed‐bed enzymatic hydrolysis after 72 hours.     

Microwave‐Assisted Synthesis of 1‐Methyl‐2,4,5‐trinitroimidazole

The synthesis of 1‐methyl‐2,4,5‐trinitroimidazole ( 6 ) in good yields starting from imidazole ( 1 ) via nitrodeiodination under microwave irradiation is reported herein. The synthesized compounds were characterized by IR and NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and CHN analyses.     

Microwave‐Assisted Quick Synthesis of Some Potential High Explosives

This paper reports a novel microwave‐assisted method for the synthesis of potential high explosives (HEs) such as 3‐nitro‐1,2,4‐triazol‐5‐one (NTO), bis‐(2,2‐dinitropropyl) nitramine (BDNPN), 4‐nitroimidazole (4‐NI) and 2,4,6,8,10,12‐hexanitro‐2,4,6,8,10,12‐hexaazaisowurtzitane (CL‐20). The high temperature thermal rearrangement of 1,4‐dinitroimidazole to 2,4‐dinitroimidazole was also reported using microwave radiation as heating source. The synthesized compounds were characterized by spectroscopic techniques and the data obtained confirmed their structures.     

Optimization of Ultrasonic Enhanced Salt‐Containing Hydrodistillation by Response Surface Methodology

An ultrasonic enhanced salt‐containing hydrodistillation (UESHD) method for separating essential oil from lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) flowers was investigated using response surface methodology (RSM). The experimental data obtained from a 27‐run experiment were fitted to a second‐order polynomial equation. The optimal conditions were determined by the 3D response surface and the contour plots derived from the models. The efficiency of UESHD and conventional hydrodistillation (HD) was compared. The extraction yield of UESHD was two‐fold higher than that of HD. In addition, GC‐MS results indicated some differences in composition and content between the two essential oils from UESHD and HD.     

Low‐Temperature Pretreatment of Lignocellulosic Biomass for Enhanced Biogas Production

Readily available lignocellulosic biomass as substrate for biogas plants is gaining popularity amongst biogas plant operators. Results of low‐temperature pretreatment (light cooking) of wheat straw to remove waxes and prepare the biomass for microbial action are described. Benefits of light cooking are low thermal energy demand and low investment cost compared to conventional techniques such as steam explosion. The novelty lies in utilizing the low temperature range 25–100 °C for pre‐soaking the biomass. Two different types of wheat straws were pretreated at varying temperatures and sizes. The results were compared with Buswell's equation for theoretical maximum biomethane yield. Compared to untreated straw, pre‐soaking leads to a significantly higher methane yield. Size reduction combined with light‐cooking does not affect the methane yield in the same manner as pre‐soaking of the biomass.     

Separation of Ethyl Acetate‐Dichloromethane‐Ethanol by Extractive Distillation: Simulation and Optimization

Chemical process simulation software is adopted to simulate the separation of ethyl acetate‐dichloromethane‐ethanol and water with the aim to use water as the extraction solvent and to meet the requirement of reuse. The influences of solvent ratio, reflux ratio, theoretical plate number, feed position, and solvent position on separation efficiency are discussed. Optimization of orthogonal design and response surface are employed to further optimize the parameters. Relative experimental results prove the reliability of the simulation.     

Dielectric Properties and Optimization of Parameters for Microwave Drying of Petroleum Coke Using Response Surface Methodology

The dielectric properties of petroleum coke at five temperatures between 20 to 100 ^° C, covering different moisture content levels at 2.45 GHz, were measured using an open-ended coaxial probe dielectric measurement system. The effects of drying temperature, duration of drying, and sample mass on the moisture content and dehydration rate of petroleum coke was assessed utilizing the response surface methodology. The dielectric constant, loss factor, and loss tangent were all found to increase nearly linearly with increase in moisture content. Three predictive empirical models were developed to relate the dielectric constant, loss factor, and loss tangent of petroleum coke as a linear function of moisture content from 3–10%. An increase in temperature between 20 to 100 ^° C was found to increase the dielectric properties. The penetration depth was observed to increase linearly with decrease in moisture content in the range of 3 to 10%. A predictive empirical model was developed to calculate penetration depth for petroleum coke. Two mathematical models were established and analyzed using RSM to describe the relationship between the microwave drying conditions and the responses, moisture content, and dehydration rate. Statistical analysis with response surface regression showed that microwave drying temperature, duration of drying, and sample mass were significantly related to moisture content and dehydration rate. Based on the RSM analysis, the optimum process conditions were estimated to be a microwave drying temperature of 75 ^° C, drying duration of 10 sec, and sample mass of 60 g, with the resultant moisture content being 0.34 at a dehydration rate of 2.94 g/min.     

Metathesis of 1‐Hexene over Heterogeneous Tungsten‐Based Catalysts

1‐Hexene metathesis was performed over standard and potassium‐doped WO₃/SiO₂ catalysts. The samples were tested at various reaction temperatures, molar feed compositions, and space times. Under the applied reaction conditions, doping with potassium reduced the isomerization and cracking activity of the catalyst by at least half and improved the yield of detergent‐range alkenes twofold. However, increasing the potassium loading to a higher amount resulted in a significant reduction in the metathesis activity as both Brønsted and Lewis acid sites were affected. Optimum operating conditions for the yield of detergent‐range alkenes were identified using response surface methodology.     

Effect of pH Value on Performance of PtRu/C Catalyst Prepared by Microwave‐Assisted Polyol Process for Methanol Electrooxidation

PtRu/C catalysts with different mean particle sizes have been synthesised by microwave‐assisted polyol process at various pH values and characterised by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive analysis of X‐ray (EDAX) and X‐ray diffraction (XRD). Their electrochemical performances have been tested by cyclic voltammetry, amperomeric i–t, and CO‐stripping techniques. The effects of pH values on performances of the PtRu/C catalysts have been mainly investigated. It has been found that the particle size, composition and catalytic activity of the PtRu/C catalyst are very sensitive to the pH value of reducing solution, and the PtRu/C catalyst prepared at the pH value of 8 exhibits the better performance for methanol electrooxidation than the other samples. The size of the nanoparticles decreases as the pH value increases from 0.2 to 10 with the largest size of 4.4 nm and the smallest one of 2.1 nm. The two metal elements distribute uniformly in the catalyst and their metal loadings are similar to the theoretical value.     

Pretreatment of Rice Hulls for Cellulase Production by Solid Substrate Fermentation

Abstract

Rice hulls via pretreatment served as a solid substrate for cellulase production. Different pretreatment methods, including microwave irradiation, organosolv process catalyzed by acid or alkali were compared. With rice hulls pretreated by microwave irradiation coupled with alkaline pretreatment and rice hulls pretreated with organosolv process catalyzed with acid or alkali, the maxima of filter paper activity (FPA) obtained during the fermentation were 18%, 21%, 31% higher, and maxima of the carboxy‐methyl cellulase (CMCase) were 7.7%, 14%, 16% higher than those obtained with the rice hulls pretreated only with alkali, respectively. The ratios of cellulose degradation were also estimated and they showed similar tendency with the maxima of FPA detected in the fermentation processes.     

Optimization of Parameters for Microwave-Assisted Foam Mat Drying of Blackcurrant Pulp

Both analysis and optimization of parameters of microwave-assisted foam mat drying (MAFM), viz. microwave power, pulp load, drying time, and pulp thickness, for the dehydration process of blackcurrant pulp were performed in a household microwave oven. During MAFM drying, microwave power, pulp load, and drying time have positive effects on both vitamin C and anthocyanin content of blackcurrant pulp up to a certain level then a negative trend is observed. The increase of microwave power and decrease of pulp load accelerate the dehydration of blackcurrant pulp. The pulp thickness has a significant positive effect on both vitamin C and anthocyanin content of blackcurrant pulp. The optimum parameters valid for MAFM drying of blackcurrant pulp are as follows: microwave power of 560 W, pulp load of 65 g, drying time of 8 min, and pulp thickness of 4.46 mm. MAFM drying is a potential method for dehydrating blackcurrant pulp.     

Immobilization of Phospholipase C for the Production of Ceramide from Sphingomyelin Hydrolysis

The immobilization of Clostridium perfringens phospholipase C was studied for the first time and the catalytic properties of the immobilized enzyme were investigated for the hydrolysis of sphingomyelin to produce ceramide. Ceramide is of great commercial value in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries for use in, for example, hair and skin care products, owing to its major role in maintaining the water-retaining properties of the epidermis. The feasibility of enzymatic production of ceramide through hydrolysis of sphingomyelin has previously been proven. In order to improve the reusability of the enzyme, the present study focused on the immobilization of phospholipase C in the production of ceramide from sphingomyelin. By screening nine different carriers, we found that the enzyme immobilized on Lewatit had the highest catalytic activity towards sphingomyelin hydrolysis. Prewetting Lewatit with ethanol led to higher enzyme fixation on the carrier, but the activity of the enzyme was decreased. Increasing the initial enzyme concentration resulted in more enzyme adsorption on the carrier, where the specific activity was increased. Through optimization of the reaction using the immobilized enzyme, the optimal temperature was around 46 °C and the optimal water volume was 3.5%. The reaction had little dependence on pH. After seven recycles, immobilized enzyme retained around 70% of the initial activity. Immobilized enzyme was deactivated irregularly when stored at room temperature, but followed first-order deactivation when stored at 40 °C.