Anaerobic digestion of Aegean olive mill effluents with and without pretreatment

BACKGROUND: Olive oil production is an important economical activity in the Aegean region of Turkey. However, the effluents of the olive oil producing mills with their high organic loads and toxic compounds are causing serious environmental problems. The anaerobic biological treatment of olive mill wastewater (OMWW) using the treatment plants of the regional industries could be a method of choice and within the scope of this study floccular and granular sludges were investigated in batch mode for their success in the treatment of OMWW while producing biogas. The major limitation of this treatment is the inhibition of methanogenic bacteria by the phenolic compounds in OMWW. Thus an integrated solution was suggested in which a pre‐treatment step (dephenolization) was also introduced before biological step. RESULTS: The effluents of 27 olive mills out of 47 were found to have total phenolics (TP) less than 3 g L^?1 and could be treated anaerobically after simple dilution. The biogas production for the untreated OMWW was higher for floccular sludge than for the granular sludge (68.5 mL and 45.7 mL respectively). Combined pre‐treatment experiments, first coagulation with polyaluminum chloride, followed by flocculation with cationic polyelectrolyte and finally Fenton's oxidation, could remove 80% of TP and 95% of the total suspended solids. CONCLUSION: OMWW having TP values less than 3 g L^?1 can be treated anaerobically using floccular sludge after simple dilution and biogas can be produced. For OMWW samples having higher TP values pre‐treatment is necessary and the pre‐treatment given in this study may be used effectively. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Structural and thermochemical properties, and energetics of C8(NO2)8 and C20(NO2)4n (n = 0–4)

Density-functional-theory calculations, at the B3LYP level with the 6–31 G basis set, have been performed to investigate the structural and electronic properties of octanitrocubane, C₈(NO₂)₈, and polynitrofullerenes of type C₂₀(NO₂)_4n, with n = 0–4, in their ground states. Having determined their energetically optimized geometric structures, energetics, and vibrational frequencies, we have calculated the enthalpies of combustion and decomposition of these molecules. Extrapolating from the so-obtained data, we have also estimated, as a by-product, the enthalpy values of C₂₀(NO₂)₂₀.     

Five-year survey of ochratoxin A in processed sultanas from Turkey

The results of surveillance for ochratoxin A (OTA) in 1885 samples of sultanas taken during five crop years between 1999 and 2003 are reported. The analytical method was based on extraction with methanol + sodium bicarbonate and clean-up by immunoaffinity column chromatography followed by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. The limit of detection for OTA was 0.3 µg kg^-1. The results show that 9.3% of the samples contained no detectable levels of OTA, whereas 0.6% had concentrations exceeding 10 µg kg^-1; the remaining 90.3% had levels within the range 0.3-10 µg kg^-1. The overall mean OTA concentration in the total number of 1885 samples taken was 1.36 ± 2.91 µg kg^-1; the overall median was calculated as 0.90 µg kg^-1.     

Colour semantics in residential interior architecture on different interior types

Colour meaning is a challenging decision in interior architecture during the design process; however, specific meanings within different interior types have not yet been investigated. This study explored colour meaning in the context of residential interior types (eg, bedroom) under controlled conditions using 42 Munsell colours varying in hues, value, and chroma levels, with 14 adjectives (eg, comfortable, pleasant). The results demonstrate that some colours convey the same meanings (eg, vulgar) regardless of type of room; however, others (eg, beautiful) tend to require more complicated and sophisticated colour applications in different residential interiors. The study findings proved that colour meaning in RITs can be affected by all colour attributes. All colours that are named orange and red are selected for both negative and positive meanings. Colours that are named purple are selected less and only for negative connotations. The findings present an overall colour meaning guide for these residential interior types, which will be beneficial for decision makers (interior architects, designers, users) and colour researchers.     

An example of facade colour design of mass housing

The colours and architectural characteristics of building facades are the major factors affecting the general appearance of cities. When cities are examined from various perspectives, first impressions are obtained from the geometrical forms and facade colours of buildings. The facade colour arrangements should reflect the features of the region and buildings. In this context various features of natural and artificial environments such as plant life, water elements, climate, and historical texture should be examined, and a facade colour arrangement should be designed according to the examination results. In addition, the other factors effective in determining the colour and style of a building, such as social‐cultural background of the society and traditional and natural building materials, should not be forgotten because in some regions traditional buildings with special construction styles, materials, and colours create a specific identity for the settlements and cities. The aims of this article are to elucidate the colour contrast, colour arrangement, and colour design stages of mass housing and to explain the colour design of Bizimkent Mass Housing, which was constructed in a new dwelling zone in Istanbul, Turkey, as an example of such an arrangement. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 27, 291–299, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/col.10068     

Effect of yearly conditions and management practices on ochratoxin A production in Sultana Seedless vineyards

Sun drying of seedless grapes (Vitis vinifera cv. Sultanina) is widely practised in the western Aegean Region providing Turkey with a significant share in the world trade of sultanas. Research was initiated in 1998 to determine the incidence of ochratoxin A (OTA), to identify the major factors resulting in contamination and to develop techniques to reduce or prevent contamination. This paper assesses OTA formation in five experimental vineyards located in Manisa province of Turkey between 1998 and 2003. The cultural practices recorded were tillage (type and timing), fertilisation, plant protection, irrigation, trellising, pruning, GA(3) application, harvest maturity and date, and drying practices (type of drying yard, dipping into alkaline solution, length of drying period). In the experimental vineyards, no OTA was found at veraison. OTA levels in grapes harvested at fresh maturity ranged between 相似文献   

The Enhancement of Polygalacturonase and Polymethylgalacturonase Production on Solid-State Conditions by Aspergillus foetidus

In this study, a previously isolated strain of Aspergillus foetidu s Ege-K-635 producing highly active polygalacturonase and polymethylgalacturonase was used for improvement of enzyme production using solid-state conditions. To enhance the enzyme yield, the mixture of two substrates such as sugar beet pulp and wheat bran, having different ratios of carbon-nitrogen and moisture levels was used. Further the effect of the amount of inoculum was investigated. Physical parameters for the highest polygalacturonase and polymethylgalacturonase production under solid state conditions were determined on wheat bran: the sugar beet pulp (1:2) mixture substrate composition having a 31:1 carbon-nitrogen ratio with 8 × 10⁶ spores/gram of dry substrate as the inoculum amount. Adequate moisture levels were 75% and 70% for polygalacturonase and polymethylgalacturonase, respectively. Under these conditions, the highest activities obtained were 385 ± 12.3 Ug^?1 on the third day for polygalacturonase and 18.3 ± 3.2 Ug^?1 on the second day for polymethylgalacturonase.     

Determination of arsenic leaching from glazed and non-glazed Turkish traditional earthenware

Glazed and non-glazed earthenware is traditionally and widely used in Turkey and most of the Mediterranean and the Middle East countries for cooking and conservation of foodstuff. Acid-leaching tests have been carried out to determine whether the use of glazed and non-glazed earthenware may constitute a human health hazard risk to the consumers. Earthenware was leached with 4% acetic acid and 1% citric acid solutions, and arsenic in the leachates was measured using hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry. Arsenic concentrations in the leach solution of non-glazed potteries varied from 30.9 to 800 μg L^− 1, while the glazed potteries varied generally from below the limit of detection (0.5 μg L^− 1) to 30.6 μg L^− 1, but in one poorly glazed series it reached to 110 μg L^− 1. Therefore, the risk of arsenic poisoning by poorly glazed and non-glazed potteries is high enough to be of concern. It appears that this is the first study reporting arsenic release from earthenware into food.     

Color and visual complexity in abstract images: Part II

There are a limited number of studies examining color, visual complexity, and visual interest together, and one of the recent studies that tried to bring a new understanding to the association between color, visual complexity, and visual interest was the first part of the current study. Most of the well‐known color studies researching the effects of color on psychology, physiology, emotion, mood, attention, well‐being, visual complexity, and visual interest used isolated color patches that might be lacking in reflecting the dominating factors. Thus, the aim of this study was to find the relationship between visual complexity, visual interest, and color difference (ΔE) values of colors in abstract images, and it was hypothesized that, as the average ΔE value of colors in an abstract image increases, visual interest and visual complexity will increase until reaching a threshold where visual interest and visual complexity start to decrease. In order to test the hypothesis, a new abstract image was generated and colored. The generated abstract image was rated by 120 undergraduate students from the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture. As the results of the study indicated, there was an inverted U‐curve relationship between average ΔE values and both visual interest and visual complexity in abstract images.     

Some characteristics and isolation of novel thermostable β-galactosidase from Thermus oshimai DSM 12092

The β-galactosidases belong to the class of hydrolytic enzymes and have been used as lactose hyrolysis. The enzyme is used in reducing lactose milk production, an outstanding industrial product used by a large lactoseintolerant population. This is the first detailed report of some characteristics of β-galactosidase and the gene encoding β-galactosidase in Thermus oshimai DSM 12092. The growth rate (μ, 1/h), and the doubling time (t_D, h) for T. oshimai grown both in shaking flasks and in a bioreactor were determined. The optimal temperature and pH for β-galactosidase were determined as 75°C and 7.4, respectively. This enzyme was thermostable and was retained by more than 70% at 90°C for 3 h. The β-galactosidase from T. oshimai DSM 12092 was more stable in basic pH and Zn²⁺ was the most effective divalent cation. Also, 2 steps of purification consisting of ammonium sulfate precipitation and gel filtration were employed and purified 32-fold.