PDADMAC as a flocculant for lignosulfonate of NSSC pulping process

The spent liquor (SL) of neutral sulfite semi‐chemical (NSSC) pulping process contains about 8 wt% lignocelluloses that can be extracted and used in the production of value‐added materials. In this work, a flocculation process followed by centrifugation was considered for isolating lignosulfonate and hemicelluloses from SL. It was observed that, by adding 20 mg/g of polydiallyldimethylammuniom chloride (PDADMAC) with 100,000–200,000 g/mol molecular weight to SL, 45% of lignosulfonate and 39% of hemicelluloses were removed at 30°C. The lignocellulose removal was more efficient for the dual flocculation system of low and high molecular weights PDADMAC than for individual PDADMAC systems. Overall, 49% of lignosulfonate, 47% of hemicelluloses and 97% of turbidity were removed from SL from the dual system when 10 mg/g low molecular weight PDADMAC and 10 mg/g high molecular weight PDADMAC were added to the SL at 30°C, subsequently. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of generated flocs showed that all samples had similar thermal behaviour and 13–16 wt% of flocs remained as ash after burning at 700°C in nitrogen. As the flocs are made of lignocellulosic materials and they are thermally stable, they could be used as fillers in paper board production. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 32:686–691, 2016     

絮凝菌株Shinella sp. xn-1对铜绿微囊藻的絮凝效果

【目的】研究絮凝功能细菌xn-1对有害水华藻——铜绿微囊藻的絮凝效果,以期为有害水华的治理提供新的选择。【方法】采用涂布划线法从藻际分离纯化絮凝功能微生物;基于16S r RNA基因序列确定进化地位;通过不同金属离子确定絮凝机制;梯度醇沉法获得絮凝物质;以酶标仪测定絮凝效率。【结果】菌株xn-1确定属于申氏杆菌属(Shinella),且命名为Shinella sp.xn-1。在添加Ca~(2+)作为促凝剂的条件下对铜绿微囊藻表现出高效的絮凝效果,其絮凝效果主要来源于胞外上清,而表现出高效的絮凝效果所需要的胞外上清添加量为3.0%。从胞外上清中获得的絮凝物质以0.5 g/L的添加量作用于藻细胞后表现出高效的絮凝效果,且随着处理时间增加,絮凝团的体积增大。【结论】Shinella sp.xn-1通过分泌胞外絮凝物质对铜绿微囊藻表现出高效的絮凝效果,在絮凝作用下藻细胞聚集在一起形成大体积的絮凝团,该研究有利于治理有害水华。     

Control of phosphorus discharges: present situation and trends

The dominating sources of phosphorus in municipal wastewaters are excreta, 1.4 g P/(cap.d) and detergents, 0.6 – 2 g P/(cap.d). Detergent phosphorus can be substituted by nitrilotriacetic acid or zeolites, but if a substantial reduction of phosphorus in municipal waters is to be achieved, modifying the treatment process is necessary. Primary, treatment by sedimentation removes only 10–15% and secondary biological treatment 20–30% of the phosphorus in waste water. If chemicals are added to the primary or secondary treatment stage or to a separate chemical stage, phosphorus can be efficiently removed. An effluent level of 0.8–1.5 g P m^-3 is easily achieved and with a filtration step it is possible to maintain 0.2 g P m^-3 in the effluent. Different process configurations are discussed. As precipitants, ferrous and ferric salts, alum and lime are widely used. By introducing anaerobic zones in the activated sludge process, it is possible to promote the growth of bacteria which enhance biological phosphorus uptake. This makes it possible to achieve high phosphorus removal without or, al least, with very small chemical additions. Several emerging physical, chemical and biological phosphorus removal processes are discussed. The removal of phosphorus to a level of 0.8–1.5 g P m^-3 increases cost 10–20% compared with conventional primary secondary treatment. Higher removal efficiencies will rapidly increase the marginal cost per marginal kg P removed.     

黑土长期施肥及养分循环再利用的作物产量及土壤肥力质量变化Ⅰ.作物产量

在一丰P黑土(Olsen P25.8mg·kg^-1)上进行13年中长期田间试验的结果表明,氮肥平均增产率为275%,年增产粮食(大豆、玉米、小麦混合)724kg·hm^-2,1kgN增产粮食9.4kg;磷肥前期增产不明显,13年平均增产率为7%,年增产粮食241kg·hm^-2,1kgP增产粮食12.7kg.每年施用循环回田猪圈肥(以处理区收获产品的80%喂猪、垫圈经堆制而成),粮食平均年增产量在不施化肥、施N、施NP基础上,分别为268、258、255kg·hm^-2,相应的增产率为9.8%、7.6%和7.0%.试验期间循环回田猪圈肥的增产效果有逐渐增长趋势,表明存在着猪圈肥残效的叠加效应.     

Isolation of viruses from drinking water at the Point-Viau water treatment plant

Viruses were isolated from every sample of raw (100 L) and treated (1000 L) water collected at a water treatment plant drawing sewage-contaminated river water. Few plaque-forming isolates were formed but cytopathogenic viruses were isolated as frequently in drinking water as in raw water. In drinking water some samples contained more than 1 cytopathogenic unit per litre, but most contained 1-10/100 L. These viruses had not been inactivated or removed by prechlorination, flocculation, filtration, ozonation, and postchlorination. There were no coliforms present and a residual chlorine level had been maintained. Poliovirus type 1 was a frequent isolate but many isolates were nonpoliovirus. The presence of these viruses in drinking water raises questions about the efficacy of some water treatment processes to remove viruses from polluted water.     

Flocculation behavior and mechanism of an exopolysaccharide from the deep-sea psychrophilic bacterium Pseudoalteromonas sp. SM9913

Flocculation behavior and mechanism of the exopolysaccharide secreted by Pseudoalteromonas sp. SM9913 (EPS SM9913), a psychrophilic bacterium isolated from 1855m deep-sea sediment, has been studied in this paper. EPS SM9913 showed a peak flocculating activity of 49.3 in 1g/L kaolin suspension with 4.55mmol/L CaCl2 and the optimum pH range of 5-8. It appears that the flocculating activity of EPS SM9913 was stimulated by Ca2+ and Fe2+. This study found that EPS SM9913 showed a better flocculation performance than Al2(SO4)3 at salinity of 5-100 per thousand or temperatures of 5-15 degrees C. In addition, this EPS was effective to flocculate several other suspended solids. The measured zeta-potentials, the size of flocs formed during the flocculation process and the surface profile of flocs revealed by scan electron micrograph suggest that bridging is the main flocculation mechanism of the studied EPS. Deacetylation of EPS SM9913 resulted in a significant decrease in its flocculating activity indicating that the large number of acetyl groups in EPS SM9913 played an important role in its flocculation performance.     

Effect on soil and plant mineral levels following application of manures of different copper contents

Summary Manure from finishing pigs fed diets with and without a growth stimulating level of added copper (250 ppm in 1972, 370 ppm in 1973 and 300 ppm in 1974) was incorporated into a Groseclose silt loam at the rate of 15.5, 12.9 and 15.7 metric tons of dry matter per hectare, respectively, for 1972, 1973 and 1974. A third treatment was no manure. The manure was applied between rows when corn was about 10 cm tall and worked into the surface 10 cm of the soil with a rotary tiller. The average composition of the manure for the three years on a dry basis was 3.6 per cent nitrogen, 2.87 per cent calcium, 0.93 per cent magnesium, 2.22 per cent phosphorus, 1.30 per cent potassium, 648 ppm zinc, 2191 ppm iron. The copper content was 73 ppm for control manure and 1719 ppm for high copper manure. The copper content in the upper 10 cm of the soil was significantly increased each year when high copper manure was applied. During one growing season, copper did not appear to move down, however, plowing after the first year increased the copper level in the 10–20 cm depth with a small increase in the 20–30 cm depth. Potassium, zinc, phosphorus, calcium and magnesium levels of the soil were increased when manure was applied. There was a small increase in the copper content of the maize ear leaf (average of one ppm per year) when manure from pigs fed diets containing high copper was applied. Copper in the washed roots of the mature maize plants was doubled (5.6 vs 11.2 ppm) when the high copper manure was added. The copper content of grain from plants grown on soil receiving high copper manure was not different from that of grain from soil receiving no manure. The zinc, potassium and phosphorus contents of the maize ear leaf were increased a small amount when both control and high copper manure were applied with the effect of potassium and phosphorus carrying over to the grain. The iron and calcium contents of the ear leaf were not affected by application of manure, but there was a decrease in calcium content of the grain from the application of control and high copper manure. re]19750305Department of Animal ScienceDepartment of AgronomyDepartment of Statistics     

pH-induced flocculation,indirect electrocoagulation,and hollow fiber filtration techniques for harvesting the saltwater microalga Dunaliella

This research assessed the efficacy of three harvesting methods on a strain of Dunaliella viridis. While there is strong potential to use lipids from microalgae as a feedstock for biofuels to replace petroleum-based fuel, at present microalgal harvesting for biofuel production is not yet economically feasible or energy efficient. pH-induced flocculation (by adjusting the pH of exponentially growing cells), indirect electrocoagulation (applying aluminum hydroxide coagulant to culture), and hollow fiber filtration (separating biomass from medium using tangential flow) were compared as potential harvesting mechanisms for small-scale (3–10 L) and large-scale (30–150 L) volumes of D. viridis. Both pH-induced flocculation and electrocoagulation yielded significant biomass recovery (>95 %), but both methods required removal of added chemicals and/or coagulant before the medium could be reused. In contrast, hollow fiber filtration did not require added chemicals or coagulant, and as another advantage, the filtrate was successfully reused as culture medium without apparent detrimental effects on cell size, cell shape, or cell production. When high salinity stress was imposed on the concentrate produced from the filtration method, total fatty acids (FAs) did not increase. However, total FAs did significantly increase after hollow fiber filtration (49 %) in comparison to FA content before filtration (36 %). This research indicates that hollow fiber filtration as a commercial harvesting mechanism offers attractive advantages as a harvesting mechanism for microalgae such as Dunaliella, relative to pH-induced flocculation and indirect electrocoagulation.     

Characterisation of solid and liquid fractions of dairy manure with regard to their component distribution and methane production

Dairy manure with a total solids content of 77.2g TS/l was separated by means of screening and coagulation-flocculation treatments, using CaO as coagulant and a cationic polyacrylamide as flocculant, obtaining liquid and solid fractions. The solid fraction separated contained 33.4% of the initial total mass of dairy manure plus chemical solutions, containing also 75.2% of the TS, 80.4% of the VS, 58.5% of the total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) and 87.4% of the total phosphorus (P(T)) present in the initial dairy manure. 83.7% of the liquid fraction chemical oxygen demand (COD) was anaerobically biodegradable (COD(BD)). Methane production for the separated liquid fraction was 0.604l CH4 NCTP/g VS added, being 0.307 and 0.371l CH4 NCTP/g VS added for dairy manure and screened dairy manure, respectively. The characteristics of this liquid fraction would allow its treatment in high loading anaerobic reactors having shorter hydraulic retention times, smaller reactor size and a higher methane volumetric production rate than conventional anaerobic reactors treating either manure or screened manure.     

Concentration of viruses in beef extract by flocculation with ammonium sulfate

Bacteriophages and enteroviruses in water were adsorbed to positively charged filters (Virosorb 1MDS [AMF Cuno, Inc., Meriden, Conn.] or Seitz S [Republic Filters, Milldaler, Conn.]). Adsorbed viruses were eluted by treating the filters with 10% beef extract, pH 9. Organic flocculation of the beef extract at pH 3.5 permitted recovery of more than 40% of the enteroviruses tested but less than 15% of the bacteriophages present. A method was developed that uses salts at pH 7 to flocculate beef extract. Two volumes of saturated ammonium sulfate were added to beef extract, and both enteroviruses and bacteriophages were adsorbed to the flocs that formed. Greater than 70% of the enteroviruses and bacteriophages were recovered by centrifuging the sample and suspending the flocs in a small volume of distilled water.     

Preparation and performance of immobilized yeast cells in columns containing no inert carrier

Schizosaccharomyces pombe was cultivated in a medium of glucose (10 g/L) malt extract (3 g/L), yeast extract (3 g/L), and bactopeptone (5 g/L) to form flocs. More than 95% of the cell population were flocculated. Variation in glucose concentration (from 10 to 100 g/L) did not affect flocculation. Yeast extract helped induce flocculation. Application of the immobilized yeast for the continuous production of ethanol was tested in a column reactor. Soft yeast flocs (50-200 mesh) underwent morphological changes to heavy particles (0.1-0.3 cm diameter) after continuously being fed with fresh substrates in the column. Productivity as high as 87 g EtOH L(-1) h(-1) was obtained when a 150 g/L glucose medium was fed. The performance of this yeast reactor was stable over a two-month period. The ethanol yield was 97% of the theoretical maximum based upon glucose consumed.     

Influence of incrementally substituting dietary soya bean meal for rapeseed meal on nutrient digestibility, nitrogen excretion, growth performance and ammonia emissions from growing-finishing pigs

A completely randomised design experiment was performed to examine the effects of replacing different levels of soya bean meal (SBM) with rapeseed meal (RSM) on the growth performance, carcass characteristics, apparent nutrient digestibility, nitrogen (N) balance and manure ammonia emissions of growing-finishing pigs. Pigs (n = 336; mean live weight 42.1 kg) were assigned to one of four dietary treatments containing per kg diet: 210 g SBM; 140 g SBM and 70 g RSM; 70 g SBM and 140 g RSM; and 210 g RSM. All diets were formulated on an ileal digestible amino acid, net energy and available phosphorus basis. There was no significant treatment effect on average daily gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio and carcass characteristics. There was a linear decrease in gross energy digestibility (p < 0.01) as RSM increased at the expense of SBM in the diet. There was a linear decrease in urinary N excretion (p < 0.01), N digestibility (p < 0.05), total N excretion (p < 0.05) and N retention (p < 0.05) with increasing levels of RSM. There was no effect of dietary treatment on manure ammonia emissions. The results of this study indicate that RSM can be used as a direct replacement for SBM with no associated depression in performance, when formulated on an ileal digestible amino acid and net energy basis. Consumption of diets containing incremental levels of RSM linearly decreased urinary N and total N excretion, reflecting the associated decrease in crude protein concentrations.     

Optimization of biogas production from cattle manure by pre-treatment with ultrasound and co-digestion with crude glycerin

Biogas production by co-digestion of cattle manure with crude glycerin obtained from biodiesel production was studied after pre-treatment of the cattle manure or mixtures of cattle manure with different amounts of added glycerin with ultrasound. Batch experiments with 1750 mL of medium containing 1760 g of screened cattle manure or mixtures of cattle manure (screened or ground) and 70-140 mL or crude glycerin were incubated under mesophilic and thermophilic condition in stirred tank reactors. Under mesophilic conditions, the addition of 4% glycerin to screened manure increased biogas production by up to 400%. Application of sonication (20 kHz, 0.1 kW, and 4 min) to a mixture of manure + 4% glycerin increased production of biogas by up to 800% compared to untreated manure. The best results were obtained under thermophilic conditions using sonicated mixtures of ground cattle manure with 6% added glycerin (348 L methane/kg COD removed were obtained).     

Gaseous emissions during the fattening of pigs kept either on fully slatted floors or on straw flow

The aim of this study was to compare the environmental impact of the straw-flow system for fattening pigs with the slatted-floor system by measuring pollutant gas emissions such as ammonia (NH3), nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2), manure nitrogen (N) content and emissions of water vapour (H2O). Three successive batches of 32 pigs were fattened. For each batch, pigs were allotted to two groups raised in separated rooms fitted either with a concrete totally slatted-floor system (0.75 m2 per pig) or with a straw-flow system (0.79 m2 per pig). With this last system, pigs were kept on a sloped floor, straw being provided daily at the top of the pen. Throughout the fattening period, about 34.4 kg of straw were supplied per pig. The straw, mixed with dung, travelled down the slope by pig motion and went out of the pen to a scraped passage. The solid fraction was scraped every day, stored in a heap in the room and removed every month, 1 week before each period of gaseous emission measurement. The liquid fraction was automatically pumped from the scraped passage into a hermetic tank, which was emptied at the end of each fattening period. Rooms were ventilated mechanically in order to maintain a constant ambient temperature. Once a month, the emissions of NH3, N2O, CH4, CO2 and H2O were measured hourly for 6 consecutive days via infrared photoacoustic detection. Mean daily emissions per pig fattened on the slatted floor or on the sloped floor were, respectively, 4.98 and 13.31 g NH3, 0.67 and 0.68 g N2O, 15.2 and 8.88 g CH4, 548 g and 406 g CO2 equivalents, 1.61 and 1.77 kg CO2 and 2.33 and 2.95 kg H2O. Except for N2O emissions, all the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.001). From the slatted-floor system, the amount of slurry removed per fattening period was on average 256 kg per pig. From the straw-flow system, solid manure amounted on average to 209 kg per pig and liquid manure to 53 kg per pig. The total N-content of the manure was 2.23 kg N per pig with the straw-flow system (solid and liquid manure) v. 3.26 kg N per pig for slurry from the slatted-floor system. This reduction of 30% observed with the sloped floor was mainly explained by the higher level of NH3-N emissions.     

Balance sheet of soil phosphorus and potassium as influenced by intensive cropping and fertilizer use

Summary The balance sheet of phosphorus and potassium were worked out from a long term manure and fertilizer experiment conducted for eight years and is still continuing at Ranchi Agricultural College, Kanke, Ranchi, India. Increasing levels of fertilizer combination with organic manure and lime give the highest yield as well as removed the highest amount of phosphorus and potassium from the soil and gave the positive gain of soil phosphorus and potassium in intensive cropping. The highest gains of 59.0 and 278.0 kg/ha of phosphorus and potassium respectively were recorded in 150% NPK application.     

Content and deposition of major mineral elements in different tissues and empty body of growing bulls of the german simmental breed

54 bulls of the German Simmental breed were fed either on a high energy level (maize silage ad libitum and 1.8 kg concentrate) or on a low energy level (maize silage restrictively and 1.0 kg concentrate). In dependence on feeding intensity a mean daily weight gain of 870 or 1210 g was obtained. Animals were slaughtered with a live mass of 200 kg, 350 kg, 500 kg, 575 kg and 650 kg. Empty body was divided into 13 cuts and afterwards separated into lean, bone and adipose tissues and tendons. Major mineral element content was determined in these tissues as well as in the noncarcass parts.

In the lean tissue the mean content (200 kg) of 0.3 g calcium, 10 g phosphorus, 1 g magnesium, 2.3 g sodium and 14.8 g potassium/kg dry matter decreased slightly with rising live mass (200–650 kg). The contents of major mineral elements were much higher in bone tissue. For the fattening period from 200 to 650 kg of live mass mean contents of 151.5 g calcium, 71.3 g phosphorus, 3.2 g magnesium, 5.1 g sodium and 1.1 g potassium per kg DM were analysed. Mineral element content of bone tissue increased with rising live mass as well as animals on low feeding intensity showed a higher mineral content than on high energy level. In all, major mineral element content in fat tissue was very low. In noncarcass parts head and legs calcium and phosphorus had analogous to bone tissue the highest concentration. Hide showed a high content of sodium, whereas organs and digestive tract had a high content of potassium and phosphorus. Total mass of major mineral elements in the different tissues increased above all in the fattening period of 200 to 350 kg. In carcass as well as in empty body, mass of calcium and phosphorus was much higher than magnesium, sodium and potassium. Also animals on low feeding intensity showed a higher mass of major mineral elements in carcass and empty body than animals on high energy feeding intensity. The intensively fed bulls had a mean deposition of 12.7 g calcium, 6.9 g phosphorus, 0.37 g magnesium, 1.2 g sodium and 2.1 potassium per 1000 g of empty body weight gain, whereas restrictively fed bulls deposited in average 15.0 g calcium, 7.8 g phosphorus, 0.4 g magnesium, 1.2 g sodium and 2.4 g potassium per 1000 g of empty body weight gain.     

不同施肥方案对芒果果实品质与土壤肥力的影响

以海南贵妃芒Mangifera indica ‘Guifei’为试材,在化肥、有机肥施用量上设置3个不同处理,研究不同施肥方案对芒果果实品质及土壤肥力的影响。结果表明,与单施化肥比较,T1和T2处理使果实可溶性固形物含量提高12.0%～22.1%,维生素C含量提高8.5%～28.5%,可滴定酸含量下降41.2%～42.4%,固酸比提高94.4%～107.5%;与对照相比,本研究中提供的施肥处理显著提高土壤有机质、全氮、有效磷、速效钾、交换性钙、交换性镁、电导率及pH值,提升土壤肥力。综合而言,T2处理(有机肥5 kg·株^-1 + 尿素385 g·株^-1 + 过磷酸钙350 g·株^-1 + 高钾复合肥700 g·株^-1)对改善果实品质和改良土壤肥力性状效果最佳。     

Changes in biofilm architecture with addition of membrane fouling reducer in a membrane bioreactor

Changes in biofilm architecture and membrane filterability were investigated in submerged membrane bioreactor (MBR) under various operating conditions. Using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and image analysis techniques, the porosity and biovolume of a biofilm formed on a membrane surface was analyzed along the length of hollow fibers. The addition of a membrane fouling reducer (MFR), a type of cationic polymer, to a conventional MBR led to the flocculation of activated sludge, resulting in a more porous biofilm on the membrane surface, which substantially enhanced membrane filterability. Soluble foulants in the bulk phase of MBR, such as soluble COD and soluble extra-cellular polymeric substances (EPS) were also entrapped by the microbial flocs during the course of the flocculation, leading to an increase in the concentration of bound EPS. The porosity of the biofilm changed greatly along the length of the hollow fibers. The lowest porosity was observed at the potted ends of membrane fibers which can be easily compressed by suction pressure. The biovolume of the biofilm near the potted ends was greater than that near the free-moving ends. With the addition of MFR, porosities were increased whereas biovolumes were decreased along the length of the fibers. The spatial distributions of both porosities and biovolumes, however, became more uniform along the length of fibers.     

Urea-lysine method for recovery of enteroviruses from sludge.

Enteroviruses added to sludge and indigenous viruses present in sludge were recovered by treating the sludge flocs with a 4 M urea solution buffered at pH 9 with 0.5 M lysine. Eluted viruses were absorbed to aluminum hydroxide flocs and collected by centrifugation. The flocs were solubilized with 0.1 M ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid-3% beef extract at pH 9. After dialysis to remove the ethylenediaminetraacetic acid, viruses were further concentrated by organic flocculation. Approximately 40% of poliovirus and coxsackievirus B-3 added to 500 to 1,000 ml of sludge could be recovered in final sample volumes of less than 10 ml. Polioviruses, echoviruses, and coxsackieviruses were recovered from different samples of wastewater sludge.     

Quantification of brewers' yeast flocculation in a stirred tank: effect of physical parameters on flocculation

Quantification of yeast flocculation under defined conditions will help to understand the physical mechanisms of the flocculation process used in beer fermentation. Flocculation was quantified by measuring the size of yeast flocs and the number of single cells. For this purpose, a method to measure floc size and number of single cells in situ was developed. In this way, it was possible to quantify the actual flocculation during fermentation, without influencing flocculation. The effects of three physical parameters, floc strength, fluid shear, and yeast cell concentration, on flocculation during beer fermentation, were examined. Increasing floc strength results in larger flocs and lower numbers of single cells. If the fluid shear is increased, the size of the flocs decreases, and the number of single cells remains constant at approximately 10% of the total cells present. The cell concentration also influences flocculation, a reduction of 50% in cell concentration leads to a decrease of about 25% in floc size. The number of single cells decreases in linear proportion to the cell concentration. This means that, during yeast settling at full scale, the number of single cells decreases. The results of this study are used in a model for yeast flocculation. With respect to full scale fermentation the effect of cell concentration will play an important role, for flocculation and sedimentation will occur simultaneously leading to a quasi steady state between these phenomena. (c) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 56: 190-200, 1997.