Solar pasteurization of straw for nutritional upgrading and as substrate for ligninolytic organisms

Summary Solar digesters were designed to wet pasteurize straw. Microbial levels were reduced, precluding competition with ligninolytic organisms. The pasteurization treatment alone increased the available cellulose by 20–40%. Ligninolytic organisms produced biomass with 6–8% protein on pasteurized wheat straw.     

Cationic-modified PVA as a dry strength additive for rice straw fibers

Extensive research has shown that non-wood fibers are able to be substituted for wood fibers. The major shortcoming of non-fibers is their high silica content that causes some operational problems in mills, and hence silica should be kept in pulps. By keeping silica in pulps, however, the mechanical properties of papers are reduced, and a dry strength additive may be required. In this study, cationic polyvinyl alcohols (C-PVA) with two different molecular weights were prepared, and employed as dry strength additives. The adsorption of polymers on rice straw fibers obtained via soda-air-anthraquinone (AQ) pulping under various conditions was investigated thoroughly. Convincing results demonstrated that high molecular weight polymers performed more efficiently on dry strength enhancements of papers, while they adsorbed less than lower molecular weight polymers on fibers. However, the stiffness of fibers was increased to a larger extent by applying a higher molecular weight C-PVA.     

Optimization of steam explosion as a method for increasing susceptibility of sugarcane bagasse to enzymatic saccharification

The technique of autohydrolysis steam explosion was examined as a means for pretreatment of sugarcane bagasse. Treatment conditions were optimized so that following enzymatic hydrolysis, pretreated bagasse would give 65.1 g sugars/100 g starting bagasse. Released sugars comprised 38.9 g glucose, 0.6 g cellobiose, 22.1 g xylose, and 3.5 g arabinose, and were equivalent to 83% of the anhydroglucan and 84% of the anhydroxylan content of untreated bagasse. Optimum conditions were treatment for 30 S with saturated steam at 220 degrees C with a water-to-solids ratio of 2 and the addition of 1 g H(2)SO(4)/100 g dry bagasse. Bagasse treated in this manner was not inhibitory to fermentation by Saccharomyces uvarum except at low inoculum levels when fermentation time was extended by up to 24 h. Pretreated saccharified bagasse was inhibitory to Pachysolen tannophilus and this was attributed to the formation of acetate from the hydrolysis of acetyl groups present in hemicellulose. The major advantage of the pretreatment is the achievement of high total sugar yield with moderate enzyme requirement and only minor losses due to sugar decomposition.     

汽爆秸秆漆酶协同作用提取木质素

组分分离是秸秆炼制的关键技术。本文建立了汽爆耦合漆酶协同作用工艺,研究其对秸秆物理形态、化学组成以及木质素碱提取过程的影响。研究结果表明汽爆破坏秸秆表面致密结构,提高比表面积,促进漆酶对秸秆木质素的氧化作用;红外分析表明,漆酶破坏了汽爆秸秆中半纤维素酯键,且愈创木基吸收峰减弱,漆酶削弱了木质素与纤维素间相互作用;汽爆漆酶协同作用后的秸秆木质素提取率提高约20%(70℃,120 min)。Nuclei Growth模型分析温和条件下秸秆木质素提取过程,动力学结果表明,汽爆漆酶协同预处理增加了汽爆秸秆木质素碱提过程中反应起始作用位点,并提高了该过程对温度的敏感性。汽爆-漆酶协同预处理是一种有效的分离木质素的方法,将在木质纤维素原料的生物炼制中发挥重要作用。     

Heat and microbial treatments for nutritional upgrading of wheat straw

The ligninolytic activities of four cellulolytic organisms were compared using straw. Only Aspergillus japonicus and Polyporous versicolor appreciably degraded lignin with A. japonicus yielding the most protein. In solid culture, most protein was produced by P. versicolor, closely followed by A. japonicus. Pretreatment of the straw by hot water facilitated biodegradation and protein production. The nutritional value of the residual straw was also increased by some fungal cultures. The greatest amount of degradable polysaccharide in the straw was made available by A. japonicus in liquid media and Pleurotus ostreatus in solid media.     

Optimization of the pretreatment of rice straw hemicellulosic hydrolyzates for microbial production of xylitol

Hemicellulosic hydrolyzate obtained from rice straw was evaluated to determine if it was a suitable fementation medium for the production of xylitol byCandida mogii ATCC 18364. To obtain xylose selectively from rice straw, it is important to establish rapid hydrolysis conditions that yield xylose-rich substrates. The results of hydrolysis experiments indicated that the optimal reaction conditions for the recovery of xylose from rice straw hemicellulose were obtained using a sulfuric acid concentration of 1.5%, a reaction temperature of 130°C, a reaction time of 20 min and a solid to liquid ratio of 1∶10. Because the fermentation of concentrated acid hydrolyzates can be inhibited by compounds present in the raw material or produced during the hydrolysis process, various methods were tested to determine if they could detoxify the hydrolyzates and thus improve xylitol production. The greatest xylitol yield (0.53 g/g) and volumetric productivity (0.38 g/L·h) were obtained when an overlimed hydrolyzate was treated with activated charcoal.     

Properties of rice straw extract after subcritical water treatment

Rice straw was separated into four parts: the upper, middle, and lower parts of the stem, and the leaf. They were treated with subcritical water at 140 to 260 °C. The yield, carbohydrate, protein, and phenolic contents were obtained as well as the UV-Vis absorption spectra and the radical scavenging activity of the extracts. The extracts obtained from the stem parts had almost the same characteristics and were different from those of the leaf part. The extracts, prepared at higher temperature, exhibited higher radical scavenging ability. The radical scavenging ability and the phenolic content showed a correlation (R2=0.92), suggesting that the phenolic substances in the extract cause its antioxidant ability.     

Optimization of enzymatic hydrolysis and ethanol fermentation from AFEX-treated rice straw

An abundant agricultural residue, rice straw (RS) was pretreated using ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX) process with less than 3% sugar loss. Along with commercial cellulase (Spezyme® CP) at 15 filter paper unit/g of glucan, the addition of Multifect® Xylanase at 2.67 mg protein/g glucan and Multifect® Pectinase at 3.65 mg protein/g glucan was optimized to greatly increase sugar conversion of AFEX-treated RS. During enzymatic hydrolysis even at 6% glucan loading (equivalent to 17.8% solid loading), about 80.6% of glucan and 89.6% of xylan conversions (including monomeric and oligomeric sugars) were achieved. However, oligomeric glucose and xylose accounted for 12.3% of the total glucose and 37.0% of the total xylose, respectively. Comparison among the three ethanologenic strains revealed Saccharomyces cerevisiae 424A(LNH-ST) to be a promising candidate for RS hydrolysate with maximum ethanol metabolic yield of 95.3% and ethanol volumetric productivity of 0.26 g/L/h. The final concentration of ethanol at 37.0 g/L was obtained by S. cerevisiae 424A(LNH-ST) even with low cell density inoculum. A biorefinery combining AFEX pretreatment with S. cerevisiae 424A(LNH-ST) in separate hydrolysis and fermentation could achieve 175.6 g EtOH/kg untreated rice straw at low initial cell density (0.28 g dw/L) without washing pretreated biomass, detoxification, or nutrient supplementation.     

Optimization of enzymatic hydrolysis of pretreated rice straw and ethanol production

Cellulase, Tween 80, and β-glucosidase loading were studied and optimized by response surface methodology to improve saccharification. Microwave alkali-pretreated rice straw used as substrate for onsite enzyme production by Aspergillus heteromorphus and Trichoderma reesei. The highest enzymatic hydrolysis (84%) was obtained from rice straw at crude enzyme loading of 10 FPU/gds of cellulase, 0.15% Tween 80, and 100 international unit/g dry solids of β-glucosidase activities. Enzymatic hydrolyzate of pretreated rice straw was used for ethanol production by Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Scheffersomyces stipitis, and by co-culture of both. The yield of ethanol was 0.50, 0.47, and 0.48 g_p/g_s by S. cerevisiae, S. stipitis, and by co-culture, respectively, using pretreated rice straw hydrolyzate. The co-culture of S. cerevisiae and S. stipitis produced 25% more ethanol than S. cerevisiae alone and 31% more ethanol than S. stipitis alone. During anaerobic fermentation 65.08, 36.45, and 50.31 μmol/ml CO₂ released by S. cerevisiae, S. stipitis, and by co-culture, respectively. The data indicated that saccharification efficiency using optimized crude enzyme cocktail was good, and enzymatic hydrolyzate could be fermented to produce ethanol.     

微生物处理对秸秆结构的影响

使用红外光谱、X射线衍射及扫描电镜对4种经固态培养的微生物降解稻草秸秆的效果进行了研究,并与原稻草粉进行结构对比分析。结果表明：经过高碳低氮培养,秸秆木质素均有明显降解,其中黄孢原毛平革菌达到37.17%。扫描电镜发现秸秆的表面形态和内部结构发生了明显改变,红外光谱中芳香环与醚键吸收明显减少,X射线衍射得到的结晶度最大下降了5.60%。     

Pretreatment efficiency and structural characterization of rice straw by an integrated process of dilute-acid and steam explosion for bioethanol production

The combined pretreatment of rice straw using dilute-acid and steam explosion followed by enzymatic hydrolysis was investigated and compared with acid-catalyzed steam explosion pretreatment. In addition to measuring the chemical composition, including glucan, xylan and lignin content, changes in rice straw features after pretreatment were investigated in terms of the straw's physical properties. These properties included crystallinity, surface area, mean particle size and scanning electron microscopy imagery. The effect of acid concentration on the acid-catalyzed steam explosion was studied in a range between 1% and 15% acid at 180°C for 2 min. We also investigated the influence of the residence time of the steam explosion in the combined pretreatment and the optimum conditions for the dilute-acid hydrolysis step in order to develop an integrated process for the dilute-acid and steam explosion. The optimum operational conditions for the first dilute-acid hydrolysis step were determined to be 165°C for 2 min with 2% H(2)SO(4) and for the second steam explosion step was to be carried out at 180°C for 20 min; this gave the most favorable combination in terms of an integrated process. We found that rice straw pretreated by the dilute-acid/steam explosions had a higher xylose yield, a lower level of inhibitor in the hydrolysate and a greater degree of enzymatic hydrolysis; this resulted in a 1.5-fold increase in the overall sugar yield when compared to the acid-catalyzed steam explosion.     

Supplementation of alkali-treated rice straw

Goats were fed rice straw treated with 0,4 or 8% NaOH, dehydrated palm oil mill effluent (POME) at 20 or 30 g/kg liveweight (LW)/day and Leucaena at 5 or 10 g dry matter (DM)/kg LW/day in Experiment 1, and rice straw treated with 4% NaOH or 4% NH₄OH, POME at 30 g/kg LW/day and either Napier grass or Leucaena at 10 g DM/kg LW/day in Experiment 2. Treatment with 4% NaOH promoted the highest intake of rice straw. 10·3 and 12·4 g DM/kg LW/day respectively in Experiments 1 and 2. Feeding Leucaena at 10 g DM/kg LW/day significantly increased total intake (36·0 g DM/kg LW/day) and DM digestibility (59·0%) in Experiment 1, and supported a LW gain of 63 g/day in Experiment 2. It is concluded that diets comprising 25% NaOH-straw, 50% POME and 25% Leucaena permitted dietary nutrients to be used efficiently and maximised the inclusion of by-products.     

Anaerobic detoxification fermentation by Rhodospirillum rubrum for rice straw as feed with moderate pretreatment

A novel and effective process was put forward for converting rice straw into feed by combining diluted acid hydrolysis and ammonization with Rhodospirillum rubrum fermentation. After pretreatment with dilute sulfuric or phosphoric acid (1%, w/w) at 100°C, materials were subjected to fermentation under several gases (N₂, CO₂, and air) and different light intensities in a 2-L fermentor. The key indexes of feed for fermented materials were estimated and several toxic substances were investigated during the fermentation. Following sulfuric acid treatment, the true protein of rice straw increased from 29 to 143?g?kg^?1 and the crude fiber decreased from 359 to 136?g?kg^?1 after fermentation at 0.3?L?min^?1?L^?1 of N₂ flow and a light intensity of 3400 lux; and following phosphoric acid treatment, the true protein increased by 286% and the crude fiber decreased by 52% after fermentation at 0.4?L?min^?1?L^?1 of N₂ flow and a light intensity of 3000 lux. Other key contents were also improved for use as feed, and some toxic substances (i.e., furfural, hydroxymethylfurfural, acetic acid, phenol, cresol) produced by the pretreatments could be removed at low levels during the fermentations.     

Promising cellulolytic fungi isolates for rice straw degradation

The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of eight fungal isolates obtained from soils in rice crops for straw degradation in situ. From the initial eight isolates, Pleurotus ostreatus T1.1 and Penicillium sp. HC1 were selected for further characterization based on qualitative cellulolytic enzyme production and capacity to use rice straw as a sole carbon source. Subsequently, cellulolytic, xylanolytic, and lignolytic (Pleurotus ostreatus) activity on carboxymethyl cellulose, oat xylan, and rice straw with different nitrogen sources was evaluated. From the results obtained it was concluded both isolates are capable to produce enzymes necessary for rice straw degradation. However, their production is dependent upon carbon and nitrogen source. Last, it was established that Pleurotus ostreatus T1.1 and Penicillium sp. HC1 capability to colonize and mineralize rice straw, in mono-and co-culture, without affecting nitrogen soil content.     

Solid-state cultivation of Bacillus thuringiensis R 176 with shrimp shells and rice straw as a substrate for chitinase production

In this study, shrimp shell powder, prepared by treating shrimp-processing waste by boiling and crushing, was used as a substrate for isolation of chitinase-producing microorganism. These organisms may have an important economic role in the biological control of rice and other fungal pathogens. Two hundred strains of bacteria with the ability to degrade chitin from shrimp shell waste were isolated from paddy soil, and of these, 40 strains showed chitinase activity in a solid state cultivation. One of the most potent isolates (strain R 176) was identified as Bacillus thuringiensis. Identification was carried out using morphological and biochemical properties along with 16S rRNA sequence analysis. This strain was able to produce high levels of extracellular chitinase in solid media containing shrimp shells as sole carbon source [1.36 U/g initial dry substrate (IDS)], which was 0.36-fold higher than the productivity in a liquid culture with colloidal chitin. The effects of medium composition and physical parameters on chitinase production by this organism were studied. The optimal medium contained shrimp shell mixed with rice straw in 1:1 ratio added with ball-milled chitin 0.5 % (w/v) and ammonium sulfate 0.5 % (w/v). The highest enzyme production (3.86 U/g IDS) by B. thuringiensis R 176 was obtained at pH 7, 37 °C after 14 days growth. With respect to the high amount of chitinase production by this strain in a simple medium, this strain could be a suitable candidate for the production of chitinase from chitinous solid substrates, and further investigations into its structure and characteristics are merited.     

2-Steps KOH activation of rice straw: An efficient method for preparing high-performance activated carbons

Effects of both pre-treatment and number of steps in KOH activation of raw rice straw (RS) on textural and adsorption properties of RS-derived activated carbons (ACs) were investigated. Three pre-treatment protocols were tested: mechanical, chemical by NaOH pulping, and a combination of both. Activation of RS-based materials was investigated, at a constant temperature of 800 °C, according to two ways: a 1-step simultaneous carbonisation–activation with KOH, and a 2-steps process: carbonisation followed by activation by KOH.     

Biomethanation of rice and wheat straw

When rice or wheat straw was added to cattle dung slurry and digested anaerobically, daily gas production increased from 176 to 331 l/kg total solids with 100% rice straw and to 194 l/kg total solids with 40% wheat straw. Not only was methane production enhanced by adding chopped crop residues but a greater biodegradability of organic matter in the straws was achieved.The authors are with the Microbiology and Molecular Genetics Unit, Tata Energy Research Institute, 158 Jor Bagh, New Delhi 110 003, India     

Kinetics of rice straw methane fermentation

Summary The kinetics of anaerobic fermentation of rice straw to methane were studied. Rice straw was the only carbon source at influent volatile solid concentrations of 18.9 and 37.8 g/l. Semicontinous runs were carried out at 37°C in laboratory scale perfectly mixed reactors. The Contois' kinetic model constants were calculated from the experimental data. Arefrac tory coefficient was measured (R=0.374) to account for the nonbiodegradable portion of the organic matter of rice straw and incorporated into the kinetic equations. The predicted values of effluent substrate concentration, volumetric methane yield, volumetric methane production rate, and biodegradable conversion efficiency fit well with those measured experi mentally.Percent destruction values of feed constituents were measured.