Characterization of humic materials extracted from hazelnut husk and hazelnut husk amended soils

This study was carried out to determine effects of composted hazelnut husk (CHH) on some chemical properties of soil and soil humic acid (HA). Compost application increases organic matter (OM) content of the soil considerably, OM value of 3.18% became 3.89% in 3 years time interval. Before application of compost, the soil pH was found to be 5.37, while after compost application it became 5.61. FTIR characteristics of humic acid/humic acid-like materials extracted from the original hazelnut husk, composted hazelnut husk and composted hazelnut husk amended soil have been investigated. C and O content of humic acid-like/humic acid materials were in the range of 41.4–50.8% and 37.8–50.5%, respectively. The N content of the humic acid/humic acid-like materials are in the expected range for humic materials which is 2–6%. Comparison of FTIR spectra of hazelnut husk and composted hazelnut husk humic acid-like fractions shows that both exhibit similar but not identical series of IR bands indicating the presence of the same functional groups in both samples. The only difference in the spectra seemed to be a decrement in the peak intensities of composted sample compared to uncomposted one. The similar differentiation of the intensities of IR bands of compost applied soil sample has also been observed. The FTIR spectral results show that the characteristics of composted material tend to become similar to that of soil humic acids characteristics in time.     

Influences of composted hazelnut husk on some physical properties of soils

Some physical properties of clay loam and sandy loam soils amended with hazelnut husk (HH) were investigated. HH collected from hazelnut trees were dried, ground and composted for four months. Before use the composted material obtained was separated to three different aggregate sizes, smaller than 0.84 mm, 0.84-2.38 mm and bigger than 2.38 mm. Then these fractions were mixed with soil samples, at 0%, 1%, 2%, 4% and 8% by weight.Huzelnut husk compost-soil mixtures were placed to plastic pots and kept in an incubator at 25+/-5 degrees C for 45 and 90 days. At the end of incubation periods, water stable aggregate (WSA), hydraulic conductivity, total porosity, aeration porosity and macro- and micro-pore percentages of the mixtures were determined. Results obtained showed that composted HH increased the WSA, hydraulic conductivity, total porosity and macro-pore percentage in both clay loam and sandy loam soils depending on the incubation time and aggregate sizes.     

Coffee husk waste for fermentation production of mosquitocidal bacteria

Coffee husk waste (CHW) discarded as bio-organic waste, from coffee industries, is rich in carbohydrates. The current study emphasizes the management of solid waste from agro-industrial residues for the production of biopesticides (Bacillus sphaericus, and B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis), to control disease transmitting mosquito vectors. An experimental culture medium was prepared by extracting the filtrates from coffee husk. A conventional culture medium (NYSM) also was prepared. The studies revealed that the quantity of mosquitocidal toxins produced from CHW is at par with NYSM. The bacteria produced in these media, were bioassayed against mosquito vectors (Culex quinquefasciatus, Anopheles stephensi, and Aedes aegypti) and it was found that the toxic effect was statistically comparable. Cost-effective analysis have revealed that, production of biopesticides from CHW is highly economical. Therefore, the utilization of CHW provides dual benefits of effective utilization of environmental waste and efficient production of mosquitocidal toxins.     

Bio-succinic acid production from coffee husk treated with thermochemical and fungal hydrolysis

Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering - Coffee husk (CH), a waste obtained from processing of coffee cherries via dry method, causes serious environmental problems. In this study, strategies were...     

Effect of fluidising velocity on the combustion of rice husk in a bench-scale fluidised bed combustor for the production of amorphous rice husk ash

This study was focused on investigating the optimum fluidising velocity during the combustion of rice husk in a bench-scale fluidised bed combustor (ID 210mm) to obtain low carbon ash in the amorphous form. When all other parameters are held constant, the optimum fluidizing velocity aids in almost complete combustion, thereby releasing the entrapped carbon for further conversion. This results in ash with consistently low carbon content (less than 2wt%). The range of fluidising velocities investigated was from as low as 1.5U(mf) to as high as 8U(mf). It was found that the optimum fluidising velocity was approximately 3.3U(mf) as the mixing of rice husk with the bed was good with a high degree of penetration into the sand bed. The resulting ash retained its amorphous form with low residual carbon content (at 2.88wt%) and minimal sand contamination as shown by the X-ray diffraction analysis.     

Removal of Ni(II) from aqueous solution by adsorption onto hazelnut shell activated carbon: equilibrium studies

Carps are the mainstay of Indian aquaculture, contributing over 90% to the total fish production, which was estimated to be 1.77 million metric tonnes in 1996. Carp culture has a great potential for waste utilization and thus for pollution abatement. Many wastes such as cow, poultry, pig, duck, goat, and sheep excreta, biogas slurry, effluents from different kinds of factories/industries have been efficiently used for enhancing the productivity of natural food of carps and related species. Besides, several organic wastes/byproducts such as plant products, wastes from animal husbandry, and industrial by-products have been used as carp feed ingredients to lower the cost of supplementary feeding. However, to ensure the continued expansion of fish ponds and the pollution control, there must be a market for the fish (carps) produced in these ponds. The carps have, however, a low market value due to the presence of intra-muscular bones, which reduces their consumer acceptability. Thus, a need was felt to develop some boneless convenience products for enhancing the consumer acceptability of the carps. Efforts were made to prepare three value-added fish products, namely fish patty, fish finger and fish salad from carp flesh and were compared with a reference product ('fish pakoura'). Sensory evaluation of these products gave highly encouraging results. The methods of preparation of these products were transferred to some progressive farmers of the region who prepared and sold these products at very attractive prices. Carp processing has a great potential for the establishment of a fish ancillary industry and thus for boosting the production of these species. In Punjab alone, there is a potential of consuming 32,448 metric tonnes per annum of such value-added products (which would require 54,080 metric tonnes of raw fish). The development of value-added products has a significant role in raising the socio-economic status of the people associated with carp culture. The average cost of production of these products was estimated to be INR 80 per kg. With a sale price of INR 110 per kg, and a sale of 50 kg per day of the value-added products (26 days a month), the average monthly income of a carp-processing unit comes to be INR 39,000 (929 USD, approximately).     

Removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions by adsorption onto hazelnut shell activated carbon: kinetic and equilibrium studies

The adsorption Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions onto hazelnut shell activated carbon was carried out by varying the parameters such as pH, initial Cr(VI) concentration and temperature. The experimental data fitted well to the pseudo first-order kinetic model and then the rate constants were evaluated. The Langmuir isotherm provided the best correlation for Cr(VI) onto the activated carbon. Adsorption capacity was calculated from the Langmuir isotherm as 170 mg/g at an initial pH of 1.0 for the 1000 mg/l Cr(VI) solution. Thermodynamic parameters were evaluated and the adsorption is endothermic showing monolayer adsorption of Cr(VI).     

Consistent production of kojic acid from Aspergillus sojae SSC-3 isolated from rice husk

Molecular Biology Reports - A consistent kojic acid producing fungal strain has been isolated from rice husk using glucose-peptone medium. The isolate was identified as Aspergillus sojae SSC-3 on...     

Consideration of carbon dioxide release during shell production in LCA of bivalves

Purpose

Life cycle assessment (LCA) can be used to understand the environmental impacts of the shellfish aquaculture and wild harvest industries. To date, LCA of shellfish exclude carbon dioxide (CO₂) release from bivalve shell production when quantifying global warming potential per functional unit. In this study, we explain the rationale for including CO₂ released during shell production in LCA of bivalves, demonstrate a method for estimating this CO₂ release, and apply the method to previous studies to demonstrate the importance of including CO₂ from shell production in LCA.

Methods

A simple approach for calculating CO₂ from bivalve shell production was developed utilizing the seacarb package in R statistical software. The approach developed allows for inclusion of site-specific environmental parameters such as water temperature, salinity, pH, and pCO₂ when calculating CO₂ release from shell production. We applied the method to previously published LCA of bivalve production systems to assess the impact of including this CO₂ source in the LCA. The past studies include aquaculture and wild harvest production strategies and multiple bivalve species.

Results and discussion

When we recalculated the total kg CO₂ released in past studies including CO₂ release from shell production, the additional CO₂ release increased the total global warming impact category (CO₂ equivalents) in cradle-to-gate studies by approximately 250% of the original reported value. Discussion of our results focuses on the importance of different components of our calculations and site-specific environmental parameters. We make predictions on how the magnitude and importance of CO₂ released during shell production could change due to climate change and ocean acidification, and provide suggestions on how CO₂ release from shell production can be reduced through careful selection of aquaculture facility location and aquaculture practices.

Conclusions

We provide a method for including CO₂ from shell release in LCA of bivalves and recommend that future LCA of bivalves include this CO₂ as part of the global warming impact category.

     

Kinetics of sequential reaction of hydrolysis and sugar degradation of rice husk in ethanol production: effect of catalyst concentration

This study focuses on kinetics of rice husk hydrolysis using sulfuric acid catalyst to produce sugars. The experiments were conducted at various catalyst concentrations. It turned out that during hydrolysis, degradation of sugars was encountered. The kinetics was expressed with both homogeneous and heterogeneous models. At catalyst concentration of higher than 0.44 N, heterogeneous model works better than homogeneous model, while at the lower, both models work well. In the heterogeneous model, it is observed that the mass transfer of sulfuric acid in the particles and the hydrolysis reaction control the rate of hydrolysis. The mass transfer can be described by Fick's law with the effective diffusivity of 1.4×10(-11) cm2/s, while the hydrolysis and sugar degradation rate constants follow Arrhenius equations. In addition, it was experimentally observed that the sugars produced can be converted to ethanol by fermentation using yeast.     

Inheritance and linkage relationships of ten isozyme genes in hazelnut

Summary The inheritance of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGD), malate dehydrogenase (MHD), aconitase (ACO), phosphoglucomutase (PGM), phosphoglucoisomerase (PGI), and glutamate-oxalacetate transaminase (GOT) polymorphic isozymes was studied in leaf extracts of nine hazelnut progenies using horizontal starch gel electrophoresis. Evidence of Mendelian inheritance was obtained for ten loci: 6-Pgd-2, Mdh-1, Aco-1, Aco-2, Pgm-1, Pgm-2, Pgm-3, Pgi-2, Pgi-3, and Got-2, which permitted the analysis of 28 alleles (2.8 per locus). The presence of null alleles was detected in Pgm-1 and Pgm-3. Joint segregation analysis of pairs of isozymes revealed four linkages: Mdh-1-Pgi-2, Aco-2-Pgm-2, Pgm-1-Pgm-3, and 6Pdg-2-Pgm-2.     

Phenolic compounds present in rice husk

In a study on the phenolic distribution of rice husk (lemma, palea, rachilla and sterile lemmas), seven phenolic acids were detected in the alkali and alcoholie extracts. The total quantity of phenolic compounds in the husk differed with cultivars; however, no qualitative difference was noticed.     

Associations between gastropod shell characteristics and egg production in the hermit crab Pagurus longicarpus

Summary Two populations (salt marsh and seagrass bed) of the hermit crab Pagurus longicarpus were sampled to examine associations between shell characteristics and egg production. Multivariate statistical analyses controlled for crab size and time of year, variables that otherwise could be confounded with shell effects. Although correlations between shell characteristics and reproduction existed in both populations, generalizations could not be made because associations varied within and between populations. Shell species was not associated with a female's reproductive state (i.e., whether or not she was barren when sampled) in either population. In the seagrass population, medium-large and large females occupying severely damaged or fouled shells were half as likely to be reproductive as females occupying other shell conditions. However, there was no association between shell condition and reproductive state for small and small-medium females in the seagrass population or among all females in the salt marsh population. In the seagrass population, small through medium-large reproductive females occupied shells more similar to their predicted shell size, regardless of whether the occupied shell was relatively small or large, than nonreproductive females. In contrast, relative shell sizes of reproductive and nonreproductive females were similar for large females in the seagrass population and all females in the salt marsh population. Clutch sizes were enhanced for females occupying Polinices duplicatus shells or shells larger than their predicted shell size in the seagrass population. Relative shell size also was associated with clutch size in the salt marsh population, but crabs occupying shells similar to their predicted shell size had the largest clutches.     

Node position influences viability and contamination in hazelnut shoot explants

Initiation of shoot cultures is difficult in many woody plants due to internal microbial contaminants and general lack of juvenility in material from the source plants. Hazelnuts (Corylus avellana L.) are generally difficult to initiate into culture for these same reasons. This study was designed to determine the effects of collection and surface disinfestation techniques and nodal position on the viability and contamination of shoot explants. In addition, culturable bacteria were identified on samples from surface-disinfested explants. Explants were collected from scion wood grafted onto seedling rootstocks and grown in a greenhouse. Single-node explants, excluding the shoot tip, were collected and the node location documented. After surface disinfestation, explants were held in liquid contaminant detection medium for 1 wk and the effect of this treatment on explant viability was evaluated. Node position was important for obtaining viable contaminant-free explants. Bacterial and fungal contaminations both increased with the distance from the shoot tip. The use of contaminant detection medium as a part of the initiation procedure did not affect viability. Explant-derived bacteria were identified as belonging to Brevundimonas sp. and Pseudomonas sp. through 16S rRNA sequence and API® tests. The best procedure for collecting axenic, viable hazelnut explants was to collect from the first three apical nodes, excluding the shoot tip, of actively growing greenhouse plants, place them in individual tubes for washing and surface disinfestation, and use contaminant detection techniques to identify contaminant-free cultures at initiation.     

Mollusks as ecosystem engineers: the role of shell production in aquatic habitats

Mollusk shells are abundant, persistent, ubiquitous physical structures in aquatic habitats. Using an ecosystem engineering perspective, we identify general roles of mollusk shell production in aquatic ecosystems. Shells are substrata for attachment of epibionts, provide refuges from predation, physical or physiological stress, and control transport of solutes and particles in the benthic environment. Changes in availability of these resources caused by shell production have important consequences for other organisms. Colonization of shelled habitat depends on individual shell traits and spatial arrangement of shells, which determine access of organisms to resources and the degree to which biotic or abiotic forces are modulated. Shell production will increase species richness at the landscape level if shells create resources that are not otherwise available and species are present that use these resources. Changes in the availability of resources caused by shells and the resulting effects on other organisms have both positive and negative feedbacks to these engineers. Positive feedbacks appear to be most frequently mediated by changes in resource availability, whereas negative feedbacks appear to be most frequently mediated by organisms. Given the diversity of species that depend upon resources controlled by shells and rapid changes in global shell production that are occurring due to human activities, we suggest that shell producers should not be neglected as a targets of conservation, restoration and habitat management.     

Coffee husk: an inexpensive substrate for production of citric acid by Aspergillus niger in a solid-state fermentation system

Aspergillus niger CFTRI 30 produced 1.3 g citric acid/10 g dry coffee husk in 72 h solid-state fermentation when the substrate was moistened with 0.075 M NaOH solution. Production was increased by 17% by adding a mixture of iron, copper and zinc to the medium but enrichment of the moist solid medium with (NH₄)₂SO₄, sucrose or any of four enzymes did not improve production. The production of about 1.5 g citric acid/10 g dry coffee husk at a conversion of 82% (based on sugar consumed) under standardized conditions demonstrates the commercial potential of using the husk in this way.The authors are with the Department of Microbiology and Bioengineering, Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore-570 013, India;     

Incorporation of ultrasonic cell disintegration into a membrane bioreactor for zero sludge production

For the prevention of excess sludge production from a membrane bioreactor (MBR), an ultrasonic cell disintegration process was incorporated. The results of this study showed that excess sludge production could be prevented using an ultrasound hybrid (MBR-US) system at an organic loading of around 0.91 kg BOD₅/m³ per day. Under the same organic loading rate, the mixed liquor suspended solid (MLSS) of MBR-US system was maintained at 7000–8000 mg/l while the MLSS of a conventional MBR increased from 7000 to 13,700 mg/l during the experimental period. While sludge production was completely prevented, the effluent quality of the MBR-US system slightly deteriorated. The additional organic loading caused by disintegrated sludge return was considered to be a reason. With sonication the volume of the average particle size of the sludge in the aeration tank decreased from 132 to 95 μm. In the MBR-US system, around 25–30% of total phosphorus removal was achieved without sludge removal from the aeration tank.     

Possible functions of Dpp in gastropod shell formation and shell coiling

We examined dpp expression patterns in the pulmonate snail Lymnaea stagnalis and analyzed the functions of dpp using the Dpp signal inhibitor dorsomorphin in order to understand developmental mechanisms and evolution of shell formation in gastropods. The dpp gene is expressed in the right half of the circular area around the shell gland at the trochophore stage and at the right-hand side of the mantle at the veliger stage in the dextral snails. Two types of shell malformations were observed when the Dpp signals were inhibited by dorsomorphin. When the embryos were treated with dorsomorphin at the 2-cell and blastula stages before the shell gland is formed, the juvenile shells grew imperfectly and were not mineralized. On the other hand, when treated at the trochophore and veliger stage after the shell gland formation, juvenile shells grew to show a cone-like form rather than a normal coiled form. These results indicated that dpp plays important roles in the formation and coiling of the shell in this gastropod species.