Biological production of methane from energy crops

Laboratory studies at the University of Missouri-Rolla have demonstrated the feasibility of producing methane by anaerobic digestion of various of crop materials, such as grasses and corn stalks. These studies indicate that up to 6.0 f³methane are produced/b crop material destroyed. Preliminary design and economic studies of a large methane plant show that the reactors represent the largest cost item and that efforts should be concentrated on defining reaction kinetics and reactor design. A process to produce 50 M? f³methane/day is described, and the preliminary design and economics are analyzed.     

Bioethanol production from dedicated energy crops and residues in Arkansas, USA

Globally, one of the major technologic goals is to achieve cost-effective lignocellulosic ethanol production from biomass feedstocks. Lignocellulosic biomass of four dedicated energy crops [giant reed (Arundo donax L.), elephantgrass (Pennisetum purpureum (Schumach), Miscanthus × giganteus (Illinois clone), and (clone Q42641) {hybrid of Miscanthus sinensis Anderss. and Miscanthus sacchariflorus (Maxim)}, Hack. called giant miscanthus, and sugarcane clone US 84-1028 (Saccharum L. spp. hybrid)] and residues from two crops [soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) litter and rice (Oryza sativa L.) husk] were tested for bioethanol production using cellulose solvent-based lignocellulose fractionation (CSLF) pretreatment and enzymatic (cellulase) hydrolysis. Giant miscanthus (Illinois), giant reed, giant miscanthus (Q42641), elephantgrass, and sugarcane all yielded higher amount of glucose on a biomass dry weight basis (0.290-0.331 g/g), than did rice husk (0.181 g/g) and soybean litter (0.186 g/g). To reduce the capital investment for energy consumption in fermentation, we used a self-flocculating yeast strain (SPSC01) to ferment the lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysates. Bioethanol production was ～0.1 g/g in dedicated energy crops and less in two crop residues. These methods and data can help to develop a cost-effective downstream process for bioethanol production.     

Binding energy and the information content of some elementary biological processes

Protein interactions within a multimolecular complex can result in information and energy transfer between proteins. This can lead in turn to the emergence of novel functions of some proteins of the complex. Various examples of this situation can be found in the scientific literature. This is probably the case for prion protein, chloroplast phosphoribulokinase bound to glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase, Ras system, and pancreatic lipase bound to biomembranes, to cite but a few. Any enzyme reaction, or enzyme reaction network, carries Shannon entropy and information. On contrary to genome entropy, the entropy of enzyme reactions and metabolic sequences is sensitive to 'external' signals, such as substrate, effector and proton concentrations. Complex structural organization of the cell is associated with a higher entropy content, and one can calculate the gain of entropy and information due to integration and complexity. One may conclude from this brief analysis that the informational content of a living cell is much larger than that of its genome.     

The income and production effects of biotech crops globally 1996-2010

A critical feature in evaluating the global value of crop biotechnology in agriculture must include an assessment of its economic impact at the farm level. This paper follows earlier studies which examined economic impacts on yields, key costs of production, direct farm income, indirect (non-pecuniary) farm level income effects and impacts on the production base of the four main crops of soybeans, corn, cotton and canola. The commercialization of biotech crops is continuing to proceed rapidly, with significant changes in the overall level of adoption and impact taking place in 2010. This updated analysis shows that there have been substantial net economic benefits at the farm level amounting to $14 billion in 2010 and $78.4 billion for the 15-year period (in nominal terms). The non-pecuniary benefits associated with the use of the technology have also had a positive impact on adoption (in the US accounting for the equivalent of 22% of the total US direct farm income benefit). Biotech crops are, moreover, making important contributions to increasing global production levels of the four main crops. They have, for example, now added 97.5 million tons and 159 million tons respectively, to the global production of soybeans and corn since the introduction of the technology in the mid-1990s.     

Comparing annual and perennial crops for bioenergy production – influence on nitrate leaching and energy balance

Production of energy crops is promoted as a means to mitigate global warming by decreasing dependency on fossil energy. However, agricultural production of bioenergy can have various environmental effects depending on the crop and production system. In a field trial initiated in 2008, nitrate concentration in soil water was measured below winter wheat, grass‐clover and willow during three growing seasons. Crop water balances were modelled to estimate the amount of nitrate leached per hectare. In addition, dry matter yields and nitrogen (N) yields were measured, and N balances and energy balances were calculated. In willow, nitrate concentrations were up to approximately 20 mg l^?1 nitrate‐N during the establishment year, but declined subsequently to <5 mg l^?1 nitrate‐N, resulting in an annual N leaching loss of 18, 3 and 0.3 kg ha^?1 yr^?1 N in the first 3 years after planting. A similar trend was observed in grass‐clover where concentrations stabilized at 2–4 mg l^?1 nitrate‐N from the beginning of the second growing season, corresponding to leaching of approximately 5 kg ha^?1 yr^?1 N. In winter wheat, an annual N leaching loss of 36–68 kg ha^?1 yr^?1 was observed. For comparison, nitrate leaching was also measured in an old willow crop established in 1996 from which N leaching ranged from 6 to 27 kg ha^?1 yr^?1. Dry matter yields ranged between 5.9 and 14.8 Mg yr^?1 with lowest yield in the newly established willow and the highest yield harvested in grass‐clover. Grass‐clover gave the highest net energy yield of 244 GJ ha^?1 yr^?1, whereas old willow, winter wheat and first rotation willow gave net energy yields of 235, 180 and 105 GJ ha^?1 yr^?1. The study showed that perennial crops can provide high energy yields and significantly reduce N losses compared to annual crops.     

Studies into the effects of cadmium and low pH upon methane production

Investigations into the effects of the heavy metal cadmium (Cd) and low pH upon methanogenesis from anaerobic lake sediments were conducted over the period summer 1978 to early spring 1981 at the Freshwater Institute, Winnipeg, and at the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA), north-western Ontario. Experiments conducted at ELA consisted of both laboratory and field studies, while those at the Institute consisted of developmental and test laboratory studies. The laboratory studies indicated that dropping the pH of the test system below approximately 5.5 would inhibit methanogenesis. The lowering of pH to approximately 3.5 would result in total inhibition of methane production and visible changes in the sediments. The use of Cd water column concentrations as low as 3 μgl^−l was found to be sufficient to cause total inhibition of methanogenesis in the laboratory studies. In the field studies acidification of one test system, to a pH of approximately 4.8, resulted in incomplete inhibition of methanogenesis, reducing the rate of production to approximately 50% of that of the controls. In comparison to the control systems, neither the use of Cd nor Cd plus low pH seemed to have any effect on the rate of methanogenesis in these field test systems. The cause of such differences may be due to factors which lay beyond the control of these experiments.     

施用硫肥对几种作物与牧草产量和硫素含量的影响

为了研究不同作物的需S状况。对我国北方3种主要农作物(小麦、玉米、油菜)和牧草(苜蓿)进行了5个施硫水平(0、5、10、20和40mg·kg^-1)的盆栽试验．结果表明。增施一定量的硫肥可以提高作物生物量和产量．4种作物生物量增加5％～32％．小麦和油菜籽粒产量增加3％～20％．同时。增施硫肥可以使作物体内S素增加,但不同作物含硫量明显不同,油菜含硫量最高(0．479％～1．228％)。玉米含硫量最低(0．043％～0．091％)．同一作物不同部位含硫量不同。但同一作物不同部位含硫量呈显著的线性正相关．如油菜I、油菜Ⅱ和小麦植株与其种子含硫量的相关性都达极显著水平,R2值分别为0．399、0．654和0．547(n=15)．作物生物量、产量与施硫量相关性除苜蓿外．都达显著或极显著水平;作物生物量、产量与作物体内硫素含量除苜蓿外也显著或极显著相关;作物从土壤中吸收的S开始时随土壤的有效硫增加而增加,但达到一定程度时。随着有效硫的增加吸收的S略有下降．     

Mitochondrial superoxide: production, biological effects, and activation of uncoupling proteins

Mitochondria are potent producers of cellular superoxide, from complexes I and III of the electron transport chain, and mitochondrial superoxide production is a major cause of the cellular oxidative damage that may underlie degradative diseases and aging. This superoxide production is very sensitive to the proton motive force, so it can be strongly decreased by mild uncoupling. Superoxide and the lipid peroxidation products it engenders, including hydroxyalkenals such as hydroxynonenal, are potent activators of proton conductance by mitochondrial uncoupling proteins such as UCP2 and UCP3, although the mechanism of activation has yet to be established. These observations suggest a hypothesis for the main, ancestral function of uncoupling proteins: to cause mild uncoupling and so diminish mitochondrial superoxide production, hence protecting against disease and oxidative damage at the expense of a small loss of energy. We review the growing evidence for this hypothesis, in mitochondria, in cells, and in vivo. More recently evolved roles of uncoupling proteins are in adaptive thermogenesis (UCP1) and perhaps as part of a signaling pathway to regulate insulin secretion in pancreatic beta cells (UCP2).     

Methane production through anaerobic digestion of various energy crops grown in sustainable crop rotations

Biogas production is of major importance for the sustainable use of agrarian biomass as renewable energy source. Economic biogas production depends on high biogas yields. The project aimed at optimising anaerobic digestion of energy crops. The following aspects were investigated: suitability of different crop species and varieties, optimum time of harvesting, specific methane yield and methane yield per hectare. The experiments covered 7 maize, 2 winter wheat, 2 triticale varieties, 1 winter rye, and 2 sunflower varieties and 6 variants with permanent grassland. In the course of the vegetation period, biomass yield and biomass composition were measured. Anaerobic digestion was carried out in eudiometer batch digesters. The highest methane yields of 7500-10200 m(N)(3)ha(-1) were achieved from maize varieties with FAO numbers (value for the maturity of the maize) of 300 to 600 harvested at "wax ripeness". Methane yields of cereals ranged from 3200 to 4500 m(N)(3)ha(-1). Cereals should be harvested at "grain in the milk stage" to "grain in the dough stage". With sunflowers, methane yields between 2600 and 4550 m(N)(3)ha(-1) were achieved. There were distinct differences between the investigated sunflower varieties. Alpine grassland can yield 2700-3500 m(N)(3)CH(4)ha(-1). The methane energy value model (MEVM) was developed for the different energy crops. It estimates the specific methane yield from the nutrient composition of the energy crops. Energy crops for biogas production need to be grown in sustainable crop rotations. The paper outlines possibilities for optimising methane yield from versatile crop rotations that integrate the production of food, feed, raw materials and energy. These integrated crop rotations are highly efficient and can provide up to 320 million t COE which is 96% of the total energy demand of the road traffic of the EU-25 (the 25 Member States of the European Union).     

Oxygen effects on methane production and oxidation in humid tropical forest soils

We investigated the effects of oxygen (O₂) concentration on methane (CH₄) production and oxidation in two humid tropical forests that differ in long‐term, time‐averaged soil O₂ concentrations. We identified sources and sinks of CH₄ through the analysis of soil gas concentrations, surface emissions, and carbon isotope measurements. Isotope mass balance models were used to calculate the fraction of CH₄ oxidized in situ. Complementary laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the effects of O₂ concentration on gross and net rates of methanogenesis. Field and laboratory experiments indicated that high levels of CH₄ production occurred in soils that contained between 9±1.1% and 19±0.2% O₂. For example, we observed CH₄ concentrations in excess of 3% in soils with 9±1.1% O₂. CH₄ emissions from the lower O₂ sites were high (22–101 nmol CH₄ m^?2 s^?1), and were equal in magnitude to CH₄ emissions from natural wetlands. During peak periods of CH₄ efflux, carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions became enriched in ¹³C because of high methanogenic activity. Gross CH₄ production was probably greater than flux measurements indicated, as isotope mass balance calculations suggested that 48–78% of the CH₄ produced was oxidized prior to atmospheric egress. O₂ availability influenced CH₄ oxidation more strongly than methanogenesis. Gross CH₄ production was relatively insensitive to O₂ concentrations in laboratory experiments. In contrast, methanotrophic bacteria oxidized a greater fraction of total CH₄ production with increasing O₂ concentration, shifting the δ¹³C composition of CH₄ to values that were more positive. Isotopic measurements suggested that CO₂ was an important source of carbon for methanogenesis in humid forests. The δ¹³C value of methanogenesis was between ?84‰ and ?98‰, which is well within the range of CH₄ produced from CO₂ reduction, and considerably more depleted in ¹³C than CH₄ formed from acetate.     

Relationship between rumen methanogens and methane production in dairy cows fed diets supplemented with a feed enzyme additive

Aims: To investigate the relationship between ruminal methanogen community and host enteric methane (CH₄) production in lactating dairy cows fed diets supplemented with an exogenous fibrolytic enzyme additive. Methods and Results: Ecology of ruminal methanogens from dairy cows fed with or without exogenous fibrolytic enzymes was examined using PCR–denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR–DGGE) analyses and quantitative real‐time PCR (qRT‐PCR). The density of methanogens was not affected by the enzyme additive or sampling times, and no relationship was observed between the total methanogen population and CH₄ yield (as g per head per day or g kg^?1 DMI). The PCR–DGGE profiles consisted of 26 distinctive bands, with two bands similar to Methanogenic archaeon CH1270 negatively correlated, and one band similar to Methanobrevibacter gottschalkii strain HO positively correlated, with CH₄ yield. Three bands similar to Methanogenic archaeon CH1270 or Methanobrevibacter smithii ATCC 35061 appeared after enzyme was added. Conclusions: Supplementing a dairy cow diet with an exogenous fibrolytic enzyme additive increased CH₄ yield and altered the composition of the rumen methanogen community, but not the overall density of methanogens. Significance and Impact of the Study: This is the first study to identify the correlation between methanogen ecology and host CH₄ yield from lactating dairy cows.     

Substituting energy crops with organic fraction of municipal solid waste for biogas production at farm level: A full-scale plant study

The aim of this study was to evaluate the possibilities of replacing the energetic crop (EC) in the feed-in mixture (ingestate) with the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW), in an anaerobic full-scale plant comprising four continuous stirred tank reactors (CSTRs) along with post-digester. A full-scale plant performing anaerobic digestion (AD) was monitored for 8 months, and during this period, 55 samples of both ingestates and digestates from the digesters (hydraulic retention time, HRT, of 40 d) and post-digester (HRT of 10 d) were collected before and after OFMSW introduction and analyzed for both biological and chemical parameters. The result obtained showed that substitution of EC (Mix A) with OFMSW (Mix B) did not lead to substantial modification of the feed-in mixture and AD process. Mixtures A and B gave similar specific biogas (i.e., 585 ± 198 m³ Mg TS^-1 and 567 ± 162 m³ Mg TS^-1 for Mix A and B, respectively), showing high process performances, i.e., 95% of the total anaerobic biogas producible was produced during the AD processes (HRT of 50 d). The digestates produced showed similar characteristics and can be potentially used in agriculture. The OFMSW offers new opportunities for farmers to produce renewable energy, by lowering the cost of the biomass and producing a useful fertilizer/amendment product.     

载体植物在温室作物害虫生物防治中的应用

增补式生物防治是利用天敌昆虫或捕食螨防治害虫最常用的方法,释放的天敌昆虫或捕食螨能否成功建立稳定种群,是决定其持久高效控害的首要关键因素。然而在生产应用中,经常因释放的天敌昆虫或捕食螨不能成功定殖而无法达到理想的防治效果。载体植物系统是天敌饲养和释放的新方法,结合了增补式和保护式生物防治的优点,既能实现天敌昆虫或捕食螨的大量饲养,又能为释放的天敌昆虫或捕食螨提供替代食物和栖息场所,促进其建立稳定的种群,对实现天敌昆虫或捕食螨高效持久控害具有重要的意义。本文系统介绍了载体植物系统的构建、国内外研究现状,指出了现存的问题,并给出相应的建议。     

Methane production and methane consumption: a review of processes underlying wetland methane fluxes

Potential rates of both methane production and methane consumptionvary over three orders of magnitude and their distribution is skew.These rates are weakly correlated with ecosystem type, incubationtemperature, in situ aeration, latitude, depth and distanceto oxic/anoxic interface. Anaerobic carbon mineralisation is amajor control of methane production. The large range in anaerobicCH₄:CO₂ production rates indicate that a largepart of the anaerobically mineralised carbon is used for reduction ofelectron acceptors, and, hence, is not available for methanogenesis.Consequently, cycling of electron acceptors needs to be studied tounderstand methane production. Methane and oxygen half saturationconstants for methane oxidation vary about one order of magnitude.Potential methane oxidation seems to be correlated withmethanotrophic biomass. Therefore, variation in potential methaneoxidation could be related to site characteristics with a model ofmethanotrophic biomass.     

The additive effects of progestins on testosterone-stimulated hepatic ethylmorphine metabolism and cytochrome P-450 content

The actions of several progestins on mouse liver were studied in terms of their inherent potency and for their ability to modify the biologic activity of testosterone. When hepatic ethylmorphine demethylase activity and cytochrome P-450 content were used as end points, the biological potency of progestins was ranked as follows: cyproterone acetate>progesterone>medroxyprogesterone acetate>hydroxyprogesterone caproate controls. The induced alterations of these parameters were, therefore, unrelated to reported progestational (cyproterone acetate medroxyprogesterone acetate>>hydroxyprogesterone caproate>progesterone) or androgenic (medroxyprogesterone acetate>cyproterone acetate = hydroxyprogesterone caproate = progesterone) actions of these steroids. A similar conclusion was reached when hepatic weight and microsomal protein content were used as end points.

When progestins (0.1–10 mg/day) were administered with testosterone (0.1 mg/day), the effect of both steroids were additive. This is in contrast to their actions on other tissues such as kidney and sub-maxillary gland where progestins potentiate and inhibit androgen action. We conclude from these studies that the mechanism of action of progestins on the liver differs from that on other tissues.     

Ultrasonic sludge disintegration for enhanced methane production in anaerobic digestion: effects of sludge hydrolysis efficiency and hydraulic retention time

Hydrolysis of waste activated sludge (WAS) has been regarded as the rate limiting step of anaerobic sludge digestion. Therefore, in this study, the effect of ultrasound and hydraulic residence time during sludge hydrolysis was investigated with the goal of enhancing methane production from anaerobic digestion (AD). WAS was ultrasonically disintegrated for hydrolysis, and it was semi-continuously fed to an anaerobic digesters at various hydraulic retention times (HRTs). The results of these experiments showed that the solids and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiencies when using ultrasonically disintegrated sludge were higher during AD than the control sludge. The longer the HRT, the higher the removal efficiencies of solids and COD, while methane production increased with lower HRT. Sludge with 30% hydrolysis produced 7 × more methane production than the control sludge. The highest methane yields were 0.350 m(3)/kg volatile solids (VS)(add) and 0.301 m(3)/kg COD(con) for 16 and 30% hydrolyzed sludge, respectively. In addition, we found that excess ultrasound irradiation may inhibit AD since the 50% hydrolyzed sludge produced lower methane yields than 16 and 30% hydrolyzed sludge.     

Physical plasma in biological solids: a possible mechanism for resonant interactions between low intensity microwaves and biological systems

Observed semiconductor properties of biological material in vitro indicate possible involvement of semiconduction in biological processes. Since in inorganic semiconductors solid-state plasma occurs, it is hypothesized that in organic semiconductors solid-state plasma similarly occurs. Some results of experimental investigation of resonant effects of microwaves in biological systems are considered in the light of that hypothesis. The conditions necessary for the existence of physical plasma in biological solid structures are discussed, and certain parameters of physical plasma in these structures are evaluated. Its is proposed that microwave radiation may support or damp plasma oscillations, thereby stimulating or suppressing biological functions.