Co-composting of oil-based drilling cuttings by bagasse

Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering - The feasibility of using a locally abundant bulking material (sugarcane bagasse) in Khuzestan province, Iran, to remove petroleum hydrocarbons from oil-based...     

Inoculation of sugar mill by-products compost with N2-fixing bacteria

Inoculation of sugar mill by-products compost with N₂-fixing bacteria may improve its quality by increasing total N and available P. Compost was inoculated with Azotobacter vinelandii(ATCC 478), Beijerinckia derxii (ATCC 49361), and Azospirillumsp. TS8, each alone and all three together. Numbers of all N₂-fixing bacteria in compost declined from an initial population of 5×10⁵cellsg^–1 during incubation. The population of Azotobacter declined to approximately 2×10²cellsg^–1 and the population of Beijerinckia and Azospirillum declined to approximately 9×10³ and 3.5×10⁴cellsg^–1 respectively, at day 50. Inoculation with N₂-fixing bacteria increased acetylene reduction, total N by 6–16 and available P by 25–30% in comparison to the uninoculated control. Increasing the N content and P availability of compost increases its value and there may be additional benefit from providing N₂ fixing bacteria.     

Reducing sugar accumulation from alkali pretreated sugar cane bagasse using Cellulomonas

Summary An active cellulolytic culture was obtained following growth of the Cellulomonas strain CS1-17 for 24 h at 32° C on 1 or 2% alkali pretreated sugar cane bagasse. Environmental conditions were then varied to favour reducing sugar accumulation from fresh alkali pretreated bagasse added to the 24 h culture medium at 75 g/l. After incubation for an additional 48 h at 37° C under anaerobic, aerobic and aerobic+0.2% sodium azide conditions, reducing sugar was accumulated at 22.8, 23.7 and 25.6 g/l respectively. Approximately 83% of this release occurred during the first 18 h of incubation and the reducing sugar released contained approximately 14% xylose, 35% glucose, and 26% cellobiose. Addition of exogenous cellobiase resulted in conversion of the cellobiose to glucose.     

Downscaling cake filtration—Correlations between compressibility of lysozyme crystal filter cakes and filter area

Crystallization is a commonly used method for the purification and formulation of proteins. In order to harmonize crystallization with the mechanical separation process, it is necessary to estimate early the separation conditions of protein crystals. To fulfill this requirement, the feed material for filtration is minimized by reducing the filter area. The filtration behavior of lysozyme crystals in pressure filters with two different filter areas was compared. Crystal slurries with different mean crystal sizes and shapes were produced and the influence of the size and shape on the scalability of filtration data was examined. It was found that for different aggregated crystal structures and isometric crystals, the larger the compressibility of the cake was, the larger were the deviations for the two considered filter areas. For needle‐shaped crystals, the compressibility was not subject to deviations, but the absolute filter cake resistance was. Furthermore, the deviations of the cake resistances increased with higher pressures for all product systems. It was indicated that upscaling from the small filter area is possible for low compressible product systems and at low pressures. With high compressible products and for needle‐like crystals, the filtration time is underestimated with the small filter area.     

热带假丝酵母(Candida tropiclis)去除蔗渣木聚糖酶解副产物的研究

该文研究了木糖、木糖醇对木聚糖酶Shearzyme 500L酶解蔗渣木聚糖的影响。通过热带假丝酵母(Candida tropiclis)转化酶解副产物木糖,解除木糖对木聚糖酶的抑制作用,从而获得高木二糖含量的低聚木糖。结果表明:木糖是Shearzyme 500L的酶活性抑制物,其抑制作用与溶液中的木糖量成正比;木糖醇对木聚糖酶无抑制作用;热带假丝酵母可将蔗渣木聚糖酶解液中的木糖转化为木糖醇而不利用低聚木糖,木二糖占总糖比例由53.09%升高到62.92%,经二次酶解后,木二糖比例可达78.90%。     

Enzymatic saccharification of sugar cane bagasse by continuous xylanase and cellulase production from cellulomonas flavigena PR‐22

Cellulase (CMCase) and xylanase enzyme production and saccharification of sugar cane bagasse were coupled into two stages and named enzyme production and sugar cane bagasse saccharification. The performance of Cellulomonas flavigena (Cf) PR‐22 cultured in a bubble column reactor (BCR) was compared to that in a stirred tank reactor (STR). Cells cultured in the BCR presented higher yields and productivity of both CMCase and xylanase activities than those grown in the STR configuration. A continuous culture with Cf PR‐22 was run in the BCR using 1% alkali‐pretreated sugar cane bagasse and mineral media, at dilution rates ranging from 0.04 to 0.22 1/h. The highest enzymatic productivity values were found at 0.08 1/h with 1846.4 ± 126.4 and 101.6 ± 5.6 U/L·h for xylanase and CMCase, respectively. Effluent from the BCR in steady state was transferred to an enzymatic reactor operated in fed‐batch mode with an initial load of 75 g of pretreated sugar cane bagasse; saccharification was then performed in an STR at 55°C and 300 rpm for 90 h. The constant addition of fresh enzyme as well as the increase in time of contact with the substrate increased the total soluble sugar concentration 83% compared to the value obtained in a batch enzymatic reactor. This advantageous strategy may be used for industrial enzyme pretreatment and saccharification of lignocellulosic wastes to be used in bioethanol and chemicals production from lignocellulose. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 32:321–326, 2016     

Isolation of a high-specific-growth-rate mutant of Cellulomonas flavigena on sugar cane bagasse

By treatment of a wild-type strain of Cellulomonas flavigena with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine at 150 g/ml, mutants PN-7 and PN-10 were obtained, which produce 1.38 and 1.5 times more carboxymethylcellulase than the wild strain when cultured in a batch system with sugar cane bagasse as the sole carbon source. These mutants also exhibited higher specific growth rates compared to the wild strain. From a second mutagenesis of mutant PN-10, mutant PN-120 was obtained in continuous culture. This mutant was able to use a larger portion of sugar cane bagasse than did the wild-type and therefore its biomass yield was also higher. The mutant showed a specific growth rate on sugar cane bagasse threefold higher than the wild strain.     

Degradation of sugar cane bagasse by several white-rot fungi

Forty-two white-rot fungi isolated in South America were incubated with long fibre sugar cane bagasse (LFB). The residual composition of LFB was determined after white-rot decay at 30 and 60 days. The ratio of residual lignin to residual lignin to residual cellulose (RL/RC) of untreated material (LFB) was 0.48. After white-rot-decay, the residual material with lower RL/RC ratios indicated that mainly lignin was degraded. In only 30 days, Phlebia sp. MVHC 5535, Athelia sp. MVHC 5509 and Spongipellis pachyodon MVHC 5019 caused a decrease in the RL/RC ratio to 0.36, 0.37 and 0.38, respectively, while it took 60 days for Ganoderma applanatum MVHC 5347, Hyphodontia sp. MVHC 5544, Panus tigrinus MVHC 5400, Stereum sp. MVHC 5113, Phellinus punctatus MVHC 5346 and MVHC 6388 to reach a ratio lower than 0.40. No correlation was found between the amount of some ligninolytic enzymes secreted and the residual composition of bagasse after white-rot fungi fermentation. Most of the fungal strains caused an increase in the relative amount of residual cellulose, indicating that hemicellulose was the preferred energy source.     

Co-composting of physic nut (Jatropha curcas) deoiled cake with rice straw and different animal dung

To address the dispensing of this growing volume, a study on utilization of jatropha (Jatropha curcas) deoiled cake through compost production was carried out. The deoiled cake was composted with rice straw, four different animal dung (cow dung, buffalo dung, horse dung and goat dung) and hen droppings in different proportions followed by assessment, and comparison of biochemical characteristics among finished composts. Nutrient content in finished compost was within the desired level whereas metals such as copper, lead and nickel were much below the maximum allowable concentrations. Although a few finished material contained phorbol ester (0.12 mg/g), but it was far below the original level found in the deoiled cake. Such a study indicates that a huge volume of jatropha deoiled cake can be eliminated through composting.     

Ethanol production by coupled saccharification and fermenation of sugar cane bagasse

Summary As initial studies showed that enzymatic saccharification of sugar cane bagasse in columns with recycling of eluate was slightly more efficient than in agitated flasks, ethanol production by fermentation of the eluates with fast-decanting yeast and recycling of the fermentate through the bagasse columns was studied. The alcohol yield from these coupled columns after 24 or 48 h was more than 10% more than that in a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation in agitated flasks at 40°.     

Environmental parameters affecting xylitol production from sugar cane bagasse hemicellulosic hydrolyzate by Candida guilliermondii

The bioconversion of xylose to xylitol by Candida guilliermondii FTI 20037 cultivated in sugar cane bagasse hemicellulosic hydrolyzate was influenced by cell inoculum level, age of inoculum and hydrolyzate concentration. The maximum xylitol productivity (0.75 g L⁻¹ h⁻¹) occurred in tests carried out with hydrolyzate containing 54.5 g L⁻¹ of xylose, using 3.0 g L⁻¹ of a 24-h-old inoculum. Xylitol productivity and cell concentration decreased with hydrolyzate containing 74.2 g L⁻¹ of xylose. Received 02 February 1996/ Accepted in revised form 15 November 1996     

Downstream processing for xylitol recovery from fermented sugar cane bagasse hydrolysate using aluminium polychloride

Xylitol, a sweetener comparable to sucrose, is anticariogenic and can be consumed by diabetics. This sugar has been employed successfully in many foods and pharmaceutical products. The discovery of microorganisms capable of converting xylose present in lignocellulosic biomass into xylitol offers the opportunity of producing this poliol in a simple way. Xylitol production by biotechnological means using sugar cane bagasse is under study in our laboratories, and fermentation parameters have already been established. However, the downstream processing for xylitol recovery is still a bottleneck on which there is only a few data available in the literature. The present study deals with xylitol recovery from fermented sugar cane bagasse hydrolysate using 5.2 g/l of aluminium polychloride associated with activated charcoal. The experiments were performed at pH 9, 50 degrees C for 50 min. The results showed that aluminium polychloride and activated charcoal promoted a 93.5% reduction in phenolic compounds and a 9.7% loss of xylitol from the fermented medium, which became more discoloured, facilitating the xylitol separation.     

Surface properties of granular activated carbons from agricultural by-products and their effects on raw sugar decolorization

Granular activated carbons (GACs) were produced from sugarcane bagasse combined with one of two binders (corn syrup, coal tar) by physical activation and from pecan shells by physical and chemical activation. GACs were evaluated for their physical (hardness, bulk density), chemical (ash, pH), surface (surface area, pore size distribution, surface chemistry), and adsorption properties (molasses color removal, sugar decolorization) and compared with two commercial reference carbons. Results showed that larger surface area, a well-developed macro- and mesoporosity, and a minimal surface charge were desirable in GACs designed for sugar decolorization. Steam activation of pecan shells carbon was the only by-product-activation combination that produced GAC with all the above three desirable characteristics of a good sugar decolorizer. Chemical activation of pecan shells yielded GACs with high surface area and adequate pore size distribution but with large surface charge. In contrast, sugarcane bagasse-based GACs exhibited low surface areas and unsatisfactory physical/chemical properties.     

Fed-batch culture of Candida guilliermondii FTI 20037 for xylitol production from sugar cane bagasse hydrolysate

A fed-batch culture system was used to study xylitol production by Candida guilliermondii FTI 20037 in a synthetic and a sugar cane bagasse hydrolysate medium. The values achieved for xylitol yield and volumetric productivity were, respectively, 0 · 84 g g⁻¹ and 0 · 64 g l⁻¹ h⁻¹ using the synthetic medium and 0 · 78 g g⁻¹ and 0 · 62 g l⁻¹ h⁻¹ using the hydrolysate medium.     

Production of xylanase by Thermoascus aurantiacus from sugar cane bagasse in an aerated growth fermentor

In recent years, the use of xylanases has been adopted by many processing industries, such as pulp and paper, food and textile factories. This study demonstrates that Thermoascus aurantiacus ATCC 204492 is able to produce a high level of thermostable xylanase when sugar cane bagasse is used as a substrate. Fermentations were performed in a glass-column reactor with forced aeration. A xylanase activity of 1597 U/g was attained after 10 days of solid-state fermentation. The effects of different airflow rates (0, 3.0, 6.0 l/(h g) bagasse) and initial mass of bagasse (8, 12.5, 17 g) on the production of xylanase were investigated using a statistical experimental design. The airflow rates had a significant effect on enzyme activity, whereas initial mass of bagasse had no significant effect on enzyme activity. 6 l/(h g) airflow rate and 8 g substrate resulted in the highest yields of xylanase (1597 U/g).     

Improved enzymic digestibility of sugar cane bagasse following high temperature autohydrolysis

Summary Sugar cane bagasse was subjected to a two stage autohydrolysis treatment. In the first stage bagasse was heated in the presence of varying amounts of water at temperatures in the range 160–180°C to extract the hemicellulose fraction. The water insoluble residue was then heated in the presence of varying amounts of water at temperatures in the range 203 to 241°C. The effect of autohydrolysis on the digestibility of bagasse was assessed by hydrolysing the material with Trichoderma reesei cellulase enzymes (0.65 FPU/ml).     

Chemostat cultivation of Candida blankii on sugar cane bagasse hemicellulose hydrolysate

A Candida blankii yeast isolate was grown in sugar cane bagasse hemicellulose hydrolysate at 38 degrees C in carbon-limited chemostat culture. The pretreatment of the acid hydrolysate prior to microbial cultivation consisted of partial neutralization with ammonia and sodium hydroxide, plus the addition of phosphorus, which was the only other growth-limiting nutrient apart from nitrogen. The cell yield coefficient on nitrogen was 16.78. The critical dilution rate was higher (0.35 h(-1)) in diluted hydrolysate than in undiluted hydrolysate (0.21 h(-1)). In undiluted hydrolysate at a dilution rate of 0.1 h(-1) and pH 4, where aseptic procedures proved unnecessary, the cell and protein yield coefficients were 0.53 and 0.26, respectively, and no residual carbon substrates (D-xylose, L-arabinose, D-glucose, and acetic acid) were detected. The cell yield on oxygen increased linearly as a function of dilution rate. The cellular content of protein, carbohydrate, and RNA also increased with an increase in dilution rate, whereas the DNA content decreased slightly. C. blankii has considerable potential for the production of single cell protein from hemicellulose hydrolysate, because of its ability to utilize all of the major carbon substrates in the hydrolysate at a low pH and at a relatively high temperature with a high protein yield. (c) 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Composition of corn dry-grind ethanol by-products: DDGS, wet cake, and thin stillage

DDGS and wet distillers' grains are the major co-products of the dry grind ethanol facilities. As they are mainly used as animal feed, a typical compositional analysis of the DDGS and wet distillers' grains mainly focuses on defining the feedstock's nutritional characteristics. With an increasing demand for fuel ethanol, the DDGS and wet distillers' grains are viewed as a potential bridge feedstock for ethanol production from other cellulosic biomass. The introduction of DDGS or wet distillers' grains as an additional feed to the existing dry grind plants for increased ethanol yield requires a different approach to the compositional analysis of the material. Rather than focusing on its nutritional value, this new approach aims at determining more detailed chemical composition, especially on polymeric sugars such as cellulose, starch and xylan, which release fermentable sugars upon enzymatic hydrolysis. In this paper we present a detailed and complete compositional analysis procedure suggested for DDGS and wet distillers' grains, as well as the resulting compositions completed by three different research groups. Polymeric sugars, crude protein, crude oil and ash contents of DDGS and wet distillers' grains were accurately and reproducibly determined by the compositional analysis procedure described in this paper.     

Fermentation of sugar cane bagasse hemicellulosic hydrolysate and sugar mixtures to ethanol by recombinant Escherichia coli KO11

Escherichia coli KO11, carrying the ethanol pathway genes pdc (pyruvate decarboxylase) and adh (alcohol dehydrogenase) from Zymomonas mobilis integrated into its chromosome, has the ability to metabolize pentoses and hexoses to ethanol, both in synthetic medium and in hemicellulosic hydrolysates. In the fermentation of sugar mixtures simulating hemicellulose hydrolysate sugar composition (10.0 g of glucose/l and 40.0 g of xylose/l) and supplemented with tryptone and yeast extract, recombinant bacteria produced 24.58 g of ethanol/l, equivalent to 96.4% of the maximum theoretical yield. Corn steep powder (CSP), a byproduct of the corn starch-processing industry, was used to replace tryptone and yeast extract. At a concentration of 12.5 g/l, it was able to support the fermentation of glucose (80.0 g/l) to ethanol, with both ethanol yield and volumetric productivity comparable to those obtained with fermentation media containing tryptone and yeast extract. Hemicellulose hydrolysate of sugar cane bagasse supplemented with tryptone and yeast extract was also readily fermented to ethanol within 48 h, and ethanol yield achieved 91.5% of the theoretical maximum conversion efficiency. However, fermentation of bagasse hydrolysate supplemented with 12.5 g of CSP/l took twice as long to complete. This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Pyrolysis of olive residue and sugar cane bagasse: non-isothermal thermogravimetric kinetic analysis

Thermal degradation and kinetics for olive residue and sugar cane bagasse have been evaluated under dynamic conditions in the presence of nitrogen atmosphere, using a non-isothermal thermogravimetric method (TGA). The effect of heating rate was evaluated in the range of 2-50 K min(-1) providing significant parameters for the fingerprinting of the biomass. The DTG plot for the olive residue and sugar cane bagasse clearly shows that the bagasse begins to degrade at 473 K and exhibits two major peaks. The initial mass-loss was associated with hemicellulose pyrolysis and responsible for the first peak (538-543 K) whereas cellulose pyrolysis was initiated at higher temperatures and responsible for the second peak (600-607 K). The two biomass mainly devolatilized around 473-673 K, with total volatile yield of about 70-75%. The char in final residue was about 19-26%. Mass loss and mass loss rates were strongly affected by heating rate. It was found that an increase in heating rate resulted in a shift of thermograms to higher temperatures. Ozawa-Flynn-Wall and Vyazovkin methods were applied to determine apparent activation energy to the olive residue and sugar cane bagasse. Two different steps were detected with apparent activation energies in the 10-40% conversion range have a value of 153-162 kJ mol(-1) and 168-180 kJ mol(-1) for the hemicellulose degradation of olive residue and sugar cane bagasse, respectively. In the 50-80% conversion range, this value is 204-215 kJ mol(-1) and 231-240 kJ mol(-1) for the cellulose degradation of olive residue and sugar cane bagasse, respectively.