Chemicals from alternative feedstocks in the United States

Abstract: Growing industrial interest in products from renewable alternative feedstocks has resulted in the creation of more industry-led federal research and development programs. The basis of this interest is introduced, followed by an overview of the various federal programs that support basic through applied research relevant to chemical products from renewable resources, and evidence of the increased coordination efforts between programs. The majority of the paper outlines a new program within the U.S. Department of Energy, the Alternative Feedstocks Program, which specifically targets chemicals from renewables which have the potential to become part of the next generation of high-volume chemical feedstocks for the manufacturing industries. The first product of the program, an iterative process technology decision analysis tool, is broadly presented using the first process development project: succinic acid from fermentable sugars.     

Production of ethanol and biomass from thin stillage by Neurospora intermedia: A pilot study for process diversification

Dry mill ethanol processes produce ethanol and animal feed from whole grains, where the wastewater after the distillation and separation of solid materials is called “thin stillage.” In this work, similar production of ethanol (3.5 g/L) and biomass (5 g/L) from thin stillage was obtained during batch cultivation of the edible fungus Neurospora intermedia in a 2‐m high airlift reactor and bubble column. The fungal biomass, containing 50% w/w protein and 12% w/w lipids, was rich in essential amino acids and omega‐3 and ‐6 fatty acids. In a continuous mode of fermentation, dilution rates of up to 0.2 h^?1 could be applied without cell washout in the bubble column at 0.5 vvm. At 0.1 h^?1, around 5 g/L of ethanol and 4 g/L of biomass containing ca. 50% w/w protein were produced. The fungus was able to assimilate saccharides in the liquid fraction as well as sugar backbones such as xylan and arabinan in the solid fraction. The inclusion of the current process could potentially lead to the production of 11 000 m³ of ethanol (5.5% improvement vs. normal industrial process) and around 6300 tons of high‐quality biomass for animal feed at a typical facility producing 200 000 m³ ethanol per year.     

产油微藻的分离、筛选及自养培养氮源、碳源的优化

从云南滇池的水样中分离筛选得到一株自养产油小球藻(Chlorella vulgaris,C.vulgaris),其油脂产率可达28.6mg/(L·d),进一步考察了不同氮源、氮源浓度和添加无机碳源对其自养生长和油脂积累的影响。结果表明,硝酸钠为优化氮源,氮元素的优化浓度为123mg/L,油脂含量随氮元素浓度升高而降低;添加NaHCO3显著提高了C.vulgaris生物量产率和油脂产率,其优化浓度为800mg/L。在氮源和碳源的优化浓度下,C.vulgaris的最大生物量产率和油脂产率可达332.8mg/(L·d)和100.2mg/(L·d),分别是对照组的3.6和3.4倍。     

Relationship of winter concealment habitat quality on pool use by juvenile spring Chinook salmon (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Oncorhynchus tshawytscha</Emphasis>) in the Grande Ronde River Basin,Oregon USA

Winter concealment habitat quality was assessed and its use by juvenile spring Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) quantified in three hatching areas of the Grande Ronde River Basin, Oregon USA. Fish densities were significantly higher in pools with a higher winter concealment habitat index than pools with a lower index. The mean fork length and mean growth rate of fish did not differ between pools with a higher or lower winter concealment habitat index, even though residual fish were significantly larger than fish that emigrated. Biomass–density was significantly higher in pools with a higher winter concealment habitat index than pools with a lower index in all three hatching areas. Biomass–density was positively associated with the amount of cobble substrate (10–24.9 cm/m²) in all three hatching areas, and inversely associated with embeddedness in two of the hatching areas. Results of this study indicate that enhancing winter concealment habitat could improve habitat quality resulting in increased carrying capacity and winter usage by juvenile spring Chinook salmon. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. Handling editor: J. A. Cambray     

Allocation,within and between organs,and the dynamics of root length changes in two birch species

Spatial and temporal dynamics of biomass allocation within and between organs were investigated in seedlings of two birch species of contrasting successional status. Seedlings of Betula alleghaniensis Britt (yellow birch) and B. populifolia Marsh (gray birch) were grown for 6 weeks at two nutrient levels in rectangular plexiglass containers to allow non-destructive estimates of root growth, production and loss. Leaf area and production were simultaneously monitored. Yellow birch responded more to nutrient level than gray birch in terms of total biomass, shoot biomass, leaf area and root length. Yellow birch also flexibly altered within-organ allocation (specific leaf area, specific root length and specific soil amount). In contrast, gray birch altered between-organ allocation patterns (root length:leaf area and soil amount:leaf area ratios) more than yellow birch in response to nutrient level. Yellow birch showed greater overall root density changes within a very compact root system, while gray birch showed localized root density changes as concentric bands of new root production spread through the soil. Species differ critically in their responses of standing root length and root production and loss rates to nutrient supply. Early successional species such as gray birch are hypothesized to exhibit higher plasticity in varied environments than later successional species such as yellow birch. Our results suggest that different patterns of allocation, within and between plant organs, do not necessarily follow the same trajectories. To characterize thoroughly the nature of functional flexibility through ontogeny, within- and between-organ patterns of allocation must be accounted for.     

洪湖野菰及其化学成分分析

野菰(Zizania latifolia)是湖北省洪湖中优势水生维管束植物,其群落占全湖355平方公里面积的127平方公里。茎和叶的年生物量为4379克鲜重/平方米,全湖总年产量121700吨干重,目前未被利用。野菰各器官的蛋白质和氨基酸含量分别以百分干重表示:根,7.0和4.76;根状茎,11.3和8.85;茎,9.5和7.15;嫩茎梢,22.4和16.53;叶,16.8和14.61。500克干叶的必需氨基酸含量接近100克干重草鱼幼鱼背肌的必需氨基酸含量。脂肪:叶中3.4～4.2,茎中2.2;粗纤维:叶中26.8～28,茎中24.2;灰分:叶中10.0,茎中5.8。菰茎含可溶性糖类30％以上,其中葡萄糖,果糖、蔗糖和麦芽糖是主要成分。结果表明野菰是一种优质饲料。     

Aboveground biomass and litterfall ofPinus pumila scrubs growing on the Kiso mountain range in central Japan

Aboveground biomass and litterfall ofPinus pumila scrubs, growing on the Kiso mountain range in central Japan, were investigated from 1984 to 1985. The biomass of two research plots (P1 and P2) with different scrub heights was estimated by two methods, the stratified clip technique and the allometric method. Aboveground total biomass estimated by the latter method reached 181 ton d.w. ha⁻¹ in P1 and 132 ton d.w. ha⁻¹ in P2. Creeping stems contributed to about half of the total biomass. Although estimates of woody organs differed between the two plots, leaf biomass estimates were almost the same at 15.5 ton d.w. ha⁻¹. The canopies of the twoP. pumila scrubs were characterized by a large mean leaf area density of 5.0 m² m⁻³. Despite this large area density, relatively moderate attenuation of light intensity was observed. Specific leaf area generally increased with reduced leaf height. Annual total litterfall was estimated to be 3.60 ton d.w. ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ in P1 and 2.39 ton d.w. ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ in P2. Annual leaf fall in both plots was approximately 2.0 ton d.w. ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. Leaves fell mainly in early autumn. Annual loss rates of branches, estimated as the sum of annual branch litterfall and the amount of newly formed attached dead branches, were 0.29 ton d.w. ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ in P1 and 0.37 ton d.w. ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ in P2.     

No evidence for nutrient foraging in root-sprouting clonal plants

Clonality is defined as vegetative reproduction via the production of ramets, which are, at least initially, connected by spacers. In general, there are three types of spacers of two origins. Whereas stolons are aboveground spacers, rhizomes are belowground spacers; however, both of stem origin. The third type of spacers are roots in root-sprouting plants. The possibility of foraging in clonal plants has attracted broad interest among ecologists but has been experimentally documented only for stoloniferous clonal plants foraging for light. Foraging for belowground resources has yet to be demonstrated, perhaps because tests of foraging have focused on clonal plants that spread laterally via stolons or rhizomes, i.e. stem organs. Lateral spread based on sprouting roots has not been considered even though, in addition to functioning as conduits between ramets, root spacers are able to sense and take up nutrients. We therefore hypothesized that root-sprouting clonal plants may be able to directly react to environmental heterogeneity and exhibit nutrient foraging. To test this hypothesis, we conducted two experiments with root-sprouters in nutrient-heterogeneous and -homogeneous environments. We found that plants produced more biomass when growing in a heterogeneous environment than in a homogeneous environment and that root biomass was greater in the nutrient-rich patches than in nutrient-poor patches. However, the number of ramets did not differ between patches in the heterogeneous environment. We conclude that plants whose clonality is based on roots, similarly as plants whose clonality is based on stolons or rhizomes, do not exhibit accumulation of ramets in nutrient-rich patches. Foraging at the organ level, i.e. by roots, seems to be more probable in this clonal group. To analyse how clonal plants with different clonal strategies perceive and react to environmental heterogeneity, researchers must account for the high variability in clonal growth forms and in scales of environmental heterogeneity.     

Effects of water level fluctuation on the growth ofNelumbo nucifera Gaertn. in Lake Kasumigaura,Japan

Investigations were made of the growth ofNelumbo nucifera, an aquatic higher plant, in a natural stand in Lake Kasumigaura. A rise of 1.0 m in the water level after a typhoon in August 1986 caused a subsequent decrease in biomass ofN. nucifera from the maximum of 291 g d.w. m⁻² in July to a minimum of 75 g d.w. m⁻². The biomass recovered thereafter in shallower regions. The underground biomass in October tended to increase toward the shore. The total leaf area index (LAI) is the sum of LAI of floating leaves and emergent leaves. The maximum total LAI was 1.3 and 2.8 m² m⁻² in 1986 and 1987, respectively. LAI of floating leaves did not exceed 1 m² m⁻². The elongation rates of the petiole of floating and emergent leaves just after unrolling were 2.6 and 3.4 cm day⁻¹, respectively. The sudden rise in water level (25 cm day⁻¹) after the typhoon in August 1986 caused drowning and subsequent decomposition of the mature leaves. Only the young leaves were able to elongate, allowing their laminae to reach the water surface. The fluctuation in water level, characterized by the amplitude and duration of flooding and the time of flooding in the life cycle, is an important factor determining the growth and survival ofN. nucifera in Lake Kasumigaura.