Potential use of thermophilic dark fermentation effluents in photofermentative hydrogen production by Rhodobacter capsulatus

Biological hydrogen production by a sequential operation of dark and photofermentation is a promising route to produce hydrogen. The possibility of using renewable resources, like biomass and agro-industrial wastes, provides a dual effect of sustainability in biohydrogen production and simultaneous waste removal. In this study, photofermentative hydrogen production on effluents of thermophilic dark fermentations on glucose, potato steam peels (PSP) hydrolysate and molasses was investigated in indoor, batch operated bioreactors. An extreme thermophile Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus was used in the dark fermentation step, and Rhodobacter capsulatus (DSM1710) was used in the photofermentation step. Addition of buffer, Fe and Mo to dark fermentor effluents (DFEs) improved the overall efficiency of hydrogen production. The initial acetate concentration in the DFE needed to be adjusted to 30–40 mM by dilution to increase the yield of hydrogen in batch light-supported fermentations. The thermophilic DFEs are suitable for photofermentative hydrogen production, provided that they are supplemented with buffer and nutrients. The overall hydrogen yield of the two-step fermentations was higher than the yield of single step dark fermentations.     

Effects of nitrate concentration on biological hydrogen production by mixed cultures

The effects of nitrate on fermentative hydrogen production and soluble metabolites from mixed cultures were investigated by varying nitrate concentrations from 0 to 10 g N/L at 35°C with an initial pH of 7.0. The results showed that the substrate degradation rate, hydrogen production potential, hydrogen yield, and average hydrogen production rate initially increased with increasing nitrate concentrations from 0 to 0.1 g N/L, while they decreased with increasing nitrate concentrations from 0.1 to 10 g N/L. The maximum hydrogen production potential of 305.0 mL, maximum hydrogen yield of 313.1 mL/g glucose, and maximum average hydrogen production rate of 13.3 mL/h were obtained at a nitrate concentration of 0.1 g N/L. The soluble metabolites produced by the mixed cultures contained only ethanol and acetic acid (HAc) without propionic acid (HPr) and butyric acid (HBu). This study used the Modified Logistic model to describe the progress of cumulative hydrogen production in batch tests. A concise model was proposed to describe the effects of nitrate concentration on average hydrogen production rate.     

Biological hydrogen production from organic wastewater by dark fermentation in China: Overview and prospects

Biological hydrogen production by dark fermentation is an important part of biological hydrogen production technologies. China is a typical developing country that heavily relies on fossil fuels; thus, new, clean, and sustainable energy development turns quite urgent. It is delightful that Chinese government has already drawn up several H₂ development policies since 1990s and provided financial aid to launch some H₂ development projects. In this paper, the research status on dark fermentative hydrogen production in China was summarized and analyzed. Subsequently, several new findings and achievements, with some of which transformed into scale-up tests, were highlighted. Moreover, some prospecting coupling processes with dark fermentation of hydrogen production were also proposed to attract more research interests in the future.     

Bioreactor systems for thermophilic fermentative hydrogen production: evaluation and comparison of appropriate systems

Numerous different bioreactor systems are applied for hydrogen production by dark fermentation. Thermophilic fermentations are gaining an increased interest due to the high hydrogen yields associated with them. In order to reach the best thermophilic fermentation system, 2 types of bioreactors, a trickling bed and a fluidized bed system, were constructed and operated under similar conditions. Both systems were designed to meet the requirements of thermophilic fermentations, such as reduction of hydrogen partial pressure, system immanence as its best as well as increasing cell densities. For comparing the 2 systems, the extreme thermophilic organism Caldicellulosiruptor owensensis OL^T and a glucose-containing medium were employed. Parameters like hydraulic retention time, glucose concentration and stripping gas amount were varied. Each bioreactor system exhibited certain advantages; the trickling bed system enabled yields close to 3 mol-H₂ (mol-glucose)^?1 and productivities of 0.2 L L^?1 h^?1, but the application of stripping gas seemed to be obligatory. The fermentations in the fluidized bed system were characterized by slightly higher productivities (0.25 L L^?1 h^?1), but generally lower yields. However, operation of this system without stripping gas was possible.     

Life cycle assessment of spray dried soluble coffee and comparison with alternatives (drip filter and capsule espresso)

This paper aims to evaluate the environmental burdens associated with spray dried soluble coffee over its entire life cycle and compare it with drip filter coffee and capsule espresso coffee. It particularly aims to identify critical environmental issues and responsibilities along the whole life cycle chain of spray dried coffee. This life cycle assessment (LCA) specifically uses foreground data obtained directly from coffee manufacturers and suppliers. Aside from energy consumption and greenhouse gases emissions, water footprint is also studied in detail, including regionalization of water impacts based on the ecological scarcity method 2006. Other impact categories are screened using the IMPACT 2002+ impact assessment method.The overall LCA results for a 1 dl cup of spray dried soluble coffee amounts approximately to 1 MJ of primary non-renewable energy consumption, to emissions of 0.07 kg of CO_2-eq, and between 3 and 10 l of non-turbined water use, depending on whether or not the coffee cultivation is irrigated and wet treated. When considering turbined water, use can be up to 400 l of water per cup. Pouch – and to a lesser extent metal can packaging alternatives – show lower environmental burdens than glass or sticks.On average, about one half of the environmental footprint occurs at a life cycle stage under the control of the coffee producer or its suppliers (i.e., during cultivation, treatment, processing, packaging up to distribution, along with advertising) and the other half at a stage controlled by the user (shopping, appliances manufacturing, use and waste disposal). Key environmental parameters of spray dried soluble coffee are the amount of extra water boiled and the efficiency of cup cleaning during use phase, whether the coffee is irrigated or not, as well as the type and amount of fertilizer used in the coffee field. The packaging contributes to 10% of the overall life cycle impacts.Compared to other coffee alternatives, spray dried soluble coffee uses less energy and has a lower environmental footprint than capsule espresso coffee or drip filter coffee, the latter having the highest environmental impacts on a per cup basis. This study shows that a broad LCA approach is needed to help industry to minimize the environmental burdens directly related to their products. Including all processes of the entire system is necessary i) to get a comprehensive environmental footprint of the product system with respect to sustainable production and consumption, ii) to share stakeholders responsibility along the entire product life cycle, and iii) to avoid problem shifting between different life cycle stages.     

Life cycle analysis and choice of natural gas-based automotive alternative fuels in Chongqing Municipality,China

Road transport produces significant amounts of emissions by using crude oil as the primary energy source. A reduction of emissions can be achieved by implementing alternative fuel chains. The objective of this study is to carry out an economic, environmental and energy (EEE) life cycle study on natural gas-based automotive fuels with conventional gasoline in an abundant region of China. A set of indices of four fuels/vehicle systems on the basis of life cycle are assessed in terms of impact of EEE, in which natural gas produces compressed natural gas (CNG), methanol, dimethylether (DME) and Fischer Tropsch diesel (FTD). The study included fuel production, vehicle production, vehicle operation, infrastructure and vehicle end of life as a system for each fuel/vehicle system. A generic gasoline fueled car is used as a baseline. Data have been reviewed and modified based on the best knowledge available to Chongqing local sources. Results indicated that when we could not change electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles into commercial vehicles on a large scale, direct use of CNG in a dedicated or bi-fuel vehicle is an economical choice for the region which is most energy efficient and more environmental friendly. The study can be used to support decisions on how natural gas resources can best be utilized as a fuel/energy resource for automobiles, and what issues need to be resolved in Chongqing. The models and approaches for this study can be applied to other regions of China as long as all the assumptions are well defined and modified to find a substitute automotive energy source and establish an energy policy in a specific region.     

Future production of rainfed wheat in Iran (Khorasan province): climate change scenario analysis

Projecting staple crop production including wheat under future climate plays a fundamental role in planning the required adaptation and mitigation strategies for climate change effects especially in developing countries. The main aim of this study was to investigate the direction and magnitude of climate change impacts on grain yield of rainfed wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production and precipitation within growing season. This study was performed for various regions in Khorasan province which is located in northeast of Iran. Climate projections of two General Circulation Models (GCM) for four locations under three climate change scenarios were employed in this study for different future time periods. A stochastic weather generator (LARS-WG5) was used for downscaling to generate daily climate parameters from GCMs output. The Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) Version 4.5 was employed to evaluate rainfed wheat performance under future climate. Grain yield of rainfed wheat and precipitation during growth period considerably decreased under different scenarios in various time periods in contrast to baseline. Highest grain yield and precipitation during growth period was obtained under B1 scenario but A1B and A2 scenarios resulted in sharp decrease (by ?57 %) of grain yield. Climate change did not have marked effects on evapotranspiration during the rainfed wheat growth. A significant correlation was detected between grain yield, precipitation and evapotranspiration under climate change for both GCMs and under all study scenarios. It was concluded, that rainfed wheat production may decline during the next 80 years especially under A2 scenario. Therefore, planning the comprehensive adaptation and mitigation program is necessary for avoiding climate change negative impact on rainfed wheat production.     

Prenatal identification of i(YP) by molecular cytogenetic analysis

An i(Yp) is a rare marker chromosome. We present a case of de novo 46,X,i(Yp) detected prenatally in an amniotic fluid specimen. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) studies using a panel of Y-specific biotinylated DNA probes identified the marker chromosome as i(Yp). Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) studies further confirmed the diagnosis. Upon pregnancy termination, external examination of the fetus revealed a generally well-developed male fetus with slight facial dysmorphism and prominent rocker-bottom feet. The molecular cytogenetic data in this case proved very useful in genetic counselling and served as a good example illustrating the important role of molecular techniques for accurate identification of marker chromosomes.     

Treatment of 2-phenylamino-3-methyl-6-di-n-butylaminofluoran production effluent by combination of biological treatments and Fenton＇s oxidation

High strength refractory organic stream is produced during the production of 2-phenylamino-3-methyl-6-di-n-butylaminofluoran （One Dye Black 2, abbr. ODB 2）, a novel heat-sensitive material with a promising market. In this study, a combination of acidificationprecipitation, primary biological treatment, Fenton＇s oxidation and another biological treatment was successfully used for the removal of COD from 18000-25000 mg/L to below 200 mg/L from the ODB 2 production wastewater in a pilot experiment. A COD removal of 70%-80% was achieved by acidification-precipitation under a pH of 2.5-3.0. The first step biodegradafion permitted an average COD removal of 70% under an hydraulic residence time （HRT） of 30 h. By batch tests, the optimum conditions of Fenton＇s oxidation were acquired as： Fe^2＋ dose 6.0 mmol/L; H2O2 dose 3000 mg/L; and reaction time 6 h. The second step biological treatment could ensure an effluent COD below 200 mg/L under an HRT of 10 h following the Fenton＇s treatment.     

污染控制技术的清洁性及其LCA评估

运用LCA可对污染控制技术从“摇篮至坟墓”的生命周期角度考虑其清洁性 ,能确切地取得其生命周期内各阶段输入和输出的物料、能耗以及各种潜在环境影响的量化清单 ,并以此为基础进行环境影响评估和完善化分析。通过清洁性评估可有助于污染控制技术的创新、选择和决策 ,从而以最小的资源和环境代价去解决污染问题 ,满足我国可持续发展的战略要求     

Comparison of biomass production and biological nitrogen fixation of multi-species pastures (mixed herb leys) with perennial ryegrass-white clover pasture with and without irrigation in Canterbury, New Zealand

Legume-based pastures in Australasia are predominantly perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and white clover (Trifolium repens L.). These pastures have disadvantages such as limitations in the production and persistence of white clover and ryegrass in drought prone regions. With the increasing interest in organic agriculture, more complex pasture mixtures are seen as an alternative to the standard ryegrass-white clover (RWC) pasture. Although anecdotal evidence exists to support the benefits of alternative pastures, there is insufficient scientific evidence to support or refute these claims. The present study was conducted to compare three different alternative multi-species (mixed herb leys) (MSP) pastures with the standard RWC pasture with and without irrigation, in terms of biomass and biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) over a period of 1 year under field conditions in Canterbury, New Zealand. Isotopic dilution technique involving field ¹⁵N-microplots were used to measure BNF. Irrigation doubled dry matter yields (DMY) of all pastures compared with those under dryland. There was no significant difference between DMY of all pastures under dryland. However, under irrigation, MSP pastures out-yield RWC pasture in total and legume DMY. Red clover MSP produced significantly lower DMY than the comprehensive or lucerne MSP treatment, probably due to the ability of lucerne in extracting water from deeper soil depth. Seasonal changes in plant composition varied according to the species sown, soil moisture status and temperature. Total and seasonal amounts of N₂ fixed followed the same trend as the DMY and were related to the DMY of legumes. On average, about 26–34 kg N was fixed per tonne of legume DMY, showing a uniformity across all pastures. Overall, based on the present results of 1-year study, the MSP pastures tend to result in higher DMY, BNF and legume growth compared with that of the RWC pasture, provided irrigation is available. With increased BNF, these irrigated MSP pastures may provide high quality feed to grazing animals.     

Design for Sustainability (DfS): the interface of sustainable production and consumption

Nowadays design is faced with the challenge to contribute to the transition towards a sustainable society. Design for Sustainability (DfS) is the response to this challenge. It includes but goes beyond what Design for the Environment or ecodesign provides, by integrating social, economic, environmental and institutional aspects and by offering opportunities to get involved, express one’s own identity beyond consuming standardised mass products.DEEDS, a Leonardo research project, had the mission to embed sustainability in design and design in sustainability. For this behalf, the project partners approached the issue from the angles of design, sustainability science and sustainable consumption analysis, developing tools and rules (the SCALES principles) to support DfS and to incorporate it into design education and practice.The paper describes the framework conditions as explored by sustainable consumption research, the obstacles identified by DEEDS and gives hints how to overcome them based in the lessons learnt in the course of the project.     

Reviewing the carbon footprint analysis of hotels: Life Cycle Energy Analysis (LCEA) as a holistic method for carbon impact appraisal of tourist accommodation

This study discusses the potential for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to be utilized for the environmental assessment of tourism accommodation facilities, and their contribution to global carbon footprint. To demonstrate the viability of employing LCA in the hotel sector, its simplified derivative, Life Cycle Energy Analysis (LCEA), is applied to two tourism accommodation facilities in Poole, Dorset (UK) to quantify their CO₂ emissions. The results indicate that the reviewed hotels are less energy and carbon-intense than the tourism accommodation establishments reported in the literature. This may indirectly imply the continuous progress of hotel’s energy efficiency over time. The implications of the current energy use practices in the reviewed hotels are discussed and suggestions are made on how to further improve the energy performance and therefore cut the carbon footprint. Recommendations for hotel management and policy-making are developed to reduce the energy and carbon intensity of the hotel industry. A method for energy and carbon footprint analysis of outsourced laundries and breakfast services is also proposed.     

EU COST Action 628: life cycle assessment (LCA) of textile products,eco-efficiency and definition of best available technology (BAT) of textile processing

The COST Action 628 was established to produce first hand, industrial environmental data of textiles in Europe, as well as to suggest tools for comparisons of present technologies and practices with cleaner applications, including the economic effects. The Action network also suggested criteria for ISO (Type III) Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) standards. It was concluded that new emerging cleaner technologies are in a key position when striving towards zero emissions in textile processing. It is also important to identify the most polluting stages of textile processing, with the help of life cycle assessment methodology, in order to focus the development of new technologies correctly. LCA was used to set up criteria for an Environmental Product Declaration for textile products. Unique, first hand industrial data were collected from five European textile industries.     

Phenology and control of the onion maggot (Diptera: Anthomyiidae) in Michigan onion production

The phenology and control of the onion maggot, Delia antiqua (Meigen) (Diptera: Anthomyiidae), were investigated in commercial onion fields in Michigan from 1978 to 1980. First-generation emergence of adults occurred at 399 Dδ (degree-days) (4.4°C base). Second- and third-generation emergence occurred at 1142 and 1840 D°. Adult flight activity was correlated with time of damage to onion plants by 1st and 2nd generation larvae. Third-generation larvae were only observed on unharvested mature onions. Phenologies of the various life-stages are compared to development rates determined in the laboratory. Application of foliar insecticide sprays for adult control did not provide additional protection from root maggot damage where granular insecticides had been applied at planting. Recommendations for onion maggot control are discussed.     

Chromosome 18 analysis by fluorescence in situ hybridization (fish) in human blastomeres of abnormal embryos after in vitro fertilization (ivf) attempt

We performed fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with a chromosome 18-specific probe on human abnormal cleaved embryos, fertilized either by two spermatozoa and exhibiting three pronuclei (3 PN) or normally fertilized and exhibiting two pronuclei (2 PN) with subsequent severe fragmentation and/or blocking. The aim of the study was to evaluate the incidence of chromosome 18 anomalies among these embryos, in order to evaluate the FISH efficiency on such material and to obtain more precise and complete data than those obtained with classical cytogenetic analysis. For the 3 PN cleaved embryos, FISH confirmed the frequent regulation towards diploidy (25 per cent) and the high frequency of mosaics (53 per cent). For the 2 PN blocked or damaged embryos, FISH permitted chromosome evaluation, which was otherwise impossible with classical cytogenetic techniques: we also found a high mosaic frequency (45 per cent) with these embryos. If this frequency were the same for normally developing embryos, it would be a major obstacle to the reliability of either chromosomal or genetic preimplantation diagnosis.     

Impact of elevated O3 and CO2 exposure on potato (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Bintje) tuber macronutrients (N,P, K,Mg, Ca)

It was investigated whether exposure of elevated ozone (O₃) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentrations affected the macronutrient (N, P, K, Mg, Ca) concentrations in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tubers in three open-top chamber experiments from Sweden and Finland. The tuber concentrations of N, P, K and Mg correlated positively with O₃ exposure (although not significantly in the case of N and P) but the O₃ exposure had no effect on the tuber concentration of Ca. A likely mechanism behind the observed O₃ effects was suggested to be that the more progressed senescence of O₃ exposed plants was associated with a larger extent of reallocation of mobile nutrients from the haulm to the tubers. In addition, the uptake of macronutrients may have been less negatively affected by O₃ exposure than the assimilation of carbon. O₃ tended to reduce the total tuber contents of all investigated nutrients, which imply a reduced fertilizer need per unit field area. This was not associated with a decreased fertilizer need per tonnage of yield, as the tuber nutrient concentrations were increased by O₃ exposure. The increased CO₂ concentration did not significantly affect any of the investigated macronutrients in the present dataset but did generally prevent the O₃ induced increases in nutrient concentrations to be expressed (only significant in the case of N and Mg). The O₃ induced increase in tuber K concentration, may mediate earlier observed O₃ effects on potato tuber concentrations of citric and malic acids. To conclude, anticipated future (and even presently occurring) O₃ exposure has a negative impact on the total tuber contents of K and Ca and probably also on the total tuber contents of N, P and Mg. O₃ exposure causes increased tuber concentrations of N, P, K and Mg at an early harvest. The O₃ induced increase in tuber concentration tended to diminish by a CO₂ elevation.     

Organic matter and pH affect the analysis efficiency of ~(31)P-NMR

Solution ~(31)P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy( ~(31)P-NMR) is a useful method to analyze organic phosphorus(Po), but a general procedure for the analysis method is lacking.The authors used solution ~(31)P-NMR, which was found to be an effective method for analysis of Po in Haihe River sediment, to analyze the Po in the surface sediment in Eastern China at the regional scale, and found that the Na OH-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid(EDTA)extraction rate was affected by environmental factors. At the regional scale, the extraction rate showed a positive relationship with loss on ignition, when the extraction rate was lower than 60%. The extraction rate had no relationship with the loss on ignition when the extraction rate was higher than 60%. The extraction rate showed a negative relationship with p H, which means that the extraction rate was higher in acidic sediment and lower in alkaline sediment. The ratio of TC/TN(the ratio of total carbon to total nitrogen) was considered to represent the origin of organic matter in the sediment. The extraction rate was high when the TC/TN ratio was lower than 20, meanwhile the extraction rate decreased as the TC/TN ratio increased. The results show that the origin of organic matter in sediment significantly affects the Na OH-EDTA extraction rate. This study will give theoretical support for building an effective and general solution ~(31)P-NMR analysis method.