Biodegradation of the herbicide glyphosate by filamentous fungi in platform shaker and batch bioreactor

The biodegradation conducted by microorganisms on herbicide glyphosate (N-phosphonomethylglycine) was investigated. Five strains of filamentous fungi belonging to the Fusarium genre were grown on Czapeck medium without phosphorous and supplemented with the addition of glyphosate. The assays were conducted to determine the ability of use as a phosphorous source, the inhibition caused by presence of herbicide, and the biodegradation in shaker and bioreactor by Fusarium strains. It was observed that the herbicide did not show any negative effect on microrganisms by quantity of the biomass. Among the strains tested, no inhibition was noted by the addition of glyphosate even at a high concentration. All strains studied were able to biodegrade it and use the herbicide as a phosphorous source. The formation of consortium was not better than the strains tested in pure culture. The biodegradation in the bioreactor was better than in the shaker. However, there wasn't any influence on biodegradation rate by changing the amount of oxygen in the system.     

Use of fungi for the bioconversion of rice straw into cellulase enzyme

Cellulase production was carried out by solid state bioconversion (SSB) method using rice straw, a lignocellulosic material and agricultural waste, as the substrate of three Trichoderma spp. and Phanerochaete chrysosporium in lab-scale experiments. The results were compared to select the best fungi among them for the production of cellulase. Phanerochaete chrysosporium was found to be the best among these species of fungi, which produced the highest cellulase enzyme of 1.43 IU/mL of filter paper activity (FPase) and 2.40 IU/mL of carboxymethylcellulose activity (CMCase). The “glucosamine” and “reducing sugar” parameters were observed to evaluate the growth and substrate utilization in the experiments. In the case of Phanerochaete Chrysosporium, the highest glucosamine concentration was 1.60 g/L and a high concentration of the release of reducing sugar was measured as 2.58 g/L obtained on the 4th day of fermentation. The pH values were also recorded. The range of the pH was about 5.15 to 5.56 in the case of Phanerochaete Chrysosporium.     

Some Technical and Economic Aspects of Residual Fuel Oil Desulfurization

Combustion of residual, the most common type of fuel oil used in industrial and commercial steam generating plants, accounts for about 600,000 tons or 37 percent of the sulfur oxide emissions in New York state. On the average, residual oil available in New York state contains about 2.2 percent sulfur and is consumed at an annual rate of approximately 85 million barrels. The removal of sulfur from many types of residuals should become economically feasible as a result of the development of the HDS and H-Oil hydrodesulfurization processes. From studies recently made, these methods of desulfurization have been estimated to vary from a minimum of no appreciable increase in overall cost to a maximum of about one cent per gallon. The by-product distillates produced in hydrodesulfurization are a very significant factor in making the process economical and the demand for these is increasing at a greater rate than residual.     

Oil spill cleanup using graphene

In this article, we study the use of thermally reduced graphene (TRG) for oil spill cleanup. TRG was synthesized by thermal exfoliation of graphite oxide and characterized by X-ray diffusion, Raman spectroscopy, SEM, TEM, elemental analysis, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area measurement. Various aspects of the sorption process have been studied including the sorption capacity, the recovery of the adsorbed oil, and the recyclability of TRG. Our results shows that TRG has a higher sorption capacity than any other carbon-based sorbents, with sorption capacity as high as 131 g of oil per gram TRG. With recovery of the sorbed oil via filtration and reuse of TRG for up to six cycles, 1 g of TRG collectively removes approximately 300 g of crude oil. Moreover, the effects of TRG bulk density, pore volume, and carbon/oxygen ratio and the oil viscosity on the sorption process are also discussed.     

Organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in soils surrounding the Tanggu Chemical Industrial District of Tianjin, China

The spatial distribution of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) was examined in soils surrounding the Tanggu Chemical Industrial District in Tianjin, China. The concentrations of hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs), hexachlorobenzenes (HCBs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were determined in 70 surface soils using accelerated solvent extraction and gas chromatography with electron capture detection. The results showed that the ranges of ∑HCH, ∑DDT, ΣHCB, and ∑PCB concentrations in soils were 2.1–12,549 μg?kg^?1 (average, 965 μg?kg^?1), n.d.–2,033 μg?kg^?1 (average, 88.4 μg?kg^?1), n.d.–1,924 μg?kg^?1 (average, 349 μg?kg^?1), and n.d.–373 μg?kg^?1 (average, 46.2 μg?kg^?1), respectively. Of these, HCHs were the dominant POPs, accounting for 75 % of the total organochlorine pesticide (OCP) residues. Overall, the spatial distribution of OCP concentrations showed a decreasing trend from the center of the Tanggu District to the surrounding areas. Two major pollution sources were Tianjin Dagu Chemical Co., Ltd. in the district center and the Tianjin Chemical Plant in Hangu District. In contrast, PCB concentrations were relatively high in the Haihe estuary to the east and low to the west of the study area. Component analysis of OCPs in these soils showed that they mainly came from industrial point sources. Compared with soils in other regions, soil DDT pollution was at a medium level in the Tanggu Chemical Industrial District, but associated HCH, HCB, and PCB pollution was relatively heavy. By multivariate statistical analyses, Tianjin Dagu Chemical Co., Ltd. was recognized as the main source of POPs, and soil properties were clarified to play an important role on the distribution and composition of POPs, especially the organic carbon content.     

The Bechtel Confined Zone dispersion Process for FGD Retrofit Situations Proof-of-Concept Tests

The Bechtel Confined Zone Dispersion (CZD) process for FGD retrofit situations was tested at two sites: one at a level of 5 MWe; the other at 70 MWe. The CZD process involves injecting a finely atomized slurry of hydrated lime into a straight run of duct between a boiler's air heater and its electrostatic precipitator (ESP). The effect of process variables on SO₂ removal and ESP performance was investigated for dolomitic/calcitic lime. Removals of SO₂ in excess of 50 percent were achieved for either lime type at the 5 MWe site. A very short duct length limited injection rate at the 70 MWe site, limiting sulfur removals to a maximum of 30 percent. SO₂ removal data for both sites were successfully correlated on a common basis. ESP performance was not fully acceptable during lime injection at both sites, but it is felt that optimization of ESP operations should eliminate this problem. Additional testing is recommended to further explore ESP performance and to optimize lime injection parameters. The results obtained to date continue to indicate that the CZD process is an attractive and economical candidate for FGD retrofit situations.     

Mitigation of nutrient losses via surface runoff from rice cropping systems with alternate wetting and drying irrigation and site-specific nutrient management practices

Resource-conserving irrigation and fertilizer management practices have been developed for rice systems which may help address water quality concerns by reducing N and P losses via surface runoff. Field experiments under three treatments, i.e., farmers’ conventional practice (FCP), alternate wetting and drying (AWD), and AWD integrated with site-specific nutrient management (AWD + SSNM) were carried out during two rice seasons at two sites in the southwest Yangtze River delta region. Across site years, results indicated that under AWD irrigation (i.e., AWD and AWD + SSNM), water inputs were reduced by 13.4?~?27.5 % and surface runoff was reduced by 30.2?~?36.7 % compared to FCP. When AWD was implemented alone, total N and P loss masses via surface runoff were reduced by 23.3?~?30.4 % and 26.9?~?31.7 %, respectively, compared to FCP. However, nutrient concentrations of surface runoff did not decrease under AWD alone. Under AWD + SSNM, total N and P loss masses via surface runoff were reduced to a greater extent than AWD alone (39.4?~?47.6 % and 46.1?~?48.3 % compared to FCP, respectively), while fertilizer inputs and N surpluses significantly decreased and rice grain yields increased relative to FCP. Therefore, by more closely matching nutrient supply with crop demand and reducing both surface runoff and nutrient concentrations of surface runoff, our results demonstrate that integration of AWD and SSNM practices can mitigate N and P losses via surface runoff from rice fields while maintaining high yields.     

One way to reduce the NOX Emission of biodiesels: The increase of cetane number

Compared to conventional diesel fuels, biodiesels normally have lower smoke and particulate matter, while higher nitrogen oxides (NO_X) emissions. In our study, an attempt was made to reduce the NO_X emissions of biodiesels by increasing the cetane numbers (CNs). Three kinds of biodiesels with extremely high CNs (70.1, 76.9, 80.9, respectively) were developed. Their main physical and chemical properties were tested. With a two-cylinder direct injection diesel engine, their emission performances were experimentally investigated. The results indicate that, CN, freezing point, as well as viscosity of biodiesels are linearly increased with the increase of carbon number. The NO_X emission for biodiesels with high CNs is lower than that of conventional diesel fuels. High CN promotes smoke formation as well while lower smoke emissions are still obtained for biodiesels when certain oxygen contents are present. That is, the smoke/NO_X tradeoff is broken. Besides, as fuel CN is elevated, NO_X for biodiesels decreases but smoke and carbon monoxide emissions are increased.     

Novel Renewable Polyols Based on Limonene for Rigid Polyurethane Foams

Novel renewable polyols based on limonene were synthesized using thiol-ene “click” chemistry. These limonene based polyols were structurally characterized using wet methods (hydroxyl number, acid value and viscosity), gel permeation chromatography and spectroscopic methods. The results indicated that high yield of polyols from limonene based materials can be obtained using thiol-ene reaction. These limonene based polyols were used successfully for preparation of rigid polyurethane foams. These foams had regular shape cells and uniform cell size distribution. Thermal studies on these foams indicated that foams were thermally stable up to 250 °C. The glass transition temperature of the foams was higher than 200 °C. These rigid polyurethane foams had high compressive strength and the highest compressive strength of 195 kPa was observed. These foams have good physical–mechanical characteristics and could be suitable for all the applications of rigid polyurethane foams such as thermal insulation of freezers, storage tanks for the chemical and food industries, and packing materials for food industries.