Kinetic Study of Biopolymer (PHB) Synthesis in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Alcaligenes</Emphasis> sp. in Submerged Fermentation Process Using TEM

Poly-β-hydroxybuyrate (PHB) is a carbon—energy storage material which is accumulated as intracellular granule in variety of microorganism under nutrient starved conditions. Solid PHB is a biodegradable thermoplastic polymer and is utilizable in various ways similar to many conventional plastics. Ralstonia eutropha (Alcaligenes sp.), a gram negative bacteria accumulates PHB as insoluble granules inside the cells when nutrients other than carbon are limited. In this report effort has been made to analyze PHB granule synthesis inside Alcaligenes sp. NCIM 5085 by transmission electron microscopy and qualitative estimation of PHB was carried out by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy which provide better precision compared to other conventional techniques previously applied for PHB determination. Maximum PHB concentration of 2.20 ± 0.40 g/L and cell biomass of 3.42 ± 0.20 g/L was obtained after 48.0 h of fermentation. Leudking-Piret equation deduced mixed growth associated product formation which varies from earlier reports.     

Effect of Ionizing Radiation on the Morphological,Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Polyvinyl Alcohol/Polyethylene Glycol Blends

Blends of water—soluble polymers based on Poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) and Polyethylene glycol (PEG) have been prepared by the solution casting technique. The effect of various doses of γ-radiation on the structural properties of PVA/PEG polymer blends with all its compositions has been investigated. From the visual observation of all the blend compositions, it was found that, the best compatibility of the blend is up to 40% PVA/60%PEG. The structure–Property behavior of all the prepared blends before and after γ-irradiation was investigated by IR Spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), mechanical properties and Scanning electron microscope (SEM). The gel content and the swelling behavior of the PVA/PEG blends were investigated. It was found that the gel content increases with increasing irradiation dose and PVA concentration in the blend. Swelling percent increased as the composition of PEG increased in the blend. The results obtained by FTIR analysis and SEM confirm the existence of possible interaction between PVA and PEG homopolymers. TGA of PVA/PEG blend, before and after γ-irradiation, showed that the unirradiated and irradiated PVA/PEG blends are more stable against thermal decomposition than pure PVA. Improvement in tensile mechanical properties of PVA/PEG blends was occurred.     

Archaeal Poly (3-hydroxybutyrate) Polymer Production from Glycerol: Optimization by Taguchi Methodology

In this study the possibility of poly (3-hydroxybutyrate) production from glycerol was investigated and optimized by Halorcula sp. IRU1, a novel archaea isolated from Urmia lake, Iran in batch experiments. Using Taguchi methodology, three important independent parameters (glycerol, yeast extract and KH₂PO₄) were evaluated for their individual and interactive effects on poly (3-hydroxybutyrate) production. It was shown that the glycerol concentration was the most significant factor affecting the yield of poly (3-hydroxybutyrate). The optimum factor levels were a glycerol concentration of 8% (v/v), yeast extract 0.8% (w/v) and KH₂PO₄ 0.002% (w/v). The predicted value obtained for poly (3-hydroxybutyrate) production under these conditions was about 81.87%. We can conclude that Haloarcula sp. IRU1 has a high potential for synthesis of poly (3-hydroxybutyrate) from glycerol.     

Preformed Amide-containing biopolymer for Improving the Environmental Performance of Synthesized Urea–formaldehyde in Agro-fiber Composites

Investigations have continued for production high performance agro-based composites using environmentally acceptable approaches. This study examines the role of adding amide-containing biopolymers during synthesis of urea–formaldehyde (UF) on properties of adhesive produced, especially its adhesion potential. The environmental performance of UF-resin synthesized in the presence of modified amide-containing biopolymer was evaluated by evaluating the free-HCHO of both adhesive (during processing) and of the eventual engineered composite product. Also, the benefits of this synthesis-modified adhesive in enhancing the bondability of sugar-cane fibers used in engineered composite panels was evaluated and compared to using UF-resin. The results obtained show that, static bending of the produced composites varied from 27.7 to 33.13 N/mm² of modulus of rupture (MOR) and from 2860 to 3374 N/mm² of Modulus of Elasticity (MOE); while for internal bond (IB) it’s varied from 0.64 to 0.866 N/mm². Based on the ANSI and EN Standards modified UF-based agro composites produced meet the performance requirements for high grade particleboards with respect to static bending strength. These agro-based composite also tested out as having free-HCHO values of ~13 mg/100 g board.     

Effects of Filler Content and Compatibilizing Agents on Mechanical Behavior of the Particle-Reinforced Composites

The study was carried out to investigate the effects of filler content and two different compatibilizing agents (Eastman G-3003 and G-3216) on the mechanical properties of polypropylene reinforced with corn stalk and wood flour. In the sample preparation, three levels of filler loading (30, 40 and 50 wt%) and one level of compatibilizing agent content (2.5 wt%) were used. For overall trend, with addition of both grades of the compatibilizing agents, tensile and flexural properties of the composites significantly improved, as compared with the pure PP. Tensile and flexural properties reach a maximum at 40 wt% filler content and gradually decrease with a further increase in wood particle content. The composites treated with G-3003 gave better results in comparison with G-3216. This could be caused by the high melt viscosity of G-3003. In general, corn stalk flour filled composites showed superior mechanical properties.     

Effects of Preparation Parameters on Properties of Soy Protein-Based Fiberboard

The effects of manufacturing parameters on mechanical properties of medium density fibreboard (MDF) bonded with modified soy protein-based glue were studied to find an appropriate manufacture technology. Physical properties of MDF made with different amount of wax emulsion were measured. Results indicated that water repellent had no obvious influence on physical properties of soy protein-based MDF boards. The fiberboards bonded with soy protein-based glue showed stronger water resistance properties than those bonded with urea–formaldehyde (UF) resins. Furthermore, the soy protein-based MDF boards had good quality [25.2% 24 h soak thickness swell (TS), 29.9 MPa modulus of rupture (MOR), 3130 MPa modulus of elasticity (MOE)], which met requirements of Chinese national standard. Practical processing parameters were obtained by orthogonal experiment, i.e., glue content 8.0%, hot-press temperature 200 °C, and hot-press time 150 s.     

Preparation and Properties of Starch/Nanosilicate Layer/Polycaprolactone Composites

Starch nanocomposites have been prepared using mineral clay. Montmorillonite, kaolin and a surface-modified montmorillonite by dimethyl (hydrogenated tallow alkyl) ammonium cation were used. Starch-g-PCL nanocomposites have been prepared with graft polymerization through in situ ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone in the presence of starch, Sn(Oct)₂ (Tin(II) 2-ethyl hexanoate) as an initiator/catalyst and silicate layers. In fact, the related composites were prepared in solution method, bulk polymerization and in situ polymerization methods with introducing the mineral clay. The effect of kind of clay on d-spacing of silicate layers was investigated and the obtained nanocomposites were analyzed using X-ray diffraction. The obtained compounds were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR). Morphology of the prepared nanocomposites was investigated using scanning electron microscopy and DSC enhanced the study of thermal behaviour of the prepared composite compounds.     

The impact of government subsidy and tax policy on the competitive decision-making of remanufacturing supply chains

In this paper, we consider a two-period competition model of a remanufacturing supply chain consisting of three members: a new product manufacturer, a recycler and a remanufacturer. The manufacturer supplies new products in the first period and the remanufacturer participates in the competition in the second period. We consider three scenarios in the second period: (1) there is no government subsidy in the competition; (2) there is only government subsidy in the competition; (3) there are both government subsidy and tax in the competition. First, we give the optimal decision-making of the manufacturer, the remanufacturer and the government in the three scenarios; second, we analyse changes in the decision-making of the manufacturer and remanufacturer in the three scenarios and compare their results. We analyse the effects of government subsidy and tax and their asymmetric use on manufacturers’ and remanufacturers’ decision-making variables and competitive performance. We also take consumer awareness of environmental protection into account and examine its impact on subjects’ decisions. Lastly, we operate a numerical example to show the results.     

Dechlorination and conversion mechanism of trichlorobenzene as a model compound of chlorine-containing wastes by different base-catalyzed combinations

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Chlorine-containing organic waste (COWs) is a big threat for the waste incineration because of the dioxin generation and equipment corrosion....     

Mg3MnxAl1-xCO3类水滑石衍生NSR催化剂的制备及其性能评价

采用共沉淀法合成了三元类水滑石Mg_3Mn_xAl_(1-x)CO_3,通过高温煅烧得到其衍生氧化物Mg_3Mn_xAl_(1-x)O_m,再经浸渍负载Pt或BaO后制得新型NO_x存储/再还原(NSR)催化剂。XRD及SEM表征结果显示,当Mn与Al的摩尔比(Mn/Al)大于1时所制备的Mg_3Mn_xAl_(1-x)O_m有杂晶相出现且发生团聚,结合NO_x存储性能评价结果,确定最优Mn/Al为1。BaO负载不利于NO_x的存储,而当Pt负载量为1%(w)时NO_x存储性能最优,250℃条件下的存储量由负载前的0.52 mmol/g提升至0.61 mmol/g。CO_2与NO_x之间存在较强的竞争吸附。负载1%Pt催化剂的NSR性能评价结果表明,8个稀燃-富燃循环后NO_x的去除率为68%,表明催化剂的还原性能仍需加强。