Mechanical and Barrier Properties of Biodegradable Films Made from Chitosan and Poly (Lactic Acid) Blends

Biodegradable film blends of chitosan with poly(lactic acid) (PLA) were prepared by solution mixing and film casting. The main goal of these blends is to improve the water vapor barrier of chitosan by blending it with a hydrophobic biodegradable polymer from renewable resources. Mechanical properties of obtained films were assessed by tensile test. Thermal properties, water barrier properties, and water sensitivity were studied by differential scanning calorimeter analysis, water vapor permeability measurements, and surface-angle contact tests, respectively. The incorporation of PLA to chitosan improved the water barrier properties and decreased the water sensitivity of chitosan film. However, the tensile strength and elastic modulus of chitosan decreased with the addition of PLA. Mechanical and thermal properties revealed that chitosan and PLA blends are incompatible, consistent with the results of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis that showed the absence of specific interaction between chitosan and PLA.     

Abating whey organic load through ethanol and lactic acid production by kefir

Abstract

The extent to which selected ethanol and lactic acid production bioprocesses contribute to whey waste abatement was examined. Alcoholic fermentation of whey was carried out by kefir cells immobilized on grape stalks, delignified cellulosic materials, or brewer's spent grains. Lactic acid fermentation was also performed by free kefir cells with or without addition of brewer's spent grains as promoting material. Since whey fermentation rate is affected by the lactose uptake rate, ¹⁴C-labeled lactose was used to study the fermentation ability of kefir. The highest reductions in biochemical oxygen demand and chemical oxygen demand of whey, about 68% and 52%, respectively, were achieved by lactic acid fermentation in 6 h at 37 °C and pH 5.5, in the presence of 120 g brewer's spent grains. Additionally, at the same conditions, the highest ¹⁴C-labeled lactose uptake rate by kefir and consequently the highest alcoholic fermentation rate were also recorded. However, greater reductions in biochemical oxygen demand and chemical oxygen demand of whey are required prior to final disposal.     

废水中GaAs、Ga3+、Ge4+对活性污泥脱氢酶的影响及其抑制动力学

以活性污泥脱氢酶的活性作为毒性指标,研究了半导体材料GaAs、Ga³⁺、Ge⁴⁺对活性污泥活性的抑制影响,并用Hg²⁺作为参比材料;同时对抑制动力学也作了初步研究。实验表明,GaAs、Ga³⁺、Ge⁴⁺及Hg²⁺的10％抑制浓度分别为45.00,371.63,0.13ppm/gMLSS,GaAs、Ga³⁺、Ge⁴⁺和Hg²     

镉铅对小麦醇脱氢酶(ADH)基因表达影响的初步研究

经过镉，铅４５ｈ污染处理，运用Ｎｏｒｔｈｅｉｎ斑点杂分析和酶活性测定的方法探测萌发期小麦ＡＤＨ酶基因的表达情况。实验结果表明，ＡＤＨ基因表达在ＲＮＡ和酶活性两个层次均有变化，并且呈现相似的变化趋势，反映得金属的影响是来源于基因转录水平。     

厌氧发酵产沼气过程中脱氢酶活性检测工艺及其优化

为了优化脱氢酶活性这一指标在厌氧发酵产沼气系统中的检测方法,分别以小麦秸秆、羊粪及其混合原料(质量比1∶1)为发酵底物,通过Box-Behnken试验及响应面分析法确定并优化了沼气发酵系统中碘硝基四唑紫法脱氢酶活性的检测工艺,并对脱氢酶活性与甲烷产量进行了相关性分析.结果表明,3种底物均以乙醇作为萃取剂,以甲醛作为终止剂时显色效果最好.分别以秸秆、粪便及其混合为发酵底物时,脱氢酶检测在pH值分别为6.5、7.2、7.7,反应温度均在37℃下,碘硝基四唑紫质量分数均为0.15%,反应时间均为50 min时比色效果最好.相关性分析显示,厌氧发酵产沼气系统中脱氢酶活性与甲烷产量相关性显著.     

一株高效降解废水有机质耐冷菌的筛选、鉴定及特性研究

利用生物法进行污水处理已被国内外广泛使用,但由于温度影响微生物的生长和繁殖,使其成为生物污水处理效率的限制因子.本研究从污水处理厂活性污泥中分离出5株在低温4℃条件下生长良好的菌株,其中菌株DW1在4℃条件下,96 h时可将初始COD为800 mg·L-1的生活污水有机物去除率高达67.7%.结合菌落形态特征、生理生化特性以及16S r DNA序列分析,将菌株DW1初步鉴定为假单胞菌(Pseudomonas sp.).菌株DW1对COD负荷较高的污水处理效果较好;接种量为3%(体积分数)、p H为7.0时,菌株对污水COD去除率和DHA活性较高.在4℃和25℃条件下,菌株DW1均在96 h对污水COD去除率和DHA活性最高,分别为71.2%、11.35μg·m L·h-1(以TF计)和78.8%、15.11μg·m L-1·h-1(以TF计).     

一种提取氧化葡萄糖酸杆菌山梨糖脱氢酶的简单方法

利用表面活性剂TritonX-100建立一种提取和测定氧化葡萄糖酸杆菌（Gluconobacter oxydans)L-山梨糖脱氢酶（L-sorbose dehydrogenaseSDH)活性的简便方法，最适提取条件为：TritonX-100浓度ψ（Triton)/%=0.3。提取温度θ=4℃，处理时间t/h=6-10h；用于提取的菌悬液D550nm范围0.090-0.252。该方法提取效率为细胞碎片法的97.83%。图2表2参7     

Thermal and mechanical properties of poly(lactic Acid) and poly(ethylene/butylene Succinate) blends

In this study, blends of poly (lactic acid) (PLA) with poly(ethylene/butylene succinate) (Bionolle) have been investigated for their thermal and mechanical properties as a function of the concentration of Bionolle. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and tensile tests were used to characterize the blends. From the results of the DMA and DSC, it was found that this blend system was not miscible within the compositions studied. DSC results showed that adding Bionolle aids in crystallization of PLA. It was observed that increasing the Bionolle concentration led to a slight increase in the strain-at-break of the blends but a decrease in the Young’s modulus and ultimate tensile strength. Biaxially oriented films showed an increase in tensile strength, modulus, and strain-at-break.     

The Effect of Masterbatch Addition on the Mechanical, Thermal, Optical and Surface Properties of Poly(lactic acid)

There has been considerable interest in the use of the biodegradable polymer poly(lactic acid) (PLA) as a replacement for petroleum derived polymers due to ease of processability and its high mechanical strength. Other material properties have however limited its wider application. These include its brittle properties, low impact strength and yellow tint. In an attempt to overcome these drawbacks, PLA was blended with four commercially available additives, commonly known as masterbatches. The effect of the addition of 1.5 wt% of the four masterbatches on the mechanical, thermal, optical and surface properties of the polymer was evaluated. All four masterbatches had a slight negative effect on the tensile strength of PLA (3–5% reduction). There was a four fold increase in impact resistance however with the addition of one of the masterbatches. Differential scanning calorimetry demonstrated that this increase corresponded to a decrease in the polymer crystallinity. However there was an associated increase in polymer haze with the addition of this masterbatch. The clarity of PLA was improved through the addition of an optical brightener masterbatch, but the impact resistance remained low. The glass transition and melting temperatures of PLA were not affected by the addition of the masterbatches, and no change was observed in surface energy. Some delay in PLA degradation, in a PBS degradation medium at 50 °C, was observed due to blending with these masterbatches.     

Effects of Starch Moisture on Properties of Wheat Starch/Poly(Lactic Acid) Blend Containing Methylenediphenyl Diisocyanate

Methylenediphenyl diisocyanate was found to improve the interfacial interaction between poly(lactic acid)(PLA) and granular starch. The objective of this research was to study the effect of starch moisture content on the interfacial interaction of an equal-weight blend of wheat starch and PLA containing 0.5% methylenediphenyl diisocyanate by weight. Starch moisture (10% to 20%) had a negative effect on the interfacial binding between starch and PLA. The tensile strength and elongation of the blend both decreased as starch moisture content increased. At 20% moisture level, the starch granules embedded in the PLA matrix were observed to be swollen, resulting in poor strength properties and high water absorption by the blend.