Meso-Microporous Carbon Nanofibrous Aerogel Electrode Material with Fluorine-Treated Wood Biochar for High-Performance Supercapacitor.

A supercapacitor is an electrical energy storage system with high power output. With worldwide awareness of sustainable development, developing cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and high-performance supercapacitors is an important research direction. The use of sustainable components like wood biochar in the electrode materials for supercapacitor uses holds great promise for sustainable supercapacitor development.

A multifunctional cellulose- and starch-based composite hydrogel with iron-modified biochar particles for enhancing microalgae growth.

A multifunctional polysaccharide-based hydrogel was studied as an additive for enhancing microalgae growth. The hydrogel was fabricated by physically and chemically crosslinking renewable ingredients of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), arrowroot starch, and activated biochar modified with iron using a bio-crosslinker of oxidized sucrose and a plasticizer of glycerol. The optimum formula for the hydrogel with a high swelling ratio, BET surface area, and electrical conductivity was found to include 1 g starch, 3 g CMC, 1.

Hemp biochar impacts on selected biological soil health indicators across different soil types and moisture cycles.

Application of crop residues and biochar have been demonstrated to improve soil biological and chemical properties in agroecosystems. However, the integrated effect of organic amendments and hydrological cycles on soil health indicators are not well understood. In this study, we quantified the impact of hemp residue (HR), hemp biochar (HB), and hardwood biochar (HA) on five hydrolytic enzymes, soil microbial phospholipid (PLFA) community structure, pH, permanganate oxidizable carbon (POXC) soil organic carbon (SOC), and total nitrogen (TN).

Production and modification of hydrochar from anaerobically digested cattail for adsorbing ammonium and phosphorous in wastewater.

Water contamination by nitrogen and phosphorus ions has a direct consequence of eutrophication to the ecosystem. The objective of this study is to investigate the production of hydrochars by acetic acid or sodium hydroxide assisted hydrothermal carbonization (HTC), various activation methods, and the potential of hydrochar as an adsorbent to remove NH-N and PO-P from wastewater. The results showed that acetic acid or sodium hydroxide assisted HTC and activation with magnesium chloride or air could improve the surface properties of hydrochar.

Thermophilic anaerobic digestion of cattail and hydrothermal carbonization of the digestate for co-production of biomethane and hydrochar.

Thermophilic anaerobic digestion (AD) of cattail followed by hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) was studied. The intent of the research was to develop agricultural waste-based biorefining technologies for bioenergy production along with value-added products. Cattail was anaerobically digested at 55 °C for 14 days and protein and cellulose components were partially degraded.

Two-stage thermophilic anaerobic co-digestion of corn stover and cattle manure to enhance biomethane production.

Two-stage thermophilic anaerobic co-digestion of cattle manure and corn stover was conducted to increase biomethane production. The first stage pre-digestion of corn stover was studied based on the following treatment variables: corn stover to liquid fraction of digestate (CS:LFD) ratio (1:7, 1:10, 1:13, 1:14), digestion temperature (55 °C, 60 °C) and digestion time (3, 7, 14 days). The reduction in lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose (LCH) was between 3.

Aerobic treatment of swine manure to enhance anaerobic digestion and microalgal cultivation.

Aerobic treatment of swine manure was coupled with anaerobic digestion and microalgal cultivation. A 14-day aerobic treatment reduced the total solid content of swine manure by >15%. Ammonia and carbon dioxide were stripped by the air supplied, and this off-gas was further used to aerate the culture of Chlorella vulgaris.

Thermogravimetric and calorimetric characteristics during co-pyrolysis of municipal solid waste components.

The thermogravimetric and calorimetric characteristics during pyrolysis of wood, paper, textile and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic in municipal solid wastes (MSW), and co-pyrolysis of biomass-derived and plastic components with and without torrefaction were investigated. The active pyrolysis of the PET plastic occurred at a much higher temperature range between 360°C and 480°C than 220-380°C for the biomass derived components. The plastic pyrolyzed at a heating rate of 10°C/min had the highest maximum weight loss rate of 18.

Uses of miscanthus press juice within a green biorefinery platform.

This study assesses some uses of nutrient-rich juice mechanically extracted from freshly harvested Miscanthus x giganteus (MxG) as part of a green biorefinery system. The juice was used for culturing Saccharomyces cerevisiae and lactic acid bacteria. MxG juice was further used as substrate for fermentation to produce lactic acid using Lactobacillus brevis and Lactobacillus plantarum.

Effects of fertilizer application and dry/wet processing of Miscanthus x giganteus on bioethanol production.

The effects of wet and dry processing of miscanthus on bioethanol production using simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) process were investigated, with wet samples showing higher ethanol yields than dry samples. Miscanthus grown with no fertilizer, with fertilizer and with swine manure were sampled for analysis. Wet-fractionation was used to separate miscanthus into solid and liquid fractions.

Green biorefinery of fresh cattail for microalgal culture and ethanol production.

Green biorefinery represents an appropriate approach to utilize the fresh aquatic biomass, eliminating the drying process of conventional bioenergy-converting system. In this study, fresh cattails were homogenized and then filtered, whereby cattails were separated into a fiber-rich cake and a nutrient-rich juice. The juice was used to cultivate microalgae Chlorella spp.

Optimization of cultural conditions for conversion of glycerol to ethanol by Enterobacter aerogenes S012.

The aim of this research is to optimize the cultural conditions for the conversion of glycerol to ethanol by Enterobacter aerogenes S012. Taguchi method was used to screen the cultural conditions based on their signal to noise ratio (SN). Temperature (°C), agitation speed (rpm) and time (h) were found to have the highest influence on both glycerol utilization and ethanol production by the organism while pH had the lowest.

Co-liquefaction of swine manure and crude glycerol to bio-oil: model compound studies and reaction pathways.

The reaction pathways of co-liquefaction of swine manure and crude glycerol to bio-oil (ester compounds) were investigated. Swine manure was hydrothermal treated (340 °C, 27.5 MPa, 15 min) with a number of model compounds in a high pressure batch reactor under inert atmosphere.

Dilute-sulfuric acid pretreatment of cattails for cellulose conversion.

The use of aquatic plant cattails to produce biofuel will add value to land and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by replacing petroleum products. Dilute-sulfuric acid pretreatment of cattails was studied using a Dionex accelerated solvent extractor (ASE) varying acid concentration (0.1-1%), treatment temperature (140-180 °C), and residence time (5-10 min).

Hot-water pretreatment of cattails for extraction of cellulose.

To date in the US, production of renewable fuels, particularly ethanol, is primarily from food crops that are high in sugar and starch. The use of arable land for fuel rather than food production and the use of a food source for fuel rather than food have created issues in pricing and availability of traditional foods and feed. The use of cattails to produce biofuel will add value to land and also reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by replacing petroleum products.

Swine manure/crude glycerol co-liquefaction: physical properties and chemical analysis of bio-oil product.

The aim of this work was to investigate the principal structural and physico-chemical changes of bio-oils associated with liquefaction of swine manure with crude glycerol and its key fraction, free fatty acids. Bio-oils have been obtained from liquefaction processes at 340 °C. They were subjected to various physico-chemical characterization methods.

Enhancement of alpha- and beta-galactosidase activity in Lactobacillus reuteri by different metal ions.

The hydrolysis of oligosaccharides and lactose is of great importance to the food industry. Normally, oligosaccharides like raffinose, stachyose, and verbascose which are rich in different plants like soy bean are considered indigestible by the human gut. Moreover, many humans suffer from lactose intolerance due to the absence of effective enzyme that can digest lactose.

Semicontinuous production of lactic acid from cheese whey using integrated membrane reactor.

Semicontinuous production of lactic acid from cheese whey using free cells of Bifidobacterium longum with and without nanofiltration was studied. For the semicontinuous fermentation without membrane separation, the lactic acid productivity of the second and third runs is much lower than the first run. The semicontinuous fermentation with nanoseparation was run semicontinuously for 72 h with lactic acid to be harvested every 24 h using a nanofiltration membrane unit.

Succinic acid production from cheese whey using Actinobacillus succinogenes 130 Z.

Actinobacillus succinogenes 130 Z was used to produce succinic acid from cheese whey in this study. At the presence of external CO(2) supply, the effects of initial cheese whey concentration, pH, and inoculum size on the succinic acid production were studied. The by-product formation during the fermentation process was also analyzed.

Separate and concentrate lactic acid using combination of nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes.

The processes of lactic acid production include two key stages, which are (a) fermentation and (b) product recovery. In this study, free cell of Bifidobacterium longum was used to produce lactic acid from cheese whey. The produced lactic acid was then separated and purified from the fermentation broth using combination of nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes.

Lactic acid recovery from cheese whey fermentation broth using combined ultrafiltration and nanofiltration membranes.

The separation of lactic acid from lactose in the ultrafiltration permeate of cheese whey broth was studied using a cross-flow nanofiltration membrane unit. Experiments to test lactic acid recovery were conducted at three levels of pressure (1.4, 2.

Availability of crop residues as sustainable feedstock for bioethanol production in North Carolina.

The amount of corn stover and wheat straw that can be sustainably collected in North Carolina was estimated to be 0.64 and 0.16 million dry t/yr, respectively.

Application of sequential aqueous steam treatments to the fractionation of softwood.

The FIRST (Feedstock Impregnation and Rapid Steam Treatment) approach was used in this study to isolate extractives, hemicellulose, lignin, fibers, and cellulosic fines of softwood. With hydrolysis and fermentation of the hemicellulose and cellulosic fines fractions, this approach produces four co-products: extractives, cellulose, lignin, and ethanol. The first unit operation uses aqueous/alcohol to remove and recover the extractive rich fraction.

Lactic acid production from cheese whey by immobilized bacteria.

The performance of immobilized Bifidobacterium longum in sodium alginate beads and on a spiral-sheet bioreactor for the production of lactic acid from cheese whey was evaluated. Lactose utilization and lactic acid yield of B. longum were compared with those of Lactobacillus helveticus.