Microbeads as carriers for : a biofertilizer focus on auxin production.

The study aimed to develop a solid biofertilizer using , focusing on auxin production to enhance plant drought tolerance. Methods involved immobilising in alginate-starch beads, focusing on microbial concentration, biopolymer types, and environmental conditions. The optimal formulation showed a diameter of 3.

Alternative processes to produce chitin, chitosan, and their oligomers.

Sustainable recovery of chitin and its derivatives from shellfish waste will be achieved when the industrial production of these polymers is achieved with a high control of their molecular structure, low costs, and acceptable levels of pollution. Therefore, the conventional chemical method for obtaining these biopolymers needs to be replaced or optimized. The goal of the present review is to ascertain what alternative methods are viable for the industrial-scale production of chitin, chitosan, and their oligomers.

Chitin and its derivatives: Functional biopolymers for developing bioproducts for sustainable agriculture-A reality?

Chitinous materials (chitin and its derivatives) are obtained from renewable sources, mainly shellfish waste, having a great potential for the development of bioproducts as alternatives to synthetic agrochemicals. Recent studies have provided evidence that the use of these biopolymers can help control postharvest diseases, increase the content of nutrients available to plants, and elicit positive metabolic changes that lead to higher plant resistance against pathogens. However, agrochemicals are still widely and intensively used in agriculture.

Understanding the Interaction of Lignosulfonates for the Separation of Molybdenite and Chalcopyrite in Seawater Flotation Processes.

The selective separation of molybdenite from copper sulfide concentrate in flotation process is realized using sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) to depress the chalcopyrite and permit only the flotation of the molybdenite. However, this reagent is a highly toxic and flammable gas. The objective of this research was to study the feasible application of commercial lignosulfonates (LSs) in the separation by froth flotation process of molybdenite and chalcopyrite in seawater to present a novel application for LSs, as well as an alternative reagent to sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS).

Effect of the Operational Conditions in the Characteristics of Ceramic Foams Obtained from Quartz and Sodium Silicate.

Ceramic foams were fabricated without using melting pots through the direct foaming of compacted powder mixtures of commercial quartz (SiO) with fluxing agents (NaCO and CaO) and a foaming agent (NaSiO·5HO) at a relatively low temperature range (850-870 °C). The effects of the pressing pressure of the powders, the foaming time, foaming temperature, and mixture content were evaluated. The obtained cellular solid materials presented an acceptable volumetric expansion at a pressing pressure of 4 t.