Potential for reduced water consumption in biorefining of lignocellulosic biomass to bioethanol and biogas.

Increasing ethanol demand and public concerns about environmental protection promote the production of lignocellulosic bioethanol. Compared to that of starch- and sugar-based bioethanol production, the production of lignocellulosic bioethanol is water-intensive. A large amount of water is consumed during pretreatment, detoxification, saccharification, and fermentation.

Effect of organic loading rate on thermophilic methane fermentation of stillage eluted from ethanol fermentation of waste paper and kitchen waste.

Thermophilic methane fermentation was a valid approach for handling the stillage eluted from ethanol fermentation of waste paper and kitchen waste. The wide organic loading rate (OLR) range (2-14 g VTS/(L d)) for stable performance and relatively high energy recovery efficiency (79.0%) were achieved, and OLR of 8 g VTS/(L d) was optimum for achievement of highest biogas evolution and VTS removal efficiency.

Production of ethanol from a mixture of waste paper and kitchen waste via a process of successive liquefaction, presaccharification, and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation.

Efficient ethanol production from waste paper requires the addition of expensive nutrients. To reduce the production cost of ethanol from waste paper, a study on how to produce ethanol efficiently by adding kitchen waste (potentially as a carbon source, nutrient source, and acidity regulator) to waste paper was performed and a process of successive liquefaction, presaccharification, and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (L+PSSF) was developed. The individual saccharification performances of waste paper and kitchen waste were not influenced by their mixture.

Tyramine and β-phenylethylamine, from fermented food products, as agonists for the human trace amine-associated receptor 1 (hTAAR1) in the stomach.

The aromatic amines tyramine and β-phenylethylamine are abundant in fermented foods. Recently, a family of human trace amine-associated receptors (hTAARs) was discovered that responds to these compounds. This study examined the expression of hTAAR genes in five human organs.

Efficient production of ethanol from waste paper and the biochemical methane potential of stillage eluted from ethanol fermentation.

Waste paper can serve as a feedstock for ethanol production due to being rich in cellulose and not requiring energy-intensive thermophysical pretreatment. In this study, an efficient process was developed to convert waste paper to ethanol. To accelerate enzymatic saccharification, pH of waste paper slurry was adjusted to 4.

Dynamics of the microbial community during continuous methane fermentation in continuously stirred tank reactors.

Methane fermentation is an attractive technology for the treatment of organic wastes and wastewaters. However, the process is difficult to control, and treatment rates and digestion efficiency require further optimization. Understanding the microbiology mechanisms of methane fermentation is of fundamental importance to improving this process.

Digestion performance and microbial community in full-scale methane fermentation of stillage from sweet potato-shochu production.

Sweet potato shochu is a traditional Japanese spirit produced mainly in the South Kyushu area in Japan. The amount of stillage reaches approximately 8 x 10(5) tons per year. Wastewater mainly containing stillage from the production of sweet potato-shochu was treated thermophilically in a full-scale treatment plant using fixed-bed reactors (8 reactors x 283 m3).

Production of bio-fuel ethanol from distilled grain waste eluted from Chinese spirit making process.

Distilled grain waste eluted from Chinese spirit making is rich in carbohydrates, and could potentially serve as feedstock for the production of bio-fuel ethanol. Our study evaluated two types of saccharification methods that convert distilled grain waste to monosaccharides: enzymatic saccharification and concentrated H2SO4 saccharification. Results showed that enzymatic saccharification performed unsatisfactorily because of inefficient removal of lignin during pretreatment.

Potent L-lactic acid assimilation of the fermentative and heterothallic haploid yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae NAM34-4C.

We screened an industrial thermotolerant Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain, KF7, as a potent lactic-acid-assimilating yeast. Heterothallic haploid strains KF7-5C and KF7-4B were obtained from the tetrads of the homothallic yeast strain KF7. The inefficient sporulation and poor spore viability of the haploid strains were improved by two strategies.

Efficient production of bioethanol from corn stover by pretreatment with a combination of sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide.

Corn stover is the most abundant agricultural residue in China and a valuable reservoir for bioethanol production. In this study, we proposed a process for producing bioethanol from corn stover; the pretreatment prior to presaccharification, followed by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) by using a flocculating Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain, was optimized. Pretreatment with acid-alkali combination (1% H2SO4, 150 °C, 10 min, followed by 1% NaOH, 80°C, 60 min) resulted in efficient lignin removal and excellent recovery of xylose and glucose.

Pretreatment followed by anaerobic digestion of secondary sludge for reduction of sewage sludge volume.

The influence of two pretreatment methods, thermal treatment and low-pressure wet oxidation, on the sludge digestion efficiency was examined. Batch thermophilic anaerobic digestion was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the pretreatment methods in terms of volatile suspended solids (VSS) digestion efficiency and gas production. The results showed that the gas production was not proportional to the VSS degradation efficiency of either thermal treatment or low-pressure wet oxidation.

Reduction in environmental impact of sulfuric acid hydrolysis of bamboo for production of fuel ethanol.

Fuel ethanol can be produced from bamboo by concentrated sulfuric acid hydrolysis followed by continuous ethanol fermentation. To reduce the environmental impact of this process, treatment of the stillage, reuse of the sulfuric acid and reduction of the process water used were studied. The total organic carbon (TOC) concentration of stillage decreased from 29,688 to 269 mg/l by thermophilic methane fermentation followed by aerobic treatment.

A secreted placental alkaline phosphatase-based reporter assay system for screening of compounds acting at an octopamine receptor stably expressed in a mammalian cell line.

Octopamine receptors are attractive insecticide targets. To screen compounds acting at octopamine receptors simply and rapidly, we constructed a chemiluminescent reporter gene assay system that detects secreted placental alkaline phosphatase transcriptionally regulated by the cAMP response element for a silkworm octopamine receptor. This system proved useful in high-throughput screening to develop octopamine receptor-specific insecticides.

Rac1 and Stathmin but Not EB1 Are Required for Invasion of Breast Cancer Cells in Response to IGF-I.

Cell migration is considered necessary for the invasion that accompanies the directional formation of the cellular protrusions termed lamellipodia. In invasive breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells, lamellipodia formation is preceded by translocation of the actin cytoskeletal regulatory protein WAVE2 to the leading edge. WAVE2 translocation and lamellipodia formation require many signaling molecules, including PI3K, Rac1, Pak1, IRSp53, stathmin, and EB1, but whether these molecules are necessary for invasion remains unclear.

Development of an efficient process for the treatment of residual sludge discharged from an anaerobic digester in a sewage treatment plant.

In order to reduce the discharge of residual sludge from an anaerobic digester, pre-treatment methods including low-pressure wet-oxidation, Fenton oxidation, alkali treatment, ozone oxidation, mechanical destruction and enzymatic treatment were evaluated and compared. VSS removal efficiencies of greater than 50% were achieved in cases of low-pressure wet-oxidation, Fenton oxidation and alkali treatment. Residual sludge from an anaerobic digester was pre-treated and subjected to thermophilic anaerobic digestion.

Enhanced thermotolerance for ethanol fermentation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain by overexpression of the gene coding for trehalose-6-phosphate synthase.

The effect of overexpression of the trehalose-6-phosphate (T6P) synthase gene (TPS1) on ethanol fermentation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been studied at 30 and 38°C. The activity of T6P synthase and the accumulation of trehalose during ethanol fermentation were significantly improved by overexpression of TPS1, and especially at 38°C. Ethanol produced by transformants with and without TPS1 gene overexpression at 38°C was approx.

Nonmuscle myosin IIA is required for lamellipodia formation through binding to WAVE2 and phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-triphosphate.

Investigation of the mechanism underlying cell membrane-targeted WAVE2 capture by phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-triphosphate (PIP(3)) through IRSp53 revealed an unidentified 250-kDa protein (p250) bound to PIP(3). We identified p250 as nonmuscle myosin IIA heavy chain (MYH9) by mass spectrometry and immunoblot analysis using anti-MYH9 antibody. After stimulation with insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), MYH9 colocalized with PIP(3) in lamellipodia at the leading edge of cells.

Synthesis of chitosan-caffeic acid derivatives and evaluation of their antioxidant activities.

In this study, the antioxidant activities of different molecular weights (M(w)) and grafting ratios of chitosan-caffeic acid derivatives were investigated. The grafting process was achieved using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDAC) as covalent connector under different conditions such as molecular-weight of chitosan, molar ratio of chitosan and caffeic acid, reaction temperature, pH, and reaction time. The half-inhibition concentrations (IC₅₀) of products were calculated by reduction of the 1,1-diphenyl picryl hydrazyl in the radical-scavenging assay and reduction of the Fe³+/ferricyanide complex to the ferrous form in reducing power assay.

Functional replacement of yeast flavocytochrome b(2) with bacterial L-lactate dehydrogenase.

Using yeast genetic complementation, we show here that Rhodobacter sphaeroidesl-lactate dehydrogenase can functionally replace flavocytochrome b(2) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, only when a matrix-targeting signal of flavocytochrome b(2) is fused with the bacterial enzyme. The recombinant l-lactate dehydrogenase may add alternative route of mitochondrial electron transport other than flavocytochrome b(2).

Continuous ethanol fermentation from non-sulfuric acid-washed molasses using traditional stirred tank reactors and the flocculating yeast strain KF-7.

Waste molasses is one of the most important feedstock for ethanol production in Brazil as well as in many Southeast Asian countries, including China. Sulfuric acid pretreatment is employed in most ethanol distilleries in China to control bacterial contamination, which results in difficulties in the treatment of wastewater containing high levels of sulfate ions. In this study, a high efficiency, non-sterilized, continuous ethanol fermentation process without sulfuric acid pretreatment was developed using the flocculating yeast strain KF-7 and the widely utilized, traditional, stirred tank reactors.

Production of fuel ethanol and methane from garbage by high-efficiency two-stage fermentation process.

A two-stage fermentation process, consisting of a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) stage and a dry methane fermentation stage, was developed to utilize garbage for the production of fuel ethanol and methane. Garbage from families, canteens and concessionaires was used for the study. Saccharification method was studied and the results indicated that the liquefaction pretreatment and the combination of cellulase and glucoamylase was effective for polysaccharide hydrolysis of family garbage with a high content of holocellulose and that SSF was suitable for ethanol fermentation of garbage.

BetaPIX and GIT1 regulate HGF-induced lamellipodia formation and WAVE2 transport.

Formation of lamellipodia is the first step during cell migration, and involves actin reassembly at the leading edge of migrating cells through the membrane transport of WAVE2. However, the factors that regulate WAVE2 transport to the cell periphery for initiating lamellipodia formation have not been elucidated. We report here that in human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells, the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) induced the association between the constitutive complex of betaPIX and GIT1 with WAVE2, which was concomitant with the induction of lamellipodia formation and WAVE2 transport.

Thermophilic anaerobic co-digestion of garbage, screened swine and dairy cattle manure.

Methane fermentation characteristics of garbage, swine manure (SM), dairy cattle manure (DCM) and mixtures of these wastes were studied. SM and DCM showed much lower volatile total solid (VTS) digestion efficiencies and methane yield than those of garbage. VTS digestion efficiency of SM was significantly increased when it was co-digested with garbage (Garbage: SM=1:1).

Immunostimulation-mediated antitumor activity by preconditioning with rice-shochu distillation residue against implanted tumor in mice.

We investigated the ability of rice-shochu postdistillation residue (RSDR) to stimulate the activity of macrophages. RSDR significantly stimulated mouse macrophage activity and induced significant IL-12 production in vitro. In syngeneic C38 solid tumor model in mice, a diet containing 1.

Effect of temperature on microbial community of a glucose-degrading methanogenic consortium under hyperthermophilic chemostat cultivation.

We continuously fed an anaerobic chemostat with synthetic wastewater containing glucose as the sole source of carbon and energy to study the effects of temperature on the microbial community under hyperthermophilic (65-80 degrees C) conditions. Methane was produced normally up to 77.5 degrees C at a dilution rate of 0.