Fungal biomass (FB), a by-product of the fermentation processes produced in large volumes, is a promising biomaterial that can be incorporated into poly(lactic acid) (PLA) to develop enhanced biocomposites that fully comply with the biobased circular economy concept. The PLA/FB composites, with the addition of triethyl citrate (TEC) as a biobased plasticizer, were fabricated by a microcompounder at 150 °C followed by injection molding. The effects of FB (10 and 20 wt %) and TEC (5, 10, and 15 wt %) contents on the mechanical, thermal and surface properties of the biocomposites were analyzed by several techniques. The PLA/FB/TEC composites showed a rough surface in their fracture section. A progressive decrease in tensile strength and Young's modulus was observed with increasing FB and TEC, while elongation at break and impact strength started to increase. The neat PLA and biocomposite containing 10% FB and 15% TEC exhibited the lowest (3.84%) and highest (224%) elongation at break, respectively. For all blends containing FB, the glass transition, crystallization and melting temperatures were shifted toward lower values compared to the neat PLA. The incorporation of FB to PLA thus offers the possibility to overcome one of the main drawbacks of PLA, which is brittleness.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/polym14091738 | DOI Listing |
BMC Plant Biol
January 2025
Department of Integrative Agriculture, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box 15551, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
This study investigated the effects of non-thermal atmospheric plasma (NTAP) treatment on the growth, chemical composition, and biological activity of geranium (Pelargonium graveolens L'Herit) leaves. NTAP was applied at a frequency of 13.56 MHz, exposure time of 15 s, discharge temperature of 25 °C, and power levels (T1 = 50, T2 = 80, and T3 = 120 W).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Environ Manage
January 2025
Changzhou Key Laboratory of Biomass Green, Safe and High Value Utilization Technology, Institute of Urban and Rural Mining, Changzhou University, No.21 Gehu Road, Wujin District, Changzhou, 213164, China; National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Biomass Refining and High-Quality Utilization, Changzhou University, No.21 Gehu Road, Wujin District, Changzhou, 213164, China. Electronic address:
Erythromycin is becoming one of the most common contaminants detected in surface water and wastewater, which poses a potential risk to ecological systems and human health. Until now, there is still no effective way to eliminate it. Herein, a novel and efficient erythromycin-degrading fungus Peniophora incarnata F1, capable of utilizing erythromycin as its sole source of carbon and energy, was isolated from contaminated sludge.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEcotoxicol Environ Saf
January 2025
Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien, Hoechstaedtplatz 6, Vienna 1200, Austria. Electronic address:
Lead (Pb), a toxic metal, causes severe health hazards to both humans and plants due to environmental pollution. Biochar addition has been efficiently utilized to enhance growth of plants as well as yield in the presence of Pb-induced stress. The present research introduces a novel use of biochar obtained from the weed Achyranthes japonica to enhance the growth of plants in Pb-contaminated soil.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrobiol Res
January 2025
Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China. Electronic address:
Extreme climatic events, such as drought, can significantly alter belowground microbial diversity and species interactions, leading to unknown consequences for ecosystem functioning. Here, we simulated a drought gradient by removing 30 %, 50 %, and 70 % of precipitation in a semi-arid grassland over five years. We assessed the effects of drought on bacterial and fungal diversity, as well as on their species interactions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci China Life Sci
January 2025
CAS Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China.
Many alpine ecosystems are undergoing vegetation degradation because of global changes, which are affecting ecosystem functioning and biodiversity. The ecological consequences of alpine pioneer community degradation have been less studied than glacial retreat or meadow degradation in alpine ecosystems. We document the comprehensive responses of microbial community characteristics to degradation processes using field-based sampling, conduct soil microcosm experiments to simulate the effects of global change on microorganisms, and explore their relationships to ecosystem functioning across stages of alpine pioneer community degradation.
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