Potential Application of Alkaline Pectinase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus subtilis</Emphasis> SS in Pulp and Paper Industry

Pectinase production from Bacillus subtilis SS was optimized under solid-state fermentation (5,943 U/g of dry bacterial bran). The pectinase produced was stable in neutral to alkaline pH range at 70 degrees C; therefore, the suitability of this pectinase in pulp and paper industry was investigated. The enzyme pretreatment process was optimized, and a pectinase dose of 5 IU/g of oven-dried pulp (10% consistency) at pH 9.5 temperature 70 degrees C after 150 min of treatment gave the best pretreatment to the pulp. An increase of 4.3% in brightness along with an increase of 14.8 and 65.3% in whiteness and fluorescence, respectively, whereas a 15% decrease in the yellowness of the pretreated pulp were observed. There was a 5.85% reduction in kappa number and 6.1% reduction in permanganate number along with a reduction in the chemical oxygen demand value. Significant characteristics showed by pectinase open new possibilities of application of this cellulase-free enzyme in the pulp and paper industry by reducing the negative environmental impact of chemicals apart from improving the properties of paper.     

A Highly Thermostable Alkaline Cellulase-Free Xylanase from Thermoalkalophilic <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus</Emphasis> sp. JB 99 Suitable for Paper and Pulp Industry: Purification and Characterization

A highly thermostable alkaline xylanase was purified to homogeneity from culture supernatant of Bacillus sp. JB 99 using DEAE-Sepharose and Sephadex G-100 gel filtration with 25.7-fold increase in activity and 43.5% recovery. The molecular weight of the purified xylanase was found to be 20 kDA by SDS-PAGE and zymogram analysis. The enzyme was optimally active at 70 °C, pH 8.0 and stable over pH range of 6.0–10.0.The relative activity at 9.0 and 10.0 were 90% and 85% of that of pH 8.0, respectively. The enzyme showed high thermal stability at 60 °C with 95% of its activity after 5 h. The K _m and V _max of enzyme for oat spelt xylan were 4.8 mg/ml and 218.6 μM min⁻¹ mg⁻¹, respectively. Analysis of N-terminal amino acid sequence revealed that the xylanase belongs to glycosyl hydrolase family 11 from thermoalkalophilic Bacillus sp. with basic pI. Substrate specificity showed a high activity on xylan-containing substrate and cellulase-free nature. The hydrolyzed product pattern of oat spelt xylan on thin-layer chromatography suggested xylanase as an endoxylanase. Due to these properties, xylanase from Bacillus sp. JB 99 was found to be highly compatible for paper and pulp industry.     

Production of a Bioemulsifier with Potential Application in the Food Industry

Biosurfactants are of considerable interest due to their biodegradability, low degree of toxicity, and diverse applications. However, the high production costs involved in the acquisition of biosurfactants underscore the need for optimization of the production process to enable viable application on an industrial scale. The aims of the present study were to select a species of Candida that produces a biosurfactant with the greatest emulsifying potential and to investigate the influence of components of the production medium and cultivation conditions. Candida utilis achieved the lowest surface tension (35.53 mN/m), best emulsification index (73 %), and highest yield (12.52 g/l) in a medium containing waste canola frying oil as the carbon source and ammonium nitrate as the nitrogen source. The best combination of medium components and cultivation conditions was 6 % (w/v) glucose, 6 % (w/v) waste canola frying oil, 0.2 % (w/v) ammonium nitrate, 0.3 % (w/v) yeast extract, 150 rpm, 1 % inoculum (w/v), and 88 h of fermentation. The greatest biosurfactant production and the lowest surface tension were achieved in the first 24 h of production, and the maximum biomass production was recorded at 72 h. The biosurfactant produced from C. utilis under the conditions investigated in the present study has a potential to be a bioemulsifier for application in the food industry.     

Microcalorimetric Studies on Gene Promoter Function of Cloned DNA Fragements from Halobacterium halobium J7 Plasmid pHH205 in Escherichia coli TG1

Halobacterium halobium is a typical kind of extremely halophilic bacterium. Combined with the antibiotic resistance assay, the microcalorimetric method was used to study the promoter function of the cloned DNA fragments from Halobacterium halobium J7 plasmid pHH205 in Escherichia coli TG1. The promoter probe vector, plasmid pKK232-8, was used to form the recombinants. The DNA fragment, which is the promoter for the chloramphenicol acetyl transferase （CAT） gene in plasmid pKK232-8, is about 800 bp, and the chloramphenicol resistance level presented by IC50 is about 200 μg·mL^-1, which suggests a high promoter activity. The conclusions show that there probably exist double-function or trinary-function gene promoters in Halobacterium halobium, and Archaea may contain rich genetic resources.     

Metabolomics Analyses of Cotyledon and Plumule Showing the Potential Domestic Selection in Lotus Breeding

Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) seeds are widely consumed as functional food or herbal medicine, of which cotyledon (CL) is the main edible part, and lotus plumule (LP) is commonly utilized in traditional Chinese medicine. However, few studies have been conducted to investigate the chemical components of CL and LP in dry lotus seeds, not to mention the comparison between wild and domesticated varieties. In this study, a widely targeted metabolomics approach based on Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography-electrospray ionization-Tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS/MS) was utilized to analyze the metabolites in CL and LP of China Antique (“CA”, a wild variety) and Jianxuan-17 (“JX”, a popular cultivar). A total of 402 metabolites were identified, which included flavonoids (23.08% to 27.84%), amino acids and derivatives (14.18–16.57%), phenolic acids (11.49–12.63%), and lipids (9.14–10.95%). These metabolites were classified into ten clusters based on their organ or cultivar-specific characters. Most of these metabolites were more abundant in LP than in CL for both varieties, except for metabolites belonging to organic acids and lipids. The analysis of differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) demonstrated that more than 25% of metabolites detected in our study were DAMs in CL and LP comparing “JX” with “CA”, most of which were less abundant in “JX”, including 35 flavonoids in LP, 23 amino acids and derivatives in CL, 7 alkaloids in CL, and 10 nucleotides and derivatives in LP, whereas all of 11 differentially accumulated lipids in LP were more abundant in “JX”. Together with the fact that the seed yield of “JX” is much higher than that of “CA”, these results indicated that abundant metabolites, especially the functional secondary metabolites (mainly flavonoids and alkaloids), were lost during the process of breeding selection.     

Production of Crude Cellulase and Xylanase From Trichoderma harzianum PPDDN10 NFCCI-2925 and Its Application in Photocopier Waste Paper Recycling

This paper implies production of cellulase and xylanase enzyme using a potent strain of Trichoderma harzianum for the efficient deinking of photocopier waste papers. Different nutritional and environmental factors were optimized for higher production of cellulase along with xylanase. After fermentation, maximum enzyme extraction was achieved from fermented matter using a three-step extraction process with increased efficiency by 26.6–29.3 % over single-step extraction. Static solid state was found as the best fermentation type using wheat bran (WB) as carbon source and ammonium ferrous sulfate (0.02 M) as nitrogen source. Subsequently, inoculum size (8?×?10⁶ CFU/gds), incubation days (4 days), temperature (34 °C), initial pH (6.0), and moisture ratio (1:3) significantly affected the enzyme production. Cellulase and xylanase activities were found to be maximum at pH 5.5 and temperature 55–60 °C with good stability (even up to 6 h). Furthermore, this crude enzyme was evaluated for the deinking of photocopier waste papers without affecting the strength properties with improved drainage as an additional advantage. The crude enzyme-deinked pulp showed 23.6 % higher deinking efficiency and 3.2 % higher brightness than chemically deinked pulp. Strength properties like tensile, burst indices, and folding endurance were also observed to improve by 6.7, 13.4, and 10.3 %, respectively, for enzyme-deinked pulp. However, the tear index was decreased by 10.5 %. The freeness of the pulp was also increased by 21.6 % with reduced drainage time by 13.9 %.     

利用多克隆抗体有效识别中草药中抗表皮生长因子抑制剂

用一种已知的抗表皮生长因子受体抑制剂 (piceatannol) 作为半抗原与载体牛血清白蛋白 (BSA) 连接后免疫制备相应的多克隆抗体 (PcAb).利用该多克隆抗体来模拟酶制成亲和色谱柱，从一种藏药粗提物中将包括该半抗原在内的几种结构不同的抗表皮生长因子受体抑制剂识别出来.研究采用前沿亲和色谱-质谱联用技术对样品进行分析，可以直接从中药复杂体系中识别出有效成分并进行鉴定，实现中药有效成分的筛选与鉴定一体化技术.     

A Surfactant-stable Bacillus pumilus K9 α-Keratinase and Its Potential Application in Detergent Industry

An α-keratinase producing strain was isolated with wool as the sole carbon and nitrogen source and identified as Bacillus pumilus K9. The major amino acids liberated from the keratin degradation of wool by B. pumilus K9 were glutamic acid and leucine. The α-keratinase was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity with a molecular weight of 32000. The purified enzyme exhibits an optimum activity at 60 ℃ and pH=9.0. It was stable at pH values between 8 and 11. Bacillas pumilus keratinase displays a high activity towards casein, keratin, wool and feather, which indicates its wide application range. The keratinase was completely inhibited by phenylmethyl-sulfonyl fluoride(PMSF) and β-mercaptoethanol, and moderately inhibited by ethylemediamine-tetraacetic acid(EDTA), sugges-ting it is a metallo-cysteine keratinase. This enzyme could remain stable that could even be promoted in the presence of surfactants, including sodium dodecyl sulfate(SDS), Tween and Triton. And Tween 40 and Triton X-100 could substantially enhance the activity of the enzyme by 54% and 35%, respectively. It may indicate the prominent feature of the keratinase to tolerate surfactants. The enzymatic properties distinguish this keratinase from others in the literature. Furthermore, this enzyme is extremely stable in the presence of a commercially available detergent with 1% concentration. Detergents ARIEL, Bluemoon and WhiteCat can enhance the activity of the keratinase by 43.56%, 15.22%, and 22.48%, respectively.     

Glucocorticoids Directly Affect Hyaluronan Production of Orbital Fibroblasts; A Potential Pleiotropic Effect in Graves’ Orbitopathy

Orbital connective tissue expansion is a hallmark of Graves’ orbitopathy (GO). In moderate-to-severe active GO, glucocorticoids (GC) are the first line of treatment. Here we show that hydrocortisone (HC), prednisolone (P), methylprednisolone (MP), and dexamethasone (DEX) inhibit the hyaluronan (HA) production of orbital (OF) and dermal (DF) fibroblasts. HA production of GO OFs (n = 4), NON-GO OFs (n = 4) and DFs (n = 4) was measured by ELISA. mRNA expression of enzymes of HA metabolism and fibroblast proliferation was examined by RT-PCR and BrdU incorporation, respectively. After 24 h of GC treatment (1µM) HA production decreased by an average of 67.9 ± 3.11% (p < 0.0001) in all cell cultures. HAS2, HAS3 and HYAL1 expression in OFs also decreased (p = 0.009, p = 0.0005 and p = 0.015, respectively). Ten ng/mL PDGF-BB increased HA production and fibroblast proliferation in all cell lines (p < 0.0001); GC treatment remained effective and reduced HA production under PDGF-BB-stimulated conditions (p < 0.0001). MP and DEX reduced (p < 0.001, p = 0.002, respectively) PDGF-BB-induced HAS2 expression in OFs. MP and DEX treatment decreased PDGF-BB stimulated HAS3 expression (p = 0.035 and p = 0.029, respectively). None of the GCs tested reduced the PDGF-BB stimulated proliferation rate. Our results confirm that GCs directly reduce the HA production of OFs, which may contribute to the beneficial effect of GCs in GO.     

二氧化钛粉体在纸厂废水处理中的应用

为了获得活性更高的催化剂来处理纸厂废水,本实验利用溶胶-凝胶法制备了TiO₂粉体,并对其进行了表征,最后将其应用于光催化氧化处理纸厂废水.实验结果表明,此粉体为锐钛型纳米颗粒;应用其作催化剂处理造纸废水可使废水COD和浊度的去除率分别达94%和97%,处理后废水达到排放标准,也使废水的色度得到很大程度的去除.     

Current Trends in the Application of Nanomaterials for the Removal of Pollutants from Industrial Wastewater Treatment—A Review

In the recent decades, development of new and innovative technology resulted in a very high amount of effluents. Industrial wastewaters originating from various industries contribute as a major source of water pollution. The pollutants in the wastewater include organic and inorganic pollutants, heavy metals, and non-disintegrating materials. This pollutant poses a severe threat to the environment. Therefore, novel and innovative methods and technologies need to adapt for their removal. Recent years saw nanomaterials as a potential candidate for pollutants removal. Nowadays, a range of cost-effective nanomaterials are available with unique properties. In this context, nano-absorbents are excellent materials. Heavy metal contamination is widespread in underground and surface waters. Recently, various studies focused on the removal of heavy metals. The presented review article here focused on removal of contaminants originated from industrial wastewater utilizing nanomaterials.     

我国造纸工业对环境的污染及解决方法

本文论述造纸工业的主要污染源及解决造纸工业对环境污染问题的关键技术和方法, 提出我国造纸工业环境保护的基本对策, 认为我国的造纸工业也能成为洁净工业。     

A Subtractively Optimized DNA Microarray Using Non-sequenced Genomic Probes for the Detection of Food-Borne Pathogens

In this study, we present the successful detection of food-borne pathogens using randomly selected non-sequenced genomic DNA probes-based DNA microarray chips. Three food-borne pathogens, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium), and Bacillus cereus, were subjected for the preparation of the DNA microarray probes. Initially, about 50 DNA probes selected randomly from non-sequenced genomic DNA of each pathogen were prepared by using a set of restriction enzyme pairs. The proto-type of DNA microarray chip for detecting three different pathogens simultaneously was fabricated by using those DNA probes prepared for each pathogen. This proto-type DNA microarray has been tested with three target pathogens and additional seven bacteria, and successfully verified with a few cross-hybridized probes. After this primary verification of the DNA microarray hybridization, this proto-type DNA microarray chip was redesigned and successfully optimized by eliminating a few cross-hybridized probes. The specificity of this redesigned DNA microarray chip to each pathogen was confirmed without any serious cross-hybridizations, and its multiplexing capability in its pathogen detection was found to be possible. This randomly selected non-sequenced genomic DNA probes-based DNA microarray was successfully proved to be the high-throughput simultaneous detection chip for the detection of food-borne pathogens, without knowing the exact sequence information of the target bacteria. This could be the first fabrication of DNA microarray chip for the simultaneous detection of different kinds of food-borne pathogens.     

Cloning and Expression of a Novel Xylanase Gene (Auxyn11D) from Aspergillus usamii E001 in Pichia pastoris

A full-length complementary DNA (cDNA) of Auxyn11D, a gene that encodes a novel endo-??-1,4-d-xylanase of Aspergillus usamii E001 (abbreviated to AuXyn11D), was obtained using 3??- and 5??-rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) methods. The cDNA sequence is 855?bp in length, containing 5??- and 3??-untranslated regions and a 696-bp open reading frame (ORF) that encodes a 32-aa signal peptide and a 199-aa mature peptide (namely AuXyn11D). Multiple homology alignment of amino acid sequences verified that AuXyn11D belongs to glycoside hydrolase family 11. Moreover, a mature peptide-encoding cDNA fragment of Auxyn11D was cloned and expressed in Pichia pastoris GS115. One P. pastoris transformant expressing the highest recombinant AuXyn11D (reAuXyn11D) activity of 15.0?U/mL, labeled as P. pastoris GSAuXyn4-16, was chosen by shake flask test. SDS?CPAGE assay demonstrated that the reAuXyn11D, a glycosylated protein with an apparent molecular mass of 32.0?kDa, was secreted into the medium. The purified reAuXyn11D displayed the highest activity at pH 4.5 and 55?°C. It was stable at a pH range of 3.5?C6.5 and at a temperature of 50?°C or below. Its activity was not significantly affected by most of metal ions tested and EDTA, but increased by Ca²⁺ and inhibited by Mn²⁺. The K _m and V _max of the reAuXyn11D towards birchwood xylan were 6.32?mg/mL and 391.6?U/mg, respectively.     

污水厂污泥制备吸附剂及其在水处理中的应用

污水厂污泥制备吸附剂及其在水处理中的应用;污泥;吸附剂;污水处理     

Experimental and Theoretical Insights on Methylene Blue Removal from Wastewater Using an Adsorbent Obtained from the Residues of the Orange Industry

Chemical and thermochemical transformations were performed on orange peel to obtain materials that were characterized and further tested to explore their potential as adsorbents for the removal of methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solutions. The results show the high potential of some of these materials for MB adsorption not only due to the surface area of the resulting substrate but also to the chemistry of the corresponding surface functional groups. Fitting of the kinetic as well as the equilibrium experimental data to different models suggests that a variety of interactions are involved in MB adsorption. The overall capacities for these substrates (larger than 192.31 mg g⁻¹) were found to compare well with those reported for activated carbon and other adsorbents of agro-industrial origin. According to these results and complementary with theoretical study using Density Functional Theory (DFT) approximations, it was found that the most important adsorption mechanisms of MB correspond to: (i) electrostatic interactions, (ii) H-bonding, and (iii) π (MB)–π (biochar) interactions. In view of these findings, it can be concluded that adsorbent materials obtained from orange peel, constitute a good alternative for the removal of MB dye from aqueous solutions.     

A Potential Valorization Strategy of Wine Industry by-Products and Their Application in Cosmetics—Case Study: Grape Pomace and Grapeseed

Grape pomace and grapeseed are agro-industrial by-products, whose inadequate treatment generates socioeconomic and environmental concerns. Nevertheless, it is possible to valorize them by extracting their bioactive compounds, such as antioxidants (phenolic compounds), vitamin E and fatty acids. The bioactive compounds were extracted using solid-liquid extraction. The yields for phenolic compounds were 18.4 ± 0.4% for grape pomace, and 17.4 ± 0.4%, for grapeseed. For the oil, the yields were 13.3 ± 0.2% and 14.5 ± 0.3% for grape pomace and grapeseed. Antioxidant capacity was assessed by the assay with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and showed that phenolic extract has higher antioxidant capacity than the oils. Grape pomace and grapeseed extracts exhibit, correspondingly, values of 90.8 ± 0.8 and 87.5 ± 0.5 of DPPH inhibition and IC₅₀ of 48.9 ± 0.5 and 55.9 ± 0.7 μg_extract·mL_DPPH⁻¹. The antimicrobial capacity was assessed by the disk diffusion test, and revealed that, phenolic extracts inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. The obtained extracts were incorporated in 10 face cream formulations, with slight modifications in quantities of formulation stabilizers. Their stability was studied for 35 days, and this revealed the possibility of incorporating extracts and oils obtained from by-products as antioxidants in cosmetics, and replacing synthetic ones. As a future recommendation, microencapsulation of the extracts should be performed, in order to increase their stability.     

粉煤灰在废水处理中的应用研究进展

粉煤灰的高附加值综合利用已成为循环经济和环境保护领域中亟待解决的重要课题之一,粉煤灰用于水处理是变废为宝、变害为利的一种尝试。粉煤灰因其形貌特征、比表面积、孔隙率和化学成分等方面的优势而在膜过滤、Fenton处理、光催化、吸附等方面均有显著应用价值。本文重点介绍粉煤灰在这几方面的应用,并对其在废水处理中的应用前景进行了展望。     

Approach to the Dynamic of Carbamazepine and its Main Metabolites in Soil Contamination through the Reuse of Wastewater and Sewage Sludge

The release of pharmaceutically active compounds to the soils through the application of sewage sludge and the irrigation with wastewater, or even with surface water, is constant. The adsorption of these compounds onto the soil is one of the key factors affecting their fate in the environment and their potential environmental risks. In this work, the adsorption of carbamazepine (CBZ) and its metabolites, 3-hydroxy-carbamazepine (3OH-CBZ), carbamazepine-10,11-dihydro-10,11-epoxide (EP-CBZ), and 10,11-dihydro-10-hydroxycarbamazepine (10OH-CBZ), in three Mediterranean soils was evaluated using single-solute and four-solute experiments. The highest adsorptions were measured for 3OH-CBZ, followed by CBZ, EP-CBZ, and 10OH-CBZ, in that order. A high influence of the physicochemical characteristics of the compounds, pH, and soil characteristics in the adsorption of the studied compounds was observed and corroborated by the statistical analysis of the results. Moreover, a good fit was observed in the three isotherm models evaluated (linear, Freundlich, and Langmuir) in single-solute experiments (R² > 0.90). However, a decrease of the measured adsorptions and a worse fit to the isotherm models were observed in the case of multiple-solute experiments. This could be mainly due to the competition established between the studied compounds for the active sites of the soils.     

壳聚糖及其衍生物处理工业废水的研究进展

综述了近年来壳聚糖及其衍生物在处理工业废水中的应用.壳聚糖及其衍生物可处理工业废水中的重金属离子,如Cr（Ⅵ）、Cu（Ⅱ）和Zn（Ⅱ）等;可处理含染料的工业废水,如处理直接紫B、直接绿BE以及甲基橙等染料;还可用于处理印染、造纸和含油废水.壳聚糖及其衍生物具有易分离、可生物降解,无污染等特点,是绿色的水处理剂,且我国壳聚糖资源极为丰富,探索其在工业废水处理中的应用有着重要的价值.