Maximizing the xylitol production from sugar cane bagasse hydrolysate by controlling the aeration rate

Batch fermentations of sugar cane bagasse hemicellulosic hydrolysate treated for removing the inhibitors of the fermentation were performed byCandida guilliermondii FTI20037 for xylitol production. The fermentative parameters agitation and aeration rate were studied aiming the maximization of xylitol production from this agroindustrial residue. The maximal xylitol volumetric productivity (0.87 g/L h) and yield (0.67 g/g) were attained at 400/min and 0.45 v.v.m. (K_La 27/h). According to the results, a suitable control of the oxygen input permitting the xylitol formation from sugar cane bagasse hydrolysate is required for the development of an efficient fermentation process for large-scale applications.     

Molecular Characteristics and Antioxidant Activity of Spruce (Picea abies) Hemicelluloses Isolated by Catalytic Oxidative Delignification

Spruce (Picea abies) wood hemicelluloses have been obtained by the noncatalytic and catalytic oxidative delignification in the acetic acid-water-hydrogen peroxide medium in a processing time of 3–4 h and temperatures of 90–100 °C. In the catalytic process, the H₂SO₄, MnSO₄, TiO₂, and (NH₄)₆Mo₇O₂₄ catalysts have been used. A polysaccharide yield of up to 11.7 wt% has been found. The hemicellulose composition and structure have been studied by a complex of physicochemical methods, including gas and gel permeation chromatography, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The galactose:mannose:glucose:arabinose:xylose monomeric units in a ratio of 5:3:2:1:1 have been identified in the hemicelluloses by gas chromatography. Using gel permeation chromatography, the weight average molar mass M_w of hemicelluloses has been found to attain 47,654 g/mol in noncatalytic delignification and up to 42,793 g/mol in catalytic delignification. Based on the same technique, a method for determining the α and k parameters of the Mark–Kuhn–Houwink equation for hemicelluloses has been developed; it has been established that these parameters change between 0.33–1.01 and 1.57–472.17, respectively, depending on the catalyst concentration and process temperature and time. Moreover, the FTIR spectra of the hemicellulose samples contain all the bands characteristic of heteropolysaccharides, specifically, 1069 cm⁻¹ (C–O–C and C–O–H), 1738 cm⁻¹ (ester C=O), 1375 cm⁻¹ (–C–CH₃), 1243 cm⁻¹ (–C–O–), etc. It has been determined by the thermogravimetric analysis that the hemicelluloses isolated from spruce wood are resistant to heating to temperatures of up to ~100 °C and, upon further heating, start destructing at an increasing rate. The antioxidant activity of the hemicelluloses has been examined using the compounds simulating the 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radicals.     

木质纤维素催化转化制备能源平台化合物

可再生生物质资源的能源化利用能有效缓解能源短缺和环境恶化的双重压力。木质纤维素类生物质原料通过催化转化途径可以转化成为用途广泛的平台化合物,如呋喃类化合物、多元醇和有机酸及其酯类衍生物等。以这些平台化合物为原料,通过基元反应的转化可以制备高附加值的生物质基液体燃料。基于上述背景,本文概述了国内外木质纤维素通过不同催化转化途径制备各种新能源平台化合物的研究进展。目前木质纤维素制备新能源平台化合物的可行途径主要包括液体酸催化、固体酸催化、离子液体催化和多功能材料催化。在介绍这些催化途径的同时,重点讨论了所使用的催化剂,分析了仍然存在的问题和可能的解决措施,同时对今后该领域的研究前景进行了展望。     

半纤维素模型化合物热解机理的理论研究

针对半纤维素模型化合物4-O-甲基葡萄糖醛酸的热解,提出了六种可能的反应路径,对各种反应路径中的反应物、产物、中间体和过渡态的结构进行了几何结构全优化,计算了各步反应的标准动力学参数。结果表明,4-O-甲基葡萄糖醛酸热解时,首先通过分子内的氢原子转移发生开环反应而形成链状中间体,然后中间体进一步分解,主要产物是甲醇、乙醇醛、2-羟基-3-甲氧基丁醛酸、乙二醛和2-羟基丁醛酸等;主要的热解竞争产物是甲酸、CO_2、CO、4-羟基-3-丁烯酮和甲基乙烯醚等。在半纤维素的热解中,CO_2是通过不饱和反应物或中间体脱羧基反应而形成,乙酸则是通过脱O-乙酰基反应而形成。     

Enzyme production and profile by Aspergillus niger during solid substrate fermentation using palm kernel cake as substrate

The oil palm sector is one of the major plantation industries in Malaysia. Palm kernel cake is a byproduct of extracted palm kernel oil. Mostly palm kernel cake is wasted or is mixed with other nutrients and used as animal feed, especially for ruminant animals. Recently, palm kernel cake has been identified as an important ingredient for the formulation of animal feed, and it is also exported especially to Europe, South Korea, and Japan. It can barely be consumed by nonruminant (monogastric) animals owing to the high percentages of hemicellulose and cellulose contents. Palm kernel cake must undergo suitable pretreatment in order to decrease the percentage of hemicellulose and cellulose. One of the methods employed in this study is fermentation with microorganisms, particularly fungi, to partially degrade the hemicellulose and cellulose content. This work focused on the production of enzymes by Aspergillus niger and profiling using palm kernel cake as carbon source.     

Continuous countercurrent extraction of hemicellulose from pretreated wood residues

Two-stage dilute acid pretreatment followed by enzymatic cellulose hydrolysisis an effectivemethod for obtaining high sugar yields from wood residuessuchassoftwood forest thinnings. In the first-stage hydrolysis step, most of the hemicellulose is solubilized using relatively mild conditions. The soluble hemicellu losic sugars are recovered from the hydrolysateslurry by washing with water. The washed solids are then subjected tomoresevere hydrolysis conditions to hydrolyze approx 50% of the cellulose to glucose. The remaining cellulose can further be hydrolyzed with cellulase enzyme. Our process simulation indicates that the amount of water used in the hemicellulose recovery step has a significan tim pact on the cost of ethanol production. It is important to keep water usage as low as possible while mainta ining relatively high recovery of solublesugars. To achieve this objective, a prototype pilot-scale continuous countercurrent screw extractor was evaluated for the recovery of hemicellulose from pretreated forest thinnings. Using the 274-cm (9-ft) long extractor, solubles recoveries of 98, 91, and 77% were obtained with liquid-to-insoluble solids (L/1S) ratios of 5.6, 3.4, and 2.1, respectively. An empirical equation was developed to predict the performance of the screwextractor. This equation predicts that soluble sugar recovery above 95% can be obtained with an L/IS ratio as low as 3.0.     

Detecting changes in arabidopsis cell wall composition using time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry

Time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF‐SIMS) was previously used to characterize lignocellulosic materials, including woody biomass. ToF‐SIMS can acquire both rapid spectral and spatial information about a sample's surface composition. In the present study, ToF‐SIMS was used to characterize the cell walls of stem tissue from the plant model organism, Arabidopsis thaliana. Using principal component analyses, ToF‐SIMS spectra from A. thaliana wild‐type (Col‐0), cellulose mutant (irx3), and lignin mutant (fah1) stem tissues were distinguished using ToF‐SIMS peaks annotated for wood‐derived lignocellulose, where spectra from the irx3 and fah1 were characterized by comparatively low polysaccharide and syringyl lignin content, respectively. Spatial analyses using ToF‐SIMS imaging furthermore differentiated interfascicular fiber and xylem vessels based on differences in the lignin content of corresponding cell walls. These new data support the applicability of ToF‐SIMS peak annotations based on woody biomass for herbaceous plants, including model plant systems like arabidopsis. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Glucofructans from Arctium tomentosum Roots

Roots of Arctium tomentosum (Compositae) were found to contain water-soluble polysaccharides (glucofructans), pectinic substances, and hemicellulose. The structure of the glucofructan was established by chemical methods and IR and ¹³C NMR spectroscopies.     

Preparation and characterization of temperature- and pH-sensitive hemicellulose-containing hydrogels

In this work, a hemicellulose-containing hydrogel was synthesized. As the first step, a temperature- and pH-sensitive copolymer was synthesized from itaconic acid and N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm). Then the hydrogel was prepared by reacting the copolymer with acylated hemicellulose and polyvinyl alcohol. The morphology, compressive strength, thermal stability, swelling/deswelling behavior, drug-release behavior performances of the hydrogels were investigated. The lower critical solution temperature of the hydrogels varied in 34–44°C when the NIPAAm and itaconic acid mass ratios ranged in 100/0–90/10. Both temperature and pH had a significant influence on equilibrium swelling ratio of hydrogels. The equilibrium swelling ratio increased with pH, but decreased with temperature. Cytocompatibility assay demonstrated that this hemicellulose-containing hydrogel was biocompatible. The release process of salicylic acid suggested that this hydrogel had a potential use in controlled drug release.