Xylanase and β-xylosidase production by Aspergillus ochraceus: new perspectives for the application of wheat straw autohydrolysis liquor.

PubMed

Michelin, Michele; Polizeli, Maria de Lourdes T M; Ruzene, Denise S; Silva, Daniel P; Vicente, António A; Jorge, João A; Terenzi, Héctor F; Teixeira, José A

2012-01-01

The xylanase biosynthesis is induced by its substrate-xylan. The high xylan content in some wastes such as wheat residues (wheat bran and wheat straw) makes them accessible and cheap sources of inducers to be mainly applied in great volumes of fermentation, such as those of industrial bioreactors. Thus, in this work, the main proposal was incorporated in the nutrient medium wheat straw particles decomposed to soluble compounds (liquor) through treatment of lignocellulosic materials in autohydrolysis process, as a strategy to increase and undervalue xylanase production by Aspergillus ochraceus. The wheat straw autohydrolysis liquor produced in several conditions was used as a sole carbon source or with wheat bran. The best conditions for xylanase and β-xylosidase production were observed when A. ochraceus was cultivated with 1% wheat bran added of 10% wheat straw liquor (produced after 15 min of hydrothermal treatment) as carbon source. This substrate was more favorable when compared with xylan, wheat bran, and wheat straw autohydrolysis liquor used separately. The application of this substrate mixture in a stirred tank bioreactor indicated the possibility of scaling up the process to commercial production.

40 CFR 180.560 - Cloquintocet-mexyl; tolerances for residues.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...-sodium (wheat only), pinoxaden (wheat or barley), clodinafop-propargyl (wheat only), or pyroxsulum (wheat..., hay 0.1 Barley, straw 0.1 Wheat, forage 0.2 Wheat, grain 0.1 Wheat, hay 0.5 Wheat, straw 0.1 (b...

Compostability and biodegradation study of PLA-wheat straw and PLA-soy straw based green composites in simulated composting bioreactor.

PubMed

Pradhan, Ranjan; Misra, Manjusri; Erickson, Larry; Mohanty, Amar

2010-11-01

A laboratory scale simulated composting facility (as per ASTM D 5338) was designed and utilized to determine and evaluate the extent of degradation of polylactic acid (PLA), untreated wheat and soy straw and injection moulded composites of PLA-wheat straw (70:30) and PLA-soy straw (70:30). The outcomes of the study revealed the suitability of the test protocol, validity of the test system and defined the compostability of the composites of PLA with unmodified natural substrate. The study would help to design composites using modified soy straw and wheat straw as reinforcement/filler to satisfy ASTM D 6400 specifications. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Alkali pretreated of wheat straw and its enzymatic hydrolysis.

PubMed

Han, Lirong; Feng, Juntao; Zhang, Shuangxi; Ma, Zhiqing; Wang, Yonghong; Zhang, Xing

2012-01-01

The efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose can be improved by various pretreatments of the substrate. In order to increase the efficiency of enzymatic saccharification of the wheat straw, we determined the effect of different pretreatments on the physical structure, chemical components and enzymatic saccharification of wheat straw. Our results showed that combination of grinding and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) treatment had high effect on the enzymatic hydrolysis of wheat straws. The optimal pretreatment condition was to grind the wheat straws into the sizes of 120 meshes followed by treatment with 1.0% NaOH for 1.5 h (121°C/15psi). Under this condition, the cellulose content of wheat straw was increased by 44.52%, while the content of hemicellulose and lignin was decreased by 44.15% and 42.52%, respectively. Scanning Electronic Microscopy and infrared spectrum analyses showed that significant changes occurred in the structure of wheat straws after pretreatment, which is favorable for the hydrolysis and saccharification. Cellulase produced by Penicillium waksmanii F10-2 was used to hydrolyze the pretreated wheat straw and the optimal condition was determined to be 30 h of enzymatic reaction under the temperature of 55°C, pH 5.5 and substrate concentration of 3%.

One step conversion of wheat straw to sugars by simultaneous ball milling, mild acid, and fungus Penicillium simplicissimum treatment.

PubMed

Yuan, Li; Chen, Zhenhua; Zhu, Yonghua; Liu, Xuanming; Liao, Hongdong; Chen, Ding

2012-05-01

Wheat straw is one of the major lignocellulosic plant residues in many countries including China. An attractive alternative is the utilization of wheat straw for bioethanol production. This article mainly studies a simple one-step wet milling with Penicillium simplicissimum and weak acid to hydrolysis of wheat straw. The optimal condition for hydrolysis was ball milling 48 h in citrate solvent (pH = 4) with P. simplicissimum H5 at the speed of 500 rpm and the yield of sugar increased with increased milling time. Corresponding structure transformations before and after milling analyzed by X-ray diffraction, transmission Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and environmental scanning electron microscopy clearly indicated that this combined treatment could be attributed to the crystalline and chemical structure changes of cellulose in wheat straw during ball milling. This combined treatment of ball milling, mild acid, and fungus hydrolysis enabled the conversion of the wheat straw. Compared with traditional method of ball milling, this work showed a more simple, novel, and environmentally friendly way in mechanochemical treatment of wheat straw.

[Effects of nitrogen application on decomposition and nutrient release of returned maize straw in Guanzhong Plain, Northwest China].

PubMed

Huang, Ting Miao; Wang, Zhao Hui; Hou, Yang Yi; Gu, Chi Ming; Li, Xiao; Zheng, Xian Feng

2017-07-18

With 15 N isotope labeled maize straw in nylon net bags and buried in the wheat field at two N rates of 0 and 200 kg N·hm -2 , the effects of nitrogen application on the decomposition of straw dry matter and the release dynamics of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (C, N, P and K) after maize straw retention were investigated in the winter wheat-summer maize rotation system in Guanzhong Plain, Shaanxi, China. Results showed that N application did not affect the decomposition of the returned straw C and dry matter, but promoted the release of P and inhibited the release of N and K from straw during sowing to wintering periods of winter wheat. From the grain filling to the harvest of winter wheat, the decomposition of the returned straw and the release of N, P and K were not affected, but the release of straw C was significantly enhanced by N application. The release dynamic of straw C was synchronized with the decomposition of the dry matter, and the C/N of straw declined gradually with the extension of wheat growing. Until the harvest of winter wheat, the accumulative decomposition rate of straw dry matter was less than 50%, and the total straw C release rate was around 47.9% to 51.1%. The C/N ratio of the returned straw was decreased from 32.2 to 20.2 and 17.9, respectively at N rates of 0 and 200 kg N·hm -2 . From sowing to harvest of winter wheat, the net release of N, P and K from the straw was observed. The N release was 7.2-9.4 kg·hm -2 and 12.7%-16.6% of the total straw N, and the P release was 1.29-1.44 kg·hm -2 and 29.0%-32.4% of the total straw P, while a great deal of K was released quickly, with approximately 80% of the straw K released before wintering, 51.8-52.5 kg·hm -2 and 90.5%-91.7% of the total straw K released at wheat harvest. It was suggested that the K fertilizer application should be decreased for the winter wheat due to the great amount K release from the returned maize straw, and an extra amount of N and P fertilizer should be applied under the straw retention cropping system.

Effect of thermal pretreatment on chemical composition, physical structure and biogas production kinetics of wheat straw.

PubMed

Rajput, Asad Ayub; Zeshan; Visvanathan, Chettiyappan

2018-05-21

Hard lignocellulosic structure of wheat straw is the main hindrance in its anaerobic digestion. Thus, a laboratory scale batch experiment was conducted to study the effect of thermal pretreatment on anaerobic digestion of wheat straw. For this purpose, different thermal pretreatment temperatures of 120, 140, 160 and 180 °C were studied and the results were compared with raw wheat straw. Significant differences in biogas production were observed at temperature higher than 160 °C. Highest biogas yield of 615 Nml/gVS and volatile solids reduction of 69% was observed from wheat straw pretreated at 180 °C. Wheat straw pretreated at 180 °C showed 53% higher biogas yield as compared to untreated. Further, FTIR analysis revealed change in chemical bonds of lignocellulosic structure of wheat straw. Modified Gompertz model was best fitted on biogas production data and predicted shorter lag phase time and higher biogas production as the pretreatment temperature increased. Overall, change in lignocellulosic structure and increase in cellulose content were the main reason in enhancing biogas production. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Delignification of wheat straw by Pleurotus spp. under mushroom-growing conditions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tsang, L.J.; Reid, I.D.; Coxworth, E.C.

1987-06-01

Pleurotus sajor-caju, P. sapidus, P. cornucopiae, and P. ostreatus mushrooms were produced on unsupplemented wheat straw. The yield of mushrooms averaged 3.6% (dry-weight basis), with an average 18% straw weight loss. Lignin losses (average, 11%) were lower than cellulose (20%) and hemicellulose (50%) losses. The cellulase digestibility of the residual straw after mushroom harvest was generally lower than that of the original straw. It does not appear feasible to simultaneously produce Pleurotus mushrooms and a highly delignified residue from wheat straw. (Refs. 24).

Effect of the combined physical and chemical treatments with microbial fermentation on corn straw degradation.

PubMed

Guo, Hongwei; Chang, Juan; Yin, Qingqiang; Wang, Ping; Lu, Min; Wang, Xiao; Dang, Xiaowei

2013-11-01

In order to improve corn straw degradation, steam explosion, sodium hydroxide soaking and Aspergillus oryzae fermentation were used. The optimal sodium hydroxide pretreatment condition for lignin degradation was obtained. The degradation rates of hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin were 54.68%, 17.76% and 33.14% for the exploded straw (P<0.05); 67.92%, 2.44% (P>0.05) and 76.54% for the alkali-treated straw (P<0.05); 75.98%, 39.93% and 77.88% for the exploded and alkali-treated straw (P<0.05), respectively. The following microbial fermentation could degrade hemicellulose and cellulose further (P<0.05). Cellulase, amylase and protease activities produced during microbial fermentation in the pretreated corn straw were lower than that in the untreated one (P<0.05); however, glucose content was increased by microbial fermentation (P<0.05). It can be concluded that the combined treatments of steam explosion, sodium hydroxide and microbial fermentation will be a good method for straw degradation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Selective ligninolysis of wheat straw and wood chips by the white-rot fungus Lentinula edodes and its influence on in vitro rumen degradability.

PubMed

van Kuijk, Sandra J A; Del Río, José C; Rencoret, Jorge; Gutiérrez, Ana; Sonnenberg, Anton S M; Baars, Johan J P; Hendriks, Wouter H; Cone, John W

2016-01-01

The present work investigated the influence of lignin content and composition in the fungal treatment of lignocellulosic biomass in order to improve rumen degradability. Wheat straw and wood chips, differing in lignin composition, were treated with Lentinula edodes for 0, 2, 4, 8 and 12 wk and the changes occurring during fungal degradation were analyzed using pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and detergent fiber analysis. L. edodes preferentially degraded lignin, with only limited cellulose degradation, in wheat straw and wood chips, leaving a substrate enriched in cellulose. Syringyl (S)-lignin units were preferentially degraded than guaiacyl (G)-lignin units, resulting in a decreased S/G ratio. A decreasing S/G ratio (wheat straw: r = -0.72, wood chips: r = -0.75) and selective lignin degradation (wheat straw: r = -0.69, wood chips: r = -0.88) were correlated with in vitro gas production (IVGP), a good indicator for rumen degradability. L. edodes treatment increased the IVGP of wheat straw and wood chips. Effects on IVGP were similar for wheat straw and wood chips indicating that lignin content and 3D-structure of cell walls influence in vitro rumen degradability more than lignin composition.

Effect of Surface-Modified TiO2 Nanoparticles on the Anti-Ultraviolet Aging Performance of Foamed Wheat Straw Fiber/Polypropylene Composites

PubMed Central

Xuan, Lihui; Han, Guangping; Wang, Dong; Cheng, Wanli; Gao, Xun; Chen, Feng; Li, Qingde

2017-01-01

Surface modification and characterization of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles and their roles in thermal, mechanical, and accelerated aging behavior of foamed wheat straw fiber/polypropylene (PP) composites are investigated. To improve the dispersion of nanoparticles and increase the possible interactions between wheat straw fiber and the PP matrix, the surface of the TiO2 nanoparticles was modified with ethenyltrimethoxy silane (A171), a silane coupling agent. The grafting of A171 on the TiO2 nanoparticles’ surface was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The wheat straw fibers treated with A171 and modified TiO2 nanoparticles were characterized by FTIR and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). FTIR spectra confirmed that the organic functional groups of A171 were successfully grafted onto the TiO2 nanoparticles and wheat straw fibers, and the modified TiO2 nanoparticles were adsorbed onto the wheat straw fibers. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that a higher thermal stability of the wheat straw fiber was obtained with the modified TiO2 nanoparticles. The flexural, tensile, and impact properties were improved. A higher ultraviolet (UV) stability of the samples treated with modified TiO2 nanoparticles was exhibited by the study of the color change and loss in mechanical properties. PMID:28772816

Microbial production of biopolymers from the renewable resource wheat straw.

PubMed

Gasser, E; Ballmann, P; Dröge, S; Bohn, J; König, H

2014-10-01

Production of poly-ß-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) and the chemical basic compound lactate from the agricultural crop 'wheat straw' as a renewable carbon resource. A thermal pressure hydrolysis procedure for the breakdown of wheat straw was applied. By this means, the wheat straw was converted into a partially solubilized hemicellulosic fraction, consisting of sugar monomers, and an insoluble cellulosic fraction, containing cellulose, lignin and a small portion of hemicellulose. The insoluble cellulosic fraction was further hydrolysed by commercial enzymes in monomers. The production of PHB from the sugar monomers originating from hemicellulose or cellulose was achieved by the isolates Bacillus licheniformis IMW KHC 3 and Bacillus megaterium IMW KNaC 2. The basic chemical compound, lactate, a starting compound for the production of polylactide (PLA), was formed by some heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria (LAB) able to grow with xylose from the hemicellulosic wheat straw hydrolysate. Two strains were selected which were able to produce PHB from the sugars both from the hemicellulosic and the cellulosic fraction of the wheat straw. In addition, some of the LAB tested were capable of producing lactate from the hemicellulosic hydrolysate. The renewable resource wheat straw could serve as a substrate for microbiologically produced basic chemicals and biodegradable plastics. © 2014 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Fuel Pellets from Wheat Straw: The Effect of Lignin Glass Transition and Surface Waxes on Pelletizing Properties

Treesearch

Wolfgang Stelte; Craig Clemons; Jens K. Holm; Jesper Ahrenfeldt; Ulrik B. Henriksen; Anand R. Sanadi

2012-01-01

The utilization of wheat straw as a renewable energy resource is limited due to its low bulk density. Pelletizing wheat straw into fuel pellets of high density increases its handling properties but is more challenging compared to pelletizing wood biomass. Straw has a lower lignin content and a high concentration of hydrophobic waxes on its outer surface that may limit...

Integrated Process for Ethanol, Biogas, and Edible Filamentous Fungi-Based Animal Feed Production from Dilute Phosphoric Acid-Pretreated Wheat Straw.

PubMed

Nair, Ramkumar B; Kabir, Maryam M; Lennartsson, Patrik R; Taherzadeh, Mohammad J; Horváth, Ilona Sárvári

2018-01-01

Integration of wheat straw for a biorefinery-based energy generation process by producing ethanol and biogas together with the production of high-protein fungal biomass (suitable for feed application) was the main focus of the present study. An edible ascomycete fungal strain Neurospora intermedia was used for the ethanol fermentation and subsequent biomass production from dilute phosphoric acid (0.7 to 1.2% w/v) pretreated wheat straw. At optimum pretreatment conditions, an ethanol yield of 84 to 90% of the theoretical maximum, based on glucan content of substrate straw, was observed from fungal fermentation post the enzymatic hydrolysis process. The biogas production from the pretreated straw slurry showed an improved methane yield potential up to 162% increase, as compared to that of the untreated straw. Additional biogas production, using the syrup, a waste stream obtained post the ethanol fermentation, resulted in a combined total energy output of 15.8 MJ/kg wheat straw. Moreover, using thin stillage (a waste stream from the first-generation wheat-based ethanol process) as a co-substrate to the biogas process resulted in an additional increase by about 14 to 27% in the total energy output as compared to using only wheat straw-based substrates. ᅟ.

40 CFR 180.559 - Clodinafop-propargyl; tolerances for residues.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...-pyridinyl)oxy]phenoxy]-, (2R)-), in or on wheat, grain at 0.1 ppm ; wheat, forage at 0.1 ppm; wheat, hay at 0.1 ppm; and wheat, straw at 0.50 ppm. Commodity Parts per million Wheat, forage 0.1 Wheat, grain 0.1 Wheat, hay 0.1 Wheat, straw 0.5 (b) Section 18 emergency exemptions. [Reserved] (c) Tolerances...

Pretreatment and fractionation of wheat straw for production of fuel ethanol and value-added co-products in a biorefinery

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

An integrated process has been developed for a wheat straw biorefinery. In this process wheat straw was pretreated by soaking in aqueous ammonia (SAA), which extensively removed lignin but preserved high percentages of the carbohydrate fractions for subsequent bioconversion. The pretreatment condi...

Scale-up of wheat straw conversion to fuel ethanol at 100 liter scale

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Wheat straw can serve as low cost feedstock for conversion to ethanol. Pretreatment is crucial prior to enzymatic hydrolysis. We have used dilute H2SO4 pretreatment at a high temperature for pretreatment of wheat straw. The pretreated hydrolyzate was bioabated using a novel fungal strain able to ...

Mass loss and chemical structures of wheat and maize straws in response to ultraviolet-B radiation and soil contact.

PubMed

Zhou, Guixiang; Zhang, Jiabao; Mao, Jingdong; Zhang, Congzhi; Chen, Lin; Xin, Xiuli; Zhao, Bingzi

2015-10-01

The role of photodegradation, an abiotic process, has been largely overlooked during straw decomposition in mesic ecosystems. We investigated the mass loss and chemical structures of straw decomposition in response to elevated UV-B radiation with or without soil contact over a 12-month litterbag experiment. Wheat and maize straw samples with and without soil contact were exposed to three radiation levels: a no-sunlight control, ambient solar UV-B, and artificially elevated UV-B radiation. A block control with soil contact was not included. Compared with the no-sunlight control, UV-B radiation increased the mass loss by 14-19% and the ambient radiation by 9-16% for wheat and maize straws without soil contact after 12 months. Elevated UV-B exposure decreased the decomposition rates of both wheat and maize straws when in contact with soil. Light exposure resulted in decreased O-alkyl carbons and increased alkyl carbons for both the wheat and maize straws compared with no-sunlight control. The difference in soil contact may influence the contribution of photodegradation to the overall straw decomposition process. These results indicate that we must take into account the effects of photodegradation when explaining the mechanisms of straw decomposition in mesic ecosystems.

Mass loss and chemical structures of wheat and maize straws in response to ultraviolet-B radiation and soil contact

PubMed Central

Zhou, Guixiang; Zhang, Jiabao; Mao, Jingdong; Zhang, Congzhi; Chen, Lin; Xin, Xiuli; Zhao, Bingzi

2015-01-01

The role of photodegradation, an abiotic process, has been largely overlooked during straw decomposition in mesic ecosystems. We investigated the mass loss and chemical structures of straw decomposition in response to elevated UV-B radiation with or without soil contact over a 12-month litterbag experiment. Wheat and maize straw samples with and without soil contact were exposed to three radiation levels: a no-sunlight control, ambient solar UV-B, and artificially elevated UV-B radiation. A block control with soil contact was not included. Compared with the no-sunlight control, UV-B radiation increased the mass loss by 14–19% and the ambient radiation by 9–16% for wheat and maize straws without soil contact after 12 months. Elevated UV-B exposure decreased the decomposition rates of both wheat and maize straws when in contact with soil. Light exposure resulted in decreased O-alkyl carbons and increased alkyl carbons for both the wheat and maize straws compared with no-sunlight control. The difference in soil contact may influence the contribution of photodegradation to the overall straw decomposition process. These results indicate that we must take into account the effects of photodegradation when explaining the mechanisms of straw decomposition in mesic ecosystems. PMID:26423726

Biorefining of wheat straw using an acetic and formic acid based organosolv fractionation process.

PubMed

Snelders, Jeroen; Dornez, Emmie; Benjelloun-Mlayah, Bouchra; Huijgen, Wouter J J; de Wild, Paul J; Gosselink, Richard J A; Gerritsma, Jort; Courtin, Christophe M

2014-03-01

To assess the potential of acetic and formic acid organosolv fractionation of wheat straw as basis of an integral biorefinery concept, detailed knowledge on yield, composition and purity of the obtained streams is needed. Therefore, the process was performed, all fractions extensively characterized and the mass balance studied. Cellulose pulp yield was 48% of straw dry matter, while it was 21% and 27% for the lignin and hemicellulose-rich fractions. Composition analysis showed that 67% of wheat straw xylan and 96% of lignin were solubilized during the process, resulting in cellulose pulp of 63% purity, containing 93% of wheat straw cellulose. The isolated lignin fraction contained 84% of initial lignin and had a purity of 78%. A good part of wheat straw xylan (58%) ended up in the hemicellulose-rich fraction, half of it as monomeric xylose, together with proteins (44%), minerals (69%) and noticeable amounts of acids used during processing. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Effects of nitrogen application rates and straw returning on nutrient balance and grain yield of late sowing wheat in rice-wheat rotation].

PubMed

Zhang, Shan; Shi, Zu-liang; Yang, Si-jun; Gu, Ke-jun; Dai, Ting-bo; Wang, Fei; Li, Xiang; Sun, Ren-hua

2015-09-01

Field experiments were conducted to study the effects of nitrogen application rates and straw returning on grain yield, nutrient accumulation, nutrient release from straw and nutrient balance in late sowing wheat. The results showed that straw returning together with appropriate application of nitrogen fertilizer improved the grain yield. Dry matter, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium accumulation increased significantly as the nitrogen application rate increased. At the same nitrogen application rate (270 kg N · hm(-2)), the dry matter, phosphorus and potassium accumulation of the treatment with straw returning were higher than that without straw returning, but the nitrogen accumulation was lower. Higher-rate nitrogen application promoted straw decomposition and nutrient release, and decreased the proportion of the nutrient released from straw after jointing. The dry matter, phosphorus and potassium release from straw showed a reverse 'N' type change with the wheat growing, while nitrogen release showed a 'V' type change. The nutrient surplus increased significantly with the nitrogen application rate. At the nitrogen application rate for the highest grain yield, nitrogen and potassium were surplus significantly, and phosphorus input could keep balance. It could be concluded that as to late sowing wheat with straw returning, applying nitrogen at 257 kg · hm(-2) and reducing potassium fertilizer application could improve grain yield and reduce nutrients loss.

Yield and size of oyster mushroom grown on rice/wheat straw basal substrate supplemented with cotton seed hull.

PubMed

Yang, Wenjie; Guo, Fengling; Wan, Zhengjie

2013-10-01

Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) was cultivated on rice straw basal substrate, wheat straw basal substrate, cotton seed hull basal substrate, and wheat straw or rice straw supplemented with different proportions (15%, 30%, and 45% in rice straw substrate, 20%, 30%, and 40% in wheat straw substrate) of cotton seed hull to find a cost effective substrate. The effect of autoclaved sterilized and non-sterilized substrate on growth and yield of oyster mushroom was also examined. Results indicated that for both sterilized substrate and non-sterilized substrate, oyster mushroom on rice straw and wheat basal substrate have faster mycelial growth rate, comparatively poor surface mycelial density, shorter total colonization period and days from bag opening to primordia formation, lower yield and biological efficiency, lower mushroom weight, longer stipe length and smaller cap diameter than that on cotton seed hull basal substrate. The addition of cotton seed hull to rice straw and wheat straw substrate slowed spawn running, primordial development and fruit body formation. However, increasing the amount of cotton seed hull can increase the uniformity and white of mycelium, yield and biological efficiency, and increase mushroom weight, enlarge cap diameter and shorten stipe length. Compared to the sterilized substrate, the non-sterilized substrate had comparatively higher mycelial growth rate, shorter total colonization period and days from bag opening to primordia formation. However, the non-sterilized substrate did not gave significantly higher mushroom yield and biological efficiency than the sterilized substrate, but some undesirable characteristics, i.e. smaller mushroom cap diameter and relatively long stipe length.

Environmental performance of straw-based pulp making: A life cycle perspective.

PubMed

Sun, Mingxing; Wang, Yutao; Shi, Lei

2018-03-01

Agricultural straw-based pulp making plays a vital role in pulp and paper industry, especially in forest deficient countries such as China. However, the environmental performance of straw-based pulp has scarcely been studied. A life cycle assessment on wheat straw-based pulp making in China was conducted to fill of the gaps in comprehensive environmental assessments of agricultural straw-based pulp making. On average, the global warming potential (GWP), GWP excluding biogenic carbon, acidification potential and eutrophication potential of wheat straw based pulp making are 2299kg CO 2 -eq, 4550kg CO 2 -eq, 16.43kg SO 2 -eq and 2.56kg Phosphate-eq respectively. The dominant factors contributing to environmental impacts are coal consumption, electricity consumption, and chemical (NaOH, ClO 2 ) input. Chemical input decrease and energy recovery increase reduce the total environmental impacts dramatically. Compared with wood-based and recycled pulp making, wheat straw-based pulp making has higher environmental impacts, which are mainly due to higher energy and chemical requirements. However, the environmental impacts of wheat straw-based pulp making are lower than hemp and flax based pulp making from previous studies. It is also noteworthy that biogenic carbon emission is significant in bio industries. If carbon sequestration is taken into account in pulp making industry, wheat straw-based pulp making is a net emitter rather than a net absorber of carbon dioxide. Since wheat straw-based pulp making provides an alternative for agricultural residue management, its evaluation framework should be expanded to further reveal its environmental benefits. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Thermal transitions of the amorphous polymers in wheat straw

Treesearch

Wolfgang Stelte; Craig Clemons; Jens K. Holm; Jesper Ahrenfeldt; Ulrik B. Henriksen; Anand R. Sanadi

2011-01-01

The thermal transitions of the amorphous polymers in wheat straw were investigated using dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). The study included both natural and solvent extracted wheat straw, in moist (8–9% water content) and dry conditions, and was compared to spruce samples. Under these conditions two transitions arising from the glass transition of lignin...

The effect of particle size and amount of inoculum on fungal treatment of wheat straw and wood chips.

PubMed

van Kuijk, Sandra J A; Sonnenberg, Anton S M; Baars, Johan J P; Hendriks, Wouter H; Cone, John W

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to optimize the fungal treatment of lignocellulosic biomass by stimulating the colonization. Wheat straw and wood chips were treated with Ceriporiopsis subvermispora and Lentinula edodes with various amounts of colonized millet grains (0.5, 1.5 or 3.0 % per g of wet weight of substrate) added to the substrates. Also, wheat straw and wood chips were chopped to either 0.5 or 2 cm. Effectiveness of the fungal treatment after 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8 wk of incubation was determined by changes in chemical composition, in vitro gas production (IVGP) as a measure for rumen degradability, and ergosterol content as a measure of fungal biomass. Incomplete colonization was observed for C. subvermispora treated wheat straw and L. edodes treated wood chips. The different particle sizes and amounts of inoculum tested, had no significant effects on the chemical composition and the IVGP of C. subvermispora treated wood chips. Particle size did influence L. edodes treatment of wheat straw. The L. edodes treatment of 2 cm wheat straw resulted in a more selective delignification and a higher IVGP than the smaller particles. Addition of 1.5 % or 3 % L. edodes inoculum to wheat straw resulted in more selective delignification and a higher IVGP than addition of 0.5 % inoculum. Particle size and amount of inoculum did not have an effect on C. subvermispora treatment of wood chips. At least 1.5 % L. edodes colonized millet grains should be added to 2 cm wheat straw to result in an increased IVGP and acid detergent lignin (ADL) degradation.

Experimental atherosclerosis in rabbits fed cholesterol-free diets. Part 7. Interaction of animal or vegetable protein with fiber.

PubMed

Kritchevsky, D; Tepper, S A; Williams, D E; Story, J A

1977-04-01

Rabbits were maintained for 10 months on a semipurified, cholesterol-free atherogenic regimen. All diets contained sucrose (40%) and hydrogenated coconut oil (14%). The protein (25%) was either casein or soya protein and the fiber (15%) was either wheat straw, alfalfa, or cellulose. Within either protein group the order for induction of cholesteremia was cellulose=wheat straw greater than alfalfa. For atherogenesis, the effect was cellulose greater than wheat straw greater than alfalfa Soya-wheat straw or soya-cellulose diets were less cholesteremic and atherogenic than their casein counterparts. When alfalfa was the fiber, the two types of protein were almost equivalent. Our results show that casein may be more cholesteremic and atherogenic than soya protein under certain conditions (cellulose or wheat straw as fiber) but the addition of alfalfa to the diet renders the two proteins equivalent.

Improving enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency of wheat straw through sequential autohydrolysis and alkaline post-extraction.

PubMed

Wu, Xinxing; Huang, Chen; Zhai, Shengcheng; Liang, Chen; Huang, Caoxing; Lai, Chenhuan; Yong, Qiang

2018-03-01

In this work, a two-step pretreatment process of wheat straw was established by combining autohydrolysis pretreatment and alkaline post-extraction. The results showed that employing alkaline post-extraction to autohydrolyzed wheat straw could significantly improve its enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency from 36.0% to 83.7%. Alkaline post-extraction lead to the changes of the structure characteristics of autohydrolyzed wheat straw. Associations between enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency and structure characteristics were also studied. The results showed that the factors of structure characteristics such as delignification, xylan removal yield, crystallinity, accessibility and hydrophobicity are positively related to enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency within a certain range for alkaline post-extracted wheat straw. The results demonstrated that autohydrolysis coupled with alkaline post-extraction is an effective and promising method to gain fermentable sugars from biomass. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Production of bioethanol from wheat straw: An overview on pretreatment, hydrolysis and fermentation.

PubMed

Talebnia, Farid; Karakashev, Dimitar; Angelidaki, Irini

2010-07-01

Wheat straw is an abundant agricultural residue with low commercial value. An attractive alternative is utilization of wheat straw for bioethanol production. However, production costs based on the current technology are still too high, preventing commercialization of the process. In recent years, progress has been made in developing more effective pretreatment and hydrolysis processes leading to higher yield of sugars. The focus of this paper is to review the most recent advances in pretreatment, hydrolysis and fermentation of wheat straw. Based on the type of pretreatment method applied, a sugar yield of 74-99.6% of maximum theoretical was achieved after enzymatic hydrolysis of wheat straw. Various bacteria, yeasts and fungi have been investigated with the ethanol yield ranging from 65% to 99% of theoretical value. So far, the best results with respect to ethanol yield, final ethanol concentration and productivity were obtained with the native non-adapted Saccharomyses cerevisiae. Some recombinant bacteria and yeasts have shown promising results and are being considered for commercial scale-up. Wheat straw biorefinery could be the near-term solution for clean, efficient and economically-feasible production of bioethanol as well as high value-added products. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Registration of 'Linkert' spring wheat with good straw strength and adult plant resistance to the Ug99 family of stem rust races

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Straw strength is one of the most important criteria for spring wheat cultivar selection in the north central U.S. ‘Linkert’ (PI 672164) hard red spring wheat was released by the University of Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station in 2013 and has very good straw strength, high grain protein con...

Biocontrol of the toxigenic plant pathogen Fusarium culmorum by soil fauna in an agroecosystem.

PubMed

Meyer-Wolfarth, Friederike; Schrader, Stefan; Oldenburg, Elisabeth; Weinert, Joachim; Brunotte, Joachim

2017-08-01

In 2011 and 2013, a field experiment was conducted in a winter wheat field at Adenstedt (northern Germany) to investigate biocontrol and interaction effects of important members of the soil food web (Lumbricus terrestris, Annelida; Folsomia candida, Collembola and Aphelenchoides saprophilus, Nematoda) on the phytopathogenic fungus Fusarium culmorum in wheat straw. Therefore, soil fauna was introduced in mesocosms in defined numbers and combinations and exposed to either Fusarium-infected or non-infected wheat straw. L. terrestris was introduced in all faunal treatments and combined either with F. candida or A. saprophilus or both. Mesocosms filled with a Luvisol soil, a cover of different types of wheat straw and respective combinations of faunal species were established outdoors in the topsoil of a winter wheat field after harvest of the crop. After a time span of 4 and 8 weeks, the degree of wheat straw coverage of mesocosms was quantified to assess its attractiveness for the soil fauna. The content of Fusarium biomass in residual wheat straw and soil was determined using a double-antibody sandwich (DAS)-ELISA method. In both experimental years, the infected wheat straw was incorporated more efficiently into the soil than the non-infected control straw due to the presence of L. terrestris in all faunal treatments than the non-infected control straw. In addition, Fusarium biomass was reduced significantly in all treatments after 4 weeks (2011: 95-99%; 2013:15-54%), whereupon the decline of fungal biomass was higher in faunal treatments than in non-faunal treatments and differed significantly from them. In 2011, Fusarium biomass of the faunal treatments was below the quantification limit after 8 weeks. In 2013, a decline of Fusarium biomass was observed, but the highest content of Fusarium biomass was still found in the non-faunal treatments after 8 weeks. In the soil of all treatments, Fusarium biomass was below the quantification limit. The earthworm species L. terrestris revealed a considerable potential as an effective biocontrol agent contributing to a sustainable control of a Fusarium plant pathogen in wheat straw, thus reducing the infection risk for specific plant diseases in arable fields.

Utilization of hydrothermally pretreated wheat straw for production of bioethanol and carotene-enriched biomass.

PubMed

Petrik, Siniša; Kádár, Zsófia; Márová, Ivana

2013-04-01

In this work hydrothermally pretreated wheat straw was used for production of bioethanol by Saccharomyces cerevisiae and carotene-enriched biomass by red yeasts Rhodotorula glutinis, Cystofilobasidium capitatum and Sporobolomyces roseus. To evaluate the convertibility of pretreated wheat straw into ethanol, simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of S. cerevisiae was performed under semi-anaerobic conditions. The highest ethanol production efficiency of 65-66% was obtained following pretreatment at 200°C without the catalytic action of acetic acid, and at 195 and 200°C respectively in the presence of catalyst. Red yeast strain S. roseus produced 1.73-2.22 mg g(-1) of ergosterol on the filter cake, 1.15-4.17 mg g(-1) of ergosterol and 1.23-1.56 mg g(-1) of β-carotene on pretreated wheat straw hydrolysates and also the highest amount of carotenoids and ergosterol on untreated wheat straw (1.70 and 4.17 mg g(-1), respectively). Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Succinic acid production from orange peel and wheat straw by batch fermentations of Fibrobacter succinogenes S85.

PubMed

Li, Qiang; Siles, Jose A; Thompson, Ian P

2010-10-01

Succinic acid is a platform molecule that has recently generated considerable interests. Production of succinate from waste orange peel and wheat straw by consolidated bioprocessing that combines cellulose hydrolysis and sugar fermentation, using a cellulolytic bacterium, Fibrobacter succinogenes S85, was studied. Orange peel contains D-limonene, which is a well-known antibacterial agent. Its effects on batch cultures of F. succinogenes S85 were examined. The minimal concentrations of limonene found to inhibit succinate and acetate generation and bacterial growth were 0.01%, 0.1%, and 0.06% (v/v), respectively. Both pre-treated orange peel by steam distillation to remove D: -limonene and intact wheat straw were used as feedstocks. Increasing the substrate concentrations of both feedstocks, from 5 to 60 g/L, elevated succinate concentration and productivity but lowered the yield. In addition, pre-treated orange peel generated greater succinate productivities than wheat straw but had similar resultant titres. The greatest succinate titres were 1.9 and 2.0 g/L for pre-treated orange peel and wheat straw, respectively. This work demonstrated that agricultural waste such as wheat straw and orange peel can be biotransformed to succinic acid by a one-step consolidated bioprocessing. Measures to increase fermentation efficiency are also discussed.

Thermo-Chemical Conversion of Microwave Activated Biomass Mixtures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barmina, I.; Kolmickovs, A.; Valdmanis, R.; Vostrikovs, S.; Zake, M.

2018-05-01

Thermo-chemical conversion of microwave activated wheat straw mixtures with wood or peat pellets is studied experimentally with the aim to provide more effective application of wheat straw for heat energy production. Microwave pre-processing of straw pellets is used to provide a partial decomposition of the main constituents of straw and to activate the thermo-chemical conversion of wheat straw mixtures with wood or peat pellets. The experimental study includes complex measurements of the elemental composition of biomass pellets (wheat straw, wood, peat), DTG analysis of their thermal degradation, FTIR analysis of the composition of combustible volatiles entering the combustor, the flame temperature, the heat output of the device and composition of the products by comparing these characteristics for mixtures with unprocessed and mw pre-treated straw pellets. The results of experimental study confirm that mw pre-processing of straw activates the thermal decomposition of mixtures providing enhanced formation of combustible volatiles. This leads to improvement of the combustion conditions in the flame reaction zone, completing thus the combustion of volatiles, increasing the flame temperature, the heat output from the device, the produced heat energy per mass of burned mixture and decreasing at the same time the mass fraction of unburned volatiles in the products.

Temporal changes of the bacterial community colonizing wheat straw in the cow rumen.

PubMed

Jin, Wei; Wang, Ying; Li, Yuanfei; Cheng, Yanfen; Zhu, Weiyun

2018-04-01

This study used Miseq pyrosequencing and scanning electron microscopy to investigate the temporal changes in the bacterial community tightly attached to wheat straw in the cow rumen. The wheat straw was incubated in the rumens and samples were recovered at various times. The wheat straw degradation exhibited three phases: the first degradation phase occurred within 0.5 h, and the second degradation phase occurred after 6 h, with a stalling phase occurring between 0.5 and 6 h. Scanning electron microscopy revealed the colonization of the microorganisms on the wheat straw over time. The bacterial communities at 0.5, 6, 24, and 72 h were determined, corresponding to the degradation phases. Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were the two most dominant phyla in the bacterial communities at the four time points. Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) showed that the bacterial communities at the four time points were distinct from each other. The wheat straw-associated bacteria stabilized at the phylum level after 0.5 h of rumen incubation, and only modest phylum-level and family-level changes were observed for most taxa between 0.5 h and 72 h. The relative abundance of the dominant genera, Butyrivibrio, Coprococcus, Ruminococcus, Succiniclasticum, Clostridium, Prevotella, YRC22, CF231, and Treponema, changed significantly over time (P < .05). However, at the genus level, unclassified taxa accounted for 70.3% ± 6.1% of the relative abundance, indicating their probable importance in the degradation of wheat straw as well as in the temporal changes of the bacterial community. Thus, understanding the function of these unclassified taxa is of great importance for targeted improvement of forage use efficiency in ruminants. Collectively, our results revealed distinct degradation phases of wheat straw and corresponding changes in the colonized bacterial community. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enhanced yields and soil quality in a wheat-maize rotation using buried straw mulch.

PubMed

Guo, Zhibin; Liu, Hui; Wan, Shuixia; Hua, Keke; Jiang, Chaoqiang; Wang, Daozhong; He, Chuanlong; Guo, Xisheng

2017-08-01

Straw return may improve soil quality and crop yields. In a 2-year field study, a straw return method (ditch-buried straw return, DB-SR) was used to investigate the soil quality and crop productivity effects on a wheat-corn rotation system. This study consisted of three treatments, each with three replicates: (1) mineral fertilisation alone (CK0); (2) mineral fertilisation + 7500 kg ha -1 wheat straw incorporated at depth of 0-15 cm (NPKWS); and (3) mineral fertilisation + 7500 kg ha -1 wheat straw ditch buried at 15-30 cm (NPKDW). NPKWS and NPKDW enhanced crop yield and improved soil biotical properties compared to mineral fertilisation alone. NPKDW contributed to greater crop yields and soil nutrient availability at 15-30 cm depths, compared to NPKWS treatment. NPKDW enhanced soil microbial activity and bacteria species richness and diversity in the 0-15 cm layer. NPKWS increased soil microbial biomass, bacteria species richness and diversity at 15-30 cm. The comparison of the CK0 and NPKWS treatments indicates that a straw ditch buried by digging to the depth of 15-30 cm can improve crop yields and soil quality in a wheat-maize rotation system. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effects of Different Tillage and Straw Return on Soil Organic Carbon in a Rice-Wheat Rotation System

PubMed Central

Zhu, Liqun; Hu, Naijuan; Yang, Minfang; Zhan, Xinhua; Zhang, Zhengwen

2014-01-01

Soil management practices, such as tillage method or straw return, could alter soil organic carbon (C) contents. However, the effects of tillage method or straw return on soil organic C (SOC) have showed inconsistent results in different soil/climate/cropping systems. The Yangtze River Delta of China is the main production region of rice and wheat, and rice-wheat rotation is the most important cropping system in this region. However, few studies in this region have been conducted to assess the effects of different tillage methods combined with straw return on soil labile C fractions in the rice-wheat rotation system. In this study, a field experiment was used to evaluate the effects of different tillage methods, straw return and their interaction on soil total organic C (TOC) and labile organic C fractions at three soil depths (0–7, 7–14 and 14–21 cm) for a rice-wheat rotation in Yangzhong of the Yangtze River Delta of China. Soil TOC, easily oxidizable C (EOC), dissolved organic C (DOC) and microbial biomass C (MBC) contents were measured in this study. Soil TOC and labile organic C fractions contents were significantly affected by straw returns, and were higher under straw return treatments than non-straw return at three depths. At 0–7 cm depth, soil MBC was significantly higher under plowing tillage than rotary tillage, but EOC was just opposite. Rotary tillage had significantly higher soil TOC than plowing tillage at 7–14 cm depth. However, at 14–21 cm depth, TOC, DOC and MBC were significantly higher under plowing tillage than rotary tillage except for EOC. Consequently, under short-term condition, rice and wheat straw both return in rice-wheat rotation system could increase SOC content and improve soil quality in the Yangtze River Delta. PMID:24586434

Influence of Wheat Straw Pelletizing and Inclusion Rate in Dry Rolled or Steam-flaked Corn-based Finishing Diets on Characteristics of Digestion for Feedlot Cattle.

PubMed

Manríquez, O M; Montano, M F; Calderon, J F; Valdez, J A; Chirino, J O; Gonzalez, V M; Salinas-Chavira, J; Mendoza, G D; Soto, S; Zinn, R A

2016-06-01

Eight Holstein steers (216±48 kg body weight) fitted with ruminal and duodenal cannulas were used to evaluate effects of wheat straw processing (ground vs pelleted) at two straw inclusion rates (7% and 14%; dry matter basis) in dry rolled or steam-flaked corn-based finishing diets on characteristics of digestion. The experimental design was a split plot consisting of two simultaneous 4×4 Latin squares. Increasing straw level reduced ruminal (p<0.01) and total tract (p = 0.03) organic matter (OM) digestion. As expected, increasing wheat straw level from 7% to 14% decreased (p<0.05) ruminal and total tract digestion of OM. Digestion of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and starch, per se, were not affected (p>0.10) by wheat straw level. Likewise, straw level did not influence ruminal acetate and propionate molar proportions or estimated methane production (p>0.10). Pelleting straw did not affect (p≥0.48) ruminal digestion of OM, NDF, and starch, or microbial efficiency. Ruminal feed N digestion was greater (7.4%; p = 0.02) for ground than for pelleted wheat straw diets. Although ruminal starch digestion was not affected by straw processing, post-ruminal (p<0.01), and total-tract starch (p = 0.05) digestion were greater for ground than for pelleted wheat straw diets, resulting in a tendency for increased post-ruminal (p = 0.06) and total tract (p = 0.07) OM digestion. Pelleting wheat straw decreased (p<0.01) ruminal pH, although ruminal volatile fatty acids (VFA) concentration and estimated methane were not affected (p≥0.27). Ruminal digestion of OM and starch, and post-ruminal and total tract digestion of OM, starch and N were greater (p<0.01) for steam-flaked than for dry rolled corn-based diets. Ruminal NDF digestion was greater (p = 0.02) for dry rolled than for steam-flaked corn, although total tract NDF digestion was unaffected (p = 0.94). Ruminal microbial efficiency and ruminal degradation of feed N were not affected (p>0.14) by corn processing. However, microbial N flow to the small intestine and ruminal N efficiency (non-ammonia N flow to the small intestine/N intake) were greater (p<0.01) for steam-flaked than for dry rolled corn-based diets. Ruminal pH and total VFA concentration were not affected (p≥ 0.16) by corn processing method. Compared with dry rolled corn, steam-flaked corn-based diets resulted in decreased acetate:propionate molar ratio (p = 0.02). It is concluded that at 7% or 14% straw inclusion rate, changes in physical characteristics of wheat straw brought about by pelleting negatively impact OM digestion of both steam-flaked and dry-rolled corn-based finishing diets. This effect is due to decreased post-ruminal starch digestion. Replacement of ground straw with pelleted straw also may decrease ruminal pH.

Direct measures of mechanical energy for knife mill size reduction of switchgrass, wheat straw, and corn stover.

PubMed

Bitra, Venkata S P; Womac, Alvin R; Igathinathane, C; Miu, Petre I; Yang, Yuechuan T; Smith, David R; Chevanan, Nehru; Sokhansanj, Shahab

2009-12-01

Lengthy straw/stalk of biomass may not be directly fed into grinders such as hammer mills and disc refiners. Hence, biomass needs to be preprocessed using coarse grinders like a knife mill to allow for efficient feeding in refiner mills without bridging and choking. Size reduction mechanical energy was directly measured for switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), wheat straw (Triticum aestivum L.), and corn stover (Zea mays L.) in an instrumented knife mill. Direct power inputs were determined for different knife mill screen openings from 12.7 to 50.8 mm, rotor speeds between 250 and 500 rpm, and mass feed rates from 1 to 11 kg/min. Overall accuracy of power measurement was calculated to be +/-0.003 kW. Total specific energy (kWh/Mg) was defined as size reduction energy to operate mill with biomass. Effective specific energy was defined as the energy that can be assumed to reach the biomass. The difference is parasitic or no-load energy of mill. Total specific energy for switchgrass, wheat straw, and corn stover chopping increased with knife mill speed, whereas, effective specific energy decreased marginally for switchgrass and increased for wheat straw and corn stover. Total and effective specific energy decreased with an increase in screen size for all the crops studied. Total specific energy decreased with increase in mass feed rate, but effective specific energy increased for switchgrass and wheat straw, and decreased for corn stover at increased feed rate. For knife mill screen size of 25.4 mm and optimum speed of 250 rpm, optimum feed rates were 7.6, 5.8, and 4.5 kg/min for switchgrass, wheat straw, and corn stover, respectively, and the corresponding total specific energies were 7.57, 10.53, and 8.87 kWh/Mg and effective specific energies were 1.27, 1.50, and 0.24 kWh/Mg for switchgrass, wheat straw, and corn stover, respectively. Energy utilization ratios were calculated as 16.8%, 14.3%, and 2.8% for switchgrass, wheat straw, and corn stover, respectively. These data will be useful for preparing the feed material for subsequent fine grinding operations and designing new mills.

Effect of Pleurotus ostreatus and Erwinia carotovora on wheat straw digestibility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Streeter, C.L.; Conway, K.E.; Horn, G.W.

1981-11-01

The objectives of this study were to determine whether growing Pleurotus ostreatus and Erwinia carotovora on wheat straw would synergistically improve the digestibility of straw and whether there was a necessity of sterilizing the straw by autoclaving prior to inoculation. Dry matter decomposition of autoclaved and non-autoclaved straw was similar when both organisms were used in the system after 28 days incubation. However, in vitro ruminal dry matter digestibility of straw was significantly improved (P less than 10) only when the straw was autoclaved prior to inoculation with both organisms. (Refs. 21).

[The influence of straw, particularly rice straw, together with calcium-cyanamide on the microbiological activity of two Portuguese soils (author's transl)].

PubMed

Glathe, H; El Din, A; Scheuer, A

1976-01-01

The influence of calcium-cyanamide upon the microbiological activity was tested in pot experiments under controlled conditions in two Portuguese soils (sandy and loamy) after the addition of rice or wheat straw (rice straw 0.275% N, wheat straw 0.307% N). The amount of straw was equalled to 100 dz/ha, the application of calcium-cyanamide to 25, 50 and 100 kg N/ha. In the containers treated with straw the total amount of microorganisms (Koch-method) was higher in sandy than in loamy soil after 30 days, but after 70 days it was higher in loamy soil. The content of active nitrogen (NH4 + NO3) increased, when calcium-cyanamide was added, but decreased after the application of straw. After 70 days sandy soil again showed an increase of active nitrogen. Straw increased the rates of CO2-production considerably, wheat straw was superior to rice straw. Calcium-cyanamide increased the CO2-production more in sandy than in loamy soil or German loess, which was also used for this experiment. Only in the case of rice straw higher doses of calcium-cyanamide had a positive effect. After 70 days the CO2-production rose only when rice straw was applied. The dehydrogenase-activity was increased in both soils, but a superiority of wheat straw occurred in sandy soil only. The microbiological activity in the pots with straw was higher in sandy than in loamy soil, the addition of calcium-cyanamide accelerated it. Doses of 25-50 kg N/ha are sufficient generally. The period of the formation of insoluble organic N-compounds, usually connected with the application of organic matter with a wide N:C-ratio, seems to be reduced by the addition of calcium-cyanamide.

Potential of pelleted wheat straw as an alternative bedding material for broilers.

PubMed

Kheravii, S K; Swick, R A; Choct, M; Wu, S-B

2017-06-01

Broiler chickens are commonly placed on wood shavings as litter, but alternative litter sources are required due to the scarcity of wood shavings in many parts of the world. This study aimed to compare pelleted straw, chopped wheat straw, wood shavings, rice hulls, and shredded paper as litter candidates. Three-hundred-sixty Ross 308 one-day-old male chicks were used in this study. There were 5 litter treatments with 6 replicate pens, each with 12 birds. The feed conversion ratio (FCR) of birds reared on pelleted straw was improved compared (P < 0.05) to that of birds raised on rice hulls, whereas it did not differ for birds placed on wood shavings, rice hulls, chopped straw, or shredded paper. It was observed that the birds reared on wood shavings had higher relative gizzard weight at d 24 compared to those reared on pelleted straw (P < 0.05). Gizzard pH and measured cecal bacterial groups were not affected by the type of bedding material. Cecal bacterial groups measured at d 10 were not affected by bedding material. Birds reared on pelleted wheat straw had a lower incidence of footpad lesions than those on chopped straw and shredded paper on d 24 (P < 0.001) and 29 (P < 0.01). Litter source did not affect the occurrence of breast blisters at d 24, 29, or 35. On d 24, 29, and 35, pelleted straw litter was less caked than chopped straw and shredded paper (P < 0.001) whereas no significant differences were observed among pelleted straw, wood shavings, and rice hulls. The study demonstrated the potential benefits to using pelleted wheat straw as a bedding material. Further assessment of pelleting of wheat straw and other materials on broiler health, performance, and welfare are needed to determine the economic benefits of pelleted litter. © 2017 Poultry Science Association Inc.

Decomposition Dynamics and Changes in Chemical Composition of Wheat Straw Residue under Anaerobic and Aerobic Conditions

PubMed Central

Gao, Hongjian; Chen, Xi; Wei, Junling; Zhang, Yajie; Zhang, Ligan; Chang, Jiang; Thompson, Michael L.

2016-01-01

Soil aeration is a crucial factor that regulates crop residue decomposition, and the chemical composition of decomposing crop residues may change the forms and availability of soil nutrients, such as N and P. However, to date, differences in the chemical composition of crop straw residues after incorporation into soil and during its decomposition under anaerobic vs. aerobic conditions have not been well documented. The objective of the present study was to assess changes in the C-containing functional groups of wheat straw residue during its decomposition in anaerobic and aerobic environments. A 12-month incubation experiment was carried out to investigate the temporal variations of mass, carbon, and nitrogen loss, as well as changes in the chemical composition of wheat (Triticum aestivum L) straw residues under anaerobic and aerobic conditions by measuring C-containing functional groups using solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The residual mass, carbon content, and nitrogen content of the straw residue sharply declined during the initial 3 months, and then slowly decreased during the last incubation period from 3 to 12 months. The decomposition rate constant (k) for mass loss under aerobic conditions (0.022 d-1) was higher than that under anaerobic conditions (0.014 d-1). The residual mass percentage of cellulose and hemicellulose in the wheat straw gradually declined, whereas that of lignin gradually increased during the entire 12-month incubation period. The NMR spectra of C-containing functional groups in the decomposing straw under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions were similar at the beginning of the incubation as well as at 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months. The main alterations in C-containing functional groups during the decomposition of wheat straw were a decrease in the relative abundances of O-alkyl C and an increase in the relative abundances of alkyl C, aromatic C and COO/N-C = O functional groups. The NMR signals of alkyl C and aromatic C in decomposing wheat straw residues under anaerobic condition were higher than those under aerobic conditions. The higher mass percentages of lignin and the higher signals of aromatic C and alkyl C functional groups in decomposing wheat residues under anaerobic conditions than under aerobic conditions were due to the slower decomposition rates of aryl C and alkyl C in wheat straw residues under anaerobic conditions. PMID:27380023

Effects of variety, cropping year, location and fertilizer application on nutritive value of durum wheat straw.

PubMed

Tolera, A; Tsegaye, B; Berg, T

2008-04-01

This study was carried out to assess the effects of variety, year, location and level of fertilizer application on chemical composition and in sacco dry matter (DM) degradability of durum wheat straw as well as to understand the relationship between straw quality and agronomic traits of the crop and to assess the possibilities of selecting wheat varieties that combine high grain yield with desirable straw quality. Two local (Arendeto and Tikur sinde) and two improved (Boohai and Gerardo) varieties of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum Desf.) were used in the experiment. The four varieties were grown at two locations (Akaki and Ejere) in the years 2001/2002 and 2002/2003 in 5 x 5 m plots in three replications. Diammonium phosphate and urea fertilizers were applied at four levels (0/0, 32/23, 41/23 and 64/46 kg/ha of nitrogen/phosphorus). Straw quality was assessed based on chemical composition and in sacco DM degradability. Correlation of straw quality with grain and straw yield and with other agronomic characteristics of the crop was determined. The potential utility index (a measure that integrates grain and digestible straw yield) was used for ranking of the varieties. The local varieties had higher crude protein (CP) and lower neutral detergent fibre contents and higher digestibility than the improved varieties. The cropping year and location had significant effect on CP content and degradability of the straw, which could be due to climatic variation. However, the fertilizer level did not have any significant effect on straw quality except that the CP content of the straw tended to increase with increasing level of fertilizer application. Based on the potential utility index the varieties ranked, in a decreasing order, as Tikur sinde > Arendeto > Gerardo > Boohai and the ranking was consistent across years and locations. Except the CP content, straw quality was not negatively correlated with grain and straw yield. This indicates that there is a possibility of selecting varieties of wheat that combine high grain and straw yield with desirable straw quality.

Solid-state anaerobic co-digestion of spent mushroom substrate with yard trimmings and wheat straw for biogas production.

PubMed

Lin, Yunqin; Ge, Xumeng; Li, Yebo

2014-10-01

Spent mushroom substrate (SMS) is a biomass waste generated from mushroom production. About 5 kg of SMS is generated for every kg of mushroom produced. In this study, solid state anaerobic digestion (SS-AD) of SMS, wheat straw, yard trimmings, and their mixtures was investigated at different feedstock to effluent ratios. SMS was found to be highly degradable, which resulted in inhibition of SS-AD due to volatile fatty acid (VFA) accumulation and a decrease in pH. This issue was addressed by co-digestion of SMS with either yard trimmings or wheat straw. SS-AD of SMS/yard trimmings achieved a cumulative methane yield of 194 L/kg VS, which was 16 and 2 times higher than that from SMS and yard trimmings, respectively. SS-AD of SMS/wheat straw obtained a cumulative methane yield of 269 L/kg VS, which was 23 times as high as that from SMS and comparable to that from wheat straw. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Anaerobic co-digestion of microalgal biomass and wheat straw with and without thermo-alkaline pretreatment.

PubMed

Solé-Bundó, Maria; Eskicioglu, Cigdem; Garfí, Marianna; Carrère, Hélène; Ferrer, Ivet

2017-08-01

This study aimed at analyzing the anaerobic co-digestion of microalgal biomass grown in wastewater and wheat straw. To this end, Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP) tests were carried out testing different substrate proportions (20-80, 50-50 and 80-20%, on a volatile solid basis). In order to improve their biodegradability, the co-digestion of both substrates was also evaluated after applying a thermo-alkaline pretreatment (10% CaO at 75°C for 24h). The highest synergies in degradation rates were observed by adding at least 50% of wheat straw. Therefore, the co-digestion of 50% microalgae - 50% wheat straw was investigated in mesophilic lab-scale reactors. The results showed that the methane yield was increased by 77% with the co-digestion as compared to microalgae mono-digestion, while the pretreatment only increased the methane yield by 15% compared to the untreated mixture. Thus, the anaerobic co-digestion of microalgae and wheat straw was successful even without applying a thermo-alkaline pretreatment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Effect of straw-returning on the storage and distribution of different active fractions of soil organic carbon].

PubMed

Wang, Hul; Wang, Xu-dong; Tian, Xiao-hong

2014-12-01

The impacts of straw mulching and returning on the storage of soil dissolved organic carbon (DOC), particulate organic carbon (POC) and mineral associated organic carbon (MOC), and their proportions to the total organic carbon (TOC) were studied based on a field experiment. The results showed that compared to the treatment of wheat straw soil-returning (WR), the storage of TOC and MOC decreased by 4.1% and 9.7% respectively in 0-20 cm soil in the treatment with wheat straw mulching (WM), but the storage of DOC and POC increased by 207.7% and 11.9%, and TOC and POC increased significantly in 20-40 cm soil. Compared to the treatment with maize straw soil-returning (MR), the storage of TOC and MOC in the plough pan soil of the treatment with maize straw mulching (MM) increased by 13.6% and 14.6% , respectively. Compared to the WR-MR treatment, the storage of TOC and MOC in top soil (0-20 icm) significantly decreased by 8.5% and 10.3% respectively in WM-MM treatment. The storage of TOC, and POC in top soil was significantly higher in the treatments with maize straw soil-returning or mulching than that with wheat straw. Compared to the treatment without straw (CK), the storage of TOC in top soil increased by 5.2% to 18.0% in the treatments with straw returning or mulching in the six modes (WM, WR, MM, MR, WM-MM,WR-MR) (P<0.05), but the storage of TOC in the plough pan soil decreased by 8.0% to 11.5% (P<0.05) except for the treatments of WM and MM. The storage of DOC and DOC/TOC ratio decreased significantly in top soil in the treatments with straw mulching or returning in six modes. The storage of POC and POC/TOC ratio in WM and WM-MM treatments, MOC and MOC/TOC ratio in WR treatment, increased significantly in top soil. In the other three treatments with straw mulching and returning (MM, MR, WR-MR), the storage of POC and MOC increased significantly in top soil. These results suggested that straw mulching had the potential to accumulate active organic carbon fraction in soil, straw soil-returning had the potential to accumulate stable organic carbon fraction. Considering organic carbon sequestration in cropland in the region of Guanzhong plain, maize straw mulching or soil-returning was better than wheat straw, and wheat straw and maize straw soil-returning (WR-MR) were better than wheat and maize straw mulching (WM-MM).

Effects of ditch-buried straw return on water percolation, nitrogen leaching and crop yields in a rice-wheat rotation system.

PubMed

Yang, Haishui; Xu, Mingmin; Koide, Roger T; Liu, Qian; Dai, Yajun; Liu, Ling; Bian, Xinmin

2016-03-15

Crop residue management and nitrogen loss are two important environmental problems in the rice-wheat rotation system in China. This study investigated the effects of burial of straw on water percolation, nitrogen loss by leaching, crop growth and yield. Greenhouse mesocosm experiments were conducted over the course of three simulated cropping seasons in a rice1-wheat-rice2 rotation. Greater amounts of straw resulted in more water percolation, irrespective of crop season. Burial at 20 and 35 cm significantly reduced, but burial at 50 cm increased nitrogen leaching. Straw at 500 kg ha(-1) reduced, but at 1000 kg ha(-1) and at 1500 kg ha(-1) straw increased nitrogen leaching in three consecutive crop rotations. In addition, straw at 500 kg ha(-1) buried at 35 cm significantly increased yield and its components for both crops. This study suggests that N losses via leaching from the rice-wheat rotation may be reduced by the burial of the appropriate amount of straw at the appropriate depth. Greater amounts of buried straw, however, may promote nitrogen leaching and negatively affect crop growth and yields. Complementary field experiments must be performed to make specific agronomic recommendations. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

Fermentation technologies for ethanol production from wheat straw by a recombinant bacterium

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Wheat straw, a globally abundant byproduct of wheat production, contains about 70% carbohydrate that could potentially be used as a low cost feedstock for production of fuel ethanol. Typically four process steps are involved in the production of ethanol from any lignocellulosic feedstock – pretreat...

Ammonia volatilization and atmospheric N deposition following straw and urea application from a rice-wheat rotation in southeastern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Liying; Wu, Zhen; Ma, Yuchun; Liu, Yinglie; Xiong, Zhengqin

2018-05-01

Ammonia is a vital component of the nitrogen (N) cycle of terrestrial ecosystems in terms of volatilization and deposition. Here, a field experiment was undertaken to simultaneously investigate the effects of rice straw and urea incorporation on ammonia volatilization, atmospheric N deposition, yields and agronomic nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) under a rice-wheat system in China. The experiment involved four treatments: control (0 N, 0 straw), NS0 (250 kg N ha-1 season-1, 0 straw), NS1 (250 kg N ha-1 season-1, 3 t ha-1 yr-1 straw), and NS2 (250 kg N ha-1 season-1, 6 t ha-1 yr-1 straw) in the rice-wheat annual rotation system. The results indicated that the NS0, NS1 and NS2 treatments emitted cumulative ammonia of 14.0%, 16.4%, and 19.2%, respectively in the rice season and 7.6%, 11.1%, and 12.3%, respectively in the wheat season among the total urea-N application. Compared to the NS0 treatment, the NS1 and NS2 treatments significantly increased the cumulative ammonia emissions by 15.5% (p < 0.05) and 33.5% (p < 0.05), respectively in the rice season and 39.9% (p < 0.05) and 53.1% (p < 0.05), respectively in the wheat season. There was no significant difference between the NS2 and NS1 treatments during the wheat season. The amount of NH4+-N deposition accounted for 56.1% of the total inorganic N deposition during the whole rice-wheat system. The bulk NH4+-N deposition during the period of fertilization contributed 73.9% and 5.7% to the total NH4+-N deposition in the rice and wheat season, respectively. Overall, straw incorporation increased ammonia volatilization, not affecting the crop grain yield or NUE. The seasonal variation in NH4+-N bulk deposition was closely related to N fertilizer application.

[Influence of Different Straws Returning with Landfill on Soil Microbial Community Structure Under Dry and Water Farming].

PubMed

Lan, Mu-ling; Gao, Ming

2015-11-01

Based on rice, wheat, corn straw and rape, broad bean green stalk as the research object, using phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) method, combining principal component analysis method to study the soil microbial quantity, distribution of flora, community structure characteristics under dry and water farming as two different cultivated land use types. The PLFA analysis results showed that: under dry farming, total PLFA quantity ranged 8.35-25.15 nmol x g(-1), showed rape > broad bean > corn > rice > wheat, rape and broad bean significantly increased total PLFA quantity by 1.18 and 1.08 times compared to the treatment without straw; PLFA quantity of bacterial flora in treatments with straws was higher than that without straw, and fungal biomass was significantly increased, so was the species richness of microbial community. Under water faming, the treatments of different straws returning with landfill have improved the PLFA quantity of total soil microbial and flora comparing with the treatment without straw, fungi significantly increased, and species richness of microbial communities value also increased significantly. Total PLFA quantity ranged 4.04-22.19 nmol x g(-1), showed rice > corn > wheat > broad bean > rape, which in rape and broad bean treatments were lower than the treatment without straw; fungal PLFA amount in 5 kinds of straw except broad bean treatment was significantly higher than that of the treatment without straw, bacteria and total PLFA quantity in broad bean processing were significantly lower than those of other treatments, actinomycetes, G+, G- had no significant difference between all treatments; rice, wheat, corn, rape could significantly increase the soil microbial species richness index and dominance index under water faming. The results of principal component analysis showed that broad bean green stalk had the greatest impact on the microbial community structure in the dry soil, rape green stalk and wheat straw had the biggest influence on soil microbial community structure in water soil.

40 CFR 180.439 - Thifensulfuron methyl; tolerances for residues.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... million Barley, grain 0.05 Barley, hay 0.8 Barley, straw 0.10 Canola, seed 0.02 Corn, field, forage 0.10 Corn, field, grain 0.05 Corn, field, stover 0.10 Cotton, gin byproducts 0.02 Cotton, undelinted seed 0... Soybean 0.10 Wheat, forage 2.5 Wheat, grain 0.05 Wheat, hay 0.7 Wheat, straw 0.10 (b) Section 18 emergency...

Relationship of deoxynivalenol content in grain, chaff, and straw with Fusarium head blight severity in wheat varieties with various levels of resistance.

PubMed

Ji, Fang; Wu, Jirong; Zhao, Hongyan; Xu, Jianhong; Shi, Jianrong

2015-03-05

A total of 122 wheat varieties obtained from the Nordic Genetic Resource Center were infected artificially with an aggressive Fusariumasiaticum strain in a field experiment. We calculated the severity of Fusarium head blight (FHB) and determined the deoxynivalenol (DON) content of wheat grain, straw and glumes. We found DON contamination levels to be highest in the glumes, intermediate in the straw, and lowest in the grain in most samples. The DON contamination levels did not increase consistently with increased FHB incidence. The DON levels in the wheat varieties with high FHB resistance were not necessarily low, and those in the wheat varieties with high FHB sensitivity were not necessarily high. We selected 50 wheat genotypes with reduced DON content for future research. This study will be helpful in breeding new wheat varieties with low levels of DON accumulation.

Production of ethyl levulinate by direct conversion of wheat straw in ethanol media.

PubMed

Chang, Chun; Xu, Guizhuan; Jiang, Xiaoxian

2012-10-01

The production of ethyl levulinate from wheat straw by direct conversion in ethanol media was investigated. Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to optimize the effects of processing parameters, and the regression analysis was performed on the data obtained. A close agreement between the experimental results and the model predictions was achieved. The optimal conditions for ethyl levulinate production from wheat straw were acid concentration 2.5%, reaction temperature 183°C, mass ratio of liquid to solid 19.8 and reaction time 36 min. Under the optimum conditions, the yield of ethyl levulinate 17.91% was obtained, representing a theoretical yield of 51.0%. The results suggest that wheat straw can be used as potential raw materials for the production of ethyl levulinate by direct conversion in ethanol media. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Aortic sudanophilia an zinc-copper ratios in the liver of vervet monkeys fed different types of dietary fibre.

PubMed

Klevay, L M; Mendelsohn, D; Vanderwatt, J J; Davidson, L M; Kritchevsky, D

1981-04-18

Vervet monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops pygerethrus) were fed a semipurified diet containing 40% sucrose, 25% casein, 14% hydrogenated coconut oil and 15% fibre for 6 months. Alfalfa, cellulose, or wheat straw was the source of the fibre. All the diets led to aortic sudanophilia, but the group fed wheat straw had the highest copper level in the liver and the least sudanophilia. The order to severity of the sudanophilia, the ratio of zinc to copper in the fibers, and the ratio of zinc to copper in the liver were: alfalfa-fed group greater than cellulose-fed group greater than wheat straw-fed group. These findings, which may have resulted from the relatively large amount of copper in the wheat straw, are consonant with observations on lipid metabolism in other species.

Energy assessment of second generation (2G) ethanol production from wheat straw in Indian scenario.

PubMed

Mishra, Archana; Kumar, Akash; Ghosh, Sanjoy

2018-03-01

Impact of second-generation ethanol (2G) use in transportation sector mainly depends upon energy efficiency of entire production process. The objective of present study was to determine energy efficiency of a potential lignocellulosic feedstock; wheat straw and its conversion into cellulosic ethanol in Indian scenario. Energy efficiency was determined by calculating Net energy ratio (NER), i.e. ratio of output energy obtained by ethanol and input energy used in ethanol production. Energy consumption and generation at each step is calculated briefly (11,837.35 MJ/ha during Indian dwarf irrigated variety of wheat crop production and 7.1148 MJ/kg straw during ethanol production stage). Total energy consumption is calculated as 8.2988 MJ/kg straw whereas energy generation from ethanol is 15.082 MJ/kg straw; resulting into NER > 1. Major portion of agricultural energy input is contributed by diesel and fertilisers whereas refining process of wheat straw feedstock to ethanol and by-products require mainly in the form of steam and electricity. On an average, 1671.8 kg water free ethanol, 930 kg lignin rich biomass (for combustion), and 561 kg C5-molasses (for fodder) per hectare are produced. Findings of this study, net energy ratio (1.81) and figure of merit (14.8028 MJ/nil kg carbon) proves wheat straw as highest energy efficient lignocellulosic feedstock for the country.

Direct Conversion of Wheat Straw into Electricity with a Biomass Flow Fuel Cell Mediated by Two Redox Ion Pairs.

PubMed

Gong, Jian; Liu, Wei; Du, Xu; Liu, Congmin; Zhang, Zhe; Sun, Feifei; Yang, Le; Xu, Dong; Guo, Hua; Deng, Yulin

2017-02-08

In this paper, a biomass flow fuel cell to directly convert wheat straw to electricity at low temperature (80-90 °C) and atmospheric pressure is presented. Two redox ion pairs, Fe 3+ /Fe 2+ and VO 2 + /VO 2+ , acting as redox catalysts and charge carriers, were used in the anode and cathode flow tanks, respectively. The wheat straw was first oxidized by Fe 3+ in the anode tank at approximately 100 °C. The reduced Fe 2+ in the anode was used to construct a fuel cell with VO 2 + in the cathode. The VO 2 + ions were reduced to VO 2+ and regenerated to VO 2 + by oxygen oxidation. The wheat straw flow fuel cell showed a power output of 100 mW cm -2 . Mediated with liquid Fe 3+ carriers, the solid powder of wheat straw could be gradually degraded into low-molecular-weight organic molecules and even oxidized to CO 2 at the anode without using noble-metal catalysts. The overpotential for the electrodes of the flow fuel cell was examined and the energy cost was estimated. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Pretreating wheat straw by the concentrated phosphoric acid plus hydrogen peroxide (PHP): Investigations on pretreatment conditions and structure changes.

PubMed

Wang, Qing; Hu, Jinguang; Shen, Fei; Mei, Zili; Yang, Gang; Zhang, Yanzong; Hu, Yaodong; Zhang, Jing; Deng, Shihuai

2016-01-01

Wheat straw was pretreated by PHP (the concentrated H3PO4 plus H2O2) to clarify effects of temperature, time and H3PO4 proportion on hemicellulose removal, delignification, cellulose recovery and enzymatic digestibility. Overall, hemicellulose removal was intensified by PHP comparing to the concentrated H3PO4. Moreover, efficient delignification specially happened in PHP pretreatment. Hemicellulose removal and delignification by PHP positively responded to temperature and time. Increasing H3PO4 proportion in PHP can promote hemicellulose removal, however, decrease the delignification. Maximum hemicellulose removal and delignification were achieved at 100% and 83.7% by PHP. Enzymatic digestibility of PHP-pretreated wheat straw was greatly improved by increasing temperature, time and H3PO4 proportion, and complete hydrolysis can be achieved consequently. As temperature of 30-40°C, time of 2.0 h and H3PO4 proportion of 60% were employed, more than 92% cellulose was retained in the pretreated wheat straw, and 29.1-32.6g glucose can be harvested from 100g wheat straw. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of wheat and Miscanthus straw biochars on soil enzymatic activity, ecotoxicity, and plant yield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mierzwa-Hersztek, Monika; Gondek, Krzysztof; Klimkowicz-Pawlas, Agnieszka; Baran, Agnieszka

2017-07-01

The variety of technological conditions and raw materials from which biochar is produced is the reason why its soil application may have different effects on soil properties and plant growth. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the addition of wheat straw and Miscanthus giganteus straw (5 t DM ha-1) and biochar obtained from this materials in doses of 2.25 and 5 t DM ha-1 on soil enzymatic activity, soil ecotoxicity, and plant yield (perennial grass mixture with red clover). The research was carried out under field conditions on soil with the granulometric composition of loamy sand. No significant effect of biochar amendment on soil enzymatic activity was observed. The biochar-amended soil was toxic to Vibrio fischeri and exhibited low toxicity to Heterocypris incongruens. Application of wheat straw biochar and M. giganteus straw biochar in a dose of 5 t DM ha-1 contributed to an increase in plant biomass production by 2 and 14%, respectively, compared to the soil with mineral fertilisation. Biochars had a more adverse effect on soil enzymatic activity and soil ecotoxicity to H. incongruens and V. fischeri than non-converted wheat straw and M. giganteus straw, but significantly increased the grass crop yield.

Effect of Biostimulation Using Sewage Sludge, Soybean Meal, and Wheat Straw on Oil Degradation and Bacterial Community Composition in a Contaminated Desert Soil

PubMed Central

Al-Kindi, Sumaiya; Abed, Raeid M. M.

2016-01-01

Waste materials have a strong potential in the bioremediation of oil-contaminated sites, because of their richness in nutrients and their economical feasibility. We used sewage sludge, soybean meal, and wheat straw to biostimulate oil degradation in a heavily contaminated desert soil. While oil degradation was assessed by following the produced CO2 and by using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), shifts in bacterial community composition were monitored using illumina MiSeq. The addition of sewage sludge and wheat straw to the desert soil stimulated the respiration activities to reach 3.2–3.4 times higher than in the untreated soil, whereas the addition of soybean meal resulted in an insignificant change in the produced CO2, given the high respiration activities of the soybean meal alone. GC–MS analysis revealed that the addition of sewage sludge and wheat straw resulted in 1.7–1.8 fold increase in the degraded C14 to C30 alkanes, compared to only 1.3 fold increase in the case of soybean meal addition. The degradation of ≥90% of the C14 to C30 alkanes was measured in the soils treated with sewage sludge and wheat straw. MiSeq sequencing revealed that the majority (76.5–86.4% of total sequences) of acquired sequences from the untreated soil belonged to Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, and Firmicutes. Multivariate analysis of operational taxonomic units placed the bacterial communities of the soils after the treatments in separate clusters (ANOSIM R = 0.66, P = 0.0001). The most remarkable shift in bacterial communities was in the wheat straw treatment, where 95–98% of the total sequences were affiliated to Bacilli. We conclude that sewage sludge and wheat straw are useful biostimulating agents for the cleanup of oil-contaminated desert soils. PMID:26973618

Bulk density and compaction behavior of knife mill chopped switchgrass,wheat straw, and corn stover

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chevanan, Nehru; Womac, A.R.; Bitra, V.S.P.

2009-08-01

Bulk density of comminuted biomass significantly increased by vibration during handling and transportation, and by normal pressure during storage. Compaction characteristics affecting the bulk density of switchgrass, wheat straw, and corn stover chopped in a knife mill at different operating conditions and using four different classifying screens were studied. Mean loose-filled bulk densities were 67.5 18.4 kg/m3 for switchgrass, 36.1 8.6 kg/m3 for wheat straw, and 52.1 10.8 kg/m3 for corn stover. Mean tapped bulk densities were 81.8 26.2 kg/m3 for switchgrass, 42.8 11.7 kg/m3 for wheat straw, and 58.9 13.4 kg/m3 for corn stover. Percentage changes in compressibility duemore » to variation in particle size obtained from a knife mill ranged from 64.3 to 173.6 for chopped switchgrass, 22.2 51.5 for chopped wheat straw and 42.1 117.7 for chopped corn stover within the tested consolidation pressure range of 5 120 kPa. Pressure and volume relationship of chopped biomass during compression with application of normal pressure can be characterized by the Walker model and Kawakita and Ludde model. Parameter of Walker model was correlated to the compressibility with Pearson correlation coefficient greater than 0.9. Relationship between volume reduction in chopped biomass with respect to number of tappings studied using Sone s model indicated that infinite compressibility was highest for chopped switchgrass followed by chopped wheat straw and corn stover. Degree of difficulty in packing measured using the parameters of Sone s model indicated that the chopped wheat straw particles compacted very rapidly by tapping compared to chopped switchgrass and corn stover. These results are very useful for solving obstacles in handling bulk biomass supply logistics issues for a biorefinery.« less

Bulk density and compaction behavior of knife mill chopped switchgrass, wheat straw, and corn stover.

PubMed

Chevanan, Nehru; Womac, Alvin R; Bitra, Venkata S P; Igathinathane, C; Yang, Yuechuan T; Miu, Petre I; Sokhansanj, Shahab

2010-01-01

Bulk density of comminuted biomass significantly increased by vibration during handling and transportation, and by normal pressure during storage. Compaction characteristics affecting the bulk density of switchgrass, wheat straw, and corn stover chopped in a knife mill at different operating conditions and using four different classifying screens were studied. Mean loose-filled bulk densities were 67.5+/-18.4 kg/m(3) for switchgrass, 36.1+/-8.6 kg/m(3) for wheat straw, and 52.1+/-10.8 kg/m(3) for corn stover. Mean tapped bulk densities were 81.8+/-26.2 kg/m(3) for switchgrass, 42.8+/-11.7 kg/m(3) for wheat straw, and 58.9+/-13.4 kg/m(3) for corn stover. Percentage changes in compressibility due to variation in particle size obtained from a knife mill ranged from 64.3 to 173.6 for chopped switchgrass, 22.2-51.5 for chopped wheat straw and 42.1-117.7 for chopped corn stover within the tested consolidation pressure range of 5-120 kPa. Pressure and volume relationship of chopped biomass during compression with application of normal pressure can be characterized by the Walker model and Kawakita and Ludde model. Parameter of Walker model was correlated to the compressibility with Pearson correlation coefficient greater than 0.9. Relationship between volume reduction in chopped biomass with respect to number of tappings studied using Sone's model indicated that infinite compressibility was highest for chopped switchgrass followed by chopped wheat straw and corn stover. Degree of difficulty in packing measured using the parameters of Sone's model indicated that the chopped wheat straw particles compacted very rapidly by tapping compared to chopped switchgrass and corn stover. These results are very useful for solving obstacles in handling bulk biomass supply logistics issues for a biorefinery.

Fibrolytic potential of anaerobic fungi (Piromyces sp.) isolated from wild cattle and blue bulls in pure culture and effect of their addition on in vitro fermentation of wheat straw and methane emission by rumen fluid of buffaloes.

PubMed

Paul, Shyam S; Deb, Sitangshu M; Punia, Balbir S; Singh, Dharminder; Kumar, Rajiv

2010-05-01

Ten isolates of anaerobic fungi of Piromyces genus from wild cattle and blue bulls (five isolates from each host species) were evaluated for their fibrolytic ability in pure culture, their suitability for use as a microbial additive in buffaloes and their effect on methane emission. In pure culture, only two out of five isolates from wild cattle degraded wheat straw efficiently, whereas all five isolates from wild blue bulls did. Isolate CF1 (from cattle) showed the highest apparent digestibility (53.4%), true digestibility (70.8%) and neutral detergent fibre digestibility (75.0%) of wheat straw after 5 days of incubation. When added to buffalo rumen fluid, all five isolates from cattle increased (P < 0.05) in vitro apparent digestibility of wheat straw compared with the control (received autoclaved culture), but all five isolates from blue bulls failed to influence in vitro digestibility of wheat straw. Isolate CF1 showed the highest stimulating effect on straw digestion by buffalo rumen fluid microbes and increased apparent digestibility (51.9 vs 29.4%, P < 0.05), true digestibility (57.9 vs 36.5%, P < 0.05) and neutral detergent fibre digestibility (51.5 vs 26.9%, P < 0.05) of wheat straw compared with the control after 24 h of fermentation. There were also significant increases in fungal count and enzyme activities of carboxymethylcellulase and xylanase in the CF1-added group compared with the control group. Gas and methane production g(-1) truly digested dry matter of straw were comparable among all groups including the control. Wild cattle and blue bulls harbour some anaerobic fungal strains with strong capability to hydrolyse fibre. The fungal isolate CF1 has high potential for use as a microbial feed additive in buffaloes to improve digestibility of fibrous feeds without increasing methane emission per unit of digested feed.

Selenium uptake by edible oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus sp.) from selenium-hyperaccumulated wheat straw.

PubMed

Bhatia, Poonam; Prakash, Ranjana; Prakash, N Tejo

2013-01-01

In an effort to produce selenium (Se)-fortifying edible mushrooms, five species of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus sp.), were cultivated on Se-rich wheat straw collected from a seleniferous belt of Punjab, India. Total selenium was analyzed in the selenium hyperaccumulated wheat straw and the fruiting bodies. Significantly high levels (p<0.0001) of Se uptake were observed in fruiting bodies of all mushrooms grown on Se-rich wheat straw. To the best of our knowledge, accumulation and quantification of selenium in mushrooms has hitherto not been reported with substrates naturally enriched with selenium. The results demonstrate the potential of selenium-rich agricultural residues as substrates for production of Se-enriched mushrooms and the ability of different species of oyster mushrooms to absorb and fortify selenium. The study envisages potential use of selenium-rich agricultural residues towards cultivation of Se-enriched mushrooms for application in selenium supplementation or neutraceutical preparations.

Efficient anaerobic transformation of raw wheat straw by a robust cow rumen-derived microbial consortium.

PubMed

Lazuka, Adèle; Auer, Lucas; Bozonnet, Sophie; Morgavi, Diego P; O'Donohue, Michael; Hernandez-Raquet, Guillermina

2015-11-01

A rumen-derived microbial consortium was enriched on raw wheat straw as sole carbon source in a sequential batch-reactor (SBR) process under strict mesophilic anaerobic conditions. After five cycles of enrichment the procedure enabled to select a stable and efficient lignocellulolytic microbial consortium, mainly constituted by members of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes phyla. The enriched community, designed rumen-wheat straw-derived consortium (RWS) efficiently hydrolyzed lignocellulosic biomass, degrading 55.5% w/w of raw wheat straw over 15days at 35°C and accumulating carboxylates as main products. Cellulolytic and hemicellulolytic activities, mainly detected on the cell bound fraction, were produced in the earlier steps of degradation, their production being correlated with the maximal lignocellulose degradation rates. Overall, these results demonstrate the potential of RWS to convert unpretreated lignocellulosic substrates into useful chemicals. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Shiitake Medicinal Mushroom, Lentinus edodes (Higher Basidiomycetes) Productivity and Lignocellulolytic Enzyme Profiles during Wheat Straw and Tree Leaf Bioconversion.

PubMed

Elisashvili, Vladimir; Kachlishvili, Eva; Asatiani, Mikheil D

2015-01-01

Two commercial strains of Lentinus edodes have been comparatively evaluated for their productivity and lignocellulolytic enzyme profiles in mushroom cultivation using wheat straw or tree leaves as the growth substrates. Both substrates are profitable for recycling into shiitake fruit bodies. L. edodes 3715 gave the lowest yield of mushroom during tree leaves bioconversion with the biological efficiency (BE) 74.8% while the L. edodes 3721 BE achieved 83.4%. Cultivation of shiitake on wheat straw, especially in the presence of additional nitrogen source, increased the L. edodes 3721 BE to 92-95.3% owing to the high hydrolases activity and favorable conditions. Despite the quantitative variations, each strain of L. edodes had a similar pattern for secreting enzymes into the wheat straw and tree leaves. The mushrooms laccase and MnP activities were high during substrate colonization and declined rapidly during primordia appearance and fruit body development. While oxidase activity decreased, during the same period cellulases and xylanase activity raised sharply. Both cellulase and xylanase activity peaked at the mature fruit body stage. When mushrooms again shifted to the vegetative growth, oxidase activity gradually increased, whereas the hydrolases activity dropped rapidly. The MnP, CMCase, and FP activities of L. edodes 3721 during cultivation on wheat straw were higher than those during mushroom growth on tree leaves whereas the laccase activity was rather higher in fermentation of tree leaves. Enrichment of wheat straw with an additional nitrogen source rather favored to laccase, MnP, and FPA secretion during the vegetative stage of the L. edodes 3721 growth.

Electron and Fluorescence Microscopy of Extracellular Glucan and Aryl-Alcohol Oxidase during Wheat-Straw Degradation by Pleurotus eryngii

PubMed Central

Barrasa, J. M.; Gutiérrez, A.; Escaso, V.; Guillén, F.; Martínez, M. J.; Martínez, A. T.

1998-01-01

The ligninolytic fungus Pleurotus eryngii grown in liquid medium secreted extracellular polysaccharide (87% glucose) and the H2O2-producing enzyme aryl-alcohol oxidase (AAO). The production of both was stimulated by wheat-straw. Polyclonal antibodies against purified AAO were obtained, and a complex of glucanase and colloidal gold was prepared. With these tools, the localization of AAO and extracellular glucan in mycelium from liquid medium and straw degraded under solid-state fermentation conditions was investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and fluorescence microscopy. These studies revealed that P. eryngii produces a hyphal sheath consisting of a thin glucan layer. This sheath appeared to be involved in both mycelial adhesion to the straw cell wall during degradation and AAO immobilization on hyphal surfaces, with the latter evidenced by double labeling. AAO distribution during differential degradation of straw tissues was observed by immunofluorescence microscopy. Finally, TEM immunogold studies confirmed that AAO penetrates the plant cell wall during P. eryngii degradation of wheat straw. PMID:9435085

Size exclusion chromatography for the removal of pigments from extracellular ligninolytic enzyme extracts from decayed wheat straw.

PubMed

Shukla, Dharmendra; Patel, Bhavesh; Modi, Hasmukh; Vyas, Bharat Rajiv Manuel

2011-11-01

Solid-state fermentation of wheat straw was carried out by a native white rot basidiomycete Daedaleopsis flavida strain 5A. Extract prepared from the 12-day decayed wheat straw contained extracellular ligninolytic enzymes like manganese peroxidase (MnP), manganese-independent peroxidase (MIP), lignin peroxidase (LiP) and laccase along with straw-degraded products and pigments. Sephacryl S-200 size exclusion chromatography in 16/100 column was used for the separation of these ligninolytic enzymes and straw-degraded products and pigments. Recovery of pigment-free ligninolytic enzyme activities as protein was 40% of the total proteins loaded and specific LiP activity increased 34 fold after size exclusion chromatography. Thus accurate estimation of LiP by veratryl alcohol oxidation assay was possible only after the removal of interfering pigments. The reproducibility of size exclusion chromatography is adjudged satisfactory from the consistent results obtained after seven repetitive uses of matrices.

40 CFR 180.497 - Clofencet; tolerances for residues.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

..., except rice, sweet corn, wheat, and wild rice; forage 4.0 7/14/12 Grain, cereal, forage, fodder and straw, group 16, except rice, sweet corn, wheat, and wild rice; hay 15.0 7/14/12 Grain, cereal, forage, fodder and straw, group 16, except rice, sweet corn, wheat, and wild rice; stover 1.0 7/14/12 Grain, cereal...

40 CFR 180.497 - Clofencet; tolerances for residues.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

..., except rice, sweet corn, wheat, and wild rice; forage 4.0 7/14/12 Grain, cereal, forage, fodder and straw, group 16, except rice, sweet corn, wheat, and wild rice; hay 15.0 7/14/12 Grain, cereal, forage, fodder and straw, group 16, except rice, sweet corn, wheat, and wild rice; stover 1.0 7/14/12 Grain, cereal...

40 CFR 180.497 - Clofencet; tolerances for residues.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

..., except rice, sweet corn, wheat, and wild rice; forage 4.0 7/14/12 Grain, cereal, forage, fodder and straw, group 16, except rice, sweet corn, wheat, and wild rice; hay 15.0 7/14/12 Grain, cereal, forage, fodder and straw, group 16, except rice, sweet corn, wheat, and wild rice; stover 1.0 7/14/12 Grain, cereal...

77 FR 59577 - Receipt of Several Pesticide Petitions Filed for Residues of Pesticide Chemicals in or on Various...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-28

... pyroxasulfone and its metabolites in or on wheat (grain, straw, forage, and hay). This document corrects a... follows: On page 43565, second column, first full paragraph, item ``13.,'' line 24, correct ``wheat, grain at 0.6 ppm'' to read ``wheat, straw at 0.6 ppm.'' List of Subjects Environmental protection...

Nutraceutical and functional scenario of wheat straw.

PubMed

Pasha, Imran; Saeed, Farhan; Waqas, Khalid; Anjum, Faqir Muhammad; Arshad, Muhammad Umair

2013-01-01

In the era of nutrition, much focus has been remunerated to functional and nutraceutical foodstuffs. The health endorsing potential of such provisions is attributed to affluent phytochemistry. These dynamic constituents have functional possessions that are imperative for cereal industry. The functional and nutraceutical significance of variety of foods is often accredited to their bioactive molecules. Numerous components have been considered but wheat straw and its diverse components are of prime consideration. In this comprehensive dissertation, efforts are directed to elaborate the functional and nutraceutical importance of wheat straw. Wheat straw is lignocellulosic materials including cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. It hold various bioactive compounds such as policosanols, phytosterols, phenolics, and triterpenoids, having enormous nutraceutical properties like anti-allergenic, anti-artherogenic, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, antioxidant, anti-thrombotic, cardioprotective and vasodilatory effects, antiviral, and anticancer. These compounds are protecting against various ailments like hypercholesterolemia, intermittent claudication, benign prostatic hyperplasia and cardiovascular diseases. Additionally, wheat straw has demonstrated successfully, low cost, renewable, versatile, widely distributed, easily available source for the production of biogas, bioethanol, and biohydrogen in biorefineries to enhance the overall effectiveness of biomass consumption in protected and eco-friendly environment. Furthermore, its role in enhancing the quality and extending the shelf life of bakery products through reducing the progression of staling and retrogradation is limelight of the article.

Degradation of wheat straw cell wall by white rot fungi Phanerochaete chrysosporium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Jijiao

The main aim of this dissertation research was to understand the natural microbial degradation process of lignocellulosic materials in order to develop a new, green and more effective pretreatment technology for bio-fuel production. The biodegradation of wheat straw by white rot fungi Phanerochaete chrysosporium was investigated. The addition of nutrients significantly improved the performance of P.chrysosporium on wheat straw degradation. The proteomic analysis indicated that this fungus produced various pepetides related to cellulose and lignin degradation while grown on the biomass. The structural analysis of lignin further showed that P.chrysosporium preferentially degraded hydroxycinnamtes in order to access cellulose. In details, the effects of carbon resource and metabolic pathway regulating compounds on manganeses peroxidase (MnP) were studied. The results indicated that MnP activity of 4.7 +/- 0.31 U mL-1 was obtained using mannose as a carbon source. The enzyme productivity further reached 7.36 +/- 0.05 U mL-1 and 8.77 +/- 0.23 U mL -1 when the mannose medium was supplemented with cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) respectively, revealing highest MnP productivity obtained by optimizing the carbon sources and supplementation with small molecules. In addition, the effects of nutrient additives for improving biological pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass were studied. The pretreatment of wheat straw supplemented with inorganic salts (salts group) and tween 80 was examined. The extra nutrient significantly improved the ligninase expression leading to improve digestibility of lignocellulosic biomass. Among the solid state fermentation groups, salts group resulted in a substantial degradation of wheat straw within one week, along with the highest lignin loss (25 %) and ˜ 250% higher efficiency for the total sugar release through enzymatic hydrolysis. The results were correlated with pyrolysis GC-MS (Py-GC-MS), thermogravimetric (TG) /differential thermogravimetric (DTG) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Finally, the fungal secretomes and composition, functional groups, and structural changes of the fungal spent wheat straw lignin were determined. Milled wood lignin (MWL) was extracted from biological treated and untreaed wheat straw. Detailed structural analysis through two dimentional heteronuclear multiple quantum coherence nuclear magnetic resonances (2D HMQC NMR) of the pretreated lignin (acetylated) revealed low abundances of the substructures dibenzodioxacin and cinnamyl alcohol. Further analysis of lignin by Fourier transmission infrared (FTIR) and pyrolysis gas chromatography/ mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) demonstrated the significant decrease of guaiacyl units. The results support previous findings on the biodegradation of wheat straw as analyzed by 13C cross polarization magic angle spinning (CPMAS). Revealing the characteristic behavior of P. chrysosporium-mediated biomass degradation, the information presented in this paper offers new insight into the understanding of biological lignin degradation of wheat straw by P. chrysosporium.

Translations on USSR Science and Technology, Biomedical and Behavioral Sciences, Number 43

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-08-15

resistance to the pathogen of bacterial angular blight is related to their resistance to powdery mildew (A. P. Khar’kova, N. M. Rudenko), powdery ...waste ■ Raw material for hvdrolvsates . Hydrolysate components, % flax & hemp fiber rice straw sun- flower stalks grape vines wheat straw...hydrolysates of rice and wheat straw, sunflower, stalks, grapevine cuttings, spent tanbark, flax and hemp fiber. Chromatographie analysis defined the

Bioavailability of Compounds Susceptible to Enzymatic Oxidation Enhances Growth of Shiitake Medicinal Mushroom (Lentinus edodes) in Solid-State Fermentation with Vineyard Prunings.

PubMed

Cabrera, Rosina; López-Peña, Damian; Asaff, Ali; Esqueda, Martín; Valenzuela-Soto, Elisa M

2018-01-01

Grapes are widely produced in northwestern Mexico, generating many wood trimmings (vineyard prunings) that have no further local use. This makes vineyard prunings a very attractive alternative for the cultivation of white-rot medicinal mushrooms such as Lentinus edodes. This type of wood can also offer a model for the evaluation of oxidative enzyme production during the fermentation process. We tested the effect of wood from vineyard prunings on the vegetative growth of and production of ligninolytic enzymes in L. edodes in solid-state fermentation and with wheat straw as the control substrate. The specific growth rate of the fungus was 2-fold higher on vineyard pruning culture (μM = 0.95 day-1) than on wheat straw culture (μM = 0.47 day-1). Laccase-specific production was 4 times higher in the vineyard prunings culture than on wheat straw (0.34 and 0.08 mU · mg protein-1 · ppm CO2-1, respectively), and manganese peroxidase production was 3.7 times higher on wheat straw culture than on vineyard prunings (2.21 and 0.60 mU · mg protein-1 · ppm CO2-1, respectively). To explain accurately these differences in growth and ligninolytic enzyme activity, methanol extracts were obtained from each substrate and characterized. Resveratrol and catechins were the main compounds identified in vineyard prunings, whereas epigallocatechin was the only one detected in wheat straw. Compounds susceptible to enzymatic oxidation are more bioavailable in vineyard prunings than in wheat straw, and thus the highest L. edodes growth rate is associated with the presence of these compounds.

Influence of straw incorporation with and without straw decomposer on soil bacterial community structure and function in a rice-wheat cropping system.

PubMed

Zhao, Jun; Ni, Tian; Xun, Weibing; Huang, Xiaolei; Huang, Qiwei; Ran, Wei; Shen, Biao; Zhang, Ruifu; Shen, Qirong

2017-06-01

To study the influence of straw incorporation with and without straw decomposer on bacterial community structure and biological traits, a 3-year field experiments, including four treatments: control without fertilizer (CK), chemical fertilizer (NPK), chemical fertilizer plus 7500 kg ha -1 straw incorporation (NPKS), and chemical fertilizer plus 7500 kg ha -1 straw incorporation and 300 kg ha -1 straw decomposer (NPKSD), were performed in a rice-wheat cropping system in Changshu (CS) and Jintan (JT) city, respectively. Soil samples were taken right after wheat (June) and rice (October) harvest in both sites, respectively. The NPKS and NPKSD treatments consistently increased crop yields, cellulase activity, and bacterial abundance in both sampling times and sites. Moreover, the NPKS and NPKSD treatments altered soil bacterial community structure, particularly in the wheat harvest soils in both sites, separating from the CK and NPK treatments. In the rice harvest soils, both NPKS and NPKSD treatments had no considerable impacts on bacterial communities in CS, whereas the NPKSD treatment significantly shaped bacterial communities compared to the other treatments in JT. These practices also significantly shifted the bacterial composition of unique operational taxonomic units (OTUs) rather than shared OTUs. The relative abundances of copiotrophic bacteria (Proteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, and Actinobacteria) were positively correlated with soil total N, available N, and available P. Taken together, these results indicate that application of straw incorporation with and without straw decomposer could particularly stimulate the copiotrophic bacteria, enhance the soil biological activity, and thus, contribute to the soil productivity and sustainability in agro-ecosystems.

Effects of grinding processes on enzymatic degradation of wheat straw.

PubMed

Silva, Gabriela Ghizzi D; Couturier, Marie; Berrin, Jean-Guy; Buléon, Alain; Rouau, Xavier

2012-01-01

The effectiveness of wheat straw fine to ultra-fine grindings at pilot scale was studied. The produced powders were characterised by their particle-size distribution (laser diffraction), crystallinity (WAXS) and enzymatic degradability (Trichoderma reesei enzymatic cocktail). A large range of wheat-straw powders was produced: from coarse (median particle size ∼800 μm) to fine particles (∼50 μm) using sieve-based grindings, then ultra-fine particles ∼20 μm by jet milling and ∼10 μm by ball milling. The wheat straw degradability was enhanced by the decrease of particle size until a limit: ∼100 μm, up to 36% total carbohydrate and 40% glucose hydrolysis yields. Ball milling samples overcame this limit up to 46% total carbohydrate and 72% glucose yields as a consequence of cellulose crystallinity reduction (from 22% to 13%). Ball milling appeared to be an effective pretreatment with similar glucose yield and superior carbohydrate yield compared to steam explosion pretreatment. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enzymatic hydrolysis of autohydrolyzed wheat straw followed by refining to produce fermentable sugars.

PubMed

Ertas, Murat; Han, Qiang; Jameel, Hasan; Chang, Hou-min

2014-01-01

Wheat straw was pretreated using an autohydrolysis process with different temperatures (160-200 °C) and times (10-20 min) in order to allow the recovery of hemicellulose in the filtrate and help open up the structure of the biomass for improved accessibility of enzymes during enzymatic hydrolysis. Autohydrolysis at 190 °C for 10 min provided the highest overall sugar (12.2/100g raw wheat straw) in the autohydrolysis filtrate and recovered 62.3% of solid residue. Before enzymatic hydrolysis, the pulps obtained from each pretreatment condition were subjected to a refining post-treatment to improve enzyme accessibility. Enzymatic hydrolysis was performed for all the pretreated solids with and without refining post-treatment at the enzyme loadings of 4 and 10 FPU/g oven dry substrate for 96 h. A total of 30.4 g sugars can be recovered from 100g wheat straw at 180 °C for 20 min with 4 FPU/g enzyme charge. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bioprocessing of wheat straw into nutritionally rich and digested cattle feed

PubMed Central

Shrivastava, Bhuvnesh; Jain, Kavish Kumar; Kalra, Anup; Kuhad, Ramesh Chander

2014-01-01

Wheat straw was fermented by Crinipellis sp. RCK-1, a lignin degrading fungus, under solid state fermentation conditions. The fungus degraded 18.38% lignin at the expense of 10.37% cellulose within 9 days. However, when wheat straw fermented for different duration was evaluated in vitro, the 5 day fungal fermented wheat straw called here “Biotech Feed” was found to possess 36.74% organic matter digestibility (OMD) and 5.38 (MJ/Kg Dry matter) metabolizable energy (ME). The Biotech Feed was also observed to be significantly enriched with essential amino acids and fungal protein by fungal fermentation, eventually increasing its nutritional value. The Biotech Feed upon in vitro analysis showed potential to replace 50% grain from concentrate mixture. Further, the calves fed on Biotech Feed based diets exhibited significantly higher (p<0.05) dry matter intake (DMI: 3.74 Kg/d), dry matter digestibility (DMD: 57.82%), total digestible nutrients (TDN: 54.76%) and comparatively gained 50 g more daily body weight. PMID:25269679

Technoeconomic analysis of wheat straw densification in the Canadian Prairie Province of Manitoba.

PubMed

Mupondwa, Edmund; Li, Xue; Tabil, Lope; Phani, Adapa; Sokhansanj, Shahab; Stumborg, Mark; Gruber, Margie; Laberge, Serge

2012-04-01

This study presents a technoeconomic analysis of wheat straw densification in Canada's prairie province of Manitoba as an integral part of biomass-to-cellulosic-ethanol infrastructure. Costs of wheat straw bale and pellet transportation and densification are analysed, including densification plant profitability. Wheat straw collection radius increases nonlinearly with pellet plant capacity, from 9.2 to 37km for a 2-35tonnesh(-1) plant. Bales are cheaper under 250km, beyond which the cheapest feedstocks are pellets from the largest pellet plant that can be built to exploit economies of scale. Feedstocks account for the largest percentage of variable costs. Marginal and average cost curves suggest Manitoba could support a pellet plant up to 35tonnesh(-1). Operating below capacity (75-50%) significantly erodes a plant's net present value (NPV). Smaller plants require higher NPV break-even prices. Very large plants have considerable risk under low pellet prices and increased processing costs. Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enzymatic saccharification of biologically pre-treated wheat straw with white-rot fungi.

PubMed

Dias, Albino A; Freitas, Gil S; Marques, Guilhermina S M; Sampaio, Ana; Fraga, Irene S; Rodrigues, Miguel A M; Evtuguin, Dmitry V; Bezerra, Rui M F

2010-08-01

Wheat straw was submitted to a pre-treatment by the basidiomycetous fungi Euc-1 and Irpex lacteus, aiming to improve the accessibility of cellulose towards enzymatic hydrolysis via previous selective bio-delignification. This allowed the increase of substrate saccharification nearly four and three times while applying the basidiomycetes Euc-1 and I. lacteus, respectively. The cellulose/lignin ratio increased from 2.7 in the untreated wheat straw to 5.9 and 4.6 after the bio-treatment by the basidiomycetes Euc-1 and I. lacteus, respectively, thus evidencing the highly selective lignin biodegradation. The enzymatic profile of both fungi upon bio-treatment of wheat straw have been assessed including laccase, manganese-dependent peroxidase, lignin peroxidase, carboxymethylcellulase, xylanase, avicelase and feruloyl esterase activities. The difference in efficiency and selectivity of delignification within the two fungi treatments was interpreted in terms of specific lignolytic enzyme profiles and moderate xylanase and cellulolytic activities. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characterization of mixing and yield stress of pretreated wheat straw slurries used for the production of biofuels through tomography technique.

PubMed

Naghavi-Anaraki, Yasaman; Turcotte, Ginette; Ein-Mozaffari, Farhad

2018-05-29

Wheat straw is a low-cost feedstock for the production of biofuel. Pretreatment process is an important stage in producing biofuels since it makes the fibers more accessible to enzymatic hydrolysis which is the final step of producing biofuels. Pretreated wheat straw (PWS) slurries are non-Newtonian fluids with yield stress. Mixing of fluids exhibiting yield stress such as the pretreated wheat straw slurry results in the generation of cavern, which is a fully-mixed zone, around the impeller and the stationary regions elsewhere, which causes difficulties in the production of biofuels. In this study, the non-invasive electrical resistance tomography technique was utilized to determine the cavern dimensions as a function of the impeller type and impeller speed. The cavern sizes were then used to measure the yield stress of PWS slurries as a function of fiber size (≤ 2 and ≤ 6 mm) and fiber concentration (6, 8, and 10 wt%).

Urea plus nitrate pretreatment of rice and wheat straws enhances degradation and reduces methane production in in vitro ruminal culture.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiumin; Wang, Min; Wang, Rong; Ma, Zhiyuan; Long, Donglei; Mao, Hongxiang; Wen, Jiangnan; Bernard, Lukuyu A; Beauchemin, Karen A; Tan, Zhiliang

2018-04-10

Urea pretreatment of straw damages fiber structure, while nitrate supplementation of ruminal diets inhibits enteric methane production. The study examined the combined effects of these treatments on ruminal substrate biodegradation and methane production using an in vitro incubation system. Rice and wheat straws were pretreated with urea (40 g kg -1 straw dry matter, DM) and urea + ammonium nitrate (34 + 6 g kg -1 dry matter (DM), respectively), and each straw (control, urea, urea+nitrate) was used in batch culture incubations in three replications (runs). Urea pretreatment increased (P < 0.05) neutral-detergent solubles (NDS) content (+17%) and in vitro DM degradation of rice straw, in comparison with control. Urea+nitrate pretreatment of rice and wheat straws had higher (P < 0.05) NDS content, in vitro DM degradation and propionate molar proportion, and lower (P < 0.05) acetate:propionate ratio and lower methane production with a decline of methanogens, in comparison to control. Urea+nitrate pretreatment combines positive effects of urea pretreatment and nitrate supplementation, and can be a potential strategy to improve ruminal biodegradation, facilitate propionate production and reduce methane production from lignified straws. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Characterization of the newly isolated Geobacillus sp. T1, the efficient cellulase-producer on untreated barley and wheat straws.

PubMed

Assareh, Reza; Shahbani Zahiri, Hossein; Akbari Noghabi, Kambiz; Aminzadeh, Saeed; Bakhshi Khaniki, Gholamreza

2012-09-01

A thermophile cellulase-producing bacterium was isolated and identified as closely related to Geobacillus subterraneus. The strain, named Geobacillus sp. T1, was able to grow and produce cellulase on cellobiose, microcrystalline cellulose, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), barley straw, wheat straw and Whatman No. 1 filter paper. However, barley and wheat straws were significantly better substrates for cellulase production. When Geobacillus sp. T1 was cultivated in the presence of 0.5% barley straw, 0.1% Tween 80 and pH 6.5 at 50°C, the maximum level of free cellulase up to 143.50 U/mL was produced after 24h. This cellulase (≈ 54 kDa) was most active at pH 6.5 and 70°C. The enzyme in citrate phosphate buffer (10mM) was stable at 60°C for at least 1h. Geobacillus sp. T1 with efficient growth and cellulase production on straws seems a potential candidate for conversion of agricultural biomass to fuels. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pyrolysis of agricultural biomass residues: Comparative study of corn cob, wheat straw, rice straw and rice husk.

PubMed

Biswas, Bijoy; Pandey, Nidhi; Bisht, Yashasvi; Singh, Rawel; Kumar, Jitendra; Bhaskar, Thallada

2017-08-01

Pyrolysis studies on conventional biomass were carried out in fixed bed reactor at different temperatures 300, 350, 400 and 450°C. Agricultural residues such as corn cob, wheat straw, rice straw and rice husk showed that the optimum temperatures for these residues are 450, 400, 400 and 450°C respectively. The maximum bio-oil yield in case of corn cob, wheat straw, rice straw and rice husk are 47.3, 36.7, 28.4 and 38.1wt% respectively. The effects of pyrolysis temperature and biomass type on the yield and composition of pyrolysis products were investigated. All bio-oils contents were mainly composed of oxygenated hydrocarbons. The higher area percentages of phenolic compounds were observed in the corn cob bio-oil than other bio-oils. From FT-IR and 1 H NMR spectra showed a high percentage of aliphatic functional groups for all bio-oils and distribution of products is different due to differences in the composition of agricultural biomass. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Genetic variability in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi compatibility supports the selection of durum wheat genotypes for enhancing soil ecological services and cropping systems in Canada.

PubMed

Singh, A K; Hamel, C; Depauw, R M; Knox, R E

2012-03-01

Crop nutrient- and water-use efficiency could be improved by using crop varieties highly compatible with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Two greenhouse experiments demonstrated the presence of genetic variability for this trait in modern durum wheat ( Triticum turgidum L. var. durum Desf.) germplasm. Among the five cultivars tested, 'AC Morse' had consistently low levels of AM root colonization and DT710 had consistently high levels of AM root colonization, whereas 'Commander', which had the highest colonization levels under low soil fertility conditions, developed poor colonization levels under medium fertility level. The presence of genetic variability in durum wheat compatibility with AMF was further evidenced by significant genotype × inoculation interaction effects in grain and straw biomass production; grain P, straw P, and straw K concentrations under medium soil fertility level; and straw K and grain Fe concentrations at low soil fertility. Mycorrhizal dependency was an undesirable trait of 'Mongibello', which showed poor growth and nutrient balance in the absence of AMF. An AMF-mediated reduction in grain Cd under low soil fertility indicated that breeding durum wheat for compatibility with AMF could help reduce grain Cd concentration in durum wheat. Durum wheat genotypes should be selected for compatibility with AMF rather than for mycorrhizal dependency.

Properties of Wheat-Straw Boards with Frw Based on Interface Treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, X. D.; Wang, F. H.; Liu, Y.

This paper explored the effect of MDI, UF and FRW content on the mechanical and fire retardant property of straw based panels with surface alkali liquor processing. In order to manufacture the straw based panel with high quality, low toxic and fire retardant, the interface of wheat-straw was treated with alkaline liquid, and the orthogonal test was carried out to optimize the technical parameters. The conductivity and diffusion coefficient K of the straw material after alkaline liquid treatment increased obviously. This indicated that alkaline liquid treatment improved the surface wet ability of straw, which is helpful for the infiltration of resin. The results of orthogonal test showed that the optimized treating condition was alkaline liquid concentration as 0.4-0.8%, alkaline dosage as 1:2.5-1:4.5, alkalinetreated time as 12h-48 h.The physical and mechanical properties of wheat-straw boards after treated increased remarkably and it could satisfy the national standard. The improvement of the straw surface wet ability is helpful to the forming of chemical bond. Whereas the variance analysis of the fire retardant property of straw based panel showed that TTI, pkHRR and peak value appearance time were not affected by the MDI, UF and FRW content significantly. The results of orthogonal test showed that the optimized processing condition was MDI content as 3%, UF resin content as 6% and the FRW content as 10%.

Grinding energy and physical properties of chopped and hammer-milled barley, wheat, oat, and canola straws

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

J.S. Tumuluru; L.G. Tabil; Y. Song

2014-01-01

In the present study, specific energy for grinding and physical properties of wheat, canola, oat and barley straw grinds were investigated. The initial moisture content of the straw was about 0.13–0.15 (fraction total mass basis). Particle size reduction experiments were conducted in two stages: (1) a chopper without a screen, and (2) a hammer mill using three screen sizes (19.05, 25.4, and 31.75 mm). The lowest grinding energy (1.96 and 2.91 kWh t-1) was recorded for canola straw using a chopper and hammer mill with 19.05-mm screen size, whereas the highest (3.15 and 8.05 kWh t-1) was recorded for barleymore » and oat straws. The physical properties (geometric mean particle diameter, bulk, tapped and particle density, and porosity) of the chopped and hammer-milled wheat, barley, canola, and oat straw grinds measured were in the range of 0.98–4.22 mm, 36–80 kg m-3, 49–119 kg m-3, 600–1220 kg m-3, and 0.9–0.96, respectively. The average mean particle diameter was highest for the chopped wheat straw (4.22-mm) and lowest for the canola grind (0.98-mm). The canola grinds produced using the hammer mill (19.05-mm screen size) had the highest bulk and tapped density of about 80 and 119 kg m-3; whereas, the wheat and oat grinds had the lowest of about 58 and 88–90 kg m-3. The results indicate that the bulk and tapped densities are inversely proportional to the particle size of the grinds. The flow properties of the grinds calculated are better for chopped straws compared to hammer milled using smaller screen size (19.05 mm).« less

Hydrodynamic cavitation as a novel approach for delignification of wheat straw for paper manufacturing.

PubMed

Badve, Mandar P; Gogate, Parag R; Pandit, Aniruddha B; Csoka, Levente

2014-01-01

The present work deals with application of hydrodynamic cavitation for intensification of delignification of wheat straw as an essential step in the paper manufacturing process. Wheat straw was first treated with potassium hydroxide (KOH) for 48 h and subsequently alkali treated wheat straw was subjected to hydrodynamic cavitation. Hydrodynamic cavitation reactor used in the work is basically a stator and rotor assembly, where the rotor is provided with indentations and cavitational events are expected to occur on the surface of rotor as well as within the indentations. It has been observed that treatment of alkali treated wheat straw in hydrodynamic cavitation reactor for 10-15 min increases the tensile index of the synthesized paper sheets to about 50-55%, which is sufficient for paper board manufacture. The final mechanical properties of the paper can be effectively managed by controlling the processing parameters as well as the cavitational parameters. It has also been established that hydrodynamic cavitation proves to be an effective method over other standard digestion techniques of delignification in terms of electrical energy requirements as well as the required time for processing. Overall, the work is first of its kind application of hydrodynamic cavitation for enhancing the effectiveness of delignification and presents novel results of significant interest to the paper and pulp industry opening an entirely new area of application of cavitational reactors. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Contamination level, distribution and health risk assessment of heavy and toxic metallic and metalloid elements in a cultivated mushroom Pleurotus florida (Mont.) singer.

PubMed

Khani, Rouhollah; Moudi, Maryam; Khojeh, Vahid

2017-02-01

There are great concentrations of toxic metallic and metalloid elements such as lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium or silver in many species of mushrooms comparative to other fruits and vegetables. In this study, contamination with heavy and toxic metallic and metalloid elements in the cultivated mushroom of (Pleurotus florida (Mont.) Singer) is investigated. P. florida was cultivated on different substrates; wheat straw (as blank), wheat straw + pine cone, wheat straw + soybean straw and wheat straw + urea and the effects of these substrates on contamination levels of Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, and Pb were analyzed. The results showed that the concentrations of essential elements (Mn, Fe, Cu, and Zn) in the target mushroom are at the typical levels. The estimated daily intakes of studied metallic and metalloid elements were below their oral reference dosage mentioned by the international regulatory bodies. Health risk index (HRI) was calculated to evaluate the consumer's health risk assessment from the metal intake that contaminated in the cultivated mushroom of P. florida on the different nutrient sources. In this study, the individual HRIs were less than 1, which indicates insignificant potential health risk associated with the consumption of target mushroom from the studied substrates. Based on the HRIs values among the toxic metallic and metalloid elements, As in the target mushroom in the substrate of the wheat straw + pine cone is the main sources of risk, and it may cause severe health problems. Thus, this study suggests that the concentrations of heavy and toxic elements should be periodically monitored in cultivated mushrooms.

Effects of straw and biochar amendments on aggregate stability, soil organic carbon, and enzyme activities in the Loess Plateau, China.

PubMed

Zhang, Man; Cheng, Gong; Feng, Hao; Sun, Benhua; Zhao, Ying; Chen, Haixin; Chen, Jing; Dyck, Miles; Wang, Xudong; Zhang, Jianguo; Zhang, Afeng

2017-04-01

Soil from the Loess Plateau of China is typically low in organic carbon and generally has poor aggregate stability. Application of organic amendments to these soils could help to increase and sustain soil organic matter levels and thus to enhance soil aggregate stability. A field experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of the application of wheat straw and wheat straw-derived biochar (pyrolyzed at 350-550 °C) amendments on soil aggregate stability, soil organic carbon (SOC), and enzyme activities in a representative Chinese Loess soil during summer maize and winter wheat growing season from 2013 to 2015. Five treatments were set up as follows: no fertilization (CK), application of inorganic fertilizer (N), wheat straw applied at 8 t ha -1 with inorganic fertilizer (S8), and wheat straw-derived biochar applied at 8 t ha -1 (B8) and 16 t ha -1 (B16) with inorganic fertilizer, respectively. Compared to the N treatment, straw and straw-derived biochar amendments significantly increased SOC (by 33.7-79.6%), microbial biomass carbon (by 18.9-46.5%), and microbial biomass nitrogen (by 8.3-38.2%), while total nitrogen (TN) only increased significantly in the B16 plot (by 24.1%). The 8 t ha -1 straw and biochar applications had no significant effects on soil aggregation, but a significant increase in soil macro-aggregates (>2 mm) (by 105.8%) was observed in the B16 treatment. The concentrations of aggregate-associated SOC increased by 40.4-105.8% in macro-aggregates (>2 mm) under straw and biochar amendments relative to the N treatment. No significant differences in invertase and alkaline phosphatase activity were detected among different treatments. However, urease activity was greater in the biochar treatment than the straw treatment, indicating that biochar amendment improved the transformation of nitrogen in the soil. The carbon pool index and carbon management index were increased with straw and biochar amendments, especially in the B16 treatment. In conclusion, application of carbonized crop residue as biochar, especially at a rate of 16 t ha -1 , could be a potential solution to recover the depleted SOC and enhance the formation of macro-aggregates in Loess Plateau soils of China.

Performance Monitoring: Evaluating a Wheat Straw PRB for Nitrate Removal at an Agricultural Operation

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development’s National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL) is conducting long-term monitoring of a wheat straw permeable reactive barrier (PRB) for remediation of ground water contaminated with nitrate from a now-closed swine concentrat...

Effect of ozonolysis pretreatment on enzymatic digestibility of wheat and rye straw.

PubMed

García-Cubero, M A Teresa; González-Benito, Gerardo; Indacoechea, Irune; Coca, Mónica; Bolado, Silvia

2009-02-01

Wheat and rye straws were pretreated with ozone to increase the enzymatic hydrolysis extent of potentially fermentable sugars. Through a 2(5-1) factorial design, this work studies the influence of five operating parameters (moisture content, particle size, ozone concentration, type of biomass and air/ozone flow rate) on ozonization pretreatment of straw in a fixed bed reactor under room conditions. The acid insoluble lignin content of the biomass was reduced in all experiments involving hemicellulose degradation. Near negligible losses of cellulose were observed. Enzymatic hydrolysis yields of up to 88.6% and 57% were obtained compared to 29% and 16% in non-ozonated wheat and rye straw respectively. Moisture content and type of biomass showed the most significant effects on ozonolysis. Additionally, ozonolysis experiments in basic medium with sodium hydroxide evidenced a reduction in solubilization and/or degradation of lignin and reliable cellulose and hemicellulose degradation.

Cell-wall structural changes in wheat straw pretreated for bioethanol production

Treesearch

Jan B. Kristensen; G. Thygesen Lisbeth; Claus Felby; Henning Jorgensen; Thomas Elder

2008-01-01

Pretreatment is an essential step in the enzymatic hydrolysis of biomass and subsequent production of bioethanol. Recent results indicate that only a mild pretreatment is necessary in an industrial, economically feasible system. The Integrated Biomass Utilisation System hydrothermal pretreatment process has previously been shown to be effective in preparing wheat straw...

Optimization of furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural production from wheat straw by a microwave-assisted process.

PubMed

Yemiş, Oktay; Mazza, Giuseppe

2012-04-01

Optimization of acid-catalyzed conversion conditions of wheat straw into furfural, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), glucose, and xylose was studied by response surface methodology (RSM). A central composite design (CCD) was used to determine the effects of independent variables, including reaction temperature (140-200 °C), residence time (1-41 min), pH (0.1-2.1), and liquid:solid ratio (15-195 mL/g) on furan and sugar production. The surface response analysis revealed that temperature, time and pH had a strong influence on the furfural, HMF, xylose and glucose yield, whereas liquid to solid ratio was found not to be significant. The initial pH of solution was the most important variable in acid-catalyzed conversion of wheat straw to furans. The maximum predicted furfural, HMF, xylose and glucose yields were 66%, 3.4%, 100%, and 65%, respectively. This study demonstrated that the microwave-assisted process was a very effective method for the xylose production from wheat straw by diluted acid catalysis. Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Performance and Analysis of Floating dome Anaerobic Digester with Wet and Dry Feedstock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sathish, S.; Parthiban, A.; Venugopal, S.; Jothi Prakash, V. M.

2017-03-01

The objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of anaerobic digestion to generate biogas yield and it’s performed using wet and dry feed stock. The laboratory experiment is conducted in a floating dome type anaerobic digester with 1m3 capacity. It is made up of fibre material at continues process. The starter cowdung used as an inoculum of the anaerobic digester. Then raw materials feeded as a wet type wheat straw and dry type wheat straw is the ratio of 1:1 waste/water in both the experiments wet and dry wheat straw. In this experiments are fermented at 30ºC to 35ºC temperature is maintained. The daily biogas yield, cumulative biogas yield, pH, CH4, and hydro retention time these parameters is studied and analysed. The maximum daily biogas is 25liters and 42% of methane is achieved in dry wheat straw at 15th day of digestion. The highest gas yield obtained in dry condition compare to wet condition and acid level also decreased in wet digestion.

Pretreating wheat straw by phosphoric acid plus hydrogen peroxide for enzymatic saccharification and ethanol production at high solid loading.

PubMed

Qiu, Jingwen; Ma, Lunjie; Shen, Fei; Yang, Gang; Zhang, Yanzong; Deng, Shihuai; Zhang, Jing; Zeng, Yongmei; Hu, Yaodong

2017-08-01

Wheat straw was pretreated by phosphoric acid plus hydrogen peroxide (PHP) for enzymatic hydrolysis and ethanol fermentation at high solid loadings. Results indicated solid loading could reach 20% with 77.4% cellulose-glucose conversion and glucose concentration of 164.9g/L in hydrolysate, it even was promoted to 25% with only 3.4% decrease on cellulose-glucose conversion as the pretreated-wheat straw was dewatered by air-drying. 72.9% cellulose-glucose conversion still was achieved as the minimized enzyme input of 20mg protein/g cellulose was employed for hydrolysis at 20% solid loading. In the corresponding conditions, 100g wheat straw can yield 11.2g ethanol with concentration of 71.2g/L by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation. Thus, PHP-pretreatment benefitted the glucose or ethanol yield at high solid loadings with lower enzyme input. Additionally, decreases on the maximal cellulase adsorption and the direct-orange/direct-blue indicated drying the PHP-pretreated substrates negatively affected the hydrolysis due to the shrinkage of cellulase-size-accommodable pores. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Production of anti-streptococcal liamocins from agricultural biomass by Aureobasidium pullulans.

PubMed

Leathers, Timothy D; Price, Neil P J; Manitchotpisit, Pennapa; Bischoff, Kenneth M

2016-12-01

Liamocins are unique heavier-than-water "oils" produced by certain strains of the fungus Aureobasidium pullulans. Liamocins have antibacterial activity with specificity for Streptococcus sp. Previous studies reported that liamocin yields were highest from strains of A. pullulans belonging to phylogenetic clades 8, 9, and 11, cultured on medium containing sucrose. In this study, 27 strains from these clades were examined for the first time for production of liamocins from agricultural biomass substrates. Liamocin yields were highest from strains in phylogenetic clade 11, and yields were higher from cultures grown on sucrose than from those grown on pretreated wheat straw. However, when supplementary enzymes (cellulase, β-glucosidase, and xylanase) were added, liamocin production on pretreated wheat straw was equivalent to that on sucrose. Liamocins produced from wheat straw were free of the melanin contamination common in sucrose-grown cultures. Furthermore, MALDI-TOF MS analysis showed that liamocins produced from wheat straw were under-acetylated, resulting in higher proportions of the mannitol A1 and B1 species of liamocin, the latter of which has the highest biological activity against Streptococcus sp.

Intensification of biogas production using pretreatment based on hydrodynamic cavitation.

PubMed

Patil, Pankaj N; Gogate, Parag R; Csoka, Levente; Dregelyi-Kiss, Agota; Horvath, Miklos

2016-05-01

The present work investigates the application of hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) for the pretreatment of wheat straw with an objective of enhancing the biogas production. The hydrodynamic cavitation reactor is based on a stator and rotor assembly. The effect of three different speeds of rotor (2300, 2500, 2700 rpm), wheat straw to water ratios (0.5%, 1% and 1.5% wt/wt) and also treatment times as 2, 4 and 6 min have been investigated in the work using the design of experiments (DOE) approach. It was observed that the methane yield of 31.8 ml was obtained with untreated wheat straw whereas 77.9 ml was obtained with HC pre-treated wheat straw confirming the favourable changes during the pre-treatment. The combined pre-treatment using KOH and HC gave maximum yield of biogas as 172.3 ml. Overall, it has been established that significant enhancement in the biogas production can be obtained due to the pretreatment using HC which can also be further intensified by combination with chemical treatment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sequential and simultaneous strategies for biorefining of wheat straw using room temperature ionic liquids, xylanases and cellulases.

PubMed

Husson, Eric; Auxenfans, Thomas; Herbaut, Mickael; Baralle, Manon; Lambertyn, Virginie; Rakotoarivonina, Harivoni; Rémond, Caroline; Sarazin, Catherine

2018-03-01

Sequential and simultaneous strategies for fractioning wheat straw were developed in combining 1-ethyl-3-methyl imidazolium acetate [C2mim][OAc], endo-xylanases from Thermobacillus xylanilyticus and commercial cellulases. After [C2mim][OAc]-pretreatment, hydrolysis catalyzed by endo-xylanases of wheat straw led to efficient xylose production with very competitive yield (97.6 ± 1.3%). Subsequent enzymatic saccharification allowed achieving a total degradation of cellulosic fraction (>99%). These high performances revealed an interesting complementarity of [C2mim][OAc]- and xylanase-pretreatments for increasing enzymatic digestibility of cellulosic fraction in agreement with the structural and morphological changes of wheat straw induced by each of these pretreatment steps. In addition a higher tolerance of endo-xylanases from T. xylaniliticus to [C2mim][AcO] until 30% v/v than cellulases from T. reesei was observed. Based on this property, a simultaneous strategy combining [C2mim][OAc]- and endo-xylanases as pretreatment in a one-batch produced xylose with similar yield than those obtained by the sequential strategy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The use of thermostable bacterial hemicellulases improves the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to valuable molecules.

PubMed

Rakotoarivonina, Harivony; Revol, Pierre-Vincent; Aubry, Nathalie; Rémond, Caroline

2016-09-01

The hydrolysis of xylans, one of the main classes of carbohydrates that constitute lignocellulosic biomass, requires the synergistic action of several enzymes. The development of efficient enzymatic strategies for hydrolysis remains a challenge in the pursuit of viable biorefineries, particularly with respect to the valorisation of pentoses. The approach developed in this work is based on obtaining and characterising hemicellulasic cocktails from Thermobacillus xylanilyticus after culturing this bacterium on the hemicellulose-rich substrates wheat bran and wheat straw, which differ in their chemistries. The two obtained cocktails (WSC and WBC, for cocktails obtained from wheat straw and wheat bran, respectively) were resistant to a broad range of temperature and pH conditions. At 60 °C, both cocktails efficiently liberated pentoses and phenolic acids from wheat bran (liberating more than 60, 30 and 40 % of the total xylose, arabinose and ferulic acid in wheat bran, respectively). They acted to a lesser extent on the more recalcitrant wheat straw, with hydrolytic yields of more than 30 % of the total arabinose and xylose content and 22 % of the ferulic acid content. Hydrolysis is associated with a high rate of sugar monomerisation. When associated with cellulases, high quantities of glucose were also obtained. On wheat bran, total glucose yields were improved by 70 % compared to the action of cellulases alone. This improvement was obtained by cellulase complementation either with WSC or with WBC. On wheat straw, similar levels of total glucose were obtained for cellulases alone or complemented with WSC or WBC. Interestingly, the complementation of cellulases with WSC or WBC induced an increase in the monomeric glucose yield of more than 20 % compared to cellulases alone.

Influence of tillage practices and straw incorporation on soil aggregates, organic carbon, and crop yields in a rice-wheat rotation system

PubMed Central

Song, Ke; Yang, Jianjun; Xue, Yong; Lv, Weiguang; Zheng, Xianqing; Pan, Jianjun

2016-01-01

In this study, a fixed-site field experiment was conducted to study the influence of different combinations of tillage and straw incorporation management on carbon storage in different-sized soil aggregates and on crop yield after three years of rice-wheat rotation. Compared to conventional tillage, the percentages of >2 mm macroaggregates and water-stable macroaggregates in rice-wheat double-conservation tillage (zero-tillage and straw incorporation) were increased 17.22% and 36.38% in the 0–15 cm soil layer and 28.93% and 66.34% in the 15–30 cm soil layer, respectively. Zero tillage and straw incorporation also increased the mean weight diameter and stability of the soil aggregates. In surface soil (0–15 cm), the maximum proportion of total aggregated carbon was retained with 0.25–0.106 mm aggregates, and rice-wheat double-conservation tillage had the greatest ability to hold the organic carbon (33.64 g kg−1). However, different forms occurred at higher levels in the 15–30 cm soil layer under the conventional tillage. In terms of crop yield, the rice grown under conventional tillage and the wheat under zero tillage showed improved equivalent rice yields of 8.77% and 6.17% compared to rice-wheat double-cropping under zero tillage or conventional tillage, respectively. PMID:27812038

Bioconversion of low quality lignocellulosic agricultural waste into edible protein by Pleurotus sajor-caju (Fr.) Singer

PubMed Central

Mane, Vijay Panjabrao; Patil, Shyam Sopanrao; Syed, Abrar Ahmed; Baig, Mirza Mushtaq Vaseem

2007-01-01

Pleurotus sajor-caju (Fr.) Singer was cultivated on selected agro wastes viz. cotton stalks, groundnut haulms, soybean straw, pigeon pea stalks and leaves and wheat straw, alone or in combinations. Cotton stalks, pigeon pea stalks and wheat straw alone or in combination were found to be more suitable than groundnut haulms and soybean straw for the cultivation. Organic supplements such as groundnut oilseed cake, gram powder and rice bran not only affected growth parameters but also increased yields. Thus bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass by P. sajor-caju offers a promising way to convert low quality biomass into an improved human food. PMID:17910118

Ethanol production from agricultural wastes using Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

PubMed

Irfan, Muhammad; Nadeem, Muhammad; Syed, Quratualain

2014-01-01

The main objective of this study was production of ethanol from three lignocellulosic biomasses like sugarcane bagasse, rice straw and wheat straw by Sacchromyces cervisae. All the three substrates were ground to powder form (2 mm) and pretreated with 3%H2O2 + 2% NaOH followed by steaming at 130 °C for 60 min. These substrates were hydrolyzed by commercial cellulase enzyme. The whole fermentation process was carried out in 500 mL Erlenmeyer flask under anaerobic conditions in submerged fermentation at 30 °C for three days of incubation period. FTIR analysis of the substrates indicated significant changes in the alteration of the structure occurred after pretreatment which leads to efficient saccharification. After pretreatment the substrates were hydrolyzed by commercial cellulase enzyme and maximum hydrolysis was observed in sugarcane bagasse (64%) followed by rice straw (40%) and wheat straw (34%). Among all these tested substrates, sugarcane bagasse (77 g/L) produced more ethanol as compared to rice straw (62 g/L) and wheat straw (44 g/L) using medium composition of (%) 0.25 (NH4)2SO4, 0.1 KH2PO4, 0.05 MgSO4, 0.25 Yeast extract by S. cervisae.

Ethanol production from agricultural wastes using Sacchromyces cervisae

PubMed Central

Irfan, Muhammad; Nadeem, Muhammad; Syed, Quratualain

2014-01-01

The main objective of this study was production of ethanol from three lignocellulosic biomasses like sugarcane bagasse, rice straw and wheat straw by Sacchromyces cervisae. All the three substrates were ground to powder form (2 mm) and pretreated with 3%H2O2 + 2% NaOH followed by steaming at 130 °C for 60 min. These substrates were hydrolyzed by commercial cellulase enzyme. The whole fermentation process was carried out in 500 mL Erlenmeyer flask under anaerobic conditions in submerged fermentation at 30 °C for three days of incubation period. FTIR analysis of the substrates indicated significant changes in the alteration of the structure occurred after pretreatment which leads to efficient saccharification. After pretreatment the substrates were hydrolyzed by commercial cellulase enzyme and maximum hydrolysis was observed in sugarcane bagasse (64%) followed by rice straw (40%) and wheat straw (34%). Among all these tested substrates, sugarcane bagasse (77 g/L) produced more ethanol as compared to rice straw (62 g/L) and wheat straw (44 g/L) using medium composition of (%) 0.25 (NH4)2SO4, 0.1 KH2PO4, 0.05 MgSO4, 0.25 Yeast extract by S. cervisae. PMID:25242928

Accumulation of biomass and bioenergy in culms of cereals as a factor of straw cutting height

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zając, Tomasz; Synowiec, Agnieszka; Oleksy, Andrzej; Macuda, Jan; Klimek-Kopyra, Agnieszka; Borowiec, Franciszek

2017-04-01

Cereal straw is an important biomass source in Europe. This work assessed: 1) the morphological and energetic characteristics of culms of spring and winter cereals, 2) the energy deposited in the different aboveground parts of cereals, 3) losses of energy due to different cutting heights. The straw of winter and spring cereals was collected from arable fields during the seasons 2009/10 and 2010/11 in southern Poland. Detailed biometric measurements of culms and internodes were performed. The losses of straw biomass and energy were assessed during simulation of cutting the culm at different heights, up to 50 cm. Longer and heavier culms were developed by winter wheat and triticale and oat. Cutting of straw up to 10 cm did not lead to significant losses in straw yield. The total amount of energy in the culms was as follows: triticale > winter wheat > oat > spring wheat > winter barley > spring barley. Cutting the culms above 20 cm led to significant differences in terms of biomass energy between cereal species. The smallest losses of energy were recorded for spring and winter barley. Oat and barley accumulated the highest energy in grains.

Reinforcement of the bio-gas conversion from pyrolysis of wheat straw by hot caustic pre-extraction.

PubMed

Zhang, Lilong; Chen, Keli; He, Liang; Peng, Lincai

2018-01-01

Pyrolysis has attracted growing interest as a versatile means to convert biomass into valuable products. Wheat straw has been considered to be a promising biomass resource due to its low price and easy availability. However, most of the products obtained from wheat straw pyrolysis are usually of low quality. Hot soda extraction has the advantage of selective dissolution of lignin whilst retaining the carbohydrates. This can selectively convert biomass into high-quality desired products and suppress the formation of undesirable products. The aim of this study was to investigate the pyrolysis properties of wheat straw under different hot caustic pretreatment conditions. Compared with the untreated straw, a greater amount of gas was released and fewer residues were retained in the extracted wheat straw, which was caused by an increase in porosity. When the NaOH loading was 14%, the average pore size of the extracted straw increased by 12% and the cumulative pore volume increased by 157% compared with the untreated straw. The extracted straw obtained from the 14% NaOH extraction was clearly selective for pyrolysis products. On one hand, many lignin pyrolysis products disappeared, and only four main lignin-unit-pyrolysis products were retained. On the other hand, polysaccharide pyrolysis products were enriched. Both propanone and furfural have outstanding peak intensities that could account for approximately 30% of the total pyrolysis products. However, with the excessive addition of NaOH (i.e. > 22% w/w) during pretreatment, the conversion of bio-gas products decreased. Thermogravimetric and low-temperature nitrogen-adsorption analysis showed that the pore structure had been seriously destroyed, leading to the closing of the release paths of the bio-gas and thus increasing the re-polymerisation of small bio-gas molecules. After suitable extraction (14% NaOH loading extraction), a considerable amount (25%) of the soluble components dissolved out of the straw. This resulted in an increase in both pore size and volume. This condition appeared to be optimally selective for the release of value-added pyrolysis products such as furfural, ketones and lignin monomer units. However, excessive addition of alkali (22%) for extraction could change the original interior structure, resulting in a decrease in both pore size and volume. This interior structure modification limited the release of pyrolysis products, and greater carbonisation occurred.

Differential proteomic analysis of the secretome of Irpex lacteus and other white-rot fungi during wheat straw pretreatment.

PubMed

Salvachúa, Davinia; Martínez, Angel T; Tien, Ming; López-Lucendo, María F; García, Francisco; de Los Ríos, Vivian; Martínez, María Jesús; Prieto, Alicia

2013-08-10

Identifying new high-performance enzymes or enzyme complexes to enhance biomass degradation is the key for the development of cost-effective processes for ethanol production. Irpex lacteus is an efficient microorganism for wheat straw pretreatment, yielding easily hydrolysable products with high sugar content. Thus, this fungus was selected to investigate the enzymatic system involved in lignocellulose decay, and its secretome was compared to those from Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Pleurotus ostreatus which produced different degradation patterns when growing on wheat straw. Extracellular enzymes were analyzed through 2D-PAGE, nanoLC/MS-MS, and homology searches against public databases. In wheat straw, I. lacteus secreted proteases, dye-decolorizing and manganese-oxidizing peroxidases, and H2O2 producing-enzymes but also a battery of cellulases and xylanases, excluding those implicated in cellulose and hemicellulose degradation to their monosaccharides, making these sugars poorly available for fungal consumption. In contrast, a significant increase of β-glucosidase production was observed when I. lacteus grew in liquid cultures. P. chrysosporium secreted more enzymes implicated in the total hydrolysis of the polysaccharides and P. ostreatus produced, in proportion, more oxidoreductases. The protein pattern secreted during I. lacteus growth in wheat straw plus the differences observed among the different secretomes, justify the fitness of I. lacteus for biopretreatment processes in 2G-ethanol production. Furthermore, all these data give insight into the biological degradation of lignocellulose and suggest new enzyme mixtures interesting for its efficient hydrolysis.

Molecular composition and size distribution of sugars, sugar-alcohols and carboxylic acids in airborne particles during a severe urban haze event caused by wheat straw burning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Gehui; Chen, Chunlei; Li, Jianjun; Zhou, Bianhong; Xie, Mingjie; Hu, Shuyuan; Kawamura, Kimitaka; Chen, Yan

2011-05-01

Molecular compositions and size distributions of water-soluble organic compounds (WSOC, i.e., sugars, sugar-alcohols and carboxylic acids) in particles from urban air of Nanjing, China during a severe haze event caused by field burning of wheat straw were characterized and compared with those in the summer and autumn non-haze periods. During the haze event levoglucosan (4030 ng m -3) was the most abundant compound among the measured WSOC, followed by succinic acid, malic acid, glycerol, arabitol and glucose, being different from those in the non-haze samples, in which sucrose or azelaic acid showed a second highest concentration, although levoglucosan was the highest. The measured WSOC in the haze event were 2-20 times more than those in the non-hazy days. Size distribution results showed that there was no significant change in the compound peaks in coarse mode (>2.1 μm) with respect to the haze and non-haze samples, but a large difference in the fine fraction (<2.1 μm) was found with a sharp increase during the hazy days mostly due to the increased emissions of wheat straw burning. Molecular compositions of organic compounds in the fresh smoke particles from wheat straw burning demonstrate that sharply increased concentrations of glycerol and succinic and malic acids in the fine particles during the haze event were mainly derived from the field burning of wheat straw, although the sources of glucose and related sugar-alcohols whose concentrations significantly increased in the fine haze samples are unclear. Compared to that in the fresh smoke particles of wheat straw burning an increase in relative abundance of succinic acid to levoglucosan during the haze event suggests a significant production of secondary organic aerosols during transport of the smoke plumes.

Direct microbial conversion of wheat straw into lipid by a cellulolytic fungus of Aspergillus oryzae A-4 in solid-state fermentation.

PubMed

Lin, Hui; Cheng, Wan; Ding, Hai-tao; Chen, Xue-jiao; Zhou, Qi-fa; Zhao, Yu-hua

2010-10-01

Direct microbial conversion of wheat straw into lipid by a cellulolytic fungus of Aspergillus oryzae A-4 in solid-state fermentation (SSF) was investigated. In submerged fermentation, A. oryzae A-4 accumulated lipid to 15-18.15% of biomass when pure cellulose was utilized as the sole substrate. In SSF of the wheat straw and bran mixture, A. oryzae A-4 yielded lipid of 36.6mg/g dry substrate (gds), and a cellulase activity of 1.82 FPU/gds with 25.25% of holocellulose utilization in the substrates were detected on the 6th day. The lipid yield reached 62.87 mg/gds in SSF on the 6th day under the optimized conditions from Plackett-Burman design (PBD). Cellulase secretion of A. oryzae A-4 was found to influence the lipid yield. Dilute acid pretreatment of the straw and addition of some agro-industrial wastes to the straw could enhance lipid production of A. oryzae A-4. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enhanced biomass delignification and enzymatic saccharification of canola straw by steam-explosion pretreatment.

PubMed

Garmakhany, Amir Daraei; Kashaninejad, Mahdi; Aalami, Mehran; Maghsoudlou, Yahya; Khomieri, Mortza; Tabil, Lope G

2014-06-01

In recent decades, bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass to biofuel (ethanol and biodiesel) has been extensively investigated. The three main chemical constituents of biomass are cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Cellulose and hemicellulose are polysaccharides of primarily fermentable sugars, glucose and xylose respectively. Hemicellulose also includes small fermentable fractions of arabinose, galactose and mannose. The main issue in converting lignocellulosic biomass to fuel ethanol is the accessibility of the polysaccharides for enzymatic breakdown into monosaccharides. This study focused on the use of steam explosion as the pretreatment method for canola straw as lignocellulosic biomass. Result showed that steam explosion treatment of biomass increased cellulose accessibility and it hydrolysis by enzyme hydrolysis. Following 72 h of enzyme hydrolysis, a maximum cellulose conversion to glucose yield of 29.40% was obtained for the steam-exploded sample while the control showed 11.60% glucose yields. Steam explosion pretreatment increased glucose production and glucose yield by 200% and 153.22%, respectively, compared to the control sample. The crystalline index increased from 57.48% in untreated canola straw to 64.72% in steam-exploded samples. Steam explosion pretreatment of biomass increased cellulose accessibility, and enzymatic hydrolysis increased glucose production and glucose yield of canola straw. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry.

Biomass yield and feeding value of rye, triticale, and wheat straw produced under a dual-purpose management system.

PubMed

Ates, S; Keles, G; Demirci, U; Dogan, S; Ben Salem, H

2017-11-01

Dual-purpose management of winter cereals for grazing and grain production provides highly nutritive forage for ruminants in the spring and may positively affect straw feeding value. A 2-yr study investigated the effect of spring defoliation of triticale, wheat, and rye at the tillering and stem elongation stages on total biomass, grain yields, and straw quality. Furthermore, straws of spring-defoliated and undefoliated (control) cereal crops were evaluated for nutritional value and voluntary intake as a means of assessing the efficiency of dual-purpose management systems from the winter feeding context as well. The feeding study consisted of 9 total mixed rations (TMR), each containing 35% triticale, rye, or wheat straw obtained under 3 spring-defoliation regimens. The TMR were individually fed to fifty-four 1-yr-old Anatolian Merino ewes for 28 d. Defoliation of the crops at tillering did not affect the total biomass production or grain yields. However, biomass and grain yields were reduced ( < 0.01) by 55 and 52%, respectively, in crops defoliated at stem elongation. Straw of spring-defoliated cereals had less NDF and ADF concentrations ( < 0.01) but greater CP ( < 0.01), nonfiber carbohydrates ( < 0.01), and ME concentrations ( < 0.01) compared with straw from undefoliated crops. The increase in the nutritive value of straw led to greater nutrient digestion ( < 0.01) and intake of DM and OM of ewes ( < 0.01). However, sheep live weight gain did not differ among treatments ( > 0.77). This study indicated that straw feeding value and digestibility can be increased through spring defoliation.

Surface characterization of lignocellulosics for composite manufacture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iyer, Ananth V.

The objectives of this research were to form moisture resistant wheat strawboards, either by altering the straw surface characteristics or by changing the chemistry of the polymeric 4, 4' diphenylmethane diisocyanate (PMDI)-based matrix and interface. Part I compared the surface characteristics of wheat, barley, oat, rice, kenaf, hemp and softwood particles. All cereal straws had two surfaces: epidermis and brittle-pith unlike one heterogeneous type observed for bast fibers and softwood particles. The epidermis of cereal straws was not wet by water or aqueous binders, whereas the pith surface allowed the penetration of water, but was not readily wetted by aqueous binders. Between the different surface treatments evaluated for wheat straw in Part II, NaOH selectively peeled-off the epidermis and pith layers. The treated straw particles were formable into strawboards using aqueous phenol-formaldehyde, urea-formaldehyde, and duroplastic acrylic acid binders with good internal bond strength (IBS) and adequate water resistance. In Part III it was shown that, decreasing straw particle sizes and bleaching worsened the mechanical properties of strawboards, but the moisture absorption properties of bleached strawboards were lower than the unbleached ones. Layering of straw particles in strawboards did not seem to affect their mechanical or moisture absorption properties. Part IV showed that the pith surface of wheat straw was fractured on curing with PMDI, providing hollow microcrevices for water accumulation. Furthermore, the cured PMDI formed a network polyurea/polyuretonimine/polycarbodiimide/polyisocyanurate polymer on straw surfaces whose properties dictated the properties of strawboards. Among the different mono-, bi-, and tri-functional alcohols, amines and carboxylic acids evaluated in Part V as H-donor substitutes to moisture for reaction with PMDI on straw surfaces, ethylene glycol, resorcinol, glycerin and citric acid provided IBS values greater than the ANSI recommended minimum (60 psi) and lower thickness swell values than the moisture-cure process. In Part VI, strawboards formed with 2% PMDI and 5% epoxy or duroplastic acrylic acid binders had high IBS values, and their thickness swell after 24 h soaking in water was restricted to 13%, which was much lower than the ˜18--20% values obtained for strawboards made with 5% PMDI.

Chemical characterization and oxidative potential of particles emitted from open burning of cereal straws and rice husk under flaming and smoldering conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fushimi, Akihiro; Saitoh, Katsumi; Hayashi, Kentaro; Ono, Keisuke; Fujitani, Yuji; Villalobos, Ana M.; Shelton, Brandon R.; Takami, Akinori; Tanabe, Kiyoshi; Schauer, James J.

2017-08-01

Open burning of crop residue is a major source of atmospheric fine particle emissions. We burned crop residues (rice straws, barley straws, wheat straws, and rice husks produced in Japan) in an outdoor chamber and measured particle mass, composition (elemental carbon: EC, organic carbon: OC, ions, elements, and organic species), and oxidative potential in the exhausts. The fine particulate emission factors from the literature were within the range of our values for rice straws but were 1.4-1.9 and 0.34-0.44 times higher than our measured values for barley straw and wheat straw, respectively. For rice husks and wheat straws, which typically lead to combustion conditions that are relatively mild, the EC content of the particles was less than 5%. Levoglucosan seems more suitable as a biomass burning marker than K+, since levoglucosan/OC ratios were more stable than K+/particulate mass ratios among crop species. Stigmasterol and β-sitosterol could also be used as markers of biomass burning with levoglucosan or instead of levoglucosan. Correlation analysis between chemical composition and combustion condition suggests that hot or flaming combustions enhance EC, K+, Cl- and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons emissions, while low-temperature or smoldering combustions enhance levoglucosan and water-soluble organic carbon emissions. Oxidative potential, measured with macrophage-based reactive oxygen species (ROS) assay and dithiothreitol (DTT) assay, of open burning fine particles per particulate mass as well as fine particulate emission factors were the highest for wheat straws and second highest for rice husks and rice straws. Oxidative potential per particulate mass was in the lower range of vehicle exhaust and atmosphere. These results suggest that the contribution of open burning is relatively small to the oxidative potential of atmospheric particles. In addition, oxidative potential (both ROS and DTT activities) correlated well with water-insoluble organic species, suggesting that OC components, especially water-insoluble OC components emitted under non-flaming combustion, have a major impact on oxidative potential.

Combined effect of enzyme inducers and nitrate on selective lignin degradation in wheat straw by Ganoderma lobatum.

PubMed

Hermosilla, Edward; Schalchli, Heidi; Mutis, Ana; Diez, María Cristina

2017-09-01

Lignin is one of the main barriers to obtaining added-value products from cellulosic fraction of lignocellulosic biomass due to its random aromatic structure and strong association with cellulose and hemicellulose. Inorganic and organic compounds have been used as enzyme inducers to increase the ligninolytic potential of white-rot fungi, without considering their effect on the selectivity of degradation. In this study, the selective lignin degradation in wheat straw by Ganoderma lobatum was optimized using a central composite design to evaluate the combined effect of Fe 2+ and Mn 2+ as inducers of ligninolytic enzymes and NO 3 - as an additional nitrogen source. Selective lignin degradation was promoted to maximize lignin degradation and minimize weight losses. The optimal conditions were 0.18 M NO 3 - , 0.73 mM Fe 2+ , and 1 mM Mn 2+ , which resulted in 50.0% lignin degradation and 18.5% weight loss after 40 days of fungal treatment. A decrease in absorbance at 1505 and 900 cm -1 in fungal-treated samples was observed in the FTIR spectra, indicating lignin and cellulose degradation in fungal-treated wheat straw, respectively. The main ligninolytic enzymes detected during lignin degradation were manganese-dependent and manganese-independent peroxidases. Additionally, confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed that lignin degradation in wheat straw by G. lobatum resulted in higher cellulose accessibility. We concluded that the addition of enzyme inducers and NO 3 - promotes selective lignin degradation in wheat straw by G. lobatum.

Effect of exogenous xylanase on rumen in vitro gas production and degradability of wheat straw.

PubMed

Togtokhbayar, Norovsambuu; Cerrillo, María A; Rodríguez, Germán Buendía; Elghandour, Mona M M Y; Salem, Abdelfattah Z M; Urankhaich, Chuluunbaatar; Jigjidpurev, Sukhbaatar; Odongo, Nicholas E; Kholif, Ahmed E

2015-08-01

The objective of this study was to determine effects of xylanase on in vitro gas production (GP) and in sacco degradability of wheat straw. Rumen fluid was obtained from three Mongolian native goats fitted with permanent rumen cannulas. The trial consisted of five doses (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 μL/g of substrate) of a commercial xylanase (Dyadic® xylanase PLUS, Dyadic International, Inc., Jupiter, FL, USA). For the in sacco degradability, different levels of xylanase enzyme were added directly onto 2 g of wheat straw in nylon bags and incubated in the rumen for 3, 6, 12, 24 and 48 h to estimate degradability of wheat straw. Total GP increased (P < 0.001) at all times of incubation at intermediate levels of xylanase. Methane production had a similar pattern at 3 and 12 h of incubation; increased linearly at 24 h of incubation, and was unaffected at 6 and 48 h of incubation. Rumen NH3 -N concentration increased linearly at 3 h and the highest values were observed with intermediate enzyme levels. All ruminal volatile fatty acids increased linearly with intermediate levels of the fibrolytic enzyme. The in sacco rate of dry matter degradation decreased linearly (P = 0.020) with increasing enzymes. Intermediate levels of xylanase improved rumen kinetic fermentation and degradability. The outcome of this research indicated that the application of xylanase enzyme could improve in vitro GP fermentation of wheat straw. © 2015 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

Phosphomolybdic acid and ferric iron as efficient electron mediators for coupling biomass pretreatment to produce bioethanol and electricity generation from wheat straw

Treesearch

Yi Ding; Bo Du; Xuebing Zhao; J.Y. Zhu; Dehua Liu

2017-01-01

Phosphomolybdic acid (PMo12) was used as an electron mediator and proton carrier to mediate biomass pretreatment for ethanol production and electricity generation from wheat straw. In the pretreatment, lignin was oxidized anaerobically by PMo12 with solubilization of a fraction of hemicelluloses, and the PMo12...

Two-Dimensional NMR Evidence for Cleavage of Lignin and Xylan Substituents in Wheat Straw Through Hydrothermal Pretreatment and Enzymatic Hydrolysis

Treesearch

Daniel J. Yelle; Prasad Kaparaju; Christopher G. Hunt; Kolby Hirth; Hoon Kim; John Ralph; Claus Felby

2012-01-01

Solution-state two-dimensional (2D) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy of plant cell walls is a powerful tool for characterizing changes in cell wall chemistry during the hydrothermal pretreatment process of wheat straw for second-generation bioethanol production. One-bond 13C-1H NMR correlation spectroscopy, via...

Syngas production by chemical-looping gasification of wheat straw with Fe-based oxygen carrier.

PubMed

Hu, Jianjun; Li, Chong; Guo, Qianhui; Dang, Jiatao; Zhang, Quanguo; Lee, Duu-Jong; Yang, Yunlong

2018-05-03

The iron-based oxygen carriers (OC's), Fe 2 O 3 /support (Al 2 O 3 , TiO 2 , SiO 2 and ZrO 2 ), for chemical looping gasification of wheat straw were prepared using impregnation method. The surface morphology, crystal structure, carbon deposition potential, lattice oxygen activity and selectivity of the yielded OCs were examined. The Fe 2 O 3 /Al 2 O 3 OCs at 60% loading has the highest H 2 yield, H 2 /CO ratio, gas yield, and carbon conversion amongst the tested OC's. Parametric studies revealed that an optimal loading Fe 2 O 3 of 60%, steam-to-biomass ratio of 0.8 and oxygen carrier-to-biomass ratio of 1.0 led to the maximum H 2 /CO ratio, gas yield, H 2  + CO ratio, and carbon conversion from the gasified wheat straw. High temperature, up to 950 °C, enhanced the gasification performance. A kinetic network interpreted the noted experimental results. The lattice oxygen provided by the prepared Fe 2 O 3 /Al 2 O 3 oxygen carriers promotes chemical looping gasification efficiencies from wheat straw. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Induction of wheat straw delignification by Trametes species

PubMed Central

Knežević, Aleksandar; Stajić, Mirjana; Jovanović, Vladimir M.; Kovačević, Višnja; Ćilerdžić, Jasmina; Milovanović, Ivan; Vukojević, Jelena

2016-01-01

Wheat straw is the major crop residue in European countries which makes it the most promising material for bioconversion into biofuels. However, cellulose and hemicellulose are protected with lignin, so delignification is an inevitable phase in lignocellulose processing. The organisms predominantly responsible for its degradation are white-rot fungi and among them Trametes species represent promising degraders due to a well-developed ligninolytic enzyme system. Although numerous studies have confirmed that low molecular weight compounds can induce the production and activity of ligninolytic enzymes it is not clear how this reflects on the extent of delignification. The aim of the study was to assess the capacity of p-anisidine and veratryl alcohol to induce the production and activity of Mn-oxidizing peroxidases and laccases, and wheat straw delignification by six Trametes species. Significant inter- and intraspecific variations in activity and features of these enzymes were found, as well as differences in the potential of lignocellulose degradation in the presence or absence of inducers. Differences in the catalytic properties of synthesized enzyme isoforms strongly affected lignin degradation. Apart from enhanced lignin degradation, the addition of p-anisidine could significantly improve the selectivity of wheat straw ligninolysis, which was especially evident for T. hirsuta strains. PMID:27216645

Fast modification on wheat straw outer surface by water vapor plasma and its application on composite material.

PubMed

Chen, Weimin; Xu, Yicheng; Shi, Shukai; Cao, Yizhong; Chen, Minzhi; Zhou, Xiaoyan

2018-02-02

The presence of non-poplar extracts, cutin, and wax layer in the wheat straw outer surface (WOS) greatly limit its application in bio-composite preparation. In this study, a dielectric-barrier-discharge plasma using water vapor as feeding gas was used to fast modify the WOS. The morphology, free radical concentrations, surface chemical components, and contact angles of WOS before and after plasma modification were investigated. Wheat straw was further prepared into wheat straw-based composites (WSC) and its bonding strength was evaluated by a paper tension meter. The results showed that water vapor plasma leads to the appearance of surface roughness, the generation of massive free radicals, and the introduction of oxygen-containing groups. In addition, both initial and equilibrium contact angle and the surface total free energy were significantly increased after plasma modification. These results synergistically facilitate the spread and permeation of adhesive onto the WOS and thus improve the bonding strength of all prepared WSCs. A good linear relationship between bonding strength and surface roughness parameters, contact angles, and total free energy were observed. In general, this study provided a time-saving and cost-effective modification method to realize WSC manufacture.

Effects of rhamnolipid on the cellulase and xylanase in hydrolysis of wheat straw.

PubMed

Wang, Hong-Yuan; Fan, Bing-Quan; Li, Chun-Hua; Liu, Shuang; Li, Min

2011-06-01

The effects of biosurfactant rhamnolipid (RL) and chemical surfactant Triton X-100 on the production of cellulases and xylanase from Penicillium expansum (P. expansum) in untreated, acid- and alkali-pretreated wheat straw submerged fermentations were studied, and the influences on the activity and stability of Cellulase R-10 were also investigated. The results showed that RL and Triton X-100 enhanced the activities of cellulases and xylanase to different extents and the stimulatory effects of RL were superior to those of Triton X-100. During the peak enzyme production phase, RL (60 RE mg/l) increased cellulases activities by 25.5-102.9%, in which the raise of the same enzyme in acid-pretreated straw broths was the most. It was found that the reducing sugars by hydrolyzing wheat straw with Cellulase R-100 were not visibly increased after adding RL. However, it distinctly protected Cellulase R-10 from degradation or inactivation, keeping the reducing sugars yield at about 17%. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Selection of strains of Lentinula edodes and Lentinula boryana adapted for efficient mycelial growth on wheat straw.

PubMed

Mata, G; Delpech, P; Savoie, J M

2001-09-01

Mycelial growth rates are presented for 11 strains of Lentinula edodes and six strains of Lentinula boryana cultivated on solid media: derived from malt extract (MEA); malt yeast extract (YMEA); and, YMEA plus soluble lignin derivatives (YMEA+WSLD). The results were compared with data for mycelial growth rates, of the same strains cultivated on substrates derived from wheat straw treated at different temperatures (50, 65, 75 and autoclaving at 121 degrees C). In general, the addition of WSLD significantly reduced mycelial growth rates in both species. The greatest mycelial growth rate was obtained on sterilized straw at 121 degrees C for the majority of strains. However, this growth was not significantly different from that obtained at 75 degrees C. L. edodes showed greater growth rates than L. boryana. The feasibility of using estimates of mycelial growth rate on YMEA and YMEA+WSLD are discussed as possible indicators of a strain's potential for mycelial growth on substrates derived from wheat straw.

Utilization of the water soluable fraction of wheat straw as a plant nutrient source

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mackowiak, C. L.; Garland, J. L.

1990-01-01

Recovery of water soluble, inorganic nutrients from the inedible portion of wheat was found to be an effective means of recycling nutrients within hydroponic systems. Through aqueous extraction (leaching), 60 percent of the total inorganic nutrient weight was removed from wheat straw and roots, although the recovery of individual nutrients varied. Leaching also removed about 20 percent of the total organic carbon from the biomass. In terms of dry weight, the leachate was comprised of approximately 60 percent organic and 40 percent inorganic compounds. Direct use of wheat straw leachate in static hydroponic systems had an inhibitory effect on wheat growth, both in the presence and absence of microorganisms. Biological treatment of leachate either with a mixed microbial community or the oyster mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus L., prior to use in hydroponic solutions, significantly reduced both the organic content and the inhibitory effects of the leachate. The inhibitory effects of unprocessed leachate appear to be a result of rapidly acting phytotoxic compounds that are detoxified by microbial activity. Leaching holds considerable promise as a method for nutrient recycling in a Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS).

Effect of long term feeding of ammoniated wheat straw treated with or without HCl on blood biochemical parameters in growing male buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) calves.

PubMed

Mehra, Usha Rani; Sahu, Dev Sharan; Naik, Prafulla Kumar; Dass, Ram Sharan; Verma, Ashok Kumar

2005-01-01

Twenty-four growing male buffalo calves (one year of age; 88.54 +/- 3.81 kg average body weight) were divided into three comparable groups (I, II and III) on the basis of their body weight (BW) in a completely randomised design to study the effect of long term feeding of ammoniated wheat straw (AWS) and hydrochloric acid treated ammoniated wheat straw (HCl-AWS) on blood biochemical changes. The animals were offered a concentrate mixture (CM) along with wheat straw (WS), ammoniated wheat straw (AWS) (4% urea at a 50% moisture level) and hydrochloric acid treated ammoniated wheat straw (HCI-AWS) (4% urea at a 50% moisture level and HCI added to trap 30% of NH3 evolved) in groups I, II and III, respectively for an average daily gain (ADG) of 500 g. All the diets were made iso-nitrogenous by preparing three types of concentrate mixtures of different CP levels. The blood was collected from the jugular vein randomly from three animals of each group initially after 8 months post feeding and subsequently after two months interval up to 14 months of experimental feeding. Due to urea ammoniation, the CP content of WS increased from 3.66 to 8.51 and was further increased to 11.35 due to the addition of HCl during urea-ammoniation of wheat straw. The cumulative period mean plasma glucose values (mg %), in group II (53.13) were significantly (P < 0.001) higher than those in groups I (48.44) and III (50.60). The cumulative period mean values of serum albumin and globulin (g %) were not significantly different and were comparable among the groups I (3.33 and 3.06), II (3.53 and 2.97) and III (3.49 and 2.94). The cumulative period mean values of serum albumin: globulin ratio and total protein values were not significantly different among the different groups. Serum urea and creatinine values were significantly (P < 0.001) higher in group III (58.66 and 2.24) as compared to groups I and II. The cumulative period mean values of serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (KA units) did not differ significantly, but serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) and glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT) values (units x mL(-1) were significantly (P < 0.001) higher in groups II and III than in group I. The cumulative period mean values of T3 (ng x mL(-1)) did not differ significantly among the groups, but T4 values were significantly (P < 0.001) higher in group III (22.74) than in groups 1 (21.41) and II (20.89), respectively. Since the mean values of all the blood parameters were within the normal range, it may be concluded that feeding of ammoniated wheat straw treated with and without HCl to growing male buffalo calves for fourteen months has no adverse effect on the blood biochemical parameters.

Significance of Herbaspirillum seropedicae inoculation and/or straw amendment on growth and dinitrogen fixation of wheat using 15N-dilution method.

PubMed

el-Komy, H M; Saad, O A; Hetta, A M

2003-01-01

The effect of Herbaspirillum seropedicae inoculation and/or maize straw (0, 5 and 10 Mg/hm2) amendment on the growth and N2 fixation of wheat was determined in pot experiments using 15N-dilution method. Inoculation resulted in accumulation of fixed nitrogen, and % N from atmosphere being 24.6 and 26.5% in wheat shoot and grain, respectively. Straw amendment reduced % Natm to 16.1 and 20.2% at high straw level (10 Mg/hm2). Rational nitrogen fertilization (180 kg N/hm2) completely inhibited N2 fixation by H. seropedicae inoculation. Bacterial inoculation increased dry shoot and grain yield up to 23 and 31%, respectively. The highest levels of shoot and grain dry mass (46.5 and 42.4%) were obtained by N-fertilization in both inoculated and uninoculated plants. Total shoot and grain N-yield increased irrespective of organic matter amendment by inoculation up to 9 and 25%, respectively. N-fertilized plants recorded a maximum increase in N-yield (57 and 51%). H. seropedicae was reisolated from inoculated wheat histosphere after harvesting (90 d from sowing). Neither organic matter nor mineral nitrogen applications had any marked effect on bacterial total counts colonizing wheat histosphere. Moreover, no symptoms of mottled stripe disease were observed on leaves and stems of inoculated plants.

40 CFR 180.580 - Iodosulfuron-Methyl-Sodium; tolerances for residues.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Parts per million Corn, field, forage 0.05 Corn, field, grain 0.03 Corn, field, stover 0.05 Wheat, forage 0.10 Wheat, grain 0.02 Wheat, hay 0.05 Wheat, straw 0.05 (b) Section 18 emergency exemptions...

Direct ethanol production from starch, wheat bran and rice straw by the white rot fungus Trametes hirsuta.

PubMed

Okamoto, Kenji; Nitta, Yasuyuki; Maekawa, Nitaro; Yanase, Hideshi

2011-03-07

The white rot fungus Trametes hirsuta produced ethanol from a variety of hexoses: glucose, mannose, cellobiose and maltose, with yields of 0.49, 0.48, 0.47 and 0.47 g/g of ethanol per sugar utilized, respectively. In addition, this fungus showed relatively favorable xylose consumption and ethanol production with a yield of 0.44 g/g. T. hirsuta was capable of directly fermenting starch, wheat bran and rice straw to ethanol without acid or enzymatic hydrolysis. Maximum ethanol concentrations of 9.1, 4.3 and 3.0 g/l, corresponding to 89.2%, 78.8% and 57.4% of the theoretical yield, were obtained when the fungus was grown in a medium containing 20 g/l starch, wheat bran or rice straw, respectively. The fermentation of rice straw pretreated with ball milling led to a small improvement in the ethanol yield: 3.4 g ethanol/20 g ball-milled rice straw. As T. hirsuta is an efficient microorganism capable of hydrolyzing biomass to fermentable sugars and directly converting them to ethanol, it may represent a suitable microorganism in consolidated bioprocessing applications. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ozone pretreatment and fermentative hydrolysis of wheat straw

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ben'ko, E. M.; Chukhchin, D. G.; Lunin, V. V.

2017-11-01

Principles of the ozone pretreatment of wheat straw for subsequent fermentation into sugars are investigated. The optimum moisture contents of straw in the ozonation process are obtained from data on the kinetics of ozone absorbed by samples with different contents of water. The dependence of the yield of reducing sugars in the fermentative reaction on the quantity of absorbed ozone is established. The maximum conversion of polysaccharides is obtained at ozone doses of around 3 mmol/g of biomass, and it exceeds the value for nonozonated samples by an order of magnitude. The yield of sugar falls upon increasing the dose of ozone. The process of removing lignin from the cell walls of straw during ozonation is visualized by means of scanning electron microscopy.

An economic evaluation of biological conversion of wheat straw to butanol: A biofuel

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A cost estimation study was performed for a biological butanol production plant with a capacity of 150 x 10**6 kg butanol/year. Wheat straw was used as a feedstock. In addition to butanol, acetone (78.05 x 10**6 kg/year) and ethanol (28.54 x 10**6 kg/year) would also be produced. The total capital c...

Inhibition experiments on nitrous oxide emission from paddy soils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Xingkai; Boeckx, Pascal; Zhou, Likai; Van Cleemput, Oswald

2002-08-01

Rice fields using nitrogen-based fertilizers play an important role in the global N2O budget. However, our knowledge is still limited with regard to the mechanisms affecting the N2O emission and to the measures that can reduce the emission. This paper reports a study of N2O emission from paddy soils. The effects of urea, hydroquinone (HQ, a urease inhibitor), and dicyandiamide (DCD, a nitrification inhibitor) have been studied in pot experiments with and without rice plants and with and without addition of wheat straw. With no wheat straw amendment, all treatments with inhibitors, especially with HQ + DCD, had a much smaller N2O emission during the rice growing period than the urea treatment, whereas a substantially increased N2O emission was observed from a rice-free soil with inhibitors. The N2O emission from the rice-planted soil was exponentially positive correlated with the NO3--N concentration in the rice aboveground biomass. By comparing the total N2O emission from the rice-free soil and from the rice-planted soil, we found that urea application alone might induce an apparent plant-mediated N2O emission, being 0.39 +/- 0.08% of the applied urea N. Wheat straw incorporated into the flooded surface layer soil could increase the plant-mediated N2O emission significantly. However, application of HQ + DCD could reduce this emission (0.27 +/- 0.08% of the applied urea N, compared with 0.89 +/- 0.18% in the urea treatment). It also reduced the N2O emission from the rice-free soil and from the rice-planted soil. Stepwise regression analysis indicates that denitrification in the flooded surface layer soil was the main source of N2O emission from this wetland rice cultivation, particularly when wheat straw was added. A significantly nonlinear negative relation was found between the N2O emission and the CH4 emission when no wheat straw was added, but it was hard to quantify this trade-off relation when wheat straw was incorporated into the flooded surface layer soil.

Growth, carcass yield and meat quality attributes of Red Maasai sheep fed wheat straw-based diets.

PubMed

Safari, John G; Mushi, Daniel E; Mtenga, Louis A; Kifaro, George C; Eik, Lars O

2011-01-01

Thirty-two castrated Red Maasai sheep (12.7 kg initial body weight, aged 12-18 months), were used in an 84-day experiment to evaluate diets based on treated straw upon growth performance, carcass yield and meat quality. The animals were blocked by weight into four similar groups and randomly allotted into four dietary treatments, with eight individually fed animals per treatment. The dietary treatments were ad libitum untreated wheat straw (UTS), wheat straw treated with urea and lime (TS), straw and ad libitum hay (UTSH), and TS and ad libitum hay (TSH). In addition, each experimental animal received 220 g/day (on as fed basis) of a concentrate diet. Treatment of straw increased (P < 0.05) dry matter intake (42.3 vs. 33.7 g/kg W (75)/day), energy intake (4.6 vs. 3.7 MJ ME/d) and the average daily gain (40.7 vs. 23.1 g). Animals on TS produced heavier (P < 0.05) carcasses (6.6 vs. 5.4 kg) with superior conformation than animals on UTS. Percentage cooking loss was higher in carcasses from animals fed TS compared to those from other diets. Except M. longissimus dorsi and M. semitendinosus, tenderness of muscles was not affected by diet but ageing of meat improved (P < 0.001) tenderness. Overall, straw treatment increased carcass yields with limited effects on meat quality attributes.

The role of carbon starvation in the induction of enzymes that degrade plant-derived carbohydrates in Aspergillus niger

PubMed Central

van Munster, Jolanda M.; Daly, Paul; Delmas, Stéphane; Pullan, Steven T.; Blythe, Martin J.; Malla, Sunir; Kokolski, Matthew; Noltorp, Emelie C.M.; Wennberg, Kristin; Fetherston, Richard; Beniston, Richard; Yu, Xiaolan; Dupree, Paul; Archer, David B.

2014-01-01

Fungi are an important source of enzymes for saccharification of plant polysaccharides and production of biofuels. Understanding of the regulation and induction of expression of genes encoding these enzymes is still incomplete. To explore the induction mechanism, we analysed the response of the industrially important fungus Aspergillus niger to wheat straw, with a focus on events occurring shortly after exposure to the substrate. RNA sequencing showed that the transcriptional response after 6 h of exposure to wheat straw was very different from the response at 24 h of exposure to the same substrate. For example, less than half of the genes encoding carbohydrate active enzymes that were induced after 24 h of exposure to wheat straw, were also induced after 6 h exposure. Importantly, over a third of the genes induced after 6 h of exposure to wheat straw were also induced during 6 h of carbon starvation, indicating that carbon starvation is probably an important factor in the early response to wheat straw. The up-regulation of the expression of a high number of genes encoding CAZymes that are active on plant-derived carbohydrates during early carbon starvation suggests that these enzymes could be involved in a scouting role during starvation, releasing inducing sugars from complex plant polysaccharides. We show, using proteomics, that carbon-starved cultures indeed release CAZymes with predicted activity on plant polysaccharides. Analysis of the enzymatic activity and the reaction products, indicates that these proteins are enzymes that can degrade various plant polysaccharides to generate both known, as well as potentially new, inducers of CAZymes. PMID:24792495

The role of carbon starvation in the induction of enzymes that degrade plant-derived carbohydrates in Aspergillus niger.

PubMed

van Munster, Jolanda M; Daly, Paul; Delmas, Stéphane; Pullan, Steven T; Blythe, Martin J; Malla, Sunir; Kokolski, Matthew; Noltorp, Emelie C M; Wennberg, Kristin; Fetherston, Richard; Beniston, Richard; Yu, Xiaolan; Dupree, Paul; Archer, David B

2014-11-01

Fungi are an important source of enzymes for saccharification of plant polysaccharides and production of biofuels. Understanding of the regulation and induction of expression of genes encoding these enzymes is still incomplete. To explore the induction mechanism, we analysed the response of the industrially important fungus Aspergillus niger to wheat straw, with a focus on events occurring shortly after exposure to the substrate. RNA sequencing showed that the transcriptional response after 6h of exposure to wheat straw was very different from the response at 24h of exposure to the same substrate. For example, less than half of the genes encoding carbohydrate active enzymes that were induced after 24h of exposure to wheat straw, were also induced after 6h exposure. Importantly, over a third of the genes induced after 6h of exposure to wheat straw were also induced during 6h of carbon starvation, indicating that carbon starvation is probably an important factor in the early response to wheat straw. The up-regulation of the expression of a high number of genes encoding CAZymes that are active on plant-derived carbohydrates during early carbon starvation suggests that these enzymes could be involved in a scouting role during starvation, releasing inducing sugars from complex plant polysaccharides. We show, using proteomics, that carbon-starved cultures indeed release CAZymes with predicted activity on plant polysaccharides. Analysis of the enzymatic activity and the reaction products, indicates that these proteins are enzymes that can degrade various plant polysaccharides to generate both known, as well as potentially new, inducers of CAZymes. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Biorefining of wheat straw: accounting for the distribution of mineral elements in pretreated biomass by an extended pretreatment-severity equation.

PubMed

Le, Duy Michael; Sørensen, Hanne R; Knudsen, Niels Ole; Schjoerring, Jan K; Meyer, Anne S

2014-01-01

Mineral elements present in lignocellulosic biomass feedstocks may accumulate in biorefinery process streams and cause technological problems, or alternatively can be reaped for value addition. A better understanding of the distribution of minerals in biomass in response to pretreatment factors is therefore important in relation to development of new biorefinery processes. The objective of the present study was to examine the levels of mineral elements in pretreated wheat straw in response to systematic variations in the hydrothermal pretreatment parameters (pH, temperature, and treatment time), and to assess whether it is possible to model mineral levels in the pretreated fiber fraction. Principal component analysis of the wheat straw biomass constituents, including mineral elements, showed that the recovered levels of wheat straw constituents after different hydrothermal pretreatments could be divided into two groups: 1) Phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, manganese, zinc, and calcium correlated with xylose and arabinose (that is, hemicellulose), and levels of these constituents present in the fiber fraction after pretreatment varied depending on the pretreatment-severity; and 2) Silicon, iron, copper, aluminum correlated with lignin and cellulose levels, but the levels of these constituents showed no severity-dependent trends. For the first group, an expanded pretreatment-severity equation, containing a specific factor for each constituent, accounting for variability due to pretreatment pH, was developed. Using this equation, the mineral levels could be predicted with R(2) > 0.75; for some with R(2) up to 0.96. Pretreatment conditions, especially pH, significantly influenced the levels of phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, manganese, zinc, and calcium in the resulting fiber fractions. A new expanded pretreatment-severity equation is proposed to model and predict mineral composition in pretreated wheat straw biomass.

Optimization of substrate preparation for oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) cultivation by studying different raw materials and substrate preparation conditions (composting: phases I and II).

PubMed

Vieira, Fabrício Rocha; de Andrade, Meire Cristina Nogueira

2016-11-01

In recent years, oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) has become one of the most cultivated mushrooms in the world, mainly in Brazil. Among many factors involved in a mushroom production, substrate preparation is the most critical step, which can be influenced by composting management techniques. Looking forward to optimizing the substrate preparation process, were tested different composting conditions (7 and 14 days of composting with or without conditioning), potential raw materials (decumbens grass, brizantha grass and sugarcane straw) and nitrogen supplementation (with or without wheat bran) on oyster mushroom yield and biological efficiency (BE). The substrate composted for 7 days with conditioning showed higher yield and biological efficiency of mushroom (24.04 and 100.54 %, respectively). Substrates without conditioning (7 and 14 days of composting) showed smaller mushroom yield and biological efficiency. Among the raw materials tested, brizantha grass showed higher mushroom yield followed by decumbens grass, sugarcane straw and wheat straw (28.5, 24.32, 23.5 and 19.27 %, respectively). Brizantha grass also showed higher biological efficiency followed by sugarcane straw, decumbens grass and wheat straw (123.95, 103.70, 96.90 and 86.44 %, respectively). Supplementation with wheat bran improved yield and biological efficiency in all substrate formulations tested; thus, oyster mushroom yield and biological efficiency were influenced by substrate formulation (raw materials), supplementation and composting conditions.

Simplified and lower cost methods for culinary-medicinal mushrooms cultivation.

PubMed

Cleaver, Phillip D; Bailey, Cody; Holliday, John C

2012-01-01

The importance and prospect of growing mushrooms through utilization of low-cost, technologically simple methods for developing Third World countries has recently been outlined. Three different species from genus Pleurotus (P. djamor, P. pulmonarius, and P. sajor-caju) and one from genus Hypsizygus (H. ulmarius) were studied. Whole stalk wheat straw, shredded wheat straw, and ground maize cob (Zea mays) were used as the substrates. Wheat straw is the post-harvest stalk of Triticum aestivum. Biological efficiency (BE), growth dynamics, and photographs are provided for each cultivated strain, on different substrates, and substrate treatment comparisons are made. From several experiments conducted with various technologically simple methods of cultivation, it was found that all above mentioned species can be successfully cultivated at the village level in any country, be it highly developed or the poorest country on earth.

40 CFR 180.314 - Triallate; tolerances for residues.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., tops 0.5 Pea, dry 0.2 Pea, field, hay 1.0 Pea, field, vines 0.5 Pea, succulent 0.2 Wheat, forage 0.5 Wheat, grain 0.05 Wheat, hay 1.0 Wheat, straw 1.0 (d) Indirect or inadvertent residues. [Reserved] [72...

Evaluation of an aerobic composting process for the management of Specified Risk Materials (SRM).

PubMed

Zeng, J; Price, G W; Arnold, P

2012-06-15

In Nova Scotia (NS), approximately 2700 tonnes of Specified Risk Materials (SRM) are produced annually. SRM disposal is a serious concern for abattoirs and the beef industry. Composting offers a low risk and simple means to transform raw SRM into a more stable and easily managed material. In this project, wheat straw and sawdust were used to compost with SRM on a pilot scale. The study evaluated changes over time in total carbon, total nitrogen, pH, temperature, moisture content and electrical conductivity. Compost temperatures in all treatments met the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) guidelines for pathogen kill. The compost maturity tests showed that the evolution of CO(2)-C in all the final compost products was less than 1 mg g(-1) organic matter day(-1). Wheat straw performed well as a composting feedstock for raw SRM as sawdust. While the wheat straw has advantages including greater availability, lower cost and easily decomposable carbon compounds more management is required to maintain adequate compost temperatures. The influences of seasonal variations due to temperate climatic conditions on SRM composting were also studied with wheat straw. The results suggest no significant differences in composting effectiveness between the two seasons. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Effects of applying inorganic P and wheat straw on the microbial biomass P and microbial P concentration in a calcareous soil with low concentration available P].

PubMed

Zhao, Xiao-Rong; Zhou, Ran; Li, Gui-Tong; Lin, Qi-Mei

2009-02-01

In an incubation test, a calcareous soil with low concentration of available P was amended with KH2PO4 (0, 25, 50, and 100 mg P x kg(-1)) and ground wheat straw (5 g C x kg(-1)), and incubated at 25 degrees C for 90 days. The aim was to investigate the change patterns of soil microbial biomass P and microbial P concentration as well as their relationships with soil available P. The results showed that both soil microbial biomass P and microbial P concentration increased with increasing inorganic P addition, with the maximum being 71.37 and 105.34 mg x kg(-1), respectively. The combined application of inorganic P (except 100 mg P x kg(-1)) and wheat straw decreased the soil microbial biomass P and microbial P concentration, being most obvious at early incubation period. Soil microbial biomass P and microbial P concentration had significant positive correlations (P < 0.05) with soil available P (R2 = 0.26 and 0.40, n = 49, respectively). The applied P could rapidly transform into microbial biomass P. The maximum apparent contribution rate of applied P to microbial biomass P was 71%. The added wheat straw could further improve the apparent contribution rate.

Further studies on Egyptian soil fungi: succession of sugar and osmophilic fungi in soil amended with five organic substrates.

PubMed

Shaban, G M

1996-01-01

The sugar and osmophilic fungal composition of soils amended with five organic substrates (newspaper, orange peel, bromegrass leaves, wheat straw and wood sawdust) was estimated after 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 weeks using the dilution plate method on glucose and 50% sucrose Czapek's agar media. Wheat straw was the best substrate for total counts of both sugar and osmophilic fungi followed by newspaper, bromegrass leaves, wood sawdust and orange peel. Wood sawdust supported the highest average counts of total sugar fungi, Fusarium, Mucor, Scopulariopsis, Trichoderma and Trimmatostroma spp.; Newspaper, of Aspergillus (8 spp.), Penicillium (4 spp.) and Chaetomium sp.; bromegrass leaves of Cladosporium sp., Humicola sp. and Sporotrichum sp.; orange peel, of Alternaria sp., Circinella sp. and Stachybotrys sp.; and wheat straw, of Botryotrichum sp. and Myrothecium sp. Bromegrass leaves and orange peel supported the highest average counts of total osmophilic fungi, Aspergillus (10 spp.), Cladosporium sp. Paecillomyces sp. and Rhizopus sp.; and of Stemphylium sp., Trichoderma sp., Humicola sp. and Circinella sp. respectively; wheat straw, of Epicoccum sp., Scopulariopsis sp. and Trichothecium sp.; newspaper, of Penicillium (4 spp.) and Alternaria sp.; and wood sawdust of Curvularia sp. and Fusarium (3 spp.). The best colonizers throughout the experimental periods were Aspergilus and Penicillium spp.

Fuel ethanol production from agricultural residues

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Ethanol is a renewable oxygenated fuel. In 2012, about 13.3 billion gallons of fuel ethanol was produced from corn in the USA which makes up 10% of gasoline supply. Various agricultural residues such as corn stover, wheat straw, rice straw and barley straw can serve as low-cost lignocellulosic fee...

Comparative growth characteristics and yield attributes of Lingzhi or Reishi medicinal mushroom, Ganoderma lucidum (Higher Basidiomycetes) on different substrates in India.

PubMed

Jandaik, Savita; Singh, Rajender; Sharma, Mamta

2013-01-01

The present study investigated the effects of four forestry byproducts (sawdust of oak, mango, khair, and tuni) and three agricultural residues (paddy straw, wheat straw, and soybean waste) along with four supplements (wheat bran, rice bran, corn flour, and gram powder) on growth characteristics (spawn run and primordial formation) and yield of Ganoderma lucidum. There were significant differences (P=0.05) in yield regardless of substrates and supplements used in experimentation. Among substrates, agriculture residues supported better yield and biological efficiency of G. lucidum compared to forestry byproducts irrespective of the supplements. The highest yield (82.5 g) and biological efficiency (27.5%) were recorded from paddy straw supplemented with wheat bran, which invariably resulted in significantly higher yield compared to the unsupplemented check(s) or other supplements used in this study.

Oxidative polymerization of lignins by laccase in water-acetone mixture.

PubMed

Fiţigău, Ionița Firuța; Peter, Francisc; Boeriu, Carmen Gabriela

2013-01-01

The enzymatic oxidative polymerization of five technical lignins with different molecular properties, i.e. Soda Grass/Wheat straw Lignin, Organosolv Hardwood Lignin, Soda Wheat straw Lignin, Alkali pretreated Wheat straw Lignin, and Kraft Softwood was studied. All lignins were previously fractionated by acetone/water 50:50 (v/v) and the laccase-catalyzed polymerization of the low molecular weight fractions (Mw < 4000 g/mol) was carried out in the same solvent system. Reactivity of lignin substrates in laccase-catalyzed reactions was determined by monitoring the oxygen consumption. The oxidation reactions in 50% acetone in water mixture proceed with high rate for all tested lignins. Polymerization products were analyzed by size exclusion chromatography, FT-IR, and (31)P-NMR and evidence of important lignin modifications after incubation with laccase. Lignin polymers with higher molecular weight (Mw up to 17500 g/mol) were obtained. The obtained polymers have potential for applications in bioplastics, adhesives and as polymeric dispersants.

An efficient process for lactic acid production from wheat straw by a newly isolated Bacillus coagulans strain IPE22.

PubMed

Zhang, Yuming; Chen, Xiangrong; Luo, Jianquan; Qi, Benkun; Wan, Yinhua

2014-04-01

A thermophilic lactic acid (LA) producer was isolated and identified as Bacillus coagulans strain IPE22. The strain showed remarkable capability to ferment pentose, hexose and cellobiose, and was also resistant to inhibitors from lignocellulosic hydrolysates. Based on the strain's promising features, an efficient process was developed to produce LA from wheat straw. The process consisted of biomass pretreatment by dilute sulfuric acid and subsequent SSCF (simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation), while the operations of solid-liquid separation and detoxification were avoided. Using this process, 46.12 g LA could be produced from 100g dry wheat straw with a supplement of 10 g/L corn steep liquid powder at the cellulase loading of 20 FPU (filter paper activity units)/g cellulose. The process by B. coagulans IPE22 provides an economical route to produce LA from lignocellulose. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Organosolv pretreatment by crude glycerol from oleochemicals industry for enzymatic hydrolysis of wheat straw.

PubMed

Sun, Fubao; Chen, Hongzhang

2008-09-01

In order to defray the cost of biodiesel production, the ensuing work was to further investigate utilization of the crude glycerol (CG) from oleochemicals industry in the atmospheric autocatalytic organosolv pretreatment (AAOP) to enhance enzymatic hydrolysis. The AAOP-CG enabled wheat straw to achieve with reasonable enzymatic hydrolysis yields, reaching 75% for the wet substrate and 63% for the dried. Lipophilic compounds from the CG formed pitch deposition on the fiber, which was responsible for low delignification (30%) and also troublesome in practical operation. Pitch deposits itself had no significant role on enzymatic hydrolysis. A striking finding of the lignin recondensation and/or lignin-carbohydrate complex helped explain why dried pretreated wheat straw had a low enzymatic hydrolysis yield. The CG was suitable for the AAOP to enhance enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass. But it was advisable to remove lipophilic compounds from crude glycerol before utilization.

75 FR 16017 - Cloquintocet-mexyl; Pesticide Tolerances

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-31

...-quinolinoxyacetic acid) on wheat forage, wheat grain, wheat hay, and wheat straw. Arysta LifeScience North America...-5805. II. Petition for Tolerance EPA has received a petition from Arysta LifeScience North America, LLC... filing of the above-referenced pesticide petition (PP 9E7592) by Arysta LifeScience North America, LLC...

[Effects of adding straw carbon source to root knot nematode diseased soil on soil microbial biomass and protozoa abundance].

PubMed

Zhang, Si-Hui; Lian, Jian-Hong; Cao, Zhi-Ping; Zhao, Li

2013-06-01

A field experiment with successive planting of tomato was conducted to study the effects of adding different amounts of winter wheat straw (2.08 g x kg(-1), 1N; 4.16 g x kg(-1), 2N; and 8.32 g x kg(-1), 4N) to the soil seriously suffered from root knot nematode disease on the soil microbial biomass and protozoa abundance. Adding straw carbon source had significant effects on the contents of soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) and the abundance of soil protozoa, which all decreased in the order of 4N > 2N > 1N > CK. The community structure of soil protozoa also changed significantly under straw addition. In the treatments with straw addition, the average proportion of fagellate, amoeba, and ciliates accounted for 36.0%, 59.5%, and 4.5% of the total protozoa, respectively. Under the same adding amounts of wheat straw, there was an increase in the soil MBC and MBN contents, MBC/MBN ratio, and protozoa abundance with increasing cultivation period.

Assessment of some straw-derived materials for reducing the leaching potential of Metribuzin residues in the soil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cara, Irina Gabriela; Trincă, Lucia Carmen; Trofin, Alina Elena; Cazacu, Ana; Ţopa, Denis; Peptu, Cătălina Anişoara; Jităreanu, Gerard

2015-12-01

Biomass (straw waste) can be used as raw to obtain materials for herbicide removal from wastewater. These by-products have some important advantages, being environmentally friendly, easily available, presenting low costs, and requiring little processing to increase their adsorptive capacity. In the present study, some materials derived from agricultural waste (wheat, corn and soybean straw) were investigated as potential adsorbents for metribuzin removal from aqueous solutions. The straw wastes were processed by grinding, mineralisation (850 °C) and KOH activation in order to improve their functional surface activity. The materials surface characteristics were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. The adsorbents capacity was evaluated using batch sorption tests and liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry for herbicide determination. For adsorption isotherms, the equilibrium time considered was 3 h. The experimental adsorption data were modelled by Freundlich and Langmuir models. The activated straw and ash-derived materials from wheat, corn and soybean increased the adsorption capacity of metribuzin with an asymmetrical behaviour. Overall, our results sustain that activated ash-derived from straw and activated straw materials can be a valuable solution for reducing the leaching potential of metribuzin through soil.

Metataxonomic profiling and prediction of functional behaviour of wheat straw degrading microbial consortia

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Mixed microbial cultures, in which bacteria and fungi interact, have been proposed as an efficient way to deconstruct plant waste. The characterization of specific microbial consortia could be the starting point for novel biotechnological applications related to the efficient conversion of lignocellulose to cello-oligosaccharides, plastics and/or biofuels. Here, the diversity, composition and predicted functional profiles of novel bacterial-fungal consortia are reported, on the basis of replicated aerobic wheat straw enrichment cultures. Results In order to set up biodegradative microcosms, microbial communities were retrieved from a forest soil and introduced into a mineral salt medium containing 1% of (un)treated wheat straw. Following each incubation step, sequential transfers were carried out using 1 to 1,000 dilutions. The microbial source next to three sequential batch cultures (transfers 1, 3 and 10) were analyzed by bacterial 16S rRNA gene and fungal ITS1 pyrosequencing. Faith’s phylogenetic diversity values became progressively smaller from the inoculum to the sequential batch cultures. Moreover, increases in the relative abundances of Enterobacteriales, Pseudomonadales, Flavobacteriales and Sphingobacteriales were noted along the enrichment process. Operational taxonomic units affiliated with Acinetobacter johnsonii, Pseudomonas putida and Sphingobacterium faecium were abundant and the underlying strains were successfully isolated. Interestingly, Klebsiella variicola (OTU1062) was found to dominate in both consortia, whereas K. variicola-affiliated strains retrieved from untreated wheat straw consortia showed endoglucanase/xylanase activities. Among the fungal players with high biotechnological relevance, we recovered members of the genera Penicillium, Acremonium, Coniochaeta and Trichosporon. Remarkably, the presence of peroxidases, alpha-L-fucosidases, beta-xylosidases, beta-mannases and beta-glucosidases, involved in lignocellulose degradation, was indicated by predictive bacterial metagenome reconstruction. Reassuringly, tests for specific (hemi)cellulolytic enzymatic activities, performed on the consortial secretomes, confirmed the presence of such gene functions. Conclusion In an in-depth characterization of two wheat straw degrading microbial consortia, we revealed the enrichment and selection of specific bacterial and fungal taxa that were presumably involved in (hemi) cellulose degradation. Interestingly, the microbial community composition was strongly influenced by the wheat straw pretreatment. Finally, the functional bacterial-metagenome prediction and the evaluation of enzymatic activities (at the consortial secretomes) revealed the presence and enrichment of proteins involved in the deconstruction of plant biomass. PMID:24955113

Rice straw mulch for post-fire erosion control: assessing non-target effects on vegetation communities

Treesearch

Kristen L. Shive; Becky L. Estes; Angela M. White; Hugh D. Safford; Kevin L. O' Hara; Scott L. Stephens

2017-01-01

Straw mulch is commonly used for post-fire erosion control in severely burned areas but this practice can introduce non-native species, even when certified weed-free straw is used. Rice straw has recently been promoted as an alternative to wheat under the hypothesis that non-native species that are able to grow in a rice field are unlikely to establish in dry forested...

[Effects of tillage practices on root spatial distribution and yield of spring wheat and pea in the dry land farming areas of central Gansu, China].

PubMed

Zhang, Ming Jun; Li, Ling Ling; Xie, Jun Hong; Peng, Zheng Kai; Ren, Jin Hu

2017-12-01

A field experiment was conducted to explore the mechanism of cultivation measures in affecting crop yield by investigating root distribution in spring wheat-pea rotation based on a long-term conservation tillage practices in a farming region of Gansu. The results showed that with the develo-pment of growth period, the total root length, root surface area of spring wheat and pea showed a consistent trend of increase after initial decrease and reached the maximum at flowering stage. Higher root distribution was found in the 0-10 cm soil layer at seedling and 10-30 cm soil layer at flowering and maturity stages in spring wheat, while in the field pea, higher root distribution was found in the 0-10 cm soil layer at seedling and maturity, and in the 10-30 cm soil layer at flowering stages. No tillage with straw mulching and plastic mulching increased the root length and root surface area. Compared with conventional tillage in spring wheat and field pea, root length increased by 35.9% to 92.6%, and root surface area increased by 43.2% to 162.4%, respectively. No tillage with straw mulching and plastic mulching optimized spring wheat and pea root system distribution, compared with conventional tillage, increased spring wheat and field pea root length and root surface area ratio at 0-10 cm depths at the seedling stage, the root distribution at deeper depths increased significantly at flowering and maturity stages, and no tillage with straw mulching increased root length and root surface area ratio by 3.3% and 9.7% respectively, in 30-80 cm soil layer at the flowering stage. The total root length, root surface area and yield had significantly positive correlation for spring wheat in each growth period, and the total root length and pea yield also had significant positive correlation. No tillage with straw mulching and plastic mulching boosted yield of spring wheat and pea by 23.4%-38.7% compared with the conventional tillage, and the water use efficiency was increased by 13.7%-28.5%. It was concluded that no-till farming and straw mulching (plastic) could increase crop root length and root surface area, optimize the spatial distribution of roots in the soil, enhance crop root layer absorption ability, so as to improve crop yield and water utilization.

Uncovering the Potential of Termite Gut Microbiome for Lignocellulose Bioconversion in Anaerobic Batch Bioreactors

PubMed Central

Auer, Lucas; Lazuka, Adèle; Sillam-Dussès, David; Miambi, Edouard; O'Donohue, Michael; Hernandez-Raquet, Guillermina

2017-01-01

Termites are xylophages, being able to digest a wide variety of lignocellulosic biomass including wood with high lignin content. This ability to feed on recalcitrant plant material is the result of complex symbiotic relationships, which involve termite-specific gut microbiomes. Therefore, these represent a potential source of microorganisms for the bioconversion of lignocellulose in bioprocesses targeting the production of carboxylates. In this study, gut microbiomes of four termite species were studied for their capacity to degrade wheat straw and produce carboxylates in controlled bioreactors. All of the gut microbiomes successfully degraded lignocellulose and up to 45% w/w of wheat straw degradation was observed, with the Nasutitermes ephratae gut-microbiome displaying the highest levels of wheat straw degradation, carboxylate production and enzymatic activity. Comparing the 16S rRNA gene diversity of the initial gut inocula to the bacterial communities in lignocellulose degradation bioreactors revealed important changes in community diversity. In particular, taxa such as Spirochaetes and Fibrobacteres that were highly abundant in the initial gut inocula were replaced by Firmicutes and Proteobacteria at the end of incubation in wheat straw bioreactors. Overall, this study demonstrates that termite-gut microbiomes constitute a reservoir of lignocellulose-degrading bacteria that can be harnessed in artificial conditions for biomass conversion processes that lead to the production of useful molecules. PMID:29312279

Comparison of the composting process using ear corn residue and three other conventional bulking agents during cow manure composting under high-moisture conditions.

PubMed

Hanajima, Dai

2014-10-01

To elucidate the characteristics of ear corn residue as a bulking agent, the composting process using this residue was compared with processes using three other conventional materials such as sawdust, wheat straw and rice husk, employing a bench-scale composting reactor. As evaluated via biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), ear corn residue contains 3.3 and 2.0 times more easily digestible materials than sawdust and rice husk, respectively. In addition, mixing ear corn residue with manure resulted in reduced bulk density, which was the same as that of wheat straw and was 0.58 and 0.67 times lower than that of sawdust and a rice husk mixture, respectively. To evaluate temperature generation during the composting process, the maximum temperature and area under the temperature curve (AUCTEMP) were compared among the mixed composts of four bulking agents. Maximum temperature (54.3°C) as well as AUCTEMP (7310°C●h) of ear corn residue were significantly higher than those of sawdust and rice husk (P<0.05), and they are similar to that of wheat straw mixed compost. Along with the value of AUCTEMP, the highest organic matter losses of 31.1% were observed in ear corn residue mixed compost, followed by wheat straw, saw dust and rice husk. © 2014 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

History of adaptation determines short-term shifts in performance and community structure of hydrogen-producing microbial communities degrading wheat straw.

PubMed

Valdez-Vazquez, Idania; Morales, Ana L; Escalante, Ana E

2017-11-01

This study addresses the question of ecological interest for the determination of structure and diversity of microbial communities that degrade lignocellulosic biomasses to produce biofuels. Two microbial consortia with different history, native of wheat straw (NWS) and from a methanogenic digester (MD) fed with cow manure, were contrasted in terms of hydrogen performance, substrate disintegration and microbial diversity. NWS outperformed the hydrogen production rate of MD. Microscopic images revealed that NWS acted on the cuticle and epidermis, generating cellulose strands with high crystallinity, while MD degraded deeper layers, equally affecting all polysaccharides. The bacterial composition markedly differed according to the inocula origin. NWS almost solely comprised hydrogen producers of the phyla Firmicutes and Proteobacteria, with 38% members of Enterococcus. After hydrogen fermentation, NWS comprised 8% Syntrophococcus, an acetogen that cleaves aryl ethers of constituent groups on the aromatic components of lignin. Conversely, MD comprised thirteen phyla, primarily including Firmicutes with H 2 -producing members, and Bacteroidetes with non-H 2 -producing members, which reduced the hydrogen performance. Overall, the results of this study provide clear evidence that the history of adaptation of NWS enhanced the hydrogen performance from untreated wheat straw. Further, native wheat straw communities have the potential to refine cellulose fibers and produce biofuels simultaneously. © 2017 The Authors. Microbial Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Society for Applied Microbiology.

Genoprotective Capacity of Alternatively Cultivated Lingzhi or Reishi Medicinal Mushroom, Ganoderma lucidum (Agaricomycetes), Basidiocarps.

PubMed

Cilerdzic, Jasmina; Stajic, Mirjana; Zivkovic, Lada; Vukojevic, Jelena; Bajic, Vladan; Spremo-Potparevic, Biljana

2016-01-01

Ganoderma lucidum is traditionally used in Eastern medicine to preserve vitality, promote longevity, and treat disease. It possesses immunomodulatory, antitumor, antimicrobial, and antiaging activities, among others, but one of the most important is its antioxidant property, which is the basis for other effects, because free radicals trigger many diseases. The substrate commonly used for commercial cultivation of G. lucidum is not environmentally friendly nor economically justified, so there is a need to find new alternative substrates. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of substrate composition on the bioactivity of G. lucidum basidiocarps. G. lucidum was cultivated on 2 different substrates: (1) a mixture of wheat straw, grapevine branches, and wheat bran, and (2) wheat straw. Commercial fruiting bodies, cultivated on oak sawdust, were used as the control. 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging ability, total phenols, and flavonoid content were determined spectrophotometrically to define the antioxidative potential of basidiocarp extracts. The comet test was performed to detect the degree of DNA damage in the cells that were exposed to G. lucidum extracts before and after the effect of oxidants. Higher antioxidative potential was observed for the extract of G. lucidum basidiocarps cultivated on wheat straw compared with that from the mixed substrate and especially with commercial ones. The alternatively cultivated basidiocarps also showed stronger antigenotoxic potential compared with commercial ones. The study showed that fruiting bodies produced on wheat straw, one of the most accessible and cheapest crop residues, are more potent antioxidant and antigenotoxic agents than commercially cultivated ones.

Production characteristics of the complex "SLS-vegetables" as the element of bioregenerative life support system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Velichko, Vladimir; Tikhomirov, Alexander A.; Ushakova, Sofya; Tirranen, Lyalya; Gros, Jean-Bernard; Lasseur, Christophe

Previously we had shown possibility of long-term cultivation of wheat and radish uneven-aged conveyer on the soil-like substrate (SLS) with periodic introduction in the SLS of edible (in the form of a mineral solution after physicochemical burning) and inedible biomass of the plants grown on it. The given work was aimed at the study of production characteristics of the plants cultivated on the SLS with a periodic introduction of plant biomass, which consisted of harvested inedible biomass and wheat straw. The wheat straw was introduced in the SLS to compensate carrying out of mineral elements from the SLS with the edible biomass of the harvested plants. Also possibility of joint cultivation of the chosen vegetable plants under the given way of plant inedible biomass introduction in the SLS was estimated. Chufa (Cyperus esculentus L.), radish (Raphanus sativus L.) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) were taken as the objects of research. Plants were grown in the regime of the three-species uneven-aged conveyer. Before each next planting of plants we introduced in the SLS all inedible biomass of earlier harvested plants and wheat straw. The amount of introduced wheat straw depended on nitrogen content in edible biomass of the harvested plants. Plants irrigation was performed by means of common nutrient solution containing mineral elements extracted from the SLS. 2 concentration in a vegetation chamber was maintained in limits from 0.1The work was carried out under support of SB RAS grant 132 and INTAS grant 05-1000008-8010

[Emission inventory of greenhouse gases from agricultural residues combustion: a case study of Jiangsu Province].

PubMed

Liu, Li-hua; Jiang, Jing-yan; Zong, Liang-gang

2011-05-01

Burning of agricultural crop residues was a major source greenhouse gases. In this study, the proportion of crop straws (rice, wheat, maize, oil rape, cotton and soja) in Jiangsu used as household fuel and direct open burning in different periods (1990-1995, 1996-2000, 2001-2005 and 2006-2008) was estimated through questionnaire. The emission factors of CO2, CO, CH4 and NO20 from the above six types of crop straws were calculated by the simulated burning experiment. Thus the emission inventory of greenhouse gases from crop straws burning was established according to above the burning percentages and emission factors, ratios of dry residues to production and crop productions of different periods in Jiangsu province. Results indicated that emission factors of CO2, CO, CH4 and N2O depended on crop straw type. The emission factors of CO2 and CH4 were higher for oil rape straw than the other straws, while the maize and the rice straw had the higher N2O and CO emission factor. Emission inventory of greenhouse gases from agricultural residues burning in Jiangsu province showed, the annual average global warming potential (GWP) of six tested crop straws were estimated to be 9.18 (rice straw), 4.35 (wheat straw), 2.55 (maize straw), 1.63 (oil rape straw), 0.55 (cotton straw) and 0. 39 (soja straw) Tg CO2 equivalent, respectively. Among the four study periods, the annual average GWP had no obvious difference between the 1990-1995 and 2006-2008 periods, while the maximal annual average GWP (23.83 Tg CO2 equivalent) happened in the 1996-2000 period, and the minimum (20.30 Tg CO2 equivalent) in 1996-2000 period.

Bleach boosting effect of xylanase A from Bacillus halodurans C-125 in ECF bleaching of wheat straw pulp.

PubMed

Lin, Xiao-qiong; Han, Shuang-yan; Zhang, Na; Hu, Hui; Zheng, Sui-ping; Ye, Yan-rui; Lin, Ying

2013-02-05

Past studies have revealed major difficulties in applications of xylanase in the pulp and paper industry as enzymes isolated from many different species could not tolerate high temperatures or highly alkaline conditions. The thermostable xylanase A from Bacillus halodurans C-125 (C-125 xylanase A) was successfully cloned and expressed in Pichia pastoris with a yield as high as 3361 U/mL in a 2 L reactor. Its thermophilic and basophilic properties (optimal activity at 70 °C and pH 9.0), together with the fact it is cellulase-free, render this enzyme attractive for compatible applications in the pulp and paper industry. The pretreatment of wheat straw pulp with C-125 xylanase A at pH 9.0 and 70 °C for 90 min induced the release of both chromophores (Ab(237), Ab(254), Ab(280)) and hydrophobic compounds (Ab(465)) into the filtrate as well as sugar degradation. Moreover, the addition of 10 U xylanase to 1 g wheat straw pulp (dry weight) as pretreatment improved brightness by 5.2% ISO and decreased the kappa number by 5.0% when followed by hydrogen peroxide bleaching. In addition, compared with two commercial enzymes, Pulpzyme HC and AU-PE89, which are normally incorporated in ECF bleaching of wheat straw pulp, C-125 xylanase A proved to be more effective in enhancing brightness as well as preserving paper strength properties. When evaluating the physical properties of pulp samples, such as tensile index, tearing index, bursting index, and post-color (PC) number, the enzymes involved in pretreating pulps exhibited better or the same performances as chemical treatment. Compared with chemical bleaching, chlorine consumption can be significantly reduced by 10% for xylanase-pretreated wheat straw pulp while maintaining the brightness together with the kappa number at the same level. Scanning electron microscopy revealed significant surface modification of enzyme-pretreated pulp fibers with no marked fiber disruptions. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Long-term straw decomposition in agro-ecosystems described by a unified three-exponentiation equation with thermal time.

PubMed

Cai, Andong; Liang, Guopeng; Zhang, Xubo; Zhang, Wenju; Li, Ling; Rui, Yichao; Xu, Minggang; Luo, Yiqi

2018-05-01

Understanding drivers of straw decomposition is essential for adopting appropriate management practice to improve soil fertility and promote carbon (C) sequestration in agricultural systems. However, predicting straw decomposition and characteristics is difficult because of the interactions between many factors related to straw properties, soil properties, and climate, especially under future climate change conditions. This study investigated the driving factors of straw decomposition of six types of crop straw including wheat, maize, rice, soybean, rape, and other straw by synthesizing 1642 paired data from 98 published papers at spatial and temporal scales across China. All the data derived from the field experiments using little bags over twelve years. Overall, despite large differences in climatic and soil properties, the remaining straw carbon (C, %) could be accurately represented by a three-exponent equation with thermal time (accumulative temperature). The lignin/nitrogen and lignin/phosphorus ratios of straw can be used to define the size of labile, intermediate, and recalcitrant C pool. The remaining C for an individual type of straw in the mild-temperature zone was higher than that in the warm-temperature and subtropical zone within one calendar year. The remaining straw C after one thermal year was 40.28%, 37.97%, 37.77%, 34.71%, 30.87%, and 27.99% for rice, soybean, rape, wheat, maize, and other straw, respectively. Soil available nitrogen and phosphorus influenced the remaining straw C at different decomposition stages. For one calendar year, the total amount of remaining straw C was estimated to be 29.41 Tg and future temperature increase of 2 °C could reduce the remaining straw C by 1.78 Tg. These findings confirmed the long-term straw decomposition could be mainly driven by temperature and straw quality, and quantitatively predicted by thermal time with the three-exponent equation for a wide array of straw types at spatial and temporal scales in agro-ecosystems of China. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Enhanced biomethane potential from wheat straw by low temperature alkaline calcium hydroxide pre-treatment.

PubMed

Reilly, Matthew; Dinsdale, Richard; Guwy, Alan

2015-08-01

A factorially designed experiment to examine the effectiveness of Ca(OH)2 pre-treatment, enzyme addition and particle size, on the mesophilic (35 °C) anaerobic digestion of wheat straw was conducted. Experiments used a 48 h pre-treatment with Ca(OH)2 7.4% (w/w), addition of Accellerase®-1500, with four particle sizes of wheat straw (1.25, 2, 3 and 10mm) and three digestion time periods (5, 15 and 30 days). By combining particle size reduction and Ca(OH)2 pre-treatment, the average methane potential was increased by 315% (from 48 NmL-CH4 g-VS(-1) to 202 NmL-CH4 g-VS(-1)) after 5 days of anaerobic digestion compared to the control. Enzyme addition or Ca(OH)2 pre-treatment with 3, 2 and 1.25 mm particle sizes had 30-day batch yields of between 301 and 335 NmL-CH4 g-VS(-1). Alkali pre-treatment of 3mm straw was shown to have the most potential as a cost effective pre-treatment and achieved 290 NmL-CH4 g-VS(-1), after only 15 days of digestion. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparative study of lignin characteristics from wheat straw obtained by soda-AQ and kraft pretreatment and effect on the following enzymatic hydrolysis process

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, Haitao; Xie, Yimin; Zheng, Xing

With this study, to understand the structural changes of lignin after soda-AQ and kraft pretreatment, milled straw lignin, black liquor lignin and residual lignin extracted from wheat straw were characterized by FT-IR, UV, GPC and NMR. The results showed that the main lignin linkages were β-aryl ether substructures (β-O-4'), followed by phenylcoumaran (β-5') and resinol (β-β') substructures, while minor content of spirodienone (β-1'), dibenzodioxocin (5-5') and α,β-diaryl ether linkages were detected as well. After pretreatment, most lignin inter-units and lignin-carbohydrate complex (LCC) linkages were degraded and dissolved in black liquor, with minor amount left in residual pretreated biomass. In addition,more » through quantitative 13C and 2D-HSQC NMR spectral analysis, lignin and LCC were found to be more degraded after kraft pretreatment than soda-AQ pretreatment. Furthermore, the subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis results showed that more cellulose in wheat straw was converted to glucose after kraft pretreatment, indicating that LCC linkages were important in the enzymatic hydrolysis process.« less

Effects of low-level radioactive soil contamination and sterilization on the degradation of radiolabeled wheat straw.

PubMed

Niedrée, Bastian; Vereecken, Harry; Burauel, Peter

2012-07-01

After the explosion of reactor 4 in the nuclear power plant near Chernobyl, huge agricultural areas became contaminated with radionuclides. In this study, we want to elucidate whether (137)Cs and (90)Sr affect microorganisms and their community structure and functions in agricultural soil. For this purpose, the mineralization of radiolabeled wheat straw was examined in lab-scale microcosms. Native soils and autoclaved and reinoculated soils were incubated for 70 days at 20 °C. After incubation, the microbial community structure was compared via 16S and 18S rDNA denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The radioactive contamination with (137)Cs and (90)Sr was found to have little effect on community structure and no effect on the straw mineralization. The autoclaving and reinoculation of soil had a strong influence on the mineralization and the community structure. Additionally we analyzed the effect of soil treatment on mineralization and community composition. It can be concluded that other environmental factors (such as changing content of dissolved organic carbon) are much stronger regulating factors in the mineralization of wheat straw and that low-level radiation only plays a minor role. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cell-wall structural changes in wheat straw pretreated for bioethanol production

PubMed Central

Kristensen, Jan B; Thygesen, Lisbeth G; Felby, Claus; Jørgensen, Henning; Elder, Thomas

2008-01-01

Background Pretreatment is an essential step in the enzymatic hydrolysis of biomass and subsequent production of bioethanol. Recent results indicate that only a mild pretreatment is necessary in an industrial, economically feasible system. The Integrated Biomass Utilisation System hydrothermal pretreatment process has previously been shown to be effective in preparing wheat straw for these processes without the application of additional chemicals. In the current work, the effect of the pretreatment on the straw cell-wall matrix and its components are characterised microscopically (atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy) and spectroscopically (attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) in order to understand this increase in digestibility. Results The hydrothermal pretreatment does not degrade the fibrillar structure of cellulose but causes profound lignin re-localisation. Results from the current work indicate that wax has been removed and hemicellulose has been partially removed. Similar changes were found in wheat straw pretreated by steam explosion. Conclusion Results indicate that hydrothermal pretreatment increases the digestibility by increasing the accessibility of the cellulose through a re-localisation of lignin and a partial removal of hemicellulose, rather than by disruption of the cell wall. PMID:18471316

Comparative study of lignin characteristics from wheat straw obtained by soda-AQ and kraft pretreatment and effect on the following enzymatic hydrolysis process

DOE PAGES

Yang, Haitao; Xie, Yimin; Zheng, Xing; ...

2016-02-18

With this study, to understand the structural changes of lignin after soda-AQ and kraft pretreatment, milled straw lignin, black liquor lignin and residual lignin extracted from wheat straw were characterized by FT-IR, UV, GPC and NMR. The results showed that the main lignin linkages were β-aryl ether substructures (β-O-4'), followed by phenylcoumaran (β-5') and resinol (β-β') substructures, while minor content of spirodienone (β-1'), dibenzodioxocin (5-5') and α,β-diaryl ether linkages were detected as well. After pretreatment, most lignin inter-units and lignin-carbohydrate complex (LCC) linkages were degraded and dissolved in black liquor, with minor amount left in residual pretreated biomass. In addition,more » through quantitative 13C and 2D-HSQC NMR spectral analysis, lignin and LCC were found to be more degraded after kraft pretreatment than soda-AQ pretreatment. Furthermore, the subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis results showed that more cellulose in wheat straw was converted to glucose after kraft pretreatment, indicating that LCC linkages were important in the enzymatic hydrolysis process.« less

Enzymatic Pretreatment Coupled with the Addition of p-Hydroxyanisole Increased Levulinic Acid Production from Steam-Exploded Rice Straw Short Fiber.

PubMed

Ma, Li-Tong; Zhao, Zhi-Min; Yu, Bin; Chen, Hong-Zhang

2016-11-01

Levulinic acid production, directly from lignocellulosic biomass, resulted in low yields due to the poor substrate accessibility and occurrence of side reactions. The effects of reaction conditions, enzymatic pretreatment, and inhibitor addition on the conversion of steam-exploded rice straw (SERS) short fiber to levulinic acid catalyzed by solid superacid were investigated systematically. The results indicated that the optimal reaction conditions were temperature, time, and solid superacid concentration combinations of 200 °C, 15 min, and 7.5 %. Enzymatic pretreatment improved the substrate accessibility to solid superacid catalyst, and p-hydroxyanisole inhibitor reduced the side reactions during reaction processes, which helped to increase levulinic acid yield. The levulinic acid yield reached 25.2 % under the optimal conditions, which was 61.5 % higher than that without enzymatic pretreatment and inhibitor addition. Therefore, enzymatic pretreatment coupled with the addition of p-hydroxyanisole increased levulinic acid production effectively, which contributed to the value-added utilization of lignocellulosic biomass.

Composition, texture and methane potential of cellulosic residues from Lewis acids organosolv pulping of wheat straw.

PubMed

Constant, Sandra; Barakat, Abdellatif; Robitzer, Mike; Di Renzo, Francesco; Dumas, Claire; Quignard, Françoise

2016-09-01

Cellulosic pulps have been successfully isolated from wheat straw through a Lewis acids organosolv treatment. The use of Lewis acids with different hardness produced pulps with different delignification degrees. The cellulosic residue was characterised by chemical composition, X-ray diffraction, FT-IR spectroscopy, N2 physisorption, scanning electron microscopy and potential for anaerobic digestibility. Surface area and pore volume increased with the hardness of the Lewis acid, in correspondence with the decrease of the amount of lignin and hemicellulose in the pulp. The non linearity of the correlation between porosity and composition suggests that an agglomeration of cellulose fibrils occurs in the early stages of pulping. All organosolv pulps presented a significantly higher methane potential than the parent straw. A methane evolution of 295Ncm(3)/g OM was reached by a moderate improvement of the accessibility of the native straw. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Seeing biomass recalcitrance through fluorescence.

PubMed

Auxenfans, Thomas; Terryn, Christine; Paës, Gabriel

2017-08-18

Lignocellulosic biomass is the only renewable carbon resource available in sufficient amount on Earth to go beyond the fossil-based carbon economy. Its transformation requires controlled breakdown of polymers into a set of molecules to make fuels, chemicals and materials. But biomass is a network of various inter-connected polymers which are very difficult to deconstruct optimally. In particular, saccharification potential of lignocellulosic biomass depends on several complex chemical and physical factors. For the first time, an easily measurable fluorescence properties of steam-exploded biomass samples from miscanthus, poplar and wheat straw was shown to be directly correlated to their saccharification potential. Fluorescence can thus be advantageously used as a predictive method of biomass saccharification. The loss in fluorescence occurring after the steam explosion pretreatment and increasing with pretreatment severity does not originate from the loss in lignin content, but rather from a decrease of the lignin β-aryl-ether linkage content. Fluorescence lifetime analysis demonstrates that monolignols making lignin become highly conjugated after steam explosion pretreatment. These results reveal that lignin chemical composition is a more important feature to consider than its content to understand and to predict biomass saccharification.

Effects of screenhouse cultivation and organic materials incorporation on global warming potential in rice fields.

PubMed

Xu, Guochun; Liu, Xin; Wang, Qiangsheng; Xiong, Ruiheng; Hang, Yuhao

2017-03-01

Global rice production will be increasingly challenged by providing healthy food for a growing population at minimal environmental cost. In this study, a 2-year field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of a novel rice cultivation mode (screenhouse cultivation, SHC) and organic material (OM) incorporation (wheat straw and wheat straw-based biogas residue) on methane (CH 4 ) and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions and rice yields. In addition, the environmental factors and soil properties were also determined. Relative to the traditional open-field cultivation (OFC), SHC decreased the CH 4 and N 2 O emissions by 6.58-18.73 and 2.51-21.35%, respectively, and the global warming potential (GWP) was reduced by 6.49-18.65%. This trend was mainly because of lower soil temperature and higher soil redox potential in SHC. Although the rice grain yield for SHC were reduced by 2.51-4.98% compared to the OFC, the CH 4 emissions and GWP per unit of grain yield (yield-scaled CH 4 emissions and GWP) under SHC were declined. Compared to use of inorganic fertilizer only (IN), combining inorganic fertilizer with wheat straw (WS) or wheat straw-based biogas residue (BR) improved rice grain yield by 2.12-4.10 and 4.68-5.89%, respectively. However, OM incorporation enhanced CH 4 emissions and GWP, leading to higher yield-scaled CH 4 emissions and GWP in WS treatment. Due to rice yield that is relatively high, there was no obvious effect of BR treatment on them. These findings suggest that apparent environmental benefit can be realized by applying SHC and fermenting straw aerobically before its incorporation.

[Comparing the ammonia volatilization characteristic of two typical paddy soil with total wheat straw returning in Taihu Lake region].

PubMed

Wang, Jun; Wang, De-Jian; Zhang, Gang; Wang, Yuan

2013-01-01

An experiment using monolith lysimeter was conducted to compare the characteristic of N loss by ammonia (NH3) volatilization between the gleyed paddy soil (G soil) and hydromorphic paddy soil (H soil) the Changshu National Agro-ecological Experimental Station of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(31 degrees 33' N, 123 degrees 38' E). Three treatments were designed for each soil type, i. e. control (no urea and straw applied), nitrogen solely and nitrogen plus wheat straw. Ammonia volatilization, flood water NH4(+) -N concentration, pH and top soil Eh were measured during the rice-growing season. Results showed that the NH3 volatilization flux and cumulative N losses by NH3 volatilization from G soil were significantly higher than those from H soil, the average cumulative N losses being about 41.8 kg x hm(-2) and 11.2 kg x hm(-2), or 15.2% and 3.8% of the fertilizer N, respectively. The average N loss by NH3 volatilization during the tillering stage was the highest among the three fertilization stages, accounting for 29.4% and 8.3% of the fertilizer N for G soil and H soil, respectively. Wheat straw returning significantly increased paddy filed NH3 volatilization losses. Comparing with the sole application of fertilizer-N, the cumulative N loss by NH3 volatilization of fertilizer-N in combination with wheat straw was increased by 19.8% and 20.6% for G soil and H soil, respectively. In addition, ammonia volatilization fluxes showed a positive relationship with the flood water NH4(+) -N concentration and pH for both soils, but the relationship with top soil Eh still needs further study.

Visualization and Semiquantitative Study of the Distribution of Major Components in Wheat Straw in Mesoscopic Scale using Fourier Transform Infrared Microspectroscopic Imaging.

PubMed

Yang, Zengling; Mei, Jiaqi; Liu, Zhiqiang; Huang, Guangqun; Huang, Guan; Han, Lujia

2018-06-19

Understanding the biochemical heterogeneity of plant tissue linked to crop straw anatomy is attractive to plant researchers and researchers in the field of biomass refinery. This study provides an in situ analysis and semiquantitative visualization of major components distribution in internodal transverse sections of wheat straw based on Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopic imaging, with a fast non-negativity-constrained least squares (fast NNLS) fitting. This paper investigates changes in biochemical components of tissue during stages of elongation, booting, heading, flowering, grain-filling, milk-ripening, dough, and full-ripening. Visualization analysis was carried out with reference spectra for five components (microcrystalline cellulose, xylan, lignin, pectin, and starch) of wheat straw. Our result showed that (a) the cellulose and lignin distribution is consistent with that from tissue-dyeing with safranin O-fast green and (b) the distribution of cellulose, lignin, and starch is consistent with chemical images for characteristic wavelength at 1432, 1507, and 987 cm -1 , respectively, showing no interference from the other components analyzed. With the validation from biochemical images using characteristic wavelength and tissue-dyeing techniques, further semiquantitative analysis in local tissues based on fast NNLS was carried out, and the result showed that (a) the contents of cellulose in various tissues are very different, with most in parenchyma tissue and least in the epidermis and (b) during plant development, the fluctuation of each component in tissues follows nearly the same trend, especially within vascular bundles and parenchyma tissue. Thus, FTIR microspectroscopic imaging combined with suitable chemometric methods can be successfully applied to study chemical distributions within the internodes transverse sections of wheat straw, providing semiquantitative chemical information.

77 FR 59558 - Sulfentrazone; Pesticide Tolerances

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-28

... hay; wheat grain; wheat straw; and cowpea, succulent. The human health risk assessment used to support... Tolerances in/on: Rhubarb, Turnip Roots and Tops, Sunflower Subgroup 20B, Succulent Cowpea, Succulent Lima...

[Effects of different straw recycling and tillage methods on soil respiration and microbial activity].

PubMed

Li, Xiao-sha; Wu, Ning; Liu, Ling; Feng, Yu-peng; Xu, Xu; Han, Hui-fang; Ning, Tang-yuan; Li, Zeng-jia

2015-06-01

To explore the effects of different tillage methods and straw recycling on soil respiration and microbial activity in summer maize field during the winter wheat and summer maize double cropping system, substrate induced respiration method and CO2 release method were used to determine soil microbial biomass carbon, microbial activity, soil respiration, and microbial respiratory quotient. The experiment included 3 tillage methods during the winter wheat growing season, i.e., no-tillage, subsoiling and conventional tillage. Each tillage method was companied with 2 straw management patterns, i.e., straw recycling and no straw. The results indicated that the conservation tillage methods and straw recycling mainly affected 0-10 cm soil layer. Straw recycling could significantly improve the microbial biomass carbon and microbial activity, while decrease microbial respiratory quotient. Straw recycling could improve the soil respiration at both seedling stage and anthesis, however, it could reduce the soil respiration at filling stage, wax ripeness, and harvest stage. Under the same straw application, compared with conventional tillage, the soil respiration and microbial respiratory quotient in both subsoiling and no-tillage were reduced, while the microbial biomass carbon and microbial activity were increased. During the summer maize growing season, soil microbial biomass carbon and microbial activity were increased in straw returning with conservation tillage, while the respiratory quotient was reduced. In 0-10 cm soil layer, compared with conventional tillage, straw recycling with subsoiling and no-tillage significantly increased soil microbial biomass carbon by 95.8% and 74.3%, and increased soil microbial activity by 97.1% and 74.2%, respectively.

The Research and Application of Sustainable Long-release Carbon Material with Agricultural Waste

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wen, Z.

2017-12-01

(1) The element analysis shown that ten kinds of agricultural wastes containing a certain amount of C, N, H elements, the highest content of C element, and t value ranges from 36.02% 36.02%, and the variation of C, N, H elements content in difference materials was not significant. The TOC concentration of sugar cane was up to 38.66 mg·g-1, and quality ratio was 39‰, significantly lower than C elements content. The released TOC quality of the rest materials were 2.36 2.36 mg·g-1, and the order from high to low were the soybean straw, rice straw, corn straw, rice husk, poplar branches, wheat straw, reeds, corn cob and wood chips respectively. The long-term leaching experiment of selected Optimized agricultural waste showed that the TOC content in leaching solution rise rapidly to peak value and was stable afterwards, with the concentration of 4.59 19.46 mg·g-1. The TOC releasing amount order was same with the short-term leaching experiment. (2) The releasing of nitrate nitrogen in ten kinds of agricultural waste was low (< 0.08mg·g-1), among which corn straw was up to 0.12mg·g-1, and the rest were all below 0.04mg·g-1 without accumulation. Most of the ammonia nitrogen concentration in leachate was lower than 0.3mg·g-1. The kjeldahl nitrogen in the corn straw, soybean straw, rice straw, reed, rice husk, and sugar cane leachate (0.81 1.65mg·g-1) were higher than that of poplar branches, corn cob and wood chips (< 0.30mg·g-1). The organic composition analysis of above carbon source shown that organic acid in leachate was mainly formic acid, acetic acid, oxalic acid, fumaric acid and other small molecule organic acids, and sugars was mainly cellobiose, glucose, fructose and xylose. Substance concentration was higher in sugar cane leachate, and the small molecular organic acid concentration was higher in the corn straw, rice husk and wheat straw leachate. Above all, it can be concluded that the sugar cane, corn straw, rice husk, wheat straw, corn cob, wood were ideal carbon source material in ten kinds of agricultural.

Process for calcium xylonate production as a concrete admixture derived from in-situ fermentation of wheat straw pre-hydrolysate.

PubMed

Zhou, Xin; Zhou, Xuelian; Tang, Xiusheng; Xu, Yong

2018-08-01

One of the major obstacles in process of lignocellulosic biorefinery is the utilization of pre-hydrolysate from pre-treatment. Although lignocellulosic pre-hydrolysate can serve as an economic starting material for xylonic acid production, the advancement of xylonic acid or xylonate is still limited by further commercial value or applications. In the present study, xylose in the high concentration wheat straw pre-hydrolysate was first in-situ biooxidized to xylonate by Gluconobacter oxydans. To meet the needs of commercialization, crude powdered calcium xylonate was prepared by drying process and calcium xylonate content in the prepared crude product was more than 70%. Then, the calcium xylonate product was evaluated as concrete admixture without any complex purification steps and the results demonstrated that xylonate could improve the performance of concrete. Overall, the crude xylonate product directly produced from low-cost wheat straw pre-hydrolysate can potentially be developed as retarding reducer, which could subsequently benefit lignocellulosic biorefinery. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Anaerobic degradation of renewable biomass for production of methane

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rajoka, M.I.; Tabassum, R.; Malik, K.A.

1996-12-31

Anaerobic degradation of renewable biomass namely kallar grass (KG) (Leptochloafusca L. Kunth), Atriplex sp, wheat straw, cotton stalk, cotton lint and molasses was carried out at 37{degrees}C in a 15 litre fermentor, using laboratory enriched co-culture of fermentative, acetogenic and methanogenic organisms. Maximum reduction of volatile solids (VS) was from causticized KG, and cotton lint, followed by causticized wheat straw and Atriplex sp. followed by causticized wheat straw and Atriplex sp. Maximum production of methane was obtained from NaOH-pretreated KG with a process product yield (Y{sub p/s}) of 0.9 m{sup 3}/kg VS with a volumetric productivity (Q{sub p}) of 4.24more » L/day after 19 days of fermentation. Maximum methane content in the gas mixture was 96% with average of 78.6{+-}21.6. The Y{sub p/s} in 1000 litre digestor was 0.7 m{sup 3}/kg VS from a 3% suspension of uncaustisized kallar grass.« less

Effect of pretreatment severity in continuous steam explosion on enzymatic conversion of wheat straw: Evidence from kinetic analysis of hydrolysis time courses.

PubMed

Monschein, Mareike; Nidetzky, Bernd

2016-01-01

Focusing on continuous steam explosion, the influence of pretreatment severity due to varied acid loading on hydrolysis of wheat straw by Trichoderma reesei cellulases was investigated based on kinetic evaluation of the saccharification of each pretreated substrate. Using semi-empirical descriptors of the hydrolysis time course, key characteristics of saccharification efficiency were captured in a quantifiable fashion. Not only hydrolysis rates per se, but also the transition point of their bi-phasic decline was crucial for high saccharification degree. After 48h the highest saccharification was achieved for substrate pretreated at relatively low severity (1.2% acid). Higher severity increased enzyme binding to wheat straw, but reduced the specific hydrolysis rates. Higher affinity of the lignocellulosic material for cellulases does not necessarily result in increased saccharification, probably because of lignin modifications occurring at high pretreatment severities. At comparable severity, continuous pretreatment produced a substrate more susceptible to enzymatic hydrolysis than the batch process. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characterization and swelling-deswelling properties of wheat straw cellulose based semi-IPNs hydrogel.

PubMed

Liu, Jia; Li, Qian; Su, Yuan; Yue, Qinyan; Gao, Baoyu

2014-07-17

A novel wheat straw cellulose-g-poly(potassium acrylate)/polyvinyl alcohol (WSC-g-PKA/PVA) semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (semi-IPNs) hydrogel was prepared by polymerizing wheat straw and an aqueous solution of acrylic acid (AA), and further semi-interpenetrating with PVA occurred during the chemosynthesis. The swelling and deswelling properties of WSC-g-PKA/PVA semi-IPNs hydrogel and WSC-g-PKA hydrogel were studied and compared in various pH solutions, salt solutions, temperatures, particle sizes and ionic strength. The results indicated that both hydrogels had the largest swelling capacity at pH=6, and the effect of ions on the swelling of hydrogels was in the order: Na(+)>K(+)>Mg(2+)>Ca(2+). The Schott's pseudo second order model can be effectively used to evaluate swelling kinetics of hydrogels. Moreover, the semi-IPNs hydrogel had improved swelling-deswelling properties compared with that of WSC-g-PKA hydrogel. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

White-rot fungal pretreatment of wheat straw with Phanerochaete chrysosporium for biohydrogen production: simultaneous saccharification and fermentation.

PubMed

Zhi, Zelun; Wang, Hui

2014-07-01

This paper demonstrates biohydrogen production was enhanced by white-rot fungal pretreatment of wheat straw (WS) through simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF). Wheat straw was pretreated by Phanerochaete chrysosporium at 30 °C under solid state fermentation for 12 days, and lignin was removed about 28.5 ± 1.3 %. Microscopic structure observation combined thermal gravity and differential thermal gravity analysis further showed that the lignocellulose structure obviously disrupted after fungal pretreatment. Subsequently, the pretreated WS and crude cellulases prepared from Trichoderma atroviride were applied in SSF for hydrogen production using Clostridium perfringens. The maximum hydrogen yield was obtained to be 78.5 ± 3.4 ml g(-1)-pretreated WS, which was about 1.8-fold than the unpretreated group. Furthermore, the modified Gompertz model was applied study the progress of cumulative H(2) production. This work developed a novel bio-approach to improve fermentative H(2) yield from lignocellulosic biomass.

Methane production from wheat straw with anaerobic sludge by heme supplementation.

PubMed

Xi, Yonglan; Chang, Zhizhou; Ye, Xiaomei; Xu, Rong; Du, Jing; Chen, Guangyin

2014-11-01

Wheat straw particles were directly used as substrate for batch anaerobic digestion with anaerobic sludge under 35°C to evaluate the effects of adding heme on methane production. When 1mg/l heme was added to the fermentation process with no agitated speed, a maximum cumulative methane production of 12227.8ml was obtained with cumulative methane yield of wheat straw was 257.4ml/g-TS (total solid), which was increased by 20.6% compared with 213.5ml/g-TS of no heme was added in the reactor. Meanwhile, oxido-reduction potential (ORP) level was decreased, the activity of coenzyme F420 was significantly improved and NADH/NAD(+) ratio were the highest than other experimental groups. These results suggest that heme-supplemented anaerobic sludge with no agitated speed may be providing a more reductive environment, which is a cost-effective method of anaerobic digestion from biomass waste to produce methane with less energy consuming. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Utilization of new naturally occurring strains and supplementation to improve the biological efficiency of the edible mushroom Agrocybe cylindracea.

PubMed

Uhart, Marina; Piscera, Juan Manuel; Albertó, Edgardo

2008-06-01

To evaluate the importance of searching new naturally occurring strains to raise yields in mushroom production, eight wild and four commercial strains of Agrocybe cylindracea were cultivated on wheat straw. The highest biological efficiencies (BE) (54.5-72.4%) were obtained with three wild and two commercial strains when cultured on non-supplemented wheat straw. Rolled oats or soybean flour supplementation were tested using three selected strains, increasing BEs up to 1.2, 0.5 and 0.7-fold, respectively. This effect of supplementation was stronger in the Asiatic wild strain, yielding up to 41.1 and 30% more than the two other strains with rolled oats and soybean flour, respectively. The Asiatic wild strain cultivated with soybean flour supplementation achieved an average biological efficiency of 179%, to our knowledge, the highest reported for this species. These results show the importance of searching for new naturally occurring strains in combination with supplemented wheat straw substrate for raising yields in A. cylindracea cultivation.

Comparative culturing of Pleurotus spp. on coffee pulp and wheat straw: biomass production and substrate biodegradation.

PubMed

Salmones, Dulce; Mata, Gerardo; Waliszewski, Krzysztof N

2005-03-01

The results of the cultivation of six strains of Pleurotus (P. djamor (2), P. ostreatus (2) and P. pulmonarius (2)) on coffee pulp and wheat straw are presented. Metabolic activity associated with biomass of each strain was determined, as well as changes in lignin and polysaccharides (cellulose and hemicellulose), phenolic and caffeine contents in substrate samples colonized for a period of up to 36 days. Analysis were made of changes during the mycelium incubation period (16 days) and throughout different stages of fructification. Greater metabolic activity was observed in the wheat straw samples, with a significant increase between 4 and 12 days of incubation. The degradation of polysaccharide compounds was associated with the fruiting stage, while the reduction in phenolic contents was detected in both substrates samples during the first eight days of incubation. A decrease was observed in caffeine content of the coffee pulp samples during fruiting stage, which could mean that some caffeine accumulates in the fruiting bodies.

Bioethanol production from wheat straw via enzymatic route employing Penicillium janthinellum cellulases.

PubMed

Singhania, Reeta Rani; Saini, Jitendra Kumar; Saini, Reetu; Adsul, Mukund; Mathur, Anshu; Gupta, Ravi; Tuli, Deepak Kumar

2014-10-01

This study concerns in-house development of cellulases from a mutant Penicillium janthinellum EMS-UV-8 and its application in separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF) and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) processes for bioethanol production from pre-treated wheat straw. In a 5L fermentor, the above strain could produce cellulases having activity of 3.1 FPU/mL and a specific activity of 0.83 FPU/mg of protein. In-house developed cellulase worked more efficiently in case of SSF as ethanol concentration of 21.6g/L and yield of 54.4% were obtained which were higher in comparison to SHF (ethanol concentration 12 g/L and 30.2% yield). This enzyme preparation when compared with commercial cellulase for hydrolysis of pre-treated wheat straw was found competitive. This study demonstrates that P. janthinellum EMS-UV-8 is a potential fungus for future large-scale production of cellulases. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Post-harvest processing methods for reduction of silica and alkali metals in wheat straw.

PubMed

Thompson, David N; Shaw, Peter G; Lacey, Jeffrey A

2003-01-01

Silica and alkali metals in wheat straw limit its use for bioenergy and gasification. Slag deposits occur via the eutectic melting of SiO2 with K2O, trapping chlorides at surfaces and causing corrosion. A minimum melting point of 950 degrees C is desirable, corresponding to an SiO2:K2O weight ratio of about 3:1. Mild chemical treatments were used to reduce Si, K, and Cl, while varying temperature, concentration, % solids, and time. Dilute acid was more effective at removing K and Cl, while dilute alkali was more effective for Si. Reduction of minerals in this manner may prove economical for increasing utilization of the straw for combustion or gasification.

Predicting the ethanol potential of wheat straw using near-infrared spectroscopy and chemometrics: The challenge of inherently intercorrelated response functions

DOE PAGES

Rinnan, Asmund; Bruun, Sander; Lindedam, Jane; ...

2017-02-07

Here, the combination of NIR spectroscopy and chemometrics is a powerful correlation method for predicting the chemical constituents in biological matrices, such as the glucose and xylose content of straw. However, difficulties arise when it comes to predicting enzymatic glucose and xylose release potential, which is matrix dependent. Further complications are caused by xylose and glucose release potential being highly intercorrelated. This study emphasizes the importance of understanding the causal relationship between the model and the constituent of interest. It investigates the possibility of using near-infrared spectroscopy to evaluate the ethanol potential of wheat straw by analyzing more than 1000more » samples from different wheat varieties and growth conditions. During the calibration model development, the prime emphasis was to investigate the correlation structure between the two major quality traits for saccharification of wheat straw: glucose and xylose release. The large sample set enabled a versatile and robust calibration model to be developed, showing that the prediction model for xylose release is based on a causal relationship with the NIR spectral data. In contrast, the prediction of glucose release was found to be highly dependent on the intercorrelation with xylose release. If this correlation is broken, the model performance breaks down. A simple method was devised for avoiding this breakdown and can be applied to any large dataset for investigating the causality or lack of causality of a prediction model.« less

Effects of aqueous extract of soil-like substrate made from three different materials on seed germination and seedling growth of rice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shao, Lingzhi; Fu, Yuming; Fu, Wenting; Yan, Min; Li, Leyuan; Liu, Hong

2014-03-01

Biologically processing rice and wheat straws into soil-like substrate (SLS) and then reusing them in plant cultivation system to achieve waste recycle is very crucially important in Bioregenerative life support system (BLSS). However, rice is a plant with strong allelopathic potential. It is not clear yet that what kinds of raw materials can be processed into proper SLS to grow rice in BLSS. Therefore, in this study, the aqueous extract of SLS made from three different materials including rice straw, wheat straw and rice-wheat straw mixture was utilized to investigate its effects on the seed germination and seedling growth of rice. The gradients of the extract concentrations (soil:water) were 1:3, 1:5, 1:9, and 1:15 with deionized water used as control. The effects of different types of SLS on seed germination and seedling vitality of rice were confirmed by analyzing the germination rate, seedling length, root length, the fresh weight and other indicants. In addition, based on the analysis towards pH, organic matter composition and other factors of the SLS as well as the chlorophyll, hormone content of rice, and the mechanism of the inhibition was speculated in order to explore the preventive methods of the phenomenon. Finally, the feasibility of cultivating rice on SLSs made from the raw materials mentioned above was evaluated and wheat raw was determined as the most appropriate material for growing rice.

Predicting the ethanol potential of wheat straw using near-infrared spectroscopy and chemometrics: The challenge of inherently intercorrelated response functions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rinnan, Asmund; Bruun, Sander; Lindedam, Jane

Here, the combination of NIR spectroscopy and chemometrics is a powerful correlation method for predicting the chemical constituents in biological matrices, such as the glucose and xylose content of straw. However, difficulties arise when it comes to predicting enzymatic glucose and xylose release potential, which is matrix dependent. Further complications are caused by xylose and glucose release potential being highly intercorrelated. This study emphasizes the importance of understanding the causal relationship between the model and the constituent of interest. It investigates the possibility of using near-infrared spectroscopy to evaluate the ethanol potential of wheat straw by analyzing more than 1000more » samples from different wheat varieties and growth conditions. During the calibration model development, the prime emphasis was to investigate the correlation structure between the two major quality traits for saccharification of wheat straw: glucose and xylose release. The large sample set enabled a versatile and robust calibration model to be developed, showing that the prediction model for xylose release is based on a causal relationship with the NIR spectral data. In contrast, the prediction of glucose release was found to be highly dependent on the intercorrelation with xylose release. If this correlation is broken, the model performance breaks down. A simple method was devised for avoiding this breakdown and can be applied to any large dataset for investigating the causality or lack of causality of a prediction model.« less

Effect of less intensive rearing conditions on litter characteristics, growth performance, carcase injuries and meat quality of broilers.

PubMed

Meluzzi, A; Fabbri, C; Folegatti, E; Sirri, F

2008-09-01

1. The objective was to compare the effect of two litter types (wheat straw and wood shavings) and two different rearing conditions (Treated and Control) on welfare indicators, broiler performance, carcase injuries, particularly hock and foot pad dermatitis (FPD), litter characteristics and meat quality. 2. Treated conditions were characterised by a low stocking density (11 birds/m(2)), short photoperiod (16 h light: 8 h dark) and a large amount of litter (3 to 4.5 kg/m(2), respectively, for wheat straw or wood shavings). Control conditions were a high stocking density (14 birds/m(2)), long photoperiod (23 h light:1 h dark) and small amount of litter (2.3 to 3 kg/m(2), respectively, for wheat straw or wood shavings). In addition, the effects of two widely used litter materials, wheat straw and wood shavings, were investigated. 3. The combined effects of lower stocking density, greater amount of litter material and a photoperiod similar to the natural one, reduced the occurrence of FPD in Treated groups keeping the FPD score under the European threshold. 4. Improved rearing conditions led to faster growth rate associated with inferior feed efficiency, whereas litter type exerted negligible effects on broiler performance. 5. Litter moisture content, nitrogen and ammonia released by the litter were lower in Treated groups than Control groups. The use of wood shavings resulted in lower moisture and nitrogen concentrations in the litter.

40 CFR 180.370 - 5-Ethoxy-3-(trichloromethyl)-1,2,4-thiadiazole; tolerances for residues.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

..., seed 0.1 Sorghum, grain, forage 0.1 Sorghum, grain, grain 0.1 Tomato 0.15 Vegetable, foliage of legume, group 7 0.1 Vegetable, legume, group 6 0.1 Wheat, forage 0.1 Wheat, grain 0.1 Wheat, straw 0.1 (b...

40 CFR 180.370 - 5-Ethoxy-3-(trichloromethyl)-1,2,4-thiadiazole; tolerances for residues.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., seed 0.1 Sorghum, grain, forage 0.1 Sorghum, grain, grain 0.1 Tomato 0.15 Vegetable, foliage of legume, group 7 0.1 Vegetable, legume, group 6 0.1 Wheat, forage 0.1 Wheat, grain 0.1 Wheat, straw 0.1 (b...

Phosphorus sorption capacity of biochars varies with biochar type and salinity level.

PubMed

Dugdug, Abdelhafid Ahmed; Chang, Scott X; Ok, Yong Sik; Rajapaksha, Anushka Upamali; Anyia, Anthony

2018-02-10

Biochar is recognized as an effective material for recovering excess nutrients, including phosphorus (P), from aqueous solutions. Practically, that benefits the environment through reducing P losses from biochar-amended soils; however, how salinity influences P sorption by biochar is poorly understood and there has been no direct comparison on P sorption capacity between biochars derived from different feedstock types under non-saline and saline conditions. In this study, biochars derived from wheat straw, hardwood, and willow wood were used to compare P sorption at three levels of electrical conductivity (EC) (0, 4, and 8 dS m -1 ) to represent a wide range of salinity conditions. Phosphorus sorption by wheat straw and hardwood biochars increased as aqueous solution P concentration increased, with willow wood biochar exhibiting an opposite trend for P sorption. However, the pattern for P sorption became the same as the other biochars after the willow wood biochar was de-ashed with 1 M HCl and 0.05 M HF. Willow wood biochar had the highest P sorption (1.93 mg g -1 ) followed by hardwood (1.20 mg g -1 ) and wheat straw biochars (1.06 mg g -1 ) in a 25 mg L -1 P solution. Although the pH in the equilibrium solution was higher with willow wood biochar (~ 9.5) than with the other two biochars (~ 6.5), solution pH had no or minor effects on P sorption by willow wood biochar. The high sorption rate of P by willow wood biochar could be attributed to the higher concentrations of salt and other elements (i.e., Ca and Mg) in the biochar in comparison to that in wheat straw and hardwood biochars; the EC values were 2.27, 0.53, and 0.27 dS m -1 for willow wood, wheat straw, and hardwood biochars, respectively. A portion of P desorbed from the willow wood biochar; and that desorption increased with the decreasing P concentration in the aqueous solution. Salinity in the aqueous solution influenced P sorption by hardwood and willow wood but not by wheat straw biochar. We conclude that the P sorption capacity of the studied biochars is dependent on the concentration of the soluble element in the biochar, which is dependent on the biochar type, as well as the salinity level in the aqueous solution.

Chemical composition, silage fermentation characteristics, and in vitro ruminal fermentation parameters of potato-wheat straw silage treated with molasses and lactic acid bacteria and corn silage.

PubMed

Babaeinasab, Y; Rouzbehan, Y; Fazaeli, H; Rezaei, J

2015-09-01

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of molasses and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on the chemical composition, silage fermentation characteristics, and in vitro ruminal fermentation parameters of an ensiled potato-wheat straw mixture in a completely randomized design with 4 replicates. Wheat straw was harvested at full maturity and potato tuber when the leaves turned yellowish. The potato-wheat straw (57:43 ratio, DM basis) mixture was treated with molasses, LAB, or a combination. Lalsil Fresh LB (Lallemand, France; containing NCIMB 40788) or Lalsil MS01 (Lallemand, France; containing MA18/5U and MA126/4U) were each applied at a rate of 3 × 10 cfu/g of fresh material. Treatments were mixed potato-wheat straw silage (PWSS) without additive, PWSS inoculated with Lalsil Fresh LB, PWSS inoculated with Lalsil MS01, PWSS + 5% molasses, PWSS inoculated with Lalsil Fresh LB + 5% molasses, PWSS inoculated with Lalsil MS01 + 5% molasses, and corn silage (CS). The compaction densities of PWSS treatments and CS were approximately 850 and 980 kg wet matter/m, respectively. After anaerobic storage for 90 d, chemical composition, silage fermentation characteristics, in vitro gas production (GP), estimated OM disappearance (OMD), ammonia-N, VFA, microbial CP (MCP) production, and cellulolytic bacteria count were determined. Compared to CS, PWSS had greater ( < 0.001) values of DM, ADL, water-soluble carbohydrates, pH, and ammonia-N but lower ( < 0.05) values of CP, ash free-NDF (NDFom), ash, nitrate, and lactic, acetic, propionic, and butyric acids concentrations. When PWSS was treated with molasses, LAB, or both, the contents of CP and lactic and acetic acids increased, whereas NDFom, ammonia-N, and butyric acid decreased ( < 0.05). Based on in vitro ruminal experiments, PWSS had greater ( < 0.05) values of GP, OMD, and MCP but lower ( < 0.05) VFA and acetic acid compared to CS. With adding molasses alone or in combination with LAB inoculants to PWSS, the values of GP, OMD, MCP, cellulolytic bacteria population, VFA, and propionic acid increased ( < 0.05), whereas the acetic acid to propionic acid ratio decreased ( < 0.05). Overall, ensiling potato with wheat straw at a 57:43 ratio DM basis was possible; nevertheless, the fermentation quality of PWSS was lesser than that of CS. However, addition of molasses and molasses + LAB improved fermentation quality of PWSS.

Improvement of yield of the edible and medicinal mushroom Lentinula edodes on wheat straw by use of supplemented spawn

PubMed Central

Gaitán-Hernández, Rigoberto; Cortés, Norberto; Mata, Gerardo

2014-01-01

The research evaluated the interactions of two main factors (strain / types of spawn) on various parameters with the purpose to assess its effect on yield and biochemical composition of Lentinula edodes fruiting bodies cultivated on pasteurized wheat straw. The evaluation was made with four strains (IE-40, IE-105, IE-124 and IE-256). Different types of spawns were prepared: Control (C) (millet seed, 100%), F1 (millet seed, 88.5%; wheat bran, 8.8%; peat moss, 1.3%; and CaS04, 1.3%) and F2 (the same formula as F1, but substituting the wheat bran with powdered wheat straw). Wheat straw was pasteurized by soaking it for 1 h in water heated to 65 °C. After this the substrate (2 kg wet weight) was placed in polypropylene bags. The bags were inoculated with each spawn (5% w/w) and incubated in a dark room at 25 °C. A proximate analysis of mature fruiting bodies was conducted. The mean Biological Efficiency (BE) varied between 66.0% (C-IE-256) and 320.1% (F1-IE-124), with an average per strain of 125.6%. The highest mean BE was observed on spawn F1 (188.3%), significantly different from C and F2. The protein content of fruiting bodies was high, particularly in strain IE-40-F1 (17.7%). The amount of fat varied from 1.1 (F1-IE-40) to 2.1% (F2-IE-105) on dry matter. Carbohydrates ranged from 58.8% (F1-IE-40) to 66.1% (F1-IE-256). The energy value determined ranged from 302.9 kcal (F1-IE-40) to 332.0 kcal (F1-IE-256). The variability on BE observed in this study was significantly influenced by the spawn’s formulation and genetic factors of the different strains. PMID:25242929

BOREAS TF-11 Decomposition Data over the SSA-Fen

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Valentine, David W.; Hall, Forrest G. (Editor); Conrad, Sara (Editor)

2000-01-01

The BOREAS TF-11 team collected several data sets in its efforts to fully describe the flux and site characteristics at the SSA-Fen site. This data set contains decomposition rates of a standard substrate (wheat straw) across treatments. The measurements were conducted in 1994 as part of a 2 x 2 factorial experiment in which we added carbon (300 g/sq m as wheat straw) and nitrogen (6 g/sq m as urea) to four replicate locations in the vicinity of the TF-11 tower. The data are stored in tabular ASCII files.

One-step, green, and economic synthesis of water-soluble photoluminescent carbon dots by hydrothermal treatment of wheat straw, and their bio-applications in labeling, imaging, and sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Ming; Zhong, Ruibo; Gao, Haiyang; Li, Wanrong; Yun, Xiaoling; Liu, Jingran; Zhao, Xinmin; Zhao, Guofen; Zhang, Feng

2015-11-01

The use of biomass as renewable and sustainable energy source has attracted the attention of politics and research and development (R&D) facilities around the world. Agricultural straw acts as a typical biowaste, which still needs highly effective recycling to save the biomass urgently at present. Photoluminescent carbon dots (C-dots) are novel biocompatible nanomaterials that have been proved to be produced from many carbon-abundant materials and hold great promise for the modern nanobiomedicine. In order to realize a "one-stone-two-birds" strategy, we report a green, economic, one-pot method in this article for synthesizing photoluminescent C-dots by hydrothermal treatment of wheat straw. Using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), we show that the as-prepared C-dots are amorphous in structure and are mainly composed of carbon. Their tiny size (<2 nm), combined with the characteristic excitation-dependent relatively bright emission, and robust photostability made the C-dots a potential biocompatible nanomaterial for bio-applications. We have experimentally demonstrated their potential applications in biomedical labeling, imaging, and sensing/detecting. The high yield (∼20%) of C-dots from wheat straw may suggest a new economic strategy for recycling biowaste.

Impact of organic loading rate on the performance of psychrophilic dry anaerobic digestion of dairy manure and wheat straw: long-term operation.

PubMed

Saady, Noori M Cata; Massé, Daniel I

2015-04-01

Development of efficient processes for valorising animal wastes would be a major advancement in cold-climate regions. This paper reports the results of long term (315 days experiment) of novel psychrophilic (20°C) dry anaerobic digestion (PDAD) of cow feces and wheat straw in laboratory scale sequence batch reactor operated at increasing organic loading rate. The PDAD process fed with a mixture of feces and straw (TS of 27%) over a treatment cycle length of 21 days at organic loading rate (OLR) 4.0, 5.0 and 6.0 g TCOD kg(-1) inoculum d(-1) (of 2.9 ± 0.1, 3.7 ± 0.1, and 4.4 ± 0.1g VS kg(-1) inoculum d(-1), respectively) resulted in average specific methane yield (SMY) of 187.3 ± 18.1, 163.6 ± 39.5, 150.8 ± 32.9 N L CH4 kg(-1)VS fed, respectively. PDAD of cow feces and wheat straw is possible with VS-based inoculum-to-substrate ratio of 1.4 at OLR of 6.0 g TCOD kg(-1) inoculum d(-1). Hydrolysis was the limiting step reaction. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Responses of Wheat Yield, Macro- and Micro-Nutrients, and Heavy Metals in Soil and Wheat following the Application of Manure Compost on the North China Plain.

PubMed

Wang, Fan; Wang, Zhaohui; Kou, Changlin; Ma, Zhenghua; Zhao, Dong

2016-01-01

The recycling of livestock manure in cropping systems is considered to enhance soil fertility and crop productivity. However, there have been no systematic long-term studies of the effects of manure application on soil and crop macro- and micro-nutrients, heavy metals, and crop yields in China, despite their great importance for sustainable crop production and food safety. Thus, we conducted field experiments in a typical cereal crop production area of the North China Plain to investigate the effects of compost manure application rates on wheat yield, as well as on the macro-/micro-nutrients and heavy metals contents of soil and wheat. We found that compost application increased the soil total N and the available K, Fe, Zn, and Mn concentrations, whereas the available P in soil was not affected, and the available Cu decreased. In general, compost application had no significant effects on the grain yield, biomass, and harvest index of winter wheat. However, during 2012 and 2013, the N concentration decreased by 9% and 18% in straw, and by 16% and 12% in grain, respectively. With compost application, the straw P concentration only increased in 2012 but the grain P generally increased, while the straw K concentration tended to decrease and the grain K concentration increased in 2013. Compost application generally increased the Fe and Zn concentrations in straw and grain, whereas the Cu and Mn concentrations decreased significantly compared with the control. The heavy metal concentrations increased at some compost application rates, but they were still within the safe range. The balances of the macro-and micro-nutrients indicated that the removal of nutrients by wheat was compensated for by the addition of compost, whereas the level of N decreased without the application of compost. The daily intake levels of micronutrients via the consumption of wheat grain were still lower than the recommended levels when sheep manure compost was applied, except for that of Mn.

Responses of Wheat Yield, Macro- and Micro-Nutrients, and Heavy Metals in Soil and Wheat following the Application of Manure Compost on the North China Plain

PubMed Central

Wang, Fan; Wang, Zhaohui; Kou, Changlin; Ma, Zhenghua; Zhao, Dong

2016-01-01

The recycling of livestock manure in cropping systems is considered to enhance soil fertility and crop productivity. However, there have been no systematic long-term studies of the effects of manure application on soil and crop macro- and micro-nutrients, heavy metals, and crop yields in China, despite their great importance for sustainable crop production and food safety. Thus, we conducted field experiments in a typical cereal crop production area of the North China Plain to investigate the effects of compost manure application rates on wheat yield, as well as on the macro-/micro-nutrients and heavy metals contents of soil and wheat. We found that compost application increased the soil total N and the available K, Fe, Zn, and Mn concentrations, whereas the available P in soil was not affected, and the available Cu decreased. In general, compost application had no significant effects on the grain yield, biomass, and harvest index of winter wheat. However, during 2012 and 2013, the N concentration decreased by 9% and 18% in straw, and by 16% and 12% in grain, respectively. With compost application, the straw P concentration only increased in 2012 but the grain P generally increased, while the straw K concentration tended to decrease and the grain K concentration increased in 2013. Compost application generally increased the Fe and Zn concentrations in straw and grain, whereas the Cu and Mn concentrations decreased significantly compared with the control. The heavy metal concentrations increased at some compost application rates, but they were still within the safe range. The balances of the macro-and micro-nutrients indicated that the removal of nutrients by wheat was compensated for by the addition of compost, whereas the level of N decreased without the application of compost. The daily intake levels of micronutrients via the consumption of wheat grain were still lower than the recommended levels when sheep manure compost was applied, except for that of Mn. PMID:26771517

Heat and microbial treatments for nutritional upgrading of wheat straw

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Milstein, O.; Vered, Y.; Sharma, A.

1986-03-01

The ligninolytic activities of four cellulolytic organisms were compared using straw. Only Aspergillus japonicus and Polyporous versicolor appreciably degraded lignin with A. japonicus yielding the most protein. In solid culture, most protein was produced by P. versicolor, closely followed by A. japonicus. Pertreatment of the straw by hot water facilitated biodegradation and protein production. The nutritional value of the residual straw was also increased by some fungal cultures. The greatest amount of degradable polysaccharide in the straw was made available by A. japonicus in liquid media and Pleurotus ostreatus in solid media. 29 references.

A wood-strand material for wind erosion control: effects on total sediment loss, PM10 vertical flux, and PM10 loss.

PubMed

Copeland, N S; Sharratt, B S; Wu, J Q; Foltz, R B; Dooley, J H

2009-01-01

Fugitive dust from eroding land poses risks to environmental quality and human health, and thus, is regulated nationally based on ambient air quality standards for particulate matter with mean aerodynamic diameter < or = 10 microm (PM10) established in the Clean Air Act. Agricultural straw has been widely used for rainfall-induced erosion control; however, its performance for wind erosion mitigation has been less studied, in part because straw is mobile at moderate wind velocities. A wood-based long-strand material has been developed for rainfall-induced erosion control and has shown operational promise for control of wind-induced erosion and dust emissions from disturbed sites. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of both agricultural straw and wood-strand materials in controlling wind erosion and fugitive dust emissions under laboratory conditions. Wind tunnel tests were conducted to compare wood strands of several geometries to agricultural wheat straw and bare soil in terms of total sediment loss, PM10 vertical flux, and PM10 loss. Results indicate that the types of wood strands tested are stable at wind speeds of up to 18 m s(-1), while wheat straw is only stable at speeds of up to 6.5 m s(-1). Wood strands reduced total sediment loss and PM10 emissions by 90% as compared to bare soil across the range of wind speeds tested. Wheat straw did not reduce total sediment loss for the range of speeds tested, but did reduce PM10 emissions by 75% compared to a bare soil at wind speeds of up to 11 m s(-1).

Residual effects of monoammonium phosphate, gypsum and elemental sulfur on cadmium phytoavailability and translocation from soil to wheat in an effluent irrigated field.

PubMed

Qayyum, Muhammad Farooq; Rehman, Muhammad Zia Ur; Ali, Shafaqat; Rizwan, Muhammad; Naeem, Asif; Maqsood, Muhammad Aamer; Khalid, Hinnan; Rinklebe, Jörg; Ok, Yong Sik

2017-05-01

Cadmium (Cd) accumulation in agricultural soils is one of the major threats to food security. The application of inorganic amendments such as mono-ammonium phosphate (MAP), gypsum and elemental sulfur (S) could alleviate the negative effects of Cd in crops. However, their long-term residual effects on decreasing Cd uptake in latter crops remain unclear. A field that had previously been applied with treatments including control and 0.2, 0.4 and 0.8% by weight of each MAP, gypsum and S, and grown with wheat and rice and thereafter wheat in the rotation was selected for this study. Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was grown in the same field as the third crop without further application of amendments to evaluate the residual effects of the amendments on Cd uptake by wheat. Plants were harvested at maturity and grain, and straw yield along with Cd concentration in soil, straw, and grains was determined. The addition of MAP and gypsum significantly increased wheat growth and yield and decreased Cd accumulation in straw and grains compared to control while the reverse was found in S application. Both MAP and gypsum decreased AB-DTPA extractable Cd in soil while S increased the bioavailable Cd in soil. Both MAP and gypsum increased the Cd immobilization in the soil and S decreased Cd immobilization in a dose-additive manner. We conclude that MAP and gypsum had a significant residual effect on decreasing Cd uptake in wheat. The cost-benefit ratio revealed that gypsum is an effective amendment for decreasing Cd concentration in plants. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of wheat-maize straw return on the fate of nitrate in groundwater in the Huaihe River Basin, China.

PubMed

Li, Rongfu; Ruan, Xiaohong; Bai, Ying; Ma, Tianhai; Liu, Congqiang

2017-08-15

Straw return is becoming a routine practice in disposing of crop residues worldwide. However, the potential effect of such operation on the chemistry of local groundwater is not well documented. Here, shallow groundwater in an area where wheat-maize straw return is practiced was analyzed, and the seasonal changes in the nitrate concentration and the isotope compositions of NO 3 - and H 2 O were determined along two flow paths. Measured δD and δ 18 O in waters indicated that the groundwater was mainly recharged by atmospheric precipitation, while measured δ 15 N and δ 18 O in nitrate suggested that the sources for groundwater NO 3 - included urea fertilizer, soil nitrogen, and sewage/manure. Reduced NO 3 - concentrations coincided with an enrichment of organic matter in the groundwater of the straw return area, revealing an environmental condition that facilitates nitrate reduction, whereas increased δ 15 N-NO 3 - and δ 18 O-NO 3 - along the flow path suggested the occurrence of denitrification. Further analyses showed that, compared to the cases in the absence of straw return, as much as 80% and 90% of groundwater nitrate was removed in low and high water seasons in the straw return area, pointing to a potential positive effect of straw return to groundwater quality. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pretreatment of wheat straw by nonionic surfactant-assisted dilute acid for enhancing enzymatic hydrolysis and ethanol production.

PubMed

Qi, Benkun; Chen, Xiangrong; Wan, Yinhua

2010-07-01

Pretreating wheat straw (WS) with combined use of varied sulfuric acid concentration (0-3%, w/v) and Tween 20 concentration (0-1%) was investigated in an attempt to enhance the hydrolysis and fermentability of pretreated WS. Enzymatic hydrolysis yield of glucan and xylan and ethanol production by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of water-insoluble solids (WIS) were significantly affected by the amount of Tween 20 added during acid pretreatment. Any further addition of Tween 20 in either hydrolysis stage or fermentation stage only led to small increase in glucan conversion and ethanol production. Determination of adsorption of cellulases during hydrolysis showed that Tween 20-assisted acid treated straw solution contained more free cellulases than individual acid treated straw solution, indicating that modification of lignin surface by Tween 20 added during pretreatment likely occurred. In addition, the effects of pretreatment conditions on overall recovery of glucose and xylose after pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis were also investigated. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Transfer factor of (90)Sr and (137)Cs to lettuce and winter wheat at different growth stage applications.

PubMed

Al Attar, Lina; Al-Oudat, Mohammad; Safia, Bassam; Ghani, Basem Abdul

2015-12-01

The effect of clay soil contamination time on the transfer factors (Fvs) of (137)Cs and (90)Sr was investigated in four different growth stages of winter wheat and lettuce crops. The experiment was performed in an open field using lysimeters. The Fvs were the ratio of the activity concentrations of the radionuclides in crops to those in soil, both as dry weight (Bq kg(-1)). Significant difference of log-Fvs was evaluated using one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Basically, Fvs of (90)Sr were higher than those of (137)Cs, despite of the application stage or crop' variety. Higher Fvs for both radionuclides were observed for lettuce in comparison to winter wheat. Fvs of (90)Sr showed comparable trends for both crops with enhanced Fvs obtained when contamination occurred in early stages, i.e. 1.20 for lettuce and 0.88 and 0.02 for winter wheat, straw and grains, respectively. Despite the fluctuation noted in the pattern of Fvs for (137)Cs, soil contaminated at the second stage gave the highest Fvs for lettuce and grains, with geometric means of 0.21 and 0.01, respectively. However, wheat-straw showed remarkable increase in Fv for the latest contamination (ripening stage), about 0.06. It could be concluded that soil contamination at early growth stages would represent high radiological risk for the scenarios studied with an exception to (137)Cs in winter wheat-straw which reflected greater hazard at the latest application. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Adsorptive Removal of Toxic Chromium from Waste-Water Using Wheat Straw and Eupatorium adenophorum

PubMed Central

Song, Dagang; Pan, Kaiwen; Tariq, Akash; Azizullah, Azizullah; Sun, Feng; Li, Zilong; Xiong, Qinli

2016-01-01

Environmental pollution with heavy metals is a serious issue worldwide posing threats to humans, animals and plants and to the stability of overall ecosystem. Chromium (Cr) is one of most hazardous heavy metals with a high carcinogenic and recalcitrant nature. Aim of the present study was to select low-cost biosorbent using wheat straw and Eupatorium adenophorum through simple carbonization process, capable of removing Cr (VI) efficiently from wastewater. From studied plants a low cost adsorbent was prepared for removing Cr (VI) from aqueous solution following very simple carbonization method excluding activation process. Several factors such as pH, contact time, sorbent dosage and temperature were investigated for attaining ideal condition. For analysis of adsorption equilibrium isotherm data, Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin models were used while pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, external diffusion and intra-particle diffusion models were used for the analysis of kinetic data. The obtained results revealed that 99.9% of Cr (VI) removal was observed in the solution with a pH of 1.0. Among all the tested models Langmuir model fitted more closely according to the data obtained. Increase in adsorption capacity was observed with increasing temperature revealing endothermic nature of Cr (VI). The maximum Cr (VI) adsorption potential of E. adenophorum and wheat straw was 89.22 mg per 1 gram adsorbent at 308K. Kinetic data of absorption precisely followed pseudo-second-order model. Present study revealed highest potential of E. adenophorum and wheat straw for producing low cost adsorbent and to remove Cr (VI) from contaminated water. PMID:27911906

Alkaline-assisted screw press pretreatment affecting enzymatic hydrolysis of wheat straw.

PubMed

Yan, Qingqi; Wang, Yumei; Rodiahwati, Wawat; Spiess, Antje; Modigell, Michael

2017-02-01

Screw press processing of biomass can be considered as a suitable mechanically based pretreatment for biofuel production since it disrupts the structure of lignocellulosic biomass with high shear and pressure forces. The combination with chemical treatment has been suggested to increase the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to fermentable sugars. Within the study, the synergetic effect of alkaline (sodium hydroxide, NaOH) soaking and screw press pretreatment on wheat straw was evaluated based on, e.g., sugar recovery and energy efficiency. After alkaline soaking (at 0.1 M for 30 min) and sequential screw press pretreatment with various screw press configurations and modified screw barrel, the lignin content of pretreated wheat straw was quantified. In addition, the structure of pretreated wheat straw was investigated by scanning electron microscopy and measurement of specific surface area. It could be shown that removal of lignin is more important than increase of surface area of the biomass to reach a high sugar recovery. The rate constant of the enzymatic hydrolysis increased from 1.1 × 10 -3  1/h for the non-treated material over 2.3 × 10 -3  1/h for the alkaline-soaked material to 26.9 × 10 -3  1/h for alkaline-assisted screw press pretreated material, indicating a nearly 25-fold improvement of the digestibility by the combined chemo-mechanical pretreatment. Finally, the screw configuration was found to be an important factor for improving the sugar recovery and for reducing the specific energy consumption of the screw press pretreatment.

Adsorptive Removal of Toxic Chromium from Waste-Water Using Wheat Straw and Eupatorium adenophorum.

PubMed

Song, Dagang; Pan, Kaiwen; Tariq, Akash; Azizullah, Azizullah; Sun, Feng; Li, Zilong; Xiong, Qinli

2016-01-01

Environmental pollution with heavy metals is a serious issue worldwide posing threats to humans, animals and plants and to the stability of overall ecosystem. Chromium (Cr) is one of most hazardous heavy metals with a high carcinogenic and recalcitrant nature. Aim of the present study was to select low-cost biosorbent using wheat straw and Eupatorium adenophorum through simple carbonization process, capable of removing Cr (VI) efficiently from wastewater. From studied plants a low cost adsorbent was prepared for removing Cr (VI) from aqueous solution following very simple carbonization method excluding activation process. Several factors such as pH, contact time, sorbent dosage and temperature were investigated for attaining ideal condition. For analysis of adsorption equilibrium isotherm data, Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin models were used while pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, external diffusion and intra-particle diffusion models were used for the analysis of kinetic data. The obtained results revealed that 99.9% of Cr (VI) removal was observed in the solution with a pH of 1.0. Among all the tested models Langmuir model fitted more closely according to the data obtained. Increase in adsorption capacity was observed with increasing temperature revealing endothermic nature of Cr (VI). The maximum Cr (VI) adsorption potential of E. adenophorum and wheat straw was 89.22 mg per 1 gram adsorbent at 308K. Kinetic data of absorption precisely followed pseudo-second-order model. Present study revealed highest potential of E. adenophorum and wheat straw for producing low cost adsorbent and to remove Cr (VI) from contaminated water.

Biosorption of heavy metal ions using wheat based biosorbents--a review of the recent literature.

PubMed

Farooq, Umar; Kozinski, Janusz A; Khan, Misbahul Ain; Athar, Makshoof

2010-07-01

Conventional technologies for the removal/remediation of toxic metal ions from wastewaters are proving expensive due to non-regenerable materials used and high costs. Biosorption is emerging as a technique offering the use of economical alternate biological materials for the purpose. Functional groups like carboxyl, hydroxyl, sulphydryl and amido present in these biomaterials, make it possible for them to attach metal ions from waters. Every year, large amounts of straw and bran from Triticum aestivum (wheat), a major food crop of the world, are produced as by-products/waste materials. The purpose of this article is to review rather scattered information on the utilization of straw and bran for the removal/minimization of metal ions from waters. High efficiency, high biosorption capacity, cost-effectiveness and renewability are the important parameters making these materials as economical alternatives for metal removal and waste remediation. Applications of available adsorption and kinetic models as well as influences of change in temperature and pH of medium on metal biosorption by wheat straw and wheat bran are reviewed. The biosorption mechanism has been found to be quite complex. It comprises a number of phenomena including adsorption, surface precipitation, ion-exchange and complexation. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Isolation and Characterization of Gramineae and Fabaceae Soda Lignins

PubMed Central

Domínguez-Robles, Juan; Sánchez, Rafael; Espinosa, Eduardo; Savy, Davide; Mazzei, Pierluigi; Piccolo, Alessandro; Rodríguez, Alejandro

2017-01-01

Some agricultural residues such as wheat or barley straw, as well as certain fast-growing plants like Leucaena leucocephala and Chamaecytisus proliferus, could be used as raw materials for the paper industry as an alternative to traditional plants (eucalyptus, pine, etc.). In the present study, four types of lignin obtained from the spent liquors produced by the pulping processes using the abovementioned feedstocks were isolated and characterized. Lignin samples were acquired through an acid precipitation from these spent liquors. The characterization of the precipitated lignin samples were performed using a Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and both liquid- and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) to analyse the chemical structure, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) for determining the thermal properties. Additionally, chemical composition of lignin fractions was also measured. Even though they were of different botanical origin, all the studied samples except for wheat straw lignin had a similar chemical composition and thermal behaviour, and identical chemical structure. Wheat straw lignin showed a greater amount of Klason lignin and lower carbohydrate content. Furthermore, this lignin sample showed a higher thermal stability and significantly different cross-peak patterns in the 2D-NMR experiments. The molecular structures corresponding to p-coumarate (PCA), ferulate (FA) and cinnamyl aldehyde end-groups (J) were only detected in wheat isolated lignin. PMID:28165411

Soil mulching significantly enhances yields and water and nitrogen use efficiencies of maize and wheat: a meta-analysis

PubMed Central

Qin, Wei; Hu, Chunsheng; Oenema, Oene

2015-01-01

Global crop yields are limited by water and nutrient availability. Soil mulching (with plastic or straw) reduces evaporation, modifies soil temperature and thereby affects crop yields. Reported effects of mulching are sometimes contradictory, likely due to differences in climatic conditions, soil characteristics, crop species, and also water and nitrogen (N) input levels. Here we report on a meta-analysis of the effects of mulching on wheat and maize, using 1310 yield observations from 74 studies conducted in 19 countries. Our results indicate that mulching significantly increased yields, WUE (yield per unit water) and NUE (yield per unit N) by up to 60%, compared with no-mulching. Effects were larger for maize than wheat, and larger for plastic mulching than straw mulching. Interestingly, plastic mulching performed better at relatively low temperature while straw mulching showed the opposite trend. Effects of mulching also tended to decrease with increasing water input. Mulching effects were not related to soil organic matter content. In conclusion, soil mulching can significantly increase maize and wheat yields, WUE and NUE, and thereby may contribute to closing the yield gap between attainable and actual yields, especially in dryland and low nutrient input agriculture. The management of soil mulching requires site-specific knowledge. PMID:26586114

Isolation and Characterization of Gramineae and Fabaceae Soda Lignins.

PubMed

Domínguez-Robles, Juan; Sánchez, Rafael; Espinosa, Eduardo; Savy, Davide; Mazzei, Pierluigi; Piccolo, Alessandro; Rodríguez, Alejandro

2017-02-04

Some agricultural residues such as wheat or barley straw, as well as certain fast-growing plants like Leucaena leucocephala and Chamaecytisus proliferus , could be used as raw materials for the paper industry as an alternative to traditional plants (eucalyptus, pine, etc.). In the present study, four types of lignin obtained from the spent liquors produced by the pulping processes using the abovementioned feedstocks were isolated and characterized. Lignin samples were acquired through an acid precipitation from these spent liquors. The characterization of the precipitated lignin samples were performed using a Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and both liquid- and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) to analyse the chemical structure, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) for determining the thermal properties. Additionally, chemical composition of lignin fractions was also measured. Even though they were of different botanical origin, all the studied samples except for wheat straw lignin had a similar chemical composition and thermal behaviour, and identical chemical structure. Wheat straw lignin showed a greater amount of Klason lignin and lower carbohydrate content. Furthermore, this lignin sample showed a higher thermal stability and significantly different cross-peak patterns in the 2D-NMR experiments. The molecular structures corresponding to p -coumarate (PCA), ferulate (FA) and cinnamyl aldehyde end-groups (J) were only detected in wheat isolated lignin.

Soil mulching significantly enhances yields and water and nitrogen use efficiencies of maize and wheat: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Qin, Wei; Hu, Chunsheng; Oenema, Oene

2015-11-20

Global crop yields are limited by water and nutrient availability. Soil mulching (with plastic or straw) reduces evaporation, modifies soil temperature and thereby affects crop yields. Reported effects of mulching are sometimes contradictory, likely due to differences in climatic conditions, soil characteristics, crop species, and also water and nitrogen (N) input levels. Here we report on a meta-analysis of the effects of mulching on wheat and maize, using 1310 yield observations from 74 studies conducted in 19 countries. Our results indicate that mulching significantly increased yields, WUE (yield per unit water) and NUE (yield per unit N) by up to 60%, compared with no-mulching. Effects were larger for maize than wheat, and larger for plastic mulching than straw mulching. Interestingly, plastic mulching performed better at relatively low temperature while straw mulching showed the opposite trend. Effects of mulching also tended to decrease with increasing water input. Mulching effects were not related to soil organic matter content. In conclusion, soil mulching can significantly increase maize and wheat yields, WUE and NUE, and thereby may contribute to closing the yield gap between attainable and actual yields, especially in dryland and low nutrient input agriculture. The management of soil mulching requires site-specific knowledge.

Soil mulching significantly enhances yields and water and nitrogen use efficiencies of maize and wheat: a meta-analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qin, Wei; Hu, Chunsheng; Oenema, Oene

2015-11-01

Global crop yields are limited by water and nutrient availability. Soil mulching (with plastic or straw) reduces evaporation, modifies soil temperature and thereby affects crop yields. Reported effects of mulching are sometimes contradictory, likely due to differences in climatic conditions, soil characteristics, crop species, and also water and nitrogen (N) input levels. Here we report on a meta-analysis of the effects of mulching on wheat and maize, using 1310 yield observations from 74 studies conducted in 19 countries. Our results indicate that mulching significantly increased yields, WUE (yield per unit water) and NUE (yield per unit N) by up to 60%, compared with no-mulching. Effects were larger for maize than wheat, and larger for plastic mulching than straw mulching. Interestingly, plastic mulching performed better at relatively low temperature while straw mulching showed the opposite trend. Effects of mulching also tended to decrease with increasing water input. Mulching effects were not related to soil organic matter content. In conclusion, soil mulching can significantly increase maize and wheat yields, WUE and NUE, and thereby may contribute to closing the yield gap between attainable and actual yields, especially in dryland and low nutrient input agriculture. The management of soil mulching requires site-specific knowledge.

Comparison of Soil Respiration in Typical Conventional and New Alternative Cereal Cropping Systems on the North China Plain

PubMed Central

Gao, Bing; Ju, Xiaotang; Su, Fang; Gao, Fengbin; Cao, Qingsen; Oenema, Oene; Christie, Peter; Chen, Xinping; Zhang, Fusuo

2013-01-01

We monitored soil respiration (Rs), soil temperature (T) and volumetric water content (VWC%) over four years in one typical conventional and four alternative cropping systems to understand Rs in different cropping systems with their respective management practices and environmental conditions. The control was conventional double-cropping system (winter wheat and summer maize in one year - Con.W/M). Four alternative cropping systems were designed with optimum water and N management, i.e. optimized winter wheat and summer maize (Opt.W/M), three harvests every two years (first year, winter wheat and summer maize or soybean; second year, fallow then spring maize - W/M-M and W/S-M), and single spring maize per year (M). Our results show that Rs responded mainly to the seasonal variation in T but was also greatly affected by straw return, root growth and soil moisture changes under different cropping systems. The mean seasonal CO2 emissions in Con.W/M were 16.8 and 15.1 Mg CO2 ha−1 for summer maize and winter wheat, respectively, without straw return. They increased significantly by 26 and 35% in Opt.W/M, respectively, with straw return. Under the new alternative cropping systems with straw return, W/M-M showed similar Rs to Opt.W/M, but total CO2 emissions of W/S-M decreased sharply relative to Opt.W/M when soybean was planted to replace summer maize. Total CO2 emissions expressed as the complete rotation cycles of W/S-M, Con.W/M and M treatments were not significantly different. Seasonal CO2 emissions were significantly correlated with the sum of carbon inputs of straw return from the previous season and the aboveground biomass in the current season, which explained 60% of seasonal CO2 emissions. T and VWC% explained up to 65% of Rs using the exponential-power and double exponential models, and the impacts of tillage and straw return must therefore be considered for accurate modeling of Rs in this geographical region. PMID:24278340

Comparison of soil respiration in typical conventional and new alternative cereal cropping systems on the North China plain.

PubMed

Gao, Bing; Ju, Xiaotang; Su, Fang; Gao, Fengbin; Cao, Qingsen; Oenema, Oene; Christie, Peter; Chen, Xinping; Zhang, Fusuo

2013-01-01

We monitored soil respiration (Rs), soil temperature (T) and volumetric water content (VWC%) over four years in one typical conventional and four alternative cropping systems to understand Rs in different cropping systems with their respective management practices and environmental conditions. The control was conventional double-cropping system (winter wheat and summer maize in one year--Con.W/M). Four alternative cropping systems were designed with optimum water and N management, i.e. optimized winter wheat and summer maize (Opt.W/M), three harvests every two years (first year, winter wheat and summer maize or soybean; second year, fallow then spring maize--W/M-M and W/S-M), and single spring maize per year (M). Our results show that Rs responded mainly to the seasonal variation in T but was also greatly affected by straw return, root growth and soil moisture changes under different cropping systems. The mean seasonal CO2 emissions in Con.W/M were 16.8 and 15.1 Mg CO2 ha(-1) for summer maize and winter wheat, respectively, without straw return. They increased significantly by 26 and 35% in Opt.W/M, respectively, with straw return. Under the new alternative cropping systems with straw return, W/M-M showed similar Rs to Opt.W/M, but total CO2 emissions of W/S-M decreased sharply relative to Opt.W/M when soybean was planted to replace summer maize. Total CO2 emissions expressed as the complete rotation cycles of W/S-M, Con.W/M and M treatments were not significantly different. Seasonal CO2 emissions were significantly correlated with the sum of carbon inputs of straw return from the previous season and the aboveground biomass in the current season, which explained 60% of seasonal CO2 emissions. T and VWC% explained up to 65% of Rs using the exponential-power and double exponential models, and the impacts of tillage and straw return must therefore be considered for accurate modeling of Rs in this geographical region.

Phosphomolybdic acid and ferric iron as efficient electron mediators for coupling biomass pretreatment to produce bioethanol and electricity generation from wheat straw.

PubMed

Ding, Yi; Du, Bo; Zhao, Xuebing; Zhu, J Y; Liu, Dehua

2017-03-01

Phosphomolybdic acid (PMo 12 ) was used as an electron mediator and proton carrier to mediate biomass pretreatment for ethanol production and electricity generation from wheat straw. In the pretreatment, lignin was oxidized anaerobically by PMo 12 with solubilization of a fraction of hemicelluloses, and the PMo 12 was simultaneously reduced. In an external liquid flow cell, the reduced PMo 12 was re-oxidized with generation of electricity. The effects of several factors on pretreatment were investigated for optimizing the conditions. Enzymatic conversion of cellulose and xylan were about 80% and 45%, respectively, after pretreatment of wheat straw with 0.25M PMo 12 , at 95°C for 45min. FeCl 3 was found to be an effective liquid mediator to transfer electrons to air, the terminal electron acceptor. By investigating the effects of various operation parameters and cell structural factors, the highest output power density of about 11mW/cm 2 was obtained for discharging of the reduced PMo 12 . Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dynamic Effects of Biochar on the Bacterial Community Structure in Soil Contaminated with Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons.

PubMed

Song, Yang; Bian, Yongrong; Wang, Fang; Xu, Min; Ni, Ni; Yang, Xinglun; Gu, Chenggang; Jiang, Xin

2017-08-16

Amending soil with biochar is an effective soil remediation strategy for organic contaminants. This study investigated the dynamic effects of wheat straw biochar on the bacterial community structure during remediation by high-throughput sequencing. The wheat straw biochar amended into the soil significantly reduced the bioavailability and toxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Biochar amendment helped to maintain the bacterial diversity in the PAH-contaminated soil. The relationship between the immobilization of PAHs and the soil bacterial diversity fit a quadratic model. Before week 12 of the incubation, the incubation time was the main factor contributing to the changes in the soil bacterial community structure. However, biochar greatly affected the bacterial community structure after 12 weeks of amendment, and the effects were dependent upon the biochar type. Amendment with biochar mainly facilitated the growth of rare bacterial genera (relative abundance of 0.01-1%) in the studied soil. Therefore, the application of wheat straw biochar into PAH-contaminated soil can reduce the environmental risks of PAHs and benefit the soil microbial ecology.

Synthesis of wheat straw cellulose-g-poly (potassium acrylate)/PVA semi-IPNs superabsorbent resin.

PubMed

Liu, Jia; Li, Qian; Su, Yuan; Yue, Qinyan; Gao, Baoyu; Wang, Rui

2013-04-15

To better use wheat straw and minimize its negative impact on environment, a novel semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (semi-IPNs) superabsorbent resin (SAR) composed of wheat straw cellulose-g-poly (potassium acrylate) (WSC-g-PKA) network and linear polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was prepared by polymerization in the presence of a redox initiating system. The structure and morphology of semi-IPNs SAR were characterized by means of FTIR, SEM and TGA, which confirmed that WSC and PVA participated in the graft polymerization reaction with acrylic acid (AA). The factors that can influence the water absorption of the semi-IPNs SAR were investigated and optimized, including the weight ratios of AA to WSC and PVA to WSC, the content of initiator and crosslinker, neutralization degree (ND) of AA, reaction temperature and time. The semi-IPNs SAR prepared under optimized synthesis condition gave the best water absorption of 266.82 g/g in distilled water and 34.32 g/g in 0.9 wt% NaCl solution. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impact of steam explosion on the wheat straw lignin structure studied by solution-state nuclear magnetic resonance and density functional methods.

PubMed

Heikkinen, Harri; Elder, Thomas; Maaheimo, Hannu; Rovio, Stella; Rahikainen, Jenni; Kruus, Kristiina; Tamminen, Tarja

2014-10-29

Chemical changes of lignin induced by the steam explosion (SE) process were elucidated. Wheat straw was studied as the raw material, and lignins were isolated by the enzymatic mild acidolysis lignin (EMAL) procedure before and after the SE treatment for analyses mainly by two-dimensional (2D) [heteronuclear single-quantum coherence (HSQC) and heteronuclear multiple-bond correlation (HMBC)] and (31)P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The β-O-4 structures were found to be homolytically cleaved, followed by recoupling to β-5 linkages. The homolytic cleavage/recoupling reactions were also studied by computational methods, which verified their thermodynamic feasibility. The presence of the tricin bound to wheat straw lignin was confirmed, and it was shown to participate in lignin reactions during the SE treatment. The preferred homolytic β-O-4 cleavage reaction was calculated to follow bond dissociation energies: G-O-G (guaiacyl) (69.7 kcal/mol) > G-O-S (syringyl) (68.4 kcal/mol) > G-O-T (tricin) (67.0 kcal/mol).

A new pulping process for wheat straw to reduce problems with the discharge of black liquor.

PubMed

Huang, Guolin; Shi, Jeffrey X; Langrish, Tim A G

2007-11-01

Aqueous ammonia mixed with caustic potash as wheat straw pulping liquor was investigated. The caustic potash did not only reduce the NH3 usage and cooking time, but also provided a potassium source as a fertilizer in the black liquor. Excess NH3 in the black liquor was recovered and reused by batch distillation with a 98% recovery rate of free NH3. The black liquor was further treated for reuse by coagulation under alkaline conditions. The effects of different flocculation conditions, such as the dosage of 10% aluminium polychloride, the dosage of 0.1% polyacrylamide, the reaction temperature and the pH of the black liquor on the flocculating process were studied. The supernatant was recycled as cooking liquor by adding extra NH4OH and KOH. The amount of delignification and the pulp yield for the process remained steady at 82-85% and 48-50%, respectively, when reusing the supernatant four times. The coagulated residues could be further processed as solid fertilizers. This study provided a new pulping process for wheat straw to reduce problems of discharge black liquor.

Conversion of agricultural residues to carboxymethylcellulose and carboxymethylcellulose acetate

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In view of continuing interest in the use of agricultural by-products, we have converted cellulose, wheat straw, barley straw, and rice hull into carboxymethylcellulose (CMC). Microwave-assisted synthesis was found to be a partly effective alternative to the conventional heating process. The CMC thu...

Process technologies for production of fuel ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Lignocellulosic biomass such as corn stover, wheat straw, rice straw, and switchgrass can serve as low-cost feedstock for production of fuel ethanol. These feedstocks contain complex carbohydrates (cellulose and hemicelluloses) which need to be converted to fermentable sugars and then these sugars b...

Effects of straw and plastic film mulching on greenhouse gas emissions in Loess Plateau, China: A field study of 2 consecutive wheat-maize rotation cycles.

PubMed

Chen, Haixin; Liu, Jingjing; Zhang, Afeng; Chen, Jing; Cheng, Gong; Sun, Benhua; Pi, Xiaomin; Dyck, Miles; Si, Bingcheng; Zhao, Ying; Feng, Hao

2017-02-01

Mulching practices have long been used to modify the soil temperature and moisture conditions and thus potentially improve crop production in dryland agriculture, but few studies have focused on mulching effects on soil gaseous emissions. We monitored annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions under the regime of straw and plastic film mulching using a closed chamber method on a typical winter-wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv Xiaoyan 22) and summer-maize (Zea mays L. cv Qinlong 11) rotation field over two-year period in the Loess Plateau, northwestern China. The following four field treatments were included: T1 (control, no mulching), T2 (4000kgha -1 wheat straw mulching, covering 100% of soil surface), T3 (half plastic film mulching, covering 50% of soil surface), and T4 (complete plastic film mulching, covering 100% of soil surface). Compared with the control, straw mulching decreased soil temperature and increased soil moisture, whereas plastic film mulching increased both soil temperature and moisture. Accordingly, straw mulching increased annual crop yields over both cycles, while plastic film mulching significantly enhanced annual crop yield over cycle 2. Compared to the no-mulching treatment, all mulching treatments increased soil CO 2 emission over both cycles, and straw mulching increased soil CH 4 absorption over both cycles, but patterns of soil N 2 O emissions under straw or film mulching are not consistent. Overall, compared to T1, annual GHG intensity was significantly decreased by 106%, 24% and 26% under T2, T3 and T4 over cycle 1, respectively; and by 20%, 51% and 29% under T2, T3 and T4 over cycle 2, respectively. Considering the additional cost and environmental issues associated with plastic film mulching, the application of straw mulching might achieve a balance between food security and GHG emissions in the Chinese Loess Plateau. However, further research is required to investigate the perennial influence of different mulching applications. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Technical and Practical Study of Composting as a Solid Waste Management Alternative for the Air Force

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-09-01

eye) until the course of the process nears its end. When they do become apparent, they appear as a blue-gray to light green powdery to somewhat...clippings 3-6 12-15 Nonlegume vegetable wastes 2.5-4 11-12 Mixed grasses 214 19 Paper nil --- Potato tops 1.5 25 Straw, wheat 0.3-0.5 128-150 Straw, oats...Certain Fungal Plant Pathogens Organisms Disease Temperature (°C) Ustilago avenae Loose oat smut 45-53 0C U. tritici Loose smut of wheat 45-480 C U. zeae

40 CFR 63.2292 - What definitions apply to this subpart?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... designed and maintained to capture all emissions for discharge through a control device. Work practice..., wheat straw, rice straw, and bagasse. Biofilter means an enclosed control system such as a tank or... collected by a capture device. Catalytic oxidizer means a control system that combusts or oxidizes, in the...

Removal of straw lignin from spent pulping liquor using synthetic cationic and biobased flocculants

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Aqueous alkaline delignification of wheat straw produces hemicellulose for bioenergy and other applications. After removal of the hemicellulose, spent pulping liquor (SPL) remains. The spent pulping liquor is approximately 28% water, 40% ash, 3% hemicellulose, 25% lignin, 5% protein, and less than...

The provision of solid feeds to veal calves: II. Behavior, physiology, and abomasal damage.

PubMed

Mattiello, S; Canali, E; Ferrante, V; Caniatti, M; Gottardo, F; Cozzi, G; Andrighetto, I; Verga, M

2002-02-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the addition of two roughage sources (wheat straw and beet pulp) to the milk replacer diet of veal calves, in order to reduce stress and improve animal welfare. We allocated 138 Polish Friesian male calves to three different feeding plans: a milk replacer diet (Control), 250 g/d of wheat straw in addition to the milk replacer, or 250 g/d of dried beet pulp in addition to the milk replacer. Within each feeding treatment, 16 calves were individually housed and 30 were kept in group pens (five calves/pen). Several behavioral, physiological, and health welfare indicators were monitored throughout the fattening period, which lasted for 160 d. Abnormal oral behavior around the meals was higher in Control calves (P < 0.01), while its lowest level was observed in straw-fed calves. At the beginning of the trial, chewing was higher in calves receiving solid feeds (P < 0.001), but the difference from the Control gradually decreased and disappeared at wk 13 for calves fed beet pulp and at wk 17 for those fed wheat straw. At the end of the fattening period, no differences among treatments were found in the frequency of chewing. Regardless of the diet, self-grooming decreased with age and no relationship was observed between this behavior and the presence of rumen hairballs. Cross-sucking was performed with low frequencies (from 4.70% at wk 2 to 1.05% at wk 23 around the meals, and even lower far from the meals) and was not affected by the provision of roughage. The time in contact with the bucket during the whole day was higher in Controls, whereas calves fed wheat straw maintained a lower level of this activity until the end of the trial (P < 0.01). The calves fed wheat straw spent more time in contact with the feed trough (P < 0.001) than those fed beet pulp and Control calves. No differences were found in cortisol curves due to the feeding treatment. In calves fed beet pulp, most hematological measures statistically differed from the other treatments, possibly in response to the higher iron intake and(or) to the higher hemoconcentration, probably due to the administration of beet pulp as dried feed. The incidence of abomasal ulcers and erosions was increased by the provision of the solid feeds, particularly by a structured fiber source such as straw. A roughage source able to satisfy calves' behavioral needs and to improve digestive processes without damaging the digestive apparatus still has to be identified.

Study on allelopathic effects of Rice and Wheat Soil-Like Substrate on several plants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Leyuan; Fu, Wenting; He, Wenting; Liu, Hong

Rice and wheat are the traditional food of Chinese people, and therefore the main crop candidates for bio-regenerative life-support systems. Recycling rice and wheat straw is an important issue concerning the system. In order to decide if the mixed-substrate made of rice and wheat straw is suitable of plant cultivation, Rice and Wheat Soil-Like Substrate was tested in an aqueous extract germination experiment. The effects of different concentrations of aqueous extract on seed vigor, seedling growth and development situations and the physiological and biochemical characteristics of wheat, lettuce and pumpkin were studied, and the presence and degrees of allelopathic effects were analyzed. The test results showed that this type of SLS exerted different degrees of allelopathic effect on wheat and lettuce; this allelopathic effect was related to the concentration of SLS aqueous extract. The most significant phenomenon is that with the increase of aqueous extract concentration, the seed germination, root length and shoot fresh weight of wheat decreased; and every concentration of aqueous extract showed significant inhibition on the root length and root fresh weight of lettuce. However, this type of SLS showed little effect on the growth of pumpkin seedlings. Contents changes of chlorophyll and endogenous hormones in wheat and lettuce seedlings, and the chemical compositions of SLS were measured, and the mechanism of allelopathic effect was preliminarily analyzed.

The effects of straw or straw-derived gasification biochar applications on soil quality and crop productivity: A farm case study.

PubMed

Hansen, Veronika; Müller-Stöver, Dorette; Imparato, Valentina; Krogh, Paul Henning; Jensen, Lars Stoumann; Dolmer, Anders; Hauggaard-Nielsen, Henrik

2017-01-15

Thermal gasification of straw is a highly efficient technology that produces bioenergy and gasification biochar that can be used as a soil amendment, thereby returning non-renewable nutrients and stable carbon, and securing soil quality and crop productivity. A Danish on-farm field study investigated the impact of traditional straw incorporation vs. straw removal for thermal gasification bioenergy production and the application of straw gasification biochar (GB) on soil quality and crop production. Two rates of GB were applied over three successive years in which the field was cropped with winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) and winter wheat, respectively, to assess the potential effects on the soil carbon pool, soil microorganisms, earthworms, soil chemical properties and crop yields. The application of GB did not increase the soil organic carbon content significantly and had no effect on crop yields. The application of straw and GB had a positive effect on the populations of bacteria and protists, but no effect on earthworms. The high rate of GB increased soil exchangeable potassium content and soil pH indicating its potassium bioavailability and liming properties. These results suggest, that recycling GB into agricultural soils has the potential to be developed into a system combining bioenergy generation from agricultural residues and crop production, while maintaining soil quality. However, future studies should be undertaken to assess its long-term effects and to identify the optimum balance between straw removal and biochar application rate. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Mild chemical pretreatments are sufficient for complete saccharification of steam-exploded residues and high ethanol production in desirable wheat accessions.

PubMed

Zahoor; Tu, Yuanyuan; Wang, Lingqiang; Xia, Tao; Sun, Dan; Zhou, Shiguang; Wang, Yanting; Li, Ying; Zhang, Heping; Zhang, Tong; Madadi, Meysam; Peng, Liangcai

2017-11-01

In this study, a combined pretreatment was performed in four wheat accessions using steam explosion followed with different concentrations of H 2 SO 4 or NaOH, leading to increased hexoses yields by 3-6 folds from enzymatic hydrolysis. Further co-supplied with 1% Tween-80, Talq90 and Talq16 accessions exhibited an almost complete enzymatic saccharification of steam-exploded (SE) residues after 0.5% H 2 SO 4 or 1% NaOH pretreatment, with the highest bioethanol yields at 18.5%-19.4%, compared with previous reports about wheat bioethanol yields at 11%-17% obtained under relatively strong pretreatment conditions. Furthermore, chemical analysis indicated that much enhanced saccharification in Talq90 and Talq16 may be partially due to their relatively low cellulose CrI and DP values and high hemicellulose Ara and H-monomer levels in raw materials and SE residues. Hence, this study has not only demonstrated a mild pretreatment technology for a complete saccharification, but it has also obtained the high ethanol production in desirable wheat accessions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Greenhouse gas emissions and reactive nitrogen releases from rice production with simultaneous incorporation of wheat straw and nitrogen fertilizer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, Longlong; Xia, Yongqiu; Ma, Shutan; Wang, Jinyang; Wang, Shuwei; Zhou, Wei; Yan, Xiaoyuan

2016-08-01

Impacts of simultaneous inputs of crop straw and nitrogen (N) fertilizer on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and N losses from rice production are not well understood. A 2-year field experiment was established in a rice-wheat cropping system in the Taihu Lake region (TLR) of China to evaluate the GHG intensity (GHGI) as well as reactive N intensity (NrI) of rice production with inputs of wheat straw and N fertilizer. The field experiment included five treatments of different N fertilization rates for rice production: 0 (RN0), 120 (RN120), 180 (RN180), 240 (RN240), and 300 kg N ha-1 (RN300, traditional N application rate in the TLR). Wheat straws were fully incorporated into soil before rice transplantation. The meta-analytic technique was employed to evaluate various Nr losses. Results showed that the response of rice yield to N rate successfully fitted a quadratic model, while N fertilization promoted Nr discharges exponentially (nitrous oxide emission, N leaching, and runoff) or linearly (ammonia volatilization). The GHGI of rice production ranged from 1.20 (RN240) to 1.61 kg CO2 equivalent (CO2 eq) kg-1 (RN0), while NrI varied from 2.14 (RN0) to 10.92 g N kg-1 (RN300). Methane (CH4) emission dominated the GHGI with a proportion of 70.2-88.6 % due to direct straw incorporation, while ammonia (NH3) volatilization dominated the NrI with proportion of 53.5-57.4 %. Damage costs to environment incurred by GHG and Nr releases from current rice production (RN300) accounted for 8.8 and 4.9 % of farmers' incomes, respectively. Cutting N application rate from 300 (traditional N rate) to 240 kg N ha-1 could improve rice yield and nitrogen use efficiency by 2.14 and 10.30 %, respectively, while simultaneously reducing GHGI by 13 %, NrI by 23 %, and total environmental costs by 16 %. Moreover, the reduction of 60 kg N ha-1 improved farmers' income by CNY 639 ha-1, which would provide them with an incentive to change the current N application rate. Our study suggests that GHG and Nr releases, especially for CH4 emission and NH3 volatilization, from rice production in the TLR could be further reduced, considering the current incorporation pattern of wheat straw and N fertilizer.

Structural features of reconstituted wheat wax films

PubMed Central

Pambou, Elias; Li, Zongyi; Campana, Mario; Hughes, Arwel; Clifton, Luke; Gutfreund, Philipp; Foundling, Jill

2016-01-01

Cuticular waxes are essential for the well-being of all plants, from controlling the transport of water and nutrients across the plant surface to protecting them against external environmental attacks. Despite their significance, our current understanding regarding the structure and function of the wax film is limited. In this work, we have formed representative reconstituted wax film models of controlled thicknesses that facilitated an ex vivo study of plant cuticular wax film properties by neutron reflection (NR). Triticum aestivum L. (wheat) waxes were extracted from two different wheat straw samples, using two distinct extraction methods. Waxes extracted from harvested field-grown wheat straw using supercritical CO2 are compared with waxes extracted from laboratory-grown wheat straw via wax dissolution by chloroform rinsing. Wax films were produced by spin-coating the two extracts onto silicon substrates. Atomic force microscopy and cryo-scanning electron microscopy imaging revealed that the two reconstituted wax film models are ultrathin and porous with characteristic nanoscale extrusions on the outer surface, mimicking the structure of epicuticular waxes found upon adaxial wheat leaf surfaces. On the basis of solid–liquid and solid–air NR and ellipsometric measurements, these wax films could be modelled into two representative layers, with the diffuse underlying layer fitted with thicknesses ranging from approximately 65 to 70 Å, whereas the surface extrusion region reached heights exceeding 200 Å. Moisture-controlled NR measurements indicated that water penetrated extensively into the wax films measured under saturated humidity and under water, causing them to hydrate and swell significantly. These studies have thus provided a useful structural basis that underlies the function of the epicuticular waxes in controlling the water transport of crops. PMID:27466439

Rapid estimation of sugar release from winter wheat straw during bioethanol production using FTIR-photoacoustic spectroscopy

DOE PAGES

Bekiaris, Georgios; Lindedam, Jane; Peltre, Clément; ...

2015-06-18

Complexity and high cost are the main limitations for high-throughput screening methods for the estimation of the sugar release from plant materials during bioethanol production. In addition, it is important that we improve our understanding of the mechanisms by which different chemical components are affecting the degradability of plant material. In this study, Fourier transform infrared photoacoustic spectroscopy (FTIR-PAS) was combined with advanced chemometrics to develop calibration models predicting the amount of sugars released after pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis of wheat straw during bioethanol production, and the spectra were analysed to identify components associated with recalcitrance. A total of 1122more » wheat straw samples from nine different locations in Denmark and one location in the United Kingdom, spanning a large variation in genetic material and environmental conditions during growth, were analysed. The FTIR-PAS spectra of non-pretreated wheat straw were correlated with the measured sugar release, determined by a high-throughput pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis (HTPH) assay. A partial least square regression (PLSR) calibration model predicting the glucose and xylose release was developed. The interpretation of the regression coefficients revealed a positive correlation between the released glucose and xylose with easily hydrolysable compounds, such as amorphous cellulose and hemicellulose. Additionally, we observed a negative correlation with crystalline cellulose and lignin, which inhibits cellulose and hemicellulose hydrolysis. FTIR-PAS was used as a reliable method for the rapid estimation of sugar release during bioethanol production. The spectra revealed that lignin inhibited the hydrolysis of polysaccharides into monomers, while the crystallinity of cellulose retarded its hydrolysis into glucose. Amorphous cellulose and xylans were found to contribute significantly to the released amounts of glucose and xylose, respectively.« less

Biogeochemical Processes That Produce Dissolved Organic Matter From Wheat Straw

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wershaw, Robert L.; Rutherford, David W.; Leenheer, Jerry A.; Kennedy, Kay R.; Cox, Larry G.; Koci, Donald R.

2003-01-01

The chemical reactions that lead to the formation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in natural waters are poorly understood. Studies on the formation of DOM generally are complicated because almost all DOM isolates have been derived from mixtures of plant species composed of a wide variety of different types of precursor compounds for DOM formation. This report describes a study of DOM derived mainly from bales of wheat straw that had been left in a field for several years. During this period of time, black water from the decomposing wheat straw accumulated in pools in the field. The nuclear magnetic resonance and infrared spectra of the black water DOM indicate that it is composed almost entirely of lignin and carbohydrate polymeric units. Analysis by high-performance size-exclusion chromatography with multi-angle laser-light scattering detection indicates that the number average molecular weight of the DOM is 124,000 daltons. The results presented in this report indicate that the black water DOM is composed of hemicellulose chains cross-linked to lignin oligomers. These types of structures have been shown to exist in the hemicellulose matrix of plant cell walls. The cross-linked lignin-hemicellulose complexes apparently were released from partially degraded wheat-straw cell walls with little alteration. In solution in the black water, these lignin-hemicellulose polymers fold into compact globular particles in which the nonpolar parts of the polymer form the interiors of the particles and the polar groups are on the exterior surfaces of the particles. The tightly folded, compact conformation of these particles probably renders them relatively resistant to microbial degradation. This should be especially the case for the aromatic lignin structures that will be buried in the interiors of the particles.

Amino acid production from rice straw and wheat bran hydrolysates by recombinant pentose-utilizing Corynebacterium glutamicum.

PubMed

Gopinath, Vipin; Meiswinkel, Tobias M; Wendisch, Volker F; Nampoothiri, K Madhavan

2011-12-01

Corynebacterium glutamicum wild type lacks the ability to utilize the pentose fractions of lignocellulosic hydrolysates, but it is known that recombinants expressing the araBAD operon and/or the xylA gene from Escherichia coli are able to grow with the pentoses xylose and arabinose as sole carbon sources. Recombinant pentose-utilizing strains derived from C. glutamicum wild type or from the L-lysine-producing C. glutamicum strain DM1729 utilized arabinose and/or xylose when these were added as pure chemicals to glucose-based minimal medium or when they were present in acid hydrolysates of rice straw or wheat bran. The recombinants grew to higher biomass concentrations and produced more L-glutamate and L-lysine, respectively, than the empty vector control strains, which utilized the glucose fraction. Typically, arabinose and xylose were co-utilized by the recombinant strains along with glucose either when acid rice straw and wheat bran hydrolysates were used or when blends of pure arabinose, xylose, and glucose were used. With acid hydrolysates growth, amino acid production and sugar consumption were delayed and slower as compared to media with blends of pure arabinose, xylose, and glucose. The ethambutol-triggered production of up to 93 ± 4 mM L-glutamate by the wild type-derived pentose-utilizing recombinant and the production of up to 42 ± 2 mM L-lysine by the recombinant pentose-utilizing lysine producer on media containing acid rice straw or wheat bran hydrolysate as carbon and energy source revealed that acid hydrolysates of agricultural waste materials may provide an alternative feedstock for large-scale amino acid production.

Rapid estimation of sugar release from winter wheat straw during bioethanol production using FTIR-photoacoustic spectroscopy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bekiaris, Georgios; Lindedam, Jane; Peltre, Clément

Complexity and high cost are the main limitations for high-throughput screening methods for the estimation of the sugar release from plant materials during bioethanol production. In addition, it is important that we improve our understanding of the mechanisms by which different chemical components are affecting the degradability of plant material. In this study, Fourier transform infrared photoacoustic spectroscopy (FTIR-PAS) was combined with advanced chemometrics to develop calibration models predicting the amount of sugars released after pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis of wheat straw during bioethanol production, and the spectra were analysed to identify components associated with recalcitrance. A total of 1122more » wheat straw samples from nine different locations in Denmark and one location in the United Kingdom, spanning a large variation in genetic material and environmental conditions during growth, were analysed. The FTIR-PAS spectra of non-pretreated wheat straw were correlated with the measured sugar release, determined by a high-throughput pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis (HTPH) assay. A partial least square regression (PLSR) calibration model predicting the glucose and xylose release was developed. The interpretation of the regression coefficients revealed a positive correlation between the released glucose and xylose with easily hydrolysable compounds, such as amorphous cellulose and hemicellulose. Additionally, we observed a negative correlation with crystalline cellulose and lignin, which inhibits cellulose and hemicellulose hydrolysis. FTIR-PAS was used as a reliable method for the rapid estimation of sugar release during bioethanol production. The spectra revealed that lignin inhibited the hydrolysis of polysaccharides into monomers, while the crystallinity of cellulose retarded its hydrolysis into glucose. Amorphous cellulose and xylans were found to contribute significantly to the released amounts of glucose and xylose, respectively.« less

Flowability parameters for chopped switchgrass, wheat straw and corn stover

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chevanan, Nehru; Womac, A.R.; Bitra, V.S.P.

2009-02-01

A direct shear cell to measure the shear strength and flow properties of chopped switchgrass, wheat straw, and corn stover was designed, fabricated, and tested. Yield loci (r2=0.99) determined at pre-consolidation pressures of 3.80 kPa and 5.02 kPa indicated that chopped biomass followed Mohr-Coulomb failure. Normal stress significantly affected the displacement required for shear failure, as well as the friction coefficient values for all three chopped biomass types. Displacement at shear failure ranged from 30 to 80 mm, and depended on pre-consolidation pressure, normal stress, and particle size. Friction coefficient was inversely related to normal stress, and was highest formore » chopped corn stover. Also, chopped corn stover exhibited the highest angle of internal friction, unconfined yield strength, major consolidation strength, and cohesive strength, all of which indicated increased challenges in handling chopped corn stover. The measured angle of internal friction and cohesive strength indicated that chopped biomass cannot be handled by gravity alone. The measured angle of internal friction and cohesive strength were 43 and 0.75 kPa for chopped switchgrass; 44 and 0.49 kPa for chopped wheat straw; and 48 and 0.82 kPa for chopped corn stover. Unconfined yield strength and major consolidation strength used for characterization of bulk flow materials and design of hopper dimensions were 3.4 and 10.4 kPa for chopped switchgrass; 2.3 and 9.6 kPa for chopped wheat straw and 4.2 and 11.8 kPa for chopped corn stover. These results are useful for development of efficient handling, storage, and transportation systems for biomass in biorefineries.« less

Effect of inorganic nitrogenous fertilizer on productivity of recently reclaimed saline sodic soils with and without biofertilizer.

PubMed

Mehdi, S M; Sarfraz, M; Shabbir, G; Abbas, G

2007-07-15

Saline sodic soils after reclamation become infertile due to leaching of most of the nutrients along with salts from the rooting medium. Microbes can play a vital role in the productivity improvement of such soils. In this study a saline sodic field having EC, 6.5 dS m(-1), pH, 9.1 and gypsum requirement (GR) 3.5 tons acre(-1) was reclaimed by applying gypsum at the rate of 100% GR. Rice and wheat crops were transplanted/sown for three consecutive years. Inorganic nitrogenous fertilizer was used with and without biofertilizers i.e., Biopower (Azospirillum) for rice and diazotroph inoculums for wheat. Nitrogen was applied at the rate of 0, 75% of recommended dose (RD), RD, 125% of RD and 150% of RD. Recommended dose of P without K was applied to all the plots. Biopower significantly improved Paddy and straw yield of rice over inorganic nitrogenous fertilizer. In case of wheat diazotroph inoculum improved grain and straw yield significantly over inorganic nitrogenous fertilizer. Among N fertilizer rates, RD + 25% additional N fertilizer was found to be the best dose for rice and wheat production in recently reclaimed soils. Nitrogen concentration and its uptake by paddy, grain and straw were also increased by biopower and diazotroph inoculum over inorganic nitrogenous fertilizer. Among N fertilizer rates, RD + 25% additional N fertilizer was found to be the best dose for nitrogen concentration and its uptake by paddy, grain and straw. Total soil N, available P and extractable K were increased while salinity/sodicity parameters were decreased with the passage of time. The productivity of the soil was improved more by biofertilizers over inorganic N fertilizers.

Effects of an acid/alkaline treatment on the release of antioxidants and cellulose from different agro-food wastes.

PubMed

Vadivel, Vellingiri; Moncalvo, Alessandro; Dordoni, Roberta; Spigno, Giorgia

2017-06-01

The present investigation was aimed to evaluate the release of both antioxidants and cellulosic fibre from different agro-food wastes. Cost-effective and easily available agro-food residues (brewers' spent grains, hazelnut shells, orange peels and wheat straw) were selected and submitted to a double-step acid/alkaline fractionation process. The obtained acid and alkaline liquors were analysed for total phenols content and antioxidant capacity. The final fibre residue was analysed for the cellulose, lignin and hemicellulose content. The total phenols content and antioxidant capacity of the acid liquors were higher than the alkaline hydrolysates. Orange peels and wheat straw gave, respectively, the highest (19.70±0.68mg/g dm ) and the lowest (4.70±0.29mg/g dm ) total phenols release. Correlation between antioxidant capacity of the liquors and their origin depended on the analytical assay used to evaluate it. All the acid liquors were also rich in sugar degradation products (mainly furfural). HPLC analysis revealed that the most abundant phenolic compound in the acid liquors was vanillin for brewers' spent grains, hazelnut shells and wheat straw, and p-hydroxybenzoic acid for orange peels. Wheat straw served as the best raw material for cellulose isolation, providing a final residue with a high cellulose content (84%) which corresponded to 45% of the original cellulose. The applied process removed more than 90% of the hemicellulose fraction in all the samples, while delignification degree ranged from 67% (in hazelnut shells), to 93% (in brewers' spent grains). It was not possible to select a unique raw material for the release of highest levels of both total phenols and cellulose. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Water–use efficiency of dryland wheat in response to mulching and tillage practices on the Loess Plateau

PubMed Central

Wang, Li-fang; Shangguan, Zhou-ping

2015-01-01

Mulching and tillage are widely considered to be major practices for improving soil and water conservation where water is scarce. This paper studied the effects of FM (flat mulching), RFM (ridge-furrow mulching), SM (straw mulching), MTMC (mulching with two materials combined), MOM (mulching with other materials), NT (no-tillage) ST (subsoiling tillage) and RT (rotational tillage) on wheat yield based on a synthesis of 85 recent publications (including 2795 observations at 24 sites) in the Loess Plateau, China. This synthesis suggests that wheat yield was in the range of 259–7898 kg ha−1 for FM and RFM. The sequence of water use efficiency (WUE) effect sizes was similar to that of wheat yield for the practices. Wheat yields were more sensitive to soil water at planting covered by plastic film, wheat straw, liquid film, water-permeable plastic film and sand compared to NT, ST and RT. RFM and RT increased the yields of wheat by 18 and 15%, respectively, and corresponding for WUE by 20.11 and 12.50%. This synthesis demonstrates that RFM was better for avoiding the risk of reduced production due to lack of precipitation; however, under conditions of better soil moisture, RT and MTMC were also economic. PMID:26192158

Lactic acid production from lime-treated wheat straw by Bacillus coagulans: neutralization of acid by fed-batch addition of alkaline substrate

PubMed Central

Maas, Ronald H. W.; Bakker, Robert R.; Jansen, Mickel L. A.; Visser, Diana; de Jong, Ed; Eggink, Gerrit

2008-01-01

Conventional processes for lignocellulose-to-organic acid conversion requires pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, and microbial fermentation. In this study, lime-treated wheat straw was hydrolyzed and fermented simultaneously to lactic acid by an enzyme preparation and Bacillus coagulans DSM 2314. Decrease in pH because of lactic acid formation was partially adjusted by automatic addition of the alkaline substrate. After 55 h of incubation, the polymeric glucan, xylan, and arabinan present in the lime-treated straw were hydrolyzed for 55%, 75%, and 80%, respectively. Lactic acid (40.7 g/l) indicated a fermentation efficiency of 81% and a chiral l(+)-lactic acid purity of 97.2%. In total, 711 g lactic acid was produced out of 2,706 g lime-treated straw, representing 43% of the overall theoretical maximum yield. Approximately half of the lactic acid produced was neutralized by fed-batch feeding of lime-treated straw, whereas the remaining half was neutralized during the batch phase with a Ca(OH)2 suspension. Of the lime added during the pretreatment of straw, 61% was used for the neutralization of lactic acid. This is the first demonstration of a process having a combined alkaline pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass and pH control in fermentation resulting in a significant saving of lime consumption and avoiding the necessity to recycle lime. PMID:18247027

PCDD/F EMISSIONS FROM BURNING WHEAT AND RICE FIELD RESIDUE

EPA Science Inventory

The paper presents the first known values for emissions of polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDDs/Fs) from combustion of agricultural field biomass. Wheat and rice straw stubble collected from two western U.S. states were tested in a field burn simulation to dete...

[Effects of different fertilization regimes on weed communities in wheat fields under rice-wheat cropping system].

PubMed

Yuan, Fang; Li, Yong; Li, Fen-hua; Sun, Guo-jun; Han, Min; Zhang, Hai-yan; Ji, Zhong; Wu, Chen-yu

2016-01-01

To reveal the effects of different fertilization regimes on weed communities in wheat fields under a rice-wheat rotation system, a survey was conducted before wheat harvest in 2014 after a 4-year long-term recurrent fertilization scheme. Weed species types, density, height and diversity index under different fertilization and straw-returning schemes in wheat fields were studied and complemented with a canonical correspondence analysis on weed community distribution and soil nutrient factors. Twenty weed species were recorded among 36 wheat fields belonging to 19 genera and 11 families. Beckmannia syzigachne, Hemistepta lyrata, Malachium aquaticum and Cnidium monnieri were widely distributed throughout the sampled area. Long-term fertilization appeared to reduce weed species richness and density, particularly for broadleaf weeds, but increased weed height. Diversity and evenness indices of weed communities were lower and dominance indices were higher in fields where chemical fertilizers were applied alone or combined with organic fertilizers, especially, where organic-inorganic compound fertilizer was used, in which it readily caused the outbreak of a dominant species and severe damage. Conversely, diversity and evenness indices of weed communities were higher and dominance indices were lower when the straw was returned to the field combined with chemical or organic fertilizers, in which weed community structures were complex and stable with lower weed density. Under these conditions weeds only caused slight reduction of wheat growth.

Effect of inorganic amendments for in situ stabilization of cadmium in contaminated soils and its phyto-availability to wheat and rice under rotation.

PubMed

Rehman, Muhammad Zia-ur; Rizwan, Muhammad; Ghafoor, Abdul; Naeem, Asif; Ali, Shafaqat; Sabir, Muhammad; Qayyum, Muhammad Farooq

2015-11-01

Cadmium (Cd) toxicity is a widespread problem in crops grown on contaminated soils, and little information is available on the role of inorganic amendments in Cd immobilization, uptake, and tolerance in crops especially under filed conditions. The effect of three amendments, monoammonium phosphate (MAP), gypsum, and elemental sulfur (S), on Cd immobilization in soil and uptake in wheat and rice plants, under rotation, were investigated under field conditions receiving raw city effluent since >20 years and contaminated with Cd. Three levels of each treatment, 0.2, 0.4, and 0.8% by weight, were applied at the start of the experiment, and wheat was sown in the field. After wheat harvesting, rice was sown in the same field without application of amendments. Both crops were harvested at physiological maturity, and data regarding grain yield, straw biomass, Cd concentrations, and uptake in grain and straw, and bioavailable Cd in soil and soil pH were recorded. Both MAP and gypsum application increased grain yield and biomass of wheat and rice, while S application did not increase the yield of both crops. MAP and gypsum amendments decreased gain and straw Cd concentrations and uptake in both crops, while S application increased Cd concentrations in these parts which were correlated with soil bioavailable Cd. We conclude that MAP and gypsum amendments could be used to decrease Cd uptake by plants receiving raw city effluents, and gypsum might be a better amendment for in situ immobilization of Cd due to its low cost and frequent availability.

Preparation of wheat straw based superabsorbent resins and their applications as adsorbents for ammonium and phosphate removal.

PubMed

Liu, Jia; Su, Yuan; Li, Qian; Yue, Qinyan; Gao, Baoyu

2013-09-01

A novel wheat straw cellulose-g-poly (potassium acrylate)/polyvinyl alcohol (WSC-g-PKA/PVA) semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (semi-IPNs) superabsorbent resin (SAR) was prepared by graft copolymerization. The structure and performance of the WSC-g-PKA/PVA semi-IPNs SAR was studied and compared with those of wheat straw cellulose-g-poly (potassium acrylate) (WSC-g-PKA) SAR. The effects of various experimental parameters such as solution pH, concentration, contact time and ion strength on NH4(+) and PO4(3-) removal from solutions were investigated. Equilibrium isotherm data of adsorption of both NH4(+) and PO4(3-) were well fitted to the Freundlich model. Kinetic analysis showed that the pseudo-second-order kinetic model was more suitable for describing the whole adsorption process of NH4(+) and PO4(3-) on SARs. Overall, WSC-g-PKA/PVA semi-IPNs SAR showed better properties in comparison with WSC-g-PKA SAR and it could be considered as one efficient material for the removal and recovery of nitrogen and phosphorus with the agronomic reuse as a fertilizer. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enzymatic hydrolysis optimization of microwave alkali pretreated wheat straw and ethanol production by yeast.

PubMed

Singh, Anita; Bishnoi, Narsi R

2012-03-01

Microwave alkali pretreated wheat straw was used for in-house enzyme production by Aspergillusflavus and Trichodermareesei. Produced enzymes were concentrated, pooled and assessed for the hydrolysis of pretreated wheat straw. Factors affecting hydrolysis were screened out by Placket-Burman design (PBD) and most significant factors were further optimized by Box-Behnken design (BBD). Under optimum conditions, 82% efficiency in hydrolysis yield was observed. After the optimization by response surface methodology (RSM), a model was proposed to predict the optimum value confirmed by the experimental results. The concentrated enzymatic hydrolyzate was fermented for ethanol production by Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Pichia stipitis and co-culture of both. The yield of ethanol was found to be 0.48 g(p)/g(s), 0.43 g(p)/g(s) and 0.40 g(p)/g(s) by S. cerevisiae, P. stipitis and by co-culture, respectively, using concentrated enzymatic hydrolyzate. During anaerobic fermentation 42.31 μmol/mL, 36.69 μmol/mL, 43.35 μmol/mL CO(2) was released by S. cerevisiae, P. stipitis and by co-culture, respectively. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Total solids content: a key parameter of metabolic pathways in dry anaerobic digestion

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background In solid-state anaerobic digestion (AD) bioprocesses, hydrolytic and acidogenic microbial metabolisms have not yet been clarified. Since these stages are particularly important for the establishment of the biological reaction, better knowledge could optimize the process performances by process parameters adjustment. Results This study demonstrated the effect of total solids (TS) content on microbial fermentation of wheat straw with six different TS contents ranging from wet to dry conditions (10 to 33% TS). Three groups of metabolic behaviors were distinguished based on wheat straw conversion rates with 2,200, 1,600, and 1,400 mmol.kgVS-1 of fermentative products under wet (10 and 14% TS), dry (19 to 28% TS), and highly dry (28 to 33% TS) conditions, respectively. Furthermore, both wet and dry fermentations showed acetic and butyric acid metabolisms, whereas a mainly butyric acid metabolism occurred in highly dry fermentation. Conclusion Substrate conversion was reduced with no changes of the metabolic pathways until a clear limit at 28% TS content, which corresponded to the threshold value of free water content of wheat straw. This study suggested that metabolic pathways present a limit of TS content for high-solid AD. PMID:24261971

Wheat straw biochar-supported nanoscale zerovalent iron for removal of trichloroethylene from groundwater

PubMed Central

Li, Hui; Chen, Ya Qin; Chen, Shuai; Wang, Xiao Li; Guo, Shu; Qiu, Yue Feng; Liu, Yong Di; Duan, Xiao Li; Yu, Yun Jiang

2017-01-01

This study synthesized the wheat straw biochar-supported nanoscale zerovalent iron (BC-nZVI) via in-situ reduction with NaBH4 and biochar pyrolyzed at 600°C. Wheat straw biochar, as a carrier, significantly enhanced the removal of trichloroethylene (TCE) by nZVI. The pseudo-first-order rate constant of TCE removal by BC-nZVI (1.079 h−1) within 260 min was 1.4 times higher and 539.5 times higher than that of biochar and nZVI, respectively. TCE was 79% dechlorinated by BC-nZVI within 15 h, but only 11% dechlorinated by unsupported nZVI, and no TCE dechlorination occurred with unmodified biochar. Weakly acidic solution (pH 5.7–6.8) significantly enhanced the dechlorination of TCE. Chloride enhanced the removal of TCE, while SO42−, HCO3− and NO3− all inhibited it. Humic acid (HA) inhibited BC-nZVI reactivity, but the inhibition decreased slightly as the concentration of HA increased from 40 mg∙L-1 to 80 mg∙L-1, which was due to the electron shutting by HA aggregates. Results suggest that BC-nZVI was promising for remediation of TCE contaminated groundwater. PMID:28264061

Wheat straw biochar-supported nanoscale zerovalent iron for removal of trichloroethylene from groundwater.

PubMed

Li, Hui; Chen, Ya Qin; Chen, Shuai; Wang, Xiao Li; Guo, Shu; Qiu, Yue Feng; Liu, Yong Di; Duan, Xiao Li; Yu, Yun Jiang

2017-01-01

This study synthesized the wheat straw biochar-supported nanoscale zerovalent iron (BC-nZVI) via in-situ reduction with NaBH4 and biochar pyrolyzed at 600°C. Wheat straw biochar, as a carrier, significantly enhanced the removal of trichloroethylene (TCE) by nZVI. The pseudo-first-order rate constant of TCE removal by BC-nZVI (1.079 h-1) within 260 min was 1.4 times higher and 539.5 times higher than that of biochar and nZVI, respectively. TCE was 79% dechlorinated by BC-nZVI within 15 h, but only 11% dechlorinated by unsupported nZVI, and no TCE dechlorination occurred with unmodified biochar. Weakly acidic solution (pH 5.7-6.8) significantly enhanced the dechlorination of TCE. Chloride enhanced the removal of TCE, while SO42-, HCO3- and NO3- all inhibited it. Humic acid (HA) inhibited BC-nZVI reactivity, but the inhibition decreased slightly as the concentration of HA increased from 40 mg∙L-1 to 80 mg∙L-1, which was due to the electron shutting by HA aggregates. Results suggest that BC-nZVI was promising for remediation of TCE contaminated groundwater.

Polylactide-based renewable green composites from agricultural residues and their hybrids.

PubMed

Nyambo, Calistor; Mohanty, Amar K; Misra, Manjusri

2010-06-14

Agricultural natural fibers like jute, kenaf, sisal, flax, and industrial hemp have been extensively studied in green composites. The continuous supply of biofibers in high volumes to automotive part makers has raised concerns. Because extrusion followed by injection molding drastically reduces the aspect ratio of biofibers, the mechanical performance of injection molded agricultural residue and agricultural fiber-based composites are comparable. Here, the use of inexpensive agricultural residues and their hybrids that are 8-10 times cheaper than agricultural fibers is demonstrated to be a better way of getting sustainable materials with better performance. Green renewable composites from polylactide (PLA), agricultural residues (wheat straw, corn stover, soy stalks, and their hybrids) were successfully prepared through twin-screw extrusion, followed by injection molding. The effect on mechanical properties of varying the wheat straw amount from 10 to 40 wt % in PLA-wheat straw composites was studied. Tensile moduli were compared with theoretical calculations from the rule of mixture (ROM). Combination of agricultural residues as hybrids is proved to reduce the supply chain concerns for injection molded green composites. Densities of the green composites were found to be lower than those of conventional glass fiber composites.

Optimizing Phosphoric Acid plus Hydrogen Peroxide (PHP) Pretreatment on Wheat Straw by Response Surface Method for Enzymatic Saccharification.

PubMed

Qiu, Jingwen; Wang, Qing; Shen, Fei; Yang, Gang; Zhang, Yanzong; Deng, Shihuai; Zhang, Jing; Zeng, Yongmei; Song, Chun

2017-03-01

Wheat straw was pretreated by phosphoric acid plus hydrogen peroxide (PHP), in which temperature, time, and H 3 PO 4 proportion for pretreatment were investigated by using response surface method. Results indicated that hemicellulose and lignin removal positively responded to the increase of pretreatment temperature, H 3 PO 4 proportion, and time. H 3 PO 4 proportion was the most important variable to control cellulose recovery, followed by pretreatment temperature and time. Moreover, these three variables all negatively related to cellulose recovery. Increasing H 3 PO 4 proportion can improve enzymatic hydrolysis; however, reduction on cellulose recovery results in decrease of glucose yield. Extra high temperature or long time for pretreatment was not beneficial to enzymatic hydrolysis and glucose yield. Based on the criterion for minimizing H 3 PO 4 usage and maximizing glucose yield, the optimized pretreatment conditions was 40 °C, 2.0 h, and H 3 PO 4 proportion of 70.2 % (H 2 O 2 proportion of 5.2 %), by which glucose yielded 299 mg/g wheat straw (946.2 mg/g cellulose) after 72-h enzymatic hydrolysis.

Registration of 'Norden' hard red spring wheat

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Grain yield, protein content, and straw strength are the three primary traits that growers consider when selecting wheat cultivars in the Red River Valley region of Minnesota and North Dakota. ‘Norden’ (PI 665250) was released by the University of Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station in 2012 b...

[Leaf water potential of spring wheat and field pea under different tillage patterns and its relationships with environmental factors].

PubMed

Zhang, Ming; Zhang, Ren-Zhi; Cai, Li-Qun

2008-07-01

Based on a long-term experiment, the leaf water potential of spring wheat and field pea, its relationships with environmental factors, and the diurnal variations of leaf relative water content and water saturation deficient under different tillage patterns were studied. The results showed that during whole growth period, field pea had an obviously higher leaf water potential than spring wheat, but the two crops had similar diurnal variation trend of their leaf water potential, i.e., the highest in early morning, followed by a descent, and a gradual ascent after the descent. For spring wheat, the maximum leaf water potential appeared at its jointing and heading stages, followed by at booting and flowering stages, and the minimum appeared at filling stage. For field pea, the maximum leaf water potential achieved at squaring stage, followed by at branching and flowering stages, and the minimum was at podding stage. The leaf relative water content of spring wheat was the highest at heading stage, followed by at jointing and flowering stages, and achieved the minimum at filling stage; while the water saturation deficient was just in adverse. With the growth of field pea, its leaf relative water content decreased, but leaf water saturation deficient increased. The leaf water potential of both spring wheat and field pea had significant correlations with environmental factors, including soil water content, air temperature, solar radiation, relative air humidity, and air water potential. Path analysis showed that the meteorological factor which had the strongest effect on the diurnal variation of spring wheat' s and field pea' s leaf water potential was air water potential and air temperature, respectively. Compared with conventional tillage, the protective tillage patterns no-till, no-till plus straw mulching, and conventional tillage plus straw returning increased the leaf water potential and relative water content of test crops, and the effect of no-till plus straw mulching was most significant.

β-galactosidase Production by Aspergillus niger ATCC 9142 Using Inexpensive Substrates in Solid-State Fermentation: Optimization by Orthogonal Arrays Design.

PubMed

Kazemi, Samaneh; Khayati, Gholam; Faezi-Ghasemi, Mohammad

2016-01-01

Enzymatic hydrolysis of lactose is one of the most important biotechnological processes in the food industry, which is accomplished by enzyme β-galactosidase (β-gal, β-D-galactoside galactohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.23), trivial called lactase. Orthogonal arrays design is an appropriate option for the optimization of biotechnological processes for the production of microbial enzymes. Design of experimental (DOE) methodology using Taguchi orthogonal array (OA) was employed to screen the most significant levels of parameters, including the solid substrates (wheat straw, rice straw, and peanut pod), the carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratios, the incubation time, and the inducer. The level of β-gal production was measured by a photometric enzyme activity assay using the artificial substrate ortho-Nitrophenyl-β-D-galactopyranoside. The results showed that C/N ratio (0.2% [w/v], incubation time (144 hour), and solid substrate (wheat straw) were the best conditions determined by the design of experiments using the Taguchi approach. Our finding showed that the use of rice straw and peanut pod, as solid-state substrates, led to 2.041-folds increase in the production of the enzyme, as compared to rice straw. In addition, the presence of an inducer did not have any significant impact on the enzyme production levels.

Effect of Straw Amendment on Soil Zn Availability and Ageing of Exogenous Water-Soluble Zn Applied to Calcareous Soil.

PubMed

Chen, Yanlong; Cui, Juan; Tian, Xiaohong; Zhao, Aiqing; Li, Meng; Wang, Shaoxia; Li, Xiushaung; Jia, Zhou; Liu, Ke

2017-01-01

Organic matter plays a key role in availability and transformation of soil Zn (zinc), which greatly controls Zn concentrations in cereal grains and human Zn nutrition level. Accordingly, soils homogenized with the wheat straw (0, 12 g straw kg-1) and Zn fertilizer (0, 7 mg Zn kg-1) were buried and incubated in the field over 210 days to explore the response of soil Zn availability and the ageing of exogenous Zn to straw addition. Results indicated that adding straw alone scarcely affected soil DTPA-Zn concentration and Zn fractions because of the low Zn concentration of wheat straw and the high soil pH, and large clay and calcium carbonate contents. However, adding exogenous Zn plus straw increased the DTPA-Zn abundance by about 5-fold and had the similar results to adding exogenous Zn alone, corresponding to the increased Zn fraction loosely bounded to organic matter, which had a more dominant presence in Zn reaction than soil other constituents such as carbonate and minerals in calcareous soil. The higher relative amount of ineffective Zn (~50%) after water soluble Zn addition also occurred, and at the days of 120-165 and 180-210when the natural temperature and rainfall changed mildly, the ageing process of exogenous Zn over time was well evaluated by the diffusion equation, respectively. Consequently, combining crop residues with exogenous water soluble Zn application is promising strategy to maximize the availability of Zn in calcareous soil, but the higher ageing rate of Zn caused by the higher Zn mobility should be considered.

Simultaneous bioconversion of barley straw to butanol and product recovery: use of concentrated sugar solution and process integration

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

As a result of increased gasoline prices, we focused on the production of butanol which contains more energy than ethanol on per gallon (or kg) basis from cellulosic agricultural biomass such as wheat straw using two different systems: i) separate hydrolysis, fermentation, and recovery (SHFR), and ...

Opportunities for using bio-based fibers for value-added composites

Treesearch

Zhiyong Cai; Jerrold E. Winandy

2006-01-01

Efficient and economical utilization of various bio-based materials is an effective way to improve forest management, promote long-term sustainability, and restore native ecosystems. However, the dilemma is how to deal with lesser used, undervalued or no-value bio-resources such as small diameter trees, agricultural residues (wheat straw, rice straw, and corn stalk),...

Ozonation and alkaline-peroxide pretreatment of wheat straw for Cryptococcus curvatus fermentation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenwalt, C. J.; Hunter, J. B.; Lin, S.; McKenzie, S.; Denvir, A.

2000-01-01

Crop residues in an Advanced Life Support System (ALS) contain many valuable components that could be recovered and used. Wheat is 60% inedible, with approximately 90% of the total sugars in the residue cellulose and hemicellulose. To release these sugars requires pretreatment followed by enzymatic hydrolysis. Cryptococcus curvatus, an oleaginous yeast, uses the sugars in cellulose and hemicellulose for growth and production of storage triglycerides. In this investigation, alkaline-peroxide and ozonation pretreatment methods were compared for their efficiency to release glucose and xylose to be used in the cultivation of C. curvatus. Leaching the biomass with water at 65 degrees C for 4 h prior to pretreatment facilitated saccharification. Alkaline-peroxide and ozone pretreatment were almost 100% and 80% saccharification efficient, respectively. The sugars derived from the hydrolysis of alkaline-peroxide-treated wheat straw supported the growth of C. curvatus and the production of edible single-cell oil.

Some ways of plants wastes utilization in bioregenerative life support systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kovaleva, N. P.; Tikhomirov, A. A.; Tirranen, L. S.; Ushakova, S. A.; Zolotukhin, I. G.; Anischenko, O. V.

In works on experimental modeling of bioregenerative life support systems BLSS carried out at Institute of Biophysics Russian Academy of Science Siberian Branch SB RAS the possibility of increase of a system closure degree under the condition of inedible plant biomass return into the organic matter turnover was demonstrated At the same time when radish inedible biomass was subjected to biological oxidation in soil-like substrate SLS after its drying then wheat straw was subjected to stepwise processing including mushrooms growing stage Mushrooms cultivation facilitated to lignin destruction and quicker straw decomposition On the other hand mushrooms growing required additional technological procedures leading to complication of a technological chain of straw processing The purpose of this work is to study the possibility of exclusion of mushrooms growing stage under straw pretreatment for its further use as an equivalent of radish edible biomass grown on SLS To solve the problem put by the radish cenosis in a conveyer regime was grown The conveyer included radish four ages with the conveyer step equal to 7 days The experiment consisted of two successive stages On the first stage radish was grown without straw addition into SLS control To return mineral elements into SLS the biomass grown was restored in SLS On the second stage inedible radish biomass and wheat straw were returned into SLS in the quantity equivalent to edible biomass The possibility of the method described was estimated according to plant productivity microbiological

Influence of several feeds on bacteria in sheep and goat rumen liquor in vitro.

PubMed

Gonzalez-Lopez, J; Salmeron, V; Ramos-Cormenzana, A; Silva-Colomer, J; Boza, J

1990-01-01

Bacteriological studies were made with in vitro sheep and goat ruminal fluids supplemented with several feeds (alfalfa hay, wheat straw, Agave americana, Opuntia ficus indica and Atriplex nummularia) during anaerobic incubation at 38-39 degrees C. Drastic changes in the bacterial population of sheep ruminal fluids occurred in the presence of different feeds, particularly with addition of feeds of low nutritional quality (wheat straw, A. americana and O. ficus indica). However, the bacterial population in goat rumen liquor was little affected by the addition of the same feeds. These results, which suggest that the rumen bacteria in goats are less affected by different nutritional conditions than the rumen bacteria in sheep, are discussed.

Effect of fertilizer prepared from human feces and straw on germination, growth and development of wheat

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Dianlei; Xie, Beizhen; Dong, Chen; Liu, Guanghui; Hu, Dawei; Qin, Youcai; Li, Hongyan; Liu, Hong

2018-04-01

Solid waste treatment is one of the most important rate-limiting steps in the material circulation and energy flow of Bioregenerative Life Support System (BLSS). In our previous work, an efficient and controllable solid waste bio-convertor has been built and a solid waste degradation efficiency of 41.0% has been reached during a 105-d BLSS experiment. However, the fermented residues should be further utilized to fulfill the closure of the system. One solution might be to use the residues as the fertilizer for plant cultivation. Thus in this study, substrates were prepared using different ratios of the fermented residues to the vermiculite. And the influences of different ratios of the fermented residues on the seed germination, growth, photosynthetic characteristics and antioxidant capacity of wheat were studied. The results showed that the optimal rate of the fermented residue was 5%. With this ratio, the seed germination reached 97.3% with the root length, shoot length and biomass production as 59 mm, 52 mm and 150 mg, respectively, at the 4th day. Besides, the highest straw height of 25.1 cm was obtained at the 21st day. The salinity adversely affected the growth and some relevant metabolic processes of wheat. The Group-40% led to the lowest seed germination of 34.7% and the minimum straw height of 15 cm. This inhibition might be caused by the high Na content of 2118 mg/kg in the fermented residues. Chlorophyll b was more sensitive to the mineral nutrition stress and affects the wheat photosynthetic characteristics. Higher reactive oxygen species levels and reduced antioxidant enzymes may contribute, directly and/or indirectly, to the decline in the observed pigment contents in wheat.

[Soil respiration and carbon balance in wheat field under conservation tillage].

PubMed

Zhang, Sai; Wang, Long-Chang; Huang, Zhao-Cun; Jia, Hui-Juan; Ran, Chun-Yan

2014-06-01

In order to study the characteristics of carbon sources and sinks in the winter wheat farmland ecosystem in southwest hilly region of China, the LI6400-09 respiratory chamber was adopted in the experiment conducted in the experimental field in Southwest University in Chongqing. The soil respiration and plant growth dynamics were analyzed during the growth period of wheat in the triple intercropping system of wheat-maize-soybean. Four treatments including T (traditional tillage), R (ridge tillage), TS (traditional tillage + straw mulching), and RS (ridge tillage + straw mulching) were designed. Root biomass regression (RR) and root exclusion (RE) were used to compare the contribution of root respiration to total soil respiration. The results showed that the average soil respiration rate was 1.71 micromol x (m2 x s)(-1) with a variation of 0.62-2.91 micromol x (m2 x s)(-1). Significant differences in soil respiration rate were detected among different treatments. The average soil respiration rate of T, R, TS and RS were 1.29, 1.59, 1.99 and 1.96 micromol x (m2 x s)(-1), respectively. R treatment did not increase the soil respiration rate significantly until the jointing stage. Straw mulching treatment significantly increased soil respiration, with a steadily high rate during the whole growth period. During the 169 days of growth, the total soil respiration was 2 266.82, 2799.52, 3 483.73 and 3 443.89 kg x hm(-2) while the cumulative aboveground biomasses were 51 800.84, 59 563.20, 66 015.37 and 7 1331.63 kg x hm(-2). Compared with the control, the yield of R, TS and RS increased by 14.99%, 27.44% and 37.70%, respectively. The contribution of root respiration to total soil respiration was 47.05% by RBR, while it was 53.97% by RE. In the early growth period, the carbon source was weak. The capacity of carbon sink started to increase at the jointing stage and reached the maximum during the filling stage. The carbon budget of wheat field was 5 924.512, 6743.807, 8350.741, 8 876.115 kg x hm(-2), respectively. The results indicated that ridge tillage and straw mulching conservation tillage significantly improved the carbon sink in the wheat farmland ecosystem.

Physical Characterization of Natural Straw Fibers as Aggregates for Construction Materials Applications

PubMed Central

Bouasker, Marwen; Belayachi, Naima; Hoxha, Dashnor; Al-Mukhtar, Muzahim

2014-01-01

The aim of this paper is to find out new alternative materials that respond to sustainable development criteria. For this purpose, an original utilization of straw for the design of lightweight aggregate concretes is proposed. Four types of straw were used: three wheat straws and a barley straw. In the present study, the morphology and the porosity of the different straw aggregates was studied by SEM in order to understand their effects on the capillary structure and the hygroscopic behavior. The physical properties such as sorption-desorption isotherms, water absorption coefficient, pH, electrical conductivity and thermo-gravimetric analysis were also studied. As a result, it has been found that this new vegetable material has a very low bulk density, a high water absorption capacity and an excellent hydric regulator. The introduction of the straw in the water tends to make the environment more basic; this observation can slow carbonation of the binder matrix in the presence of the straw. PMID:28788605

Effects of feeding alfalfa stemlage or wheat straw for dietary energy dilution on growth performance and sorting behaviors of holstein dairy heifers

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Feeding high-quality forage diets may lead to excessive weight gains and over-conditioning for pregnant Holstein heifers. Restriction of energy density and dry matter intake (DMI) by heifers by using low-energy forages, such as straw, is a good approach for controlling this problem. Alfalfa stems co...

Effects of feeding alfalfa stemlage or wheat straw for dietary energy dilution on nutrient intake and digestibility, growth performance and feeding behavior of holstein dairy heifers

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Feeding high-quality forage diets may lead to excessive weight gains and over-conditioning for dairy heifers. Restriction of energy density and dry matter intake by using low-energy forages, such as straw, is a good approach for controlling this problem. Alfalfa ...

Combined bioaugmentation with anaerobic ruminal fungi and fermentative bacteria to enhance biogas production from wheat straw and mushroom spent straw.

PubMed

Ferraro, Alberto; Dottorini, Giulia; Massini, Giulia; Mazzurco Miritana, Valentina; Signorini, Antonella; Lembo, Giuseppe; Fabbricino, Massimiliano

2018-07-01

Bioaugmentation with anaerobic ruminal fungi and a pool of hydrogen-producing fermenting bacteria was tested on wheat straw (WS) and mushroom spent straw (MSS) with the aim of improving anaerobic digestion performance. Batch tests were set up to simulate a Bioaugmentation Anaerobic Digestion (BAD) treatment comparing single- (I-BAD) and two-stage (II-BAD) process configurations, at two reactor scales, 120 and 1200 ml (×10). In both cases, higher CH 4 cumulative production was obtained in the II-BAD configuration on WS (65.1 ± 8.9 Nml and 922 ± 73.8 Nml respectively). The II-BADx10 tests allowed increasing CH 4 production (≃290% and ≃330% on WS and MSS, respectively) when compared to the unaugmented condition. Final results highlighted the achievable advantages of the two stage configuration in terms of CH 4 production enhancement. Microbial community investigations confirmed the efficiency of the bioaugmentation treatment and revealed that such a result was mainly related to the Methanosarcinales increase, mostly composed by Methanosaeta. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optimization of uncatalyzed steam explosion pretreatment of rapeseed straw for biofuel production.

PubMed

López-Linares, Juan C; Ballesteros, Ignacio; Tourán, Josefina; Cara, Cristóbal; Castro, Eulogio; Ballesteros, Mercedes; Romero, Inmaculada

2015-08-01

Rapeseed straw constitutes an agricultural residue with great potential as feedstock for ethanol production. In this work, uncatalyzed steam explosion was carried out as a pretreatment to increase the enzymatic digestibility of rapeseed straw. Experimental statistical design and response surface methodology were used to evaluate the influence of the temperature (185-215°C) and the process time (2.5-7.5min). According to the rotatable central composite design applied, 215°C and 7.5min were confirmed to be the optimal conditions, considering the maximization of enzymatic hydrolysis yield as optimization criterion. These conditions led to a maximum yield of 72.3%, equivalent to 81% of potential glucose in pretreated solid. Different configurations for bioethanol production from steam exploded rapeseed straw were investigated using the pretreated solid obtained under optimal conditions as a substrate. As a relevant result, concentrations of ethanol as high as 43.6g/L (5.5% by volume) were obtained as a consequence of using 20% (w/v) solid loading, equivalent to 12.4g ethanol/100g biomass. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of Earthworm (Eisenia fetida) and Wheat (Triticum aestivum) Straw Additions on Selected Properties of Petroleum-Contaminated Soils

Treesearch

Mac A. Callaham; Arthur J. Stewart; Clara Alarcon; Sara J. McMillen

2002-01-01

Current bioremediation techniques for petroleum-contaminated soils are designed to remove contaminants as quickly and efficiently as possible, but not necessarily with postremediation soil biological quality as a primary objective. To test a simple postbioremediation technique, we added earthworms (Eisenia fetida) or wheat (Triticum aestivum...

Liquid N and S fertilizer solutions effects on the mass, chemical, and shear strength properties of winter wheat (Triticum aestuvum) residue

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

To improve stand establishment in high crop residue situations, the utility of fertilizer to stimulate microbial decomposition of residue has been debated. Field experiments assessed winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) straw decomposition under different fertilizer rates and application timings at thre...

Experimental investigation into fast pyrolysis of biomass using an entrained-flow reactor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bohn, M.; Benham, C.

1981-02-01

Pyrolysis experiments were performed using 30 and 90cm entrained-flow reactors, with steam as a carrier gas and two different feedstocks - wheat straw and powdered material drived from municipal solid waste (ECO-II TM). Reactor wall temperature was varied from 700/sup 0/ to 1400/sup 0/C. Gas composition data from the ECO-II tests were comparable to previously reported data but ethylene yield appeared to vary with reactor wall temperature and residence time. The important conclusion from the wheat straw tests is that olefin yields are about one half that obtained from ECO-II. Evidence was found that high olefin yields from ECO-II aremore » due to the presence of plastics in the feedstock. Batch experiments were run on wheat straw using a Pyroprobe/sup TM/. The samples were heated at a high rate (20,000/sup 0/ C/sec) to 1000/sup 0/ and held at 1000/sup 0/C for a variable period of time from 0.05 to 4.95s. For times up to 0.15s volume fractions of ethylene, propylene, and methane increase while that of carbon dioxide decreases. Subsequently, only carbon monoxide and hydrogen are produced. The change may be related to poor thermal contact and suggests caution in using the Pyroprobe.« less

Bioethanol and lipid production from the enzymatic hydrolysate of wheat straw after furfural extraction.

PubMed

Brandenburg, Jule; Poppele, Ieva; Blomqvist, Johanna; Puke, Maris; Pickova, Jana; Sandgren, Mats; Rapoport, Alexander; Vedernikovs, Nikolajs; Passoth, Volkmar

2018-07-01

This study investigates biofuel production from wheat straw hydrolysate, from which furfural was extracted using a patented method developed at the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry. The solid remainder after furfural extraction, corresponding to 67.6% of the wheat straw dry matter, contained 69.9% cellulose of which 4% was decomposed during the furfural extraction and 26.3% lignin. Enzymatic hydrolysis released 44% of the glucose monomers in the cellulose. The resulting hydrolysate contained mainly glucose and very little amount of acetic acid. Xylose was not detectable. Consequently, the undiluted hydrolysate did not inhibit growth of yeast strains belonging to Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Lipomyces starkeyi, and Rhodotorula babjevae. In the fermentations, average final ethanol concentrations of 23.85 g/l were obtained, corresponding to a yield of 0.53 g ethanol per g released glucose. L. starkeyi generated lipids with a rate of 0.08 g/h and a yield of 0.09 g per g consumed glucose. R. babjevae produced lipids with a rate of 0.18 g/h and a yield of 0.17 per g consumed glucose. In both yeasts, desaturation increased during cultivation. Remarkably, the R. babjevae strain used in this study produced considerable amounts of heptadecenoic, α,- and γ-linolenic acid.

Measurement of process variables in solid-state fermentation of wheat straw using FT-NIR spectroscopy and synergy interval PLS algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Hui; Liu, Guohai; Mei, Congli; Yu, Shuang; Xiao, Xiahong; Ding, Yuhan

2012-11-01

The feasibility of rapid determination of the process variables (i.e. pH and moisture content) in solid-state fermentation (SSF) of wheat straw using Fourier transform near infrared (FT-NIR) spectroscopy was studied. Synergy interval partial least squares (siPLS) algorithm was implemented to calibrate regression model. The number of PLS factors and the number of subintervals were optimized simultaneously by cross-validation. The performance of the prediction model was evaluated according to the root mean square error of cross-validation (RMSECV), the root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) and the correlation coefficient (R). The measurement results of the optimal model were obtained as follows: RMSECV = 0.0776, Rc = 0.9777, RMSEP = 0.0963, and Rp = 0.9686 for pH model; RMSECV = 1.3544% w/w, Rc = 0.8871, RMSEP = 1.4946% w/w, and Rp = 0.8684 for moisture content model. Finally, compared with classic PLS and iPLS models, the siPLS model revealed its superior performance. The overall results demonstrate that FT-NIR spectroscopy combined with siPLS algorithm can be used to measure process variables in solid-state fermentation of wheat straw, and NIR spectroscopy technique has a potential to be utilized in SSF industry.

Rapid Assessment of In Situ Wheat Straw Residue Via Remote Sensing Platforms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sullivan, D. G.; Shaw, J. N.; Mask, P. L.; Rickman, D.; Luvall, J.; Wersinger, J. M.; Guertal, E. A.

2003-01-01

Crop residues influence near surface soil organic carbon content (SOC), impact our ability to remotely assess soil properties, and play a role in global carbon budgets. Methods that measure crop residues are laborious, and largely inappropriate for regional estimates. The objective of this study was to evaluate remote sensing (RS) data for rapid quantification of residue cover. In March 2000 and April 2001, residue plots (15 m x 15 m) were established in the Coastal Plain and Appalachian Plateau physiographic regions of Alabama. Treatments consisted of five wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) straw cover rates (0, 10, 20, 50, and 80%) replicated 3 times. Soil water content and residue decomposition were monitored. Spectral measurements were acquired via spectroradiometer (350 - 1050 nm), Airborne Terrestrial Applications Sensor (ATLAS) (400 - 12,500 nm), airborne color photography (400 - 600 nm), and IKONOS satellite (450 - 900 nm). Spectroradiometer data were acquired monthly, aircraft images yearly, and satellite per availability. Results showed all platforms successfully estimated residue cover variability using red, near infrared (NIR) and thermal infrared (TIR) regions of the spectrum. Airborne ATLAS imagery was best explaining as much as 98% of the variability in wheat straw cover. Spectroradiometer, color infrared photography, and IKONOS imagery accounted for 84, 56, and 24% of the variability, respectively.

Impact of a smelter closedown on metal contents of wheat cultivated in the neighbourhood.

PubMed

Douay, Francis; Roussel, Hélène; Pruvot, Christelle; Waterlot, Christophe

2008-03-01

The contamination of soils by heavy metals engenders important environmental and sanitary problems in Northern France where a smelter has been located for more than one hundred of years. It has been one of the most important Pb production sites in Europe until its closedown in March 2003. Ore smelting process generated considerable atmospheric emissions of dust. Despite an active environmental strategy, these emissions were still significant in 2002 with up to 17 tonnes of Pb, 32 tonnes of Zn and 1 tonne of Cd. Over the years, the generated deposits have led to an important contamination of the surrounding soils. Previous studies have shown pollutant transfers to plants, which can induce a risk for human and animal health. The objective of this study was to evaluate the consequences of the smelter closedown on the Cd and Pb contents of wheat (grain and straw) cultivated in the area. Paired topsoil and vegetable samples were taken at harvest time at various distances to the smelter. The sample sites were chosen in order to represent a large range of soil metal contamination. Sampling was realised on several wheat harvests between 1997 and 2003. 25 samples were collected before the smelter closedown and 15 after. All ears of about 1 m long of two rows were manually picked and threshed in the lab. Similarly, straw was harvested at the same time. Total metal contents in soil and wheat samples were quantified. A negative correlation between metal concentrations in soil and the distance to the smelter was shown. The wheat grain and straw showed significant Cd and Pb contents. The straw had higher metal contents than the grain. During the smelter activity, the grain contents were up to 0.8 mg kg(-1) DM of Cd and 8 mg kg(-1) DM of Pb. For the straw, maximum contents were 5 mg kg(-1) DM of Cd and 114 mg kg(-1) DM of Pb. After the smelter closedown, we observed a very large decrease of Pb in the grain (82%) and in the straw (91%). A smaller decrease was observed for Cd in grain. Despite this improvement, 80% of the studied samples remained non-acceptable for human consumption, according to the European legislation values, due to a high Cd content. Results highlighted a difference in metal accumulation in the plant organs as well as a difference in metal uptake. The approach pointed out the importance of atmospheric fallout in the wheat contamination pathways for Pb. The smelter closedown has lead to a decrease of the Pb content in wheat. It is interesting to relate this finding with the lead blood levels in children living close to the smelter. Those results have confirmed the importance of dust fallout in the plant contamination pathways. Before the closedown, Pb measured in the plant was principally originating from the smelter dust emissions. It raised the question of the sanitary risks for humans and animals living in the surrounding a of the smelter. In the literature, very few articles take the dust deposit as contamination pathways for crops into consideration. However, in highly contaminated sites, this pathway can be very important. Thus, it would be worthy studying the uptake of metal contaminants by plants through the foliar system.

Expression of Aspergillus niger CAZymes is determined by compositional changes in wheat straw generated by hydrothermal or ionic liquid pretreatments.

PubMed

Daly, Paul; van Munster, Jolanda M; Blythe, Martin J; Ibbett, Roger; Kokolski, Matt; Gaddipati, Sanyasi; Lindquist, Erika; Singan, Vasanth R; Barry, Kerrie W; Lipzen, Anna; Ngan, Chew Yee; Petzold, Christopher J; Chan, Leanne Jade G; Pullan, Steven T; Delmas, Stéphane; Waldron, Paul R; Grigoriev, Igor V; Tucker, Gregory A; Simmons, Blake A; Archer, David B

2017-01-01

The capacity of fungi, such as Aspergillus niger, to degrade lignocellulose is harnessed in biotechnology to generate biofuels and high-value compounds from renewable feedstocks. Most feedstocks are currently pretreated to increase enzymatic digestibility: improving our understanding of the transcriptomic responses of fungi to pretreated lignocellulosic substrates could help to improve the mix of activities and reduce the production costs of commercial lignocellulose saccharifying cocktails. We investigated the responses of A. niger to untreated, ionic liquid and hydrothermally pretreated wheat straw over a 5-day time course using RNA-seq and targeted proteomics. The ionic liquid pretreatment altered the cellulose crystallinity while retaining more of the hemicellulosic sugars than the hydrothermal pretreatment. Ionic liquid pretreatment of straw led to a dynamic induction and repression of genes, which was correlated with the higher levels of pentose sugars saccharified from the ionic liquid-pretreated straw. Hydrothermal pretreatment of straw led to reduced levels of transcripts of genes encoding carbohydrate-active enzymes as well as the derived proteins and enzyme activities. Both pretreatments abolished the expression of a large set of genes encoding pectinolytic enzymes. These reduced levels could be explained by the removal of parts of the lignocellulose by the hydrothermal pretreatment. The time course also facilitated identification of temporally limited gene induction patterns. The presented transcriptomic and biochemical datasets demonstrate that pretreatments caused modifications of the lignocellulose, to both specific structural features as well as the organisation of the overall lignocellulosic structure, that determined A. niger transcript levels. The experimental setup allowed reliable detection of substrate-specific gene expression patterns as well as hitherto non-expressed genes. Our data suggest beneficial effects of using untreated and IL-pretreated straw, but not HT-pretreated straw, as feedstock for CAZyme production.

Environmental performances of coproducts. Application of Claiming-Based Allocation models to straw and vetiver biorefineries in an Indian context.

PubMed

Gnansounou, Edgard; Raman, Jegannathan Kenthorai

2018-04-24

Among the renewables, non-food and wastelands based biofuels are essential for the transport sector to achieve country's climate mitigation targets. With the growing interest in biorefineries, setting policy requirements for other coproducts along with biofuels is necessary to improve the products portfolio of biorefinery, increase the bioproducts perception by the consumers and push the technology forward. Towards this context, Claiming-Based allocation models were used in comparative life cycle assessment of multiple products from wheat straw biorefinery and vetiver biorefinery. Vetiver biorefinery shows promising Greenhouse gas emission savings (181-213%) compared to the common crop based lignocellulose (wheat straw) biorefinery. Assistance of Claiming-Based Allocation models favors to find out the affordable allocation limit (0-80%) among the coproducts in order to achieve the individual prospective policy targets. Such models show promising application in multiproduct life cycle assessment studies where appropriate allocation is challenging to achieve the individual products emission subject to policy targets. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Carbon sequestration efficiency of organic amendments in a long-term experiment on a vertisol in Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, China.

PubMed

Hua, Keke; Wang, Daozhong; Guo, Xisheng; Guo, Zibin

2014-01-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration is important for improving soil fertility of cropland and for the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere. The efficiency of SOC sequestration depends on the quantity and quality of the organic matter, soil type, and climate. Little is known about the SOC sequestration efficiency of organic amendments in Vertisols. Thus, we conducted the research based on 29 years (1982-2011) of long-term fertilization experiment with a no fertilizer control and five fertilization regimes: CK (control, no fertilizer), NPK (mineral NPK fertilizers alone), NPK+1/2W (mineral NPK fertilizers combined with half the amount of wheat straw), NPK+W (mineral NPK fertilizers combined with full the amount of wheat straw), NPK+PM (mineral NPK fertilizers combined with pig manure) and NPK+CM (mineral NPK fertilizers combined cattle manure). Total mean annual C inputs were 0.45, 1.55, 2.66, 3.71, 4.68 and 6.56 ton/ha/yr for CK, NPK, NPKW1/2, NPKW, NPKPM and NPKCM, respectively. Mean SOC sequestration rate was 0.20 ton/ha/yr in the NPK treatment, and 0.39, 0.50, 0.51 and 0.97 ton/ha/yr in the NPKW1/2, NPKW, NPKPM, and NPKCM treatments, respectively. A linear relationship was observed between annual C input and SOC sequestration rate (SOCsequestration rate  = 0.16 Cinput -0.10, R = 0.95, P<0.01), suggesting a C sequestration efficiency of 16%. The Vertisol required an annual C input of 0.63 ton/ha/yr to maintain the initial SOC level. Moreover, the C sequestration efficiencies of wheat straw, pig manure and cattle manure were 17%, 11% and 17%, respectively. The results indicate that the Vertisol has a large potential to sequester SOC with a high efficiency, and applying cattle manure or wheat straw is a recommendable SOC sequestration practice in Vertisols.

Method for the control of NOx emissions in long-range space travel.

PubMed

Xu, X H; Shi, Y; Liu, S H; Wang, H P; Chang, S G; Fisher, J W; Pisharody, S; Moran, M; Wignarajah, K

2003-01-01

The wheat straw, an inedible biomass that can be continuously produced in a space vehicle has been used to produce activated carbon for effective control of NOx emissions from the incineration of wastes. The optimal carbonization temperature of wheat straw was found to be around 600 degrees C when a burnoff of 67% was observed. The BET surface area of the activated carbon produced from the wheat straw reached as high as 300 m2/g. The presence of oxygen in flue gas is essential for effective adsorption of NO by activated carbon. On the contrary, water vapor inhibits the adsorption efficiency of NO. Consequently, water vapor in flue gas should be removed by drying agents before adsorption to ensure high NO adsorption efficiency. All of the NO in the flue gas was removed for more than 2 h by the activated carbons when 10% oxygen was present and the ratio of carbon weight to the flue gas flow rate (W/F) was 30 g min/L, with a contact time of 10.2 s. All of NO was reduced to N2 by the activated carbon at 450 degrees C with a W/F ratio of 15 g min/L and a contact time of 5.1 s. Reduction of the adsorbed NO also regenerated the activated carbon, and the regenerated activated carbon exhibited an improved NO adsorption efficiency. However, the reduction of the adsorbed NO resulted in a loss of carbon which was determined to be about 0.99% of the activated carbon per cycle of regeneration. The sufficiency of the amount of wheat straw in providing the activated carbon based on a six-person crew, such as the mission planned for Mars, has been determined. This novel approach for the control of NOx emissions is sustainable in a closed system such as the case in space travel. It is simple to operate and is functional under microgravity environment.

Carbon Sequestration Efficiency of Organic Amendments in a Long-Term Experiment on a Vertisol in Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, China

PubMed Central

Hua, Keke; Wang, Daozhong; Guo, Xisheng; Guo, Zibin

2014-01-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration is important for improving soil fertility of cropland and for the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere. The efficiency of SOC sequestration depends on the quantity and quality of the organic matter, soil type, and climate. Little is known about the SOC sequestration efficiency of organic amendments in Vertisols. Thus, we conducted the research based on 29 years (1982–2011) of long-term fertilization experiment with a no fertilizer control and five fertilization regimes: CK (control, no fertilizer), NPK (mineral NPK fertilizers alone), NPK+1/2W (mineral NPK fertilizers combined with half the amount of wheat straw), NPK+W (mineral NPK fertilizers combined with full the amount of wheat straw), NPK+PM (mineral NPK fertilizers combined with pig manure) and NPK+CM (mineral NPK fertilizers combined cattle manure). Total mean annual C inputs were 0.45, 1.55, 2.66, 3.71, 4.68 and 6.56 ton/ha/yr for CK, NPK, NPKW1/2, NPKW, NPKPM and NPKCM, respectively. Mean SOC sequestration rate was 0.20 ton/ha/yr in the NPK treatment, and 0.39, 0.50, 0.51 and 0.97 ton/ha/yr in the NPKW1/2, NPKW, NPKPM, and NPKCM treatments, respectively. A linear relationship was observed between annual C input and SOC sequestration rate (SOCsequestration rate  = 0.16 Cinput –0.10, R = 0.95, P<0.01), suggesting a C sequestration efficiency of 16%. The Vertisol required an annual C input of 0.63 ton/ha/yr to maintain the initial SOC level. Moreover, the C sequestration efficiencies of wheat straw, pig manure and cattle manure were 17%, 11% and 17%, respectively. The results indicate that the Vertisol has a large potential to sequester SOC with a high efficiency, and applying cattle manure or wheat straw is a recommendable SOC sequestration practice in Vertisols. PMID:25265095

Multilevel composition fractionation process for high-value utilization of wheat straw cellulose.

PubMed

Chen, Hong-Zhang; Liu, Zhi-Hua

2014-01-01

Biomass refining into multiple products has gained considerable momentum due to its potential benefits for economic and environmental sustainability. However, the recalcitrance of biomass is a major challenge in bio-based product production. Multilevel composition fractionation processes should be beneficial in overcoming biomass recalcitrance and achieving effective conversion of multiple compositions of biomass. The present study concerns the fractionation of wheat straw using steam explosion, coupled with ethanol extraction, and that this facilitates the establishment of sugars and lignin platform and enables the production of regenerated cellulose films. The results showed that the hemicellulose fractionation yield was 73% under steam explosion at 1.6 MPa for 5.2 minutes, while the lignin fractionation yield was 90% by ethanol extraction at 160°C for 2 hours and with 60% ethanol (v/v). The cellulose yield reached up to 93% after steam explosion coupled with ethanol extraction. Therefore, cellulose sugar, hemicellulose sugar, and lignin platform were established effectively in the present study. Long fibers (retained by a 40-mesh screening) accounted for 90% of the total cellulose fibers, and the glucan conversion of short fibers was 90% at 9.0 hours with a cellulase loading of 25 filter paper units/g cellulose in enzymatic hydrolysis. Regenerated cellulose film was prepared from long fibers using [bmim]Cl, and the tensile strength and breaking elongation was 120 MPa and 4.8%, respectively. The cross-section of regenerated cellulose film prepared by [bmim]Cl displayed homogeneous structure, which indicated a dense architecture and a better mechanical performance. Multilevel composition fractionation process using steam explosion followed by ethanol extraction was shown to be an effective process by which wheat straw could be fractionated into different polymeric fractions with high yields. High-value utilization of wheat straw cellulose was achieved by preparing regenerated cellulose film using [bmim]Cl.

The hemicellulolytic enzyme arsenal of Thermobacillus xylanilyticus depends on the composition of biomass used for growth

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Thermobacillus xylanilyticus is a thermophilic and highly xylanolytic bacterium. It produces robust and stable enzymes, including glycoside hydrolases and esterases, which are of special interest for the development of integrated biorefineries. To investigate the strategies used by T. xylanilyticus to fractionate plant cell walls, two agricultural by-products, wheat bran and straw (which differ in their chemical composition and tissue organization), were used in this study and compared with glucose and xylans. The ability of T. xylanilyticus to grow on these substrates was studied. When the bacteria used lignocellulosic biomass, the production of enzymes was evaluated and correlated with the initial composition of the biomass, as well as with the evolution of any residues during growth. Results Our results showed that T. xylanilyticus is not only able to use glucose and xylans as primary carbon sources but can also use wheat bran and straw. The chemical compositions of both lignocellulosic substrates were modified by T. xylanilyticus after growth. The bacteria were able to consume 49% and 20% of the total carbohydrates in bran and straw, respectively, after 24 h of growth. The phenolic and acetyl ester contents of these substrates were also altered. Bacterial growth on both lignocellulosic biomasses induced hemicellulolytic enzyme production, and xylanase was the primary enzyme secreted. Debranching activities were differentially produced, as esterase activities were more important to bacterial cultures grown on wheat straw; arabinofuranosidase production was significantly higher in bacterial cultures grown on wheat bran. Conclusion This study provides insight into the ability of T. xylanilyticus to grow on abundant agricultural by-products, which are inexpensive carbon sources for enzyme production. The composition of the biomass upon which the bacteria grew influenced their growth, and differences in the biomass provided resulted in dissimilar enzyme production profiles. These results indicate the importance of using different biomass sources to encourage the production of specific enzymes. PMID:23241174

Method for the control of NOx emissions in long-range space travel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Xu, X. H.; Shi, Y.; Liu, S. H.; Wang, H. P.; Chang, S. G.; Fisher, J. W.; Pisharody, S.; Moran, M.; Wignarajah, K.

2003-01-01

The wheat straw, an inedible biomass that can be continuously produced in a space vehicle has been used to produce activated carbon for effective control of NOx emissions from the incineration of wastes. The optimal carbonization temperature of wheat straw was found to be around 600 degrees C when a burnoff of 67% was observed. The BET surface area of the activated carbon produced from the wheat straw reached as high as 300 m2/g. The presence of oxygen in flue gas is essential for effective adsorption of NO by activated carbon. On the contrary, water vapor inhibits the adsorption efficiency of NO. Consequently, water vapor in flue gas should be removed by drying agents before adsorption to ensure high NO adsorption efficiency. All of the NO in the flue gas was removed for more than 2 h by the activated carbons when 10% oxygen was present and the ratio of carbon weight to the flue gas flow rate (W/F) was 30 g min/L, with a contact time of 10.2 s. All of NO was reduced to N2 by the activated carbon at 450 degrees C with a W/F ratio of 15 g min/L and a contact time of 5.1 s. Reduction of the adsorbed NO also regenerated the activated carbon, and the regenerated activated carbon exhibited an improved NO adsorption efficiency. However, the reduction of the adsorbed NO resulted in a loss of carbon which was determined to be about 0.99% of the activated carbon per cycle of regeneration. The sufficiency of the amount of wheat straw in providing the activated carbon based on a six-person crew, such as the mission planned for Mars, has been determined. This novel approach for the control of NOx emissions is sustainable in a closed system such as the case in space travel. It is simple to operate and is functional under microgravity environment.

Pulp properties resulting from different pretreatments of wheat straw and their influence on enzymatic hydrolysis rate.

PubMed

Rossberg, Christine; Steffien, Doreen; Bremer, Martina; Koenig, Swetlana; Carvalheiro, Florbela; Duarte, Luís C; Moniz, Patrícia; Hoernicke, Max; Bertau, Martin; Fischer, Steffen

2014-10-01

Wheat straw was subjected to three different processes prior to saccharification, namely alkaline pulping, natural pulping and autohydrolysis, in order to study their effect on the rate of enzymatic hydrolysis. Parameters like medium concentration, temperature and time have been varied in order to optimize each method. Milling the raw material to a length of 4mm beforehand showed the best cost-value-ratio compared to other grinding methods studied. Before saccharification the pulp can be stored in dried form, leading to a high yield of glucose. Furthermore the relation of pulp properties (i.e. intrinsic viscosity, Klason-lignin and hemicelluloses content, crystallinity, morphology) to cellulose hydrolysis is discussed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bioremediation of industrial waste through mushroom cultivation.

PubMed

Kulshreshtha, Shweta; Mathur, Nupur; Bhatnagar, Pradeep; Jain, B L

2010-07-01

Handmade paper and cardboard industries are involved in processing of cellulosic and ligno-cellulosic substances for making paper by hand or simple machinery. In the present study solid sludge and effluent of both cardboard and handmade paper industries was collected for developing a mushroom cultivation technique to achieve zero waste discharges. Findings of present research work reveals that when 50% paper industries waste is used by mixing with 50% (w/w) wheat straw, significant increase (96.38%) in biological efficiency over control of wheat straw was observed. Further, cultivated basidiocarps showed normal morphology of stipe and pileus. Cross section of lamellae did not show any abnormality in the attachment of basidiospores, hymenal trama and basidium. No toxicity was found when fruiting bodies were tested chemically.

Productivity and sustainability of rainfed wheat-soybean system in the North China Plain: results from a long-term experiment and crop modelling

PubMed Central

Qin, Wei; Wang, Daozhong; Guo, Xisheng; Yang, Taiming; Oenema, Oene

2015-01-01

A quantitative understanding of yield response to water and nutrients is key to improving the productivity and sustainability of rainfed cropping systems. Here, we quantified the effects of rainfall, fertilization (NPK) and soil organic amendments (with straw and manure) on yields of a rainfed wheat-soybean system in the North China Plain (NCP), using 30-years’ field experimental data (1982–2012) and the simulation model-AquaCrop. On average, wheat and soybean yields were 5 and 2.5 times higher in the fertilized treatments than in the unfertilized control (CK), respectively. Yields of fertilized treatments increased and yields of CK decreased over time. NPK + manure increased yields more than NPK alone or NPK + straw. The additional effect of manure is likely due to increased availability of K and micronutrients. Wheat yields were limited by rainfall and can be increased through soil mulching (15%) or irrigation (35%). In conclusion, combined applications of fertilizer NPK and manure were more effective in sustaining high crop yields than recommended fertilizer NPK applications. Manure applications led to strong accumulation of NPK and relatively low NPK use efficiencies. Water deficiency in wheat increased over time due to the steady increase in yields, suggesting that the need for soil mulching increases. PMID:26627707

Effect of calcium silicate slag application on radium-226 concentrations in plant tissues

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mortvedt, J.J.

A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted to determine if plants absorb Ra from slag applied to soil. Slag at rates equivalent to 0 and 22 mt/ha was mixed with Mountview silt loam (Typic Paleudults) limed to pH 5.8 and 7.2. Three clippings each of fescue (Festuca arundiancea Schreb.), and Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris L.), and one harvest of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) for grain and straw were grown on separate series of treated soil, and plant samples were analyzed for radioactivity due to /sup 226/Ra uptake. Samples of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) forage and extracted juice from field experiments inmore » Florida testing this slage as a Si source also were analyzed for radioactivity. Dry forage yields of fescue and wheat were not affected by slag applications, but those of Swiss chard were somewhat higher on slag-treated soil at pH 5.8. Wheat grain and straw yields were higher on soil at pH 7.2 than at pH 5.8 regardless of slag treatment. Uptake of /sup 226/Ra by fescue forage and wheat grain and straw was not affected by slag application. Concentrations of /sup 226/Ra were similar in forage and extracted juice from untreated sugarcane or that treated with slag at rates up to 5.6 mt/ha. These results suggest that plant uptake of radionuclides is negligible from calcium silicate slag applied at the recommended rates for liming acid soils or as a source of Si for sugarcane.« less

Process optimization for the preparation of straw feedstuff for rearing yellow mealworms (Tenebrio molitor L.) in BLSS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Leyuan; Liu, lh64. Hong

2012-07-01

It has been confirmed in our previous work that in bioregenerative life support systems, feeding yellow mealworms (Tenebrio molitor L.) using fermented straw has the potential to provide good animal protein for astronauts, meanwhile treating with plant wastes. However, since the nitrogen content in straw is very low, T. molitor larvae can not obtain sufficient nitrogen, which results in a relatively low growth efficiency. In this study, wheat straw powder was mixed with simulated human urine before fermentation. Condition parameters, e.g. urine:straw ratio, moisture content, inoculation dose, fermentation time, fermentation temperature and pH were optimized using Taguchi method. Larval growth rate and average individual mass of mature larva increased significantly in the group of T. molitor larvae fed with feedstuff prepared with the optimized process.

Effect of Additions on Ensiling and Microbial Community of Senesced Wheat Straw

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

David N. Thompson; Joni M. Barnes; Tracy P. Houghton

2005-04-01

Crop residues collected during or after grain harvest are available once per year and must be stored for extended periods. The combination of air, high moisture, and high microbial loads leads to shrinkage during storage and risk of spontaneous ignition. Ensiling is a wet preservation method that could be used to store these residues stably. To economically adapt ensiling to biomass that is harvested after it has senesced, the need for nutrient, moisture, and microbial additions must be determined. We tested the ensiling of senesced wheat straw in sealed columns for 83 d. The straw was inoculated with Lactobacillus plantarummore » and amended with several levels of water and free sugars. The ability to stabilize the straw polysaccharides was strongly influenced by both moisture and free sugars. Without the addition of sugar, the pH increased from 5.2 to as much as 9.1, depending on moisture level, and losses of 22% of the cellulose and 21% of the hemicellulose were observed. By contrast, when sufficient sugars were added and interstitial water was maintained, a final pH of 4.0 was attainable, with correspondingly low (<5%) losses of cellulose and hemicellulose. The results show that ensiling should be considered a promising method for stable storage of wet biorefinery feedstocks.« less

Heat treatment of wheat straw by immersion in hot water decreases mushroom yield in Pleurotus ostreatus.

PubMed

Jaramillo Mejía, Santiago; Albertó, Edgardo

2013-01-01

The oyster mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus, is cultivated worldwide. It is one of the most appreciated mushrooms due to its high nutritional value. Immersion of the substrate in hot water is one of the most popular and worldwide treatment used for mushroom farmers. It is cheap and easy to implement. To compare the yields obtained during mushroom production of P. ostreatus using different pre-treatments (immersion in hot water, sterilization by steam and the use of fungicide) to determine if they influence mushroom crop. Four different treatments of substrate (wheat straw) were carried out: (i) immersion in hot water (IHW); (ii) steam sterilization; (iii) chemical; and (iv) untreated. The residual water from the IHW treatment was used to evaluate the mycelium growth and the production of P. ostreatus. Carbendazim treatment produced highest yields (BE: 106.93%) while IHW produced the lowest BE with 75.83%. Sugars, N, P, K and Ca were found in residual water of IHW treatment. The residual water increased the mycelium growth but did not increase yields. We have proved that IHW treatment of substrate reduced yields at least 20% when compared with other straw treatments such as steam, chemical or untreated wheat straw. Nutrients like sugars, proteins and minerals were found in the residual water extract which is the resultant water where the immersion treatment is carried out. The loss of these nutrients would be the cause of yield decrease. Alternative methods to the use of IHW as treatment of the substrate should be considered to reduce economical loss. Copyright © 2012 Revista Iberoamericana de Micología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Effects of extract liquid of SLS made from three different materials on seed germination and seedling growth of rice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shao, Lingzhi; Fu, Wenting; Liu, Hong; Yan, Min; Li, Leyuan

Rice and wheat are the main candidate crops in the bioregenerative life support system (BLSS) of China, for they are traditional food in Asia. Thus the recycling of their straws is an important issue in our BLSS, and it is a vital way to biologically process them into the soil like substrate (SLS) first and then reuse them in the plant cultivation system to achieve their recycle in BLSS. However, rice is a plant with strong allelopathic effects. And so far, it is also not clear that what kind of raw materials can be processed into proper SLS to grow rice in the BLSS. Therefore, in this study, the extract liquid of SLS made from three different materials including rice straw, wheat straw and rice-wheat mixed straw was utilized to investigate its effects on the seed germination and seedling growth of rice. The gradients of the extract concentrations (soil: water) were 1:3, 1:5, 1:9, and 1:15 with the deionized water used as control. The effects of different types of SLS on seed germination and seedling vitality of rice were confirmed by analyzing the germination rate, seedling length, root length, root fresh weight, seedling fresh weight and other indicates. In addition, based on the analysis towards pH, organic matter composition and other factors of the SLS as well as the chlorophyll and hormone content of rice, the mechanism of the inhibition was speculated and the preventive methods of this phenomenon was explored. Finally, the feasibility of cultivating rice on the SLS made from the above three kinds of raw materials was evaluated and the proper raw materials to be processed into SLS to grow rice were determined.

Characterization and Comparison of Fast Pyrolysis Bio-oils from Pinewood, Rapeseed Cake, and Wheat Straw Using 13C NMR and Comprehensive GC × GC.

PubMed

Negahdar, Leila; Gonzalez-Quiroga, Arturo; Otyuskaya, Daria; Toraman, Hilal E; Liu, Li; Jastrzebski, Johann T B H; Van Geem, Kevin M; Marin, Guy B; Thybaut, Joris W; Weckhuysen, Bert M

2016-09-06

Fast pyrolysis bio-oils are feasible energy carriers and a potential source of chemicals. Detailed characterization of bio-oils is essential to further develop its potential use. In this study, quantitative 13 C nuclear magnetic resonance ( 13 C NMR) combined with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC × GC) was used to characterize fast pyrolysis bio-oils originated from pinewood, wheat straw, and rapeseed cake. The combination of both techniques provided new information on the chemical composition of bio-oils for further upgrading. 13 C NMR analysis indicated that pinewood-based bio-oil contained mostly methoxy/hydroxyl (≈30%) and carbohydrate (≈27%) carbons; wheat straw bio-oil showed to have high amount of alkyl (≈35%) and aromatic (≈30%) carbons, while rapeseed cake-based bio-oil had great portions of alkyl carbons (≈82%). More than 200 compounds were identified and quantified using GC × GC coupled to a flame ionization detector (FID) and a time of flight mass spectrometer (TOF-MS). Nonaromatics were the most abundant and comprised about 50% of the total mass of compounds identified and quantified via GC × GC. In addition, this analytical approach allowed the quantification of high value-added phenolic compounds, as well as of low molecular weight carboxylic acids and aldehydes, which exacerbate the unstable and corrosive character of the bio-oil.

Feasibility of feeding yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L.) in bioregenerative life support systems as a source of animal protein for humans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, LeYuan; Zhao, ZhiRuo; Liu, Hong

2013-11-01

In bioregenerative life support systems, using inedible plant biomass to feed animals can provide animal protein for astronauts, while at the same time treating with wastes so as to increase the degree of system closure. In this study, the potential of yellow mealworms (Tenebrio molitor L.) as an animal candidate in the system was analyzed. The feasibility of feeding T. molitor with inedible parts of wheat and vegetable was studied. To improve the feed quality of wheat straw, three methods of fermentation were tested. A feeding regime was designed to contain a proper proportion of bran, straw and old leaves. The results showed that T. molitor larvae fed on the plant waste diets grew healthily, their fresh and dry weight reached 56.15% and 46.76% of the larvae fed on a conventional diet (control), respectively. The economic coefficient of the larvae was 16.07%, which was 88.05% of the control. The protein and fat contents of the larvae were 76.14% and 6.44% on dry weigh basis, respectively. Through the processes of facultative anaerobic fermentation and larval consumption, the straw lost about 47.79% of the initial dry weight, and its lignocellulose had a degradation of about 45.74%. Wheat germination test indicated that the frass of T. molitor needs a certain treatment before the addition to the cultivation substrate.

Lignocellulolytic enzyme activity, substrate utilization, and mushroom yield by Pleurotus ostreatus cultivated on substrate containing anaerobic digester solids.

PubMed

Isikhuemhen, Omoanghe S; Mikiashvilli, Nona A

2009-11-01

Solid waste from anaerobic digestion of litter from the commercial production of broiler chickens has limited use as fertilizer. Its disposal is a major problem for digester operators who are seeking alternative use for anaerobic digester solids, also referred to as solid waste (SW). The use of SW as substrates for the cultivation of Pleurotus ostreatus strain MBFBL400 was investigated. Lignocellulolytic enzymes activity, substrate utilization, and mushroom yield were evaluated in ten different substrate combinations (SCs) containing varying amounts of solid waste, wheat straw, and millet. Nutritional content of mushrooms produced on the different substrates was also determined. Substrates containing 70-80% wheat straw, 10-20% SW, and 10-20% millet were found to produce the highest mushroom yield (874.8-958.3 g/kg). Loss of organic matter in all SCs tested varied from 45.8% to 56.2%, which had positive correlation with the biological efficiency. Laccase, peroxidase, and carboxymethylcellulase (CMCase) activities were higher before fruiting, whereas xylanase showed higher activities after mushroom fruiting. SW increased the nutritional content in mushrooms harvested, and the combination of wheat straw and SW with millet significantly improved mushroom yield. Our findings demonstrated the possibility of utilizing anaerobic digester solids in mushroom cultivation. The application of SW as such could improve the financial gains in the overall economy of anaerobic digester plants.

Tillage practices and straw-returning methods affect topsoil bacterial community and organic C under a rice-wheat cropping system in central China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Lijin; Zheng, Shixue; Cao, Cougui; Li, Chengfang

2016-09-01

The objective of this study was to investigate how the relationships between bacterial communities and organic C (SOC) in topsoil (0-5 cm) are affected by tillage practices [conventional intensive tillage (CT) or no-tillage (NT)] and straw-returning methods [crop straw returning (S) or removal (NS)] under a rice-wheat rotation in central China. Soil bacterial communities were determined by high-throughput sequencing technology. After two cycles of annual rice-wheat rotation, compared with CT treatments, NT treatments generally had significantly more bacterial genera and monounsaturated fatty acids/saturated fatty acids (MUFA/STFA), but a decreased gram-positive bacteria/gram-negative bacteria ratio (G+/G-). S treatments had significantly more bacterial genera and MUFA/STFA, but had decreased G+/G- compared with NS treatments. Multivariate analysis revealed that Gemmatimonas, Rudaea, Spingomonas, Pseudomonas, Dyella, Burkholderia, Clostridium, Pseudolabrys, Arcicella and Bacillus were correlated with SOC, and cellulolytic bacteria (Burkholderia, Pseudomonas, Clostridium, Rudaea and Bacillus) and Gemmationas explained 55.3% and 12.4% of the variance in SOC, respectively. Structural equation modeling further indicated that tillage and residue managements affected SOC directly and indirectly through these cellulolytic bacteria and Gemmationas. Our results suggest that Burkholderia, Pseudomonas, Clostridium, Rudaea, Bacillus and Gemmationas help to regulate SOC sequestration in topsoil under tillage and residue systems.

Measurement of process variables in solid-state fermentation of wheat straw using FT-NIR spectroscopy and synergy interval PLS algorithm.

PubMed

Jiang, Hui; Liu, Guohai; Mei, Congli; Yu, Shuang; Xiao, Xiahong; Ding, Yuhan

2012-11-01

The feasibility of rapid determination of the process variables (i.e. pH and moisture content) in solid-state fermentation (SSF) of wheat straw using Fourier transform near infrared (FT-NIR) spectroscopy was studied. Synergy interval partial least squares (siPLS) algorithm was implemented to calibrate regression model. The number of PLS factors and the number of subintervals were optimized simultaneously by cross-validation. The performance of the prediction model was evaluated according to the root mean square error of cross-validation (RMSECV), the root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) and the correlation coefficient (R). The measurement results of the optimal model were obtained as follows: RMSECV=0.0776, R(c)=0.9777, RMSEP=0.0963, and R(p)=0.9686 for pH model; RMSECV=1.3544% w/w, R(c)=0.8871, RMSEP=1.4946% w/w, and R(p)=0.8684 for moisture content model. Finally, compared with classic PLS and iPLS models, the siPLS model revealed its superior performance. The overall results demonstrate that FT-NIR spectroscopy combined with siPLS algorithm can be used to measure process variables in solid-state fermentation of wheat straw, and NIR spectroscopy technique has a potential to be utilized in SSF industry. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Efficient plant biomass degradation by thermophilic fungus Myceliophthora heterothallica.

PubMed

van den Brink, Joost; van Muiswinkel, Gonny C J; Theelen, Bart; Hinz, Sandra W A; de Vries, Ronald P

2013-02-01

Rapid and efficient enzymatic degradation of plant biomass into fermentable sugars is a major challenge for the sustainable production of biochemicals and biofuels. Enzymes that are more thermostable (up to 70°C) use shorter reaction times for the complete saccharification of plant polysaccharides compared to hydrolytic enzymes of mesophilic fungi such as Trichoderma and Aspergillus species. The genus Myceliophthora contains four thermophilic fungi producing industrially relevant thermostable enzymes. Within this genus, isolates belonging to M. heterothallica were recently separated from the well-described species M. thermophila. We evaluate here the potential of M. heterothallica isolates to produce efficient enzyme mixtures for biomass degradation. Compared to the other thermophilic Myceliophthora species, isolates belonging to M. heterothallica and M. thermophila grew faster on pretreated spruce, wheat straw, and giant reed. According to their protein profiles and in vitro assays after growth on wheat straw, (hemi-)cellulolytic activities differed strongly between M. thermophila and M. heterothallica isolates. Compared to M. thermophila, M. heterothallica isolates were better in releasing sugars from mildly pretreated wheat straw (with 5% HCl) with a high content of xylan. The high levels of residual xylobiose revealed that enzyme mixtures of Myceliophthora species lack sufficient β-xylosidase activity. Sexual crossing of two M. heterothallica showed that progenies had a large genetic and physiological diversity. In the future, this will allow further improvement of the plant biomass-degrading enzyme mixtures of M. heterothallica.

Efficient Plant Biomass Degradation by Thermophilic Fungus Myceliophthora heterothallica

PubMed Central

van den Brink, Joost; van Muiswinkel, Gonny C. J.; Theelen, Bart; Hinz, Sandra W. A.

2013-01-01

Rapid and efficient enzymatic degradation of plant biomass into fermentable sugars is a major challenge for the sustainable production of biochemicals and biofuels. Enzymes that are more thermostable (up to 70°C) use shorter reaction times for the complete saccharification of plant polysaccharides compared to hydrolytic enzymes of mesophilic fungi such as Trichoderma and Aspergillus species. The genus Myceliophthora contains four thermophilic fungi producing industrially relevant thermostable enzymes. Within this genus, isolates belonging to M. heterothallica were recently separated from the well-described species M. thermophila. We evaluate here the potential of M. heterothallica isolates to produce efficient enzyme mixtures for biomass degradation. Compared to the other thermophilic Myceliophthora species, isolates belonging to M. heterothallica and M. thermophila grew faster on pretreated spruce, wheat straw, and giant reed. According to their protein profiles and in vitro assays after growth on wheat straw, (hemi-)cellulolytic activities differed strongly between M. thermophila and M. heterothallica isolates. Compared to M. thermophila, M. heterothallica isolates were better in releasing sugars from mildly pretreated wheat straw (with 5% HCl) with a high content of xylan. The high levels of residual xylobiose revealed that enzyme mixtures of Myceliophthora species lack sufficient β-xylosidase activity. Sexual crossing of two M. heterothallica showed that progenies had a large genetic and physiological diversity. In the future, this will allow further improvement of the plant biomass-degrading enzyme mixtures of M. heterothallica. PMID:23241981

Improving the fermentation quality of wheat straw silage stored at low temperature by psychrotrophic lactic acid bacteria.

PubMed

Zhang, Miao; Lv, Haoxin; Tan, Zhongfang; Li, Ya; Wang, Yanping; Pang, Huili; Li, Zongwei; Jiao, Zhen; Jin, Qingsheng

2017-02-01

This study aimed to explore the feasible approaches to develop a silage production technique in regions with low temperatures. An effective low-temperature silage technology system was constructed and two frigostable Lactobacillus (L.) strains isolated from alpine pastures were selected and proved to be available for wheat straw silage at 5°C. The strains QZ227 and QZ887 were both identified as L. plantarum according to the phenotype, 16S rRNA, and RecA gene analysis. QZ227, QZ887 and a commercial inoculant FG1 consisting of L. plantarum were effective for improving the fermentation quality of wheat straws silage at 5°C for 30 days as indicated by the higher content of lactic acid and for 60 days by lower pH values, while the control with sterile water instead conferred reduced benefits. Additionally, silages fermented at low temperature proved to be acceptable for feeding livestock after being placed in a simulated environmental temperature of 20°C for 14 days to detect its edibility during the early spring when the temperature begins to rise. Both QZ227 and QZ887 showed potential applications of silage making in frigid areas and were effective inoculants in a low-temperature silage technology system. © 2016 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

Evaluation of secretome of highly efficient lignocellulolytic Penicillium sp. Dal 5 isolated from rhizosphere of conifers.

PubMed

Rai, Rohit; Kaur, Baljit; Singh, Surender; Di Falco, Macros; Tsang, Adrian; Chadha, B S

2016-09-01

Penicillium sp. (Dal 5) isolated from rhizosphere of conifers from Dalhousie (Himachal Pradesh, India) was found to be an efficient cellulolytic strain. The culture under shake flask on CWR (cellulose, wheat bran and rice straw) medium produced appreciably higher levels of endoglucanase (35.69U/ml), β-glucosidase (4.20U/ml), cellobiohydrolase (2.86U/ml), FPase (1.2U/ml) and xylanase (115U/ml) compared to other Penicillium strains reported in literature. The mass spectroscopy analysis of Penicillium sp. Dal 5 secretome identified 108 proteins constituting an array of CAZymes including glycosyl hydrolases (GH) belonging to 24 different families, polysaccharide lyases (PL), carbohydrate esterases (CE), lytic polysaccharide mono-oxygenases (LPMO) in addition to swollenin and a variety of carbohydrate binding modules (CBM) indicating an elaborate genetic potential of this strain for hydrolysis of lignocellulosics. Further, the culture extract was evaluated for hydrolysis of alkali treated rice straw, wheat straw, bagasse and corn cob at 10% substrate loading rate. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nitrogen-functionalization biochars derived from wheat straws via molten salt synthesis: An efficient adsorbent for atrazine removal.

PubMed

Yang, Fan; Sun, Lili; Xie, Weiling; Jiang, Qun; Gao, Yan; Zhang, Wei; Zhang, Ying

2017-12-31

N-doped porous carbon sheets (NPCS) resulted from wheat straws are fabricated through using molten salts via the carbonization-functionalization progress, which show unique hierarchical structure, large pore volume and high surface area with affluent micropores. Results indicate that there exist many hierarchical pores consisting of the single carbon sheet with ultrathin nature, owing to the template role of molten salt mixtures at high temperature. Such superior structure can bring about desired performance of adsorption capacity of 82.8mg/g and quick adsorption rate of 1.43L/(gh) with an initial concentration of 35mg/L at 25°C. Langmuir and Freundlich models are adopted to interpret the adsorption behavior of atrazine and modified Freundlich and intraparticle diffusion (IPD) models are employed to characterize the dynamics of adsorption. Furthermore, nitrogen-functionalization biochars via molten salt synthesis should be further developed as a one-pot methodology to produce N-doped carbons, opening up a feasible approach for resource utilization of crop straws and other biomass wastes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of micro-aeration and inoculum type on the biodegradation of lignocellulosic substrate.

PubMed

Tsapekos, P; Kougias, P G; Vasileiou, S A; Lyberatos, G; Angelidaki, I

2017-02-01

The effect of various micro-aeration strategies on the anaerobic digestion (AD) of wheat straw was thoroughly examined using a mixture of inocula, containing compost and well digested sludge from biogas plant. The aim was to determine the most efficient oxygen load, pulse repetition and treatment duration, resulting in the highest methane production. The oxygen load had the largest impact on the biodegradability of straw, among the examined variables. More specifically, a micro-aeration intensity of 10mLO 2 /gVS was identified as the critical threshold above which the AD performance was more susceptible to instability. The highest enhancement in biogas production was achieved by injecting 5mLO 2 /gVS for a consecutive 3-day treatment period, presenting a 7.2% increase compared to the untreated wheat straw. Nevertheless, the results from optimisation case study indicated a higher increase of 9% by injecting 7.3mLO 2 /gVS, distributed in 2 pulses during a slightly shorter treatment period (i.e. 47h). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of thermophilic fungal consortium for paddy straw composting.

PubMed

Kumar, Adesh; Gaind, Sunita; Nain, Lata

2008-06-01

Out of 10 thermophilic fungi isolated from wheat straw, farm yard manure, and soil, only three showed highest cellobiase, carboxymethyl cellulase, xylanase, and FPase activities. They were identified as Aspergillus nidulans (Th(4)), Scytalidium thermophilum (Th(5)), and Humicola sp. (Th(10)). A fungal consortium of these three fungi was used to compost a mixture (1:1) of silica rich paddy straw and lignin rich soybean trash. The composting of paddy straw for 3 months, during summer period in North India, resulted in a product with C:N ratio 9.5:1, available phosphorus 0.042% and fungal biomass 6.512 mg of N-acetyl glucosamine/100 mg of compost. However, a C:N ratio of 10.2:1 and highest humus content of 3.3% was achieved with 1:1 mixture of paddy straw and soybean trash. The fungal consortium was effective in converting high silica paddy straw into nutritionally rich compost thereby leading to economical and environment friendly disposal of this crop residue.

Expression of Aspergillus niger CAZymes is determined by compositional changes in wheat straw generated by hydrothermal or ionic liquid pretreatments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Daly, Paul; van Munster, Jolanda M.; Blythe, Martin J.

The capacity of fungi, such as Aspergillus niger, to degrade lignocellulose is harnessed in biotechnology to generate biofuels and high-value compounds from renewable feedstocks. Most feedstocks are currently pretreated to increase enzymatic digestibility: improving our understanding of the transcriptomic responses of fungi to pretreated lignocellulosic substrates could help to improve the mix of activities and reduce the production costs of commercial lignocellulose saccharifying cocktails. We investigated the responses of A. niger to untreated, ionic liquid and hydrothermally pretreated wheat straw over a 5-day time course using RNA-seq and targeted proteomics. The ionic liquid pretreatment altered the cellulose crystallinity while retainingmore » more of the hemicellulosic sugars than the hydrothermal pretreatment. Ionic liquid pretreatment of straw led to a dynamic induction and repression of genes, which was correlated with the higher levels of pentose sugars saccharified from the ionic liquid-pretreated straw. Hydrothermal pretreatment of straw led to reduced levels of transcripts of genes encoding carbohydrate-active enzymes as well as the derived proteins and enzyme activities. Both pretreatments abolished the expression of a large set of genes encoding pectinolytic enzymes. These reduced levels could be explained by the removal of parts of the lignocellulose by the hydrothermal pretreatment. The time course also facilitated identification of temporally limited gene induction patterns. The presented transcriptomic and biochemical datasets demonstrate that pretreatments caused modifications of the lignocellulose, to both specific structural features as well as the organisation of the overall lignocellulosic structure, that determined A. niger transcript levels. The experimental setup allowed reliable detection of substrate-specific gene expression patterns as well as hitherto non-expressed genes. Our data suggest beneficial effects of using untreated and IL-pretreated straw, but not HT-pretreated straw, as feedstock for CAZyme production.« less

Expression of Aspergillus niger CAZymes is determined by compositional changes in wheat straw generated by hydrothermal or ionic liquid pretreatments

DOE PAGES

Daly, Paul; van Munster, Jolanda M.; Blythe, Martin J.; ...

2017-02-07

The capacity of fungi, such as Aspergillus niger, to degrade lignocellulose is harnessed in biotechnology to generate biofuels and high-value compounds from renewable feedstocks. Most feedstocks are currently pretreated to increase enzymatic digestibility: improving our understanding of the transcriptomic responses of fungi to pretreated lignocellulosic substrates could help to improve the mix of activities and reduce the production costs of commercial lignocellulose saccharifying cocktails. We investigated the responses of A. niger to untreated, ionic liquid and hydrothermally pretreated wheat straw over a 5-day time course using RNA-seq and targeted proteomics. The ionic liquid pretreatment altered the cellulose crystallinity while retainingmore » more of the hemicellulosic sugars than the hydrothermal pretreatment. Ionic liquid pretreatment of straw led to a dynamic induction and repression of genes, which was correlated with the higher levels of pentose sugars saccharified from the ionic liquid-pretreated straw. Hydrothermal pretreatment of straw led to reduced levels of transcripts of genes encoding carbohydrate-active enzymes as well as the derived proteins and enzyme activities. Both pretreatments abolished the expression of a large set of genes encoding pectinolytic enzymes. These reduced levels could be explained by the removal of parts of the lignocellulose by the hydrothermal pretreatment. The time course also facilitated identification of temporally limited gene induction patterns. The presented transcriptomic and biochemical datasets demonstrate that pretreatments caused modifications of the lignocellulose, to both specific structural features as well as the organisation of the overall lignocellulosic structure, that determined A. niger transcript levels. The experimental setup allowed reliable detection of substrate-specific gene expression patterns as well as hitherto non-expressed genes. Our data suggest beneficial effects of using untreated and IL-pretreated straw, but not HT-pretreated straw, as feedstock for CAZyme production.« less

Gas and particle concentrations in horse stables with individual boxes as a function of the bedding material and the mucking regimen.

PubMed

Fleming, K; Hessel, E F; Van den Weghe, H F A

2009-11-01

The aim of this study was to compare different types of bedding and mucking regimens used in horse stables on the generation of airborne particulate matter <10 microm (PM10) and 3 biogenic gases (carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and especially ammonia). Three separate experiments were undertaken. The experiments were carried out in an enclosed stable (9.7 m long, 8.7 m wide, and 3.5 m high) that had 5 single boxes housing 4 horses. The measuring instruments were set up in the middle of one side of the stable. In Exp. 1, 3 types of bedding material (wheat straw, straw pellets, and wood shavings) used for horses were assessed according to their ammonia generation. Each type of bedding was used for 2 wk, with 3 repetitions. The mean ammonia concentrations within the stable were 3.07 +/- 0.23 mg/m(3) for wheat straw, 4.79 +/- 0.23 mg/m(3) for straw pellets, and 4.27 +/- 0.17 mg/m(3) for wood shavings. In Exp. 2, the effects of the mucking regimen on the generation of ammonia and PM10 from wheat straw (the bedding with the least ammonia generation in the previous experiment) were examined using 3 different daily regimens: 1) no mucking out, 2) complete mucking out, and 3) partial mucking out (removing only feces). The mean ammonia concentrations in the stable differed significantly among all 3 mucking regimens (P < 0.05). The greatest values were recorded when the stalls were mucked out completely every day [least squares means (LSM) = 2.25 +/- 0.1 mg/m(3)]. No mucking out resulted in an LSM of 1.92 +/- 0.1 mg of ammonia/m(3), whereas an LSM of 1.54 +/- 0.1 mg of ammonia/m(3) was found when the partial mucking out method was used. No mucking out also resulted in significantly less average PM10 (124.4 +/- 13.4 microg/m(3)) than in the other 2 regimens (P < 0.05). In Exp. 3, a 6-wk bedding regimen without mucking out was evaluated with regard to gas and airborne particle generation. The ammonia values were found not to increase constantly during the course of the 6-wk period. The average weekly values for PM10 also did not increase constantly but varied between approximately 90 and 140 microg/m. It can be concluded from the particle and gas generation patterns found in the results of all 3 experiments that wheat straw was the most suitable bedding of the 3 types investigated and that mucking out completely on a daily basis should not be undertaken in horse stables.

One-step process of hydrothermal and alkaline treatment of wheat straw for improving the enzymatic saccharification.

PubMed

Sun, Shaolong; Zhang, Lidan; Liu, Fang; Fan, Xiaolin; Sun, Run-Cang

2018-01-01

To increase the production of bioethanol, a two-step process based on hydrothermal and dilute alkaline treatment was applied to reduce the natural resistance of biomass. However, the process required a large amount of water and a long operation time due to the solid/liquid separation before the alkaline treatment, which led to decrease the pure economic profit for production of bioethanol. Therefore, four one-step processes based on order of hydrothermal and alkaline treatment have been developed to enhance concentration of glucose of wheat straw by enzymatic saccharification. The aim of the present study was to systematically evaluated effect for different one-step processes by analyzing the physicochemical properties (composition, structural change, crystallinity, surface morphology, and BET surface area) and enzymatic saccharification of the treated substrates. In this study, hemicelluloses and lignins were removed from wheat straw and the morphologic structures were destroyed to various extents during the four one-step processes, which were favorable for cellulase absorption on cellulose. A positive correlation was also observed between the crystallinity and enzymatic saccharification rate of the substrate under the conditions given. The surface area of the substrate was positively related to the concentration of glucose in this study. As compared to the control (3.0 g/L) and treated substrates (11.2-14.6 g/L) obtained by the other three one-step processes, the substrate treated by one-step process based on successively hydrothermal and alkaline treatment had a maximum glucose concentration of 18.6 g/L, which was due to the high cellulose concentration and surface area for the substrate, accompanying with removal of large amounts of lignins and hemicelluloses. The present study demonstrated that the order of hydrothermal and alkaline treatment had significant effects on the physicochemical properties and enzymatic saccharification of wheat straw. The one-step process based on successively hydrothermal and alkaline treatment is a simple operating and economical feasible method for the production of glucose, which will be further converted into bioethanol.

Adsorption of β-glucosidases in two commercial preparations onto pretreated biomass and lignin

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Enzyme recycling is a method to reduce the production costs for advanced bioethanol by lowering the overall use of enzymes. Commercial cellulase preparations consist of many different enzymes that are important for efficient and complete cellulose (and hemicellulose) hydrolysis. This abundance of different activities complicates enzyme recycling since the individual enzymes behave differently in the process. Previously, the general perception was that β-glucosidases could easily be recycled via the liquid phase, as they have mostly been observed not to adsorb to pretreated biomass or only adsorb to a minor extent. Results The results from this study with Cellic® CTec2 revealed that the vast majority of the β-glucosidase activity was lost from the liquid phase and was adsorbed to the residual biomass during hydrolysis and fermentation. Adsorption studies with β-glucosidases in two commercial preparations (Novozym 188 and Cellic® CTec2) to substrates mimicking the components in pretreated wheat straw revealed that the Aspergillus niger β-glucosidase in Novozym 188 did not adsorb significantly to any of the components in pretreated wheat straw, whereas the β-glucosidase in Cellic® CTec2 adsorbed strongly to lignin. The extent of adsorption of β-glucosidase from Cellic® CTec2 was affected by both type of biomass and pretreatment method. With approximately 65% of the β-glucosidases from Cellic® CTec2 adsorbed onto lignin from pretreated wheat straw, the activity of the β-glucosidases in the slurry decreased by only 15%. This demonstrated that some enzyme remained active despite being bound. It was possible to reduce the adsorption of Cellic® CTec2 β-glucosidase to lignin from pretreated wheat straw by addition of bovine serum albumin or poly(ethylene glycol). Conclusions Contrary to the β-glucosidases in Novozym 188, the β-glucosidases in Cellic® CTec2 adsorb significantly to lignin. The lignin adsorption observed for Cellic® CTec2 is usually not a problem during hydrolysis and fermentation since most of the catalytic activity is retained. However, adsorption of β-glucosidases to lignin may prove to be a problem when trying to recycle enzymes in the production of advanced bioethanol. PMID:24274678

Polyethylenimine functionalized Fe3O4/steam-exploded rice straw composite as an efficient adsorbent for Cr(VI) removal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Shengli; Wang, Zhikai; Chen, Haoyu; Kai, Chengcheng; Jiang, Man; Wang, Qun; Zhou, Zuowan

2018-05-01

Polyethyleneimine functionalized Fe3O4/steam-exploded rice straw composite (Fe3O4-PEI-SERS), which combines magnetic separation with adsorption of PEI functionalized biosorbent, was successfully prepared via a simple glutaraldehyde crosslinking method. Its adsorption potential for the removal of Cr(VI) was systematically studied in batch mode. Results showed that Cr(VI) adsorption on Fe3O4-PEI-SESERS was highly pH-dependent, and the optimum pH was 2.0. The time to reach equilibrium was related to initial Cr(VI) concentration and was 1 and 6 h for 200 and 300 mg/L of Cr(VI), respectively. The adsorption system followed pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm. Its maximum adsorption capacity was 280.11, 317.46 and 338.98 mg/g at 25, 35 and 45 °C, respectively. The competitive uptake from coexisting ions (K+, Na+, Cu2+, Cl- and NO3-) was insignificant except SO42-. After six adsorption/desorption cycles, the adsorbent retained good adsorption capacity. The Cr(VI) removal involved its partial reduction into Cr(III). Due to the properties of high adsorption capacity, strong magnetic responsiveness, good reusability and Cr(VI) detoxification, the Fe3O4-PEI-SESERS has a potential application in Cr(VI) removal from wastewater.

Bioprocessing of wheat and paddy straw for their nutritional up-gradation.

PubMed

Sharma, Rakesh Kumar; Arora, Daljit Singh

2014-07-01

Solid-state bioprocessing of agricultural residues seems to be an emerging and effective method for the production of high quality animal feed. Seven strains of white-rot fungi were selected to degrade wheat and paddy straw (PS) under solid-state conditions. Degradation of different components, i.e., hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin was evaluated along with nutritional parameters including; in vitro digestibility, crude protein, amino acids, total phenolic contents (TPC) etc. Effect of nitrogen-rich supplements on degradation of lignocellulosics was evaluated using two best selected fungal strains (Phlebia brevispora and Phlebia floridensis). The best selected conditions were used to upscale the process up to 200 g batches of wheat and PS. Lignin was selectively degraded up to 30 % with a limited loss of 11-12 % in total organic matter. Finally, the degraded agro-residues demonstrated 50-62 % enhancement in their digestibility. Two-threefold enhancement in other nutritional quality (amino acids, TPCs and antioxidant activity) fortifies the process. Thus the method is quite helpful to design an effective solid-state fermentation system to improve the nutritive quality of agricultural residues by simultaneous production of lignocellulolytic enzyme production and antioxidants.

40 CFR 180.610 - Aminopyralid; tolerances for residues.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... residues of the herbicide aminopyralid, 4-amino-3,6-dichloro-2-pyridinecarboxylic acid, including its... 4.0 Wheat, straw 0.25 (2) Tolerances are established for residues of the herbicide aminopyralid, 4...

40 CFR 180.610 - Aminopyralid; tolerances for residues.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... residues of the herbicide aminopyralid, 4-amino-3,6-dichloro-2-pyridinecarboxylic acid, including its... 4.0 Wheat, straw 0.25 (2) Tolerances are established for residues of the herbicide aminopyralid, 4...

40 CFR 180.610 - Aminopyralid; tolerances for residues.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... residues of the herbicide aminopyralid, 4-amino-3,6-dichloro-2-pyridinecarboxylic acid, including its... 4.0 Wheat, straw 0.25 (2) Tolerances are established for residues of the herbicide aminopyralid, 4...

40 CFR 180.610 - Aminopyralid; tolerances for residues.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... residues of the herbicide aminopyralid, 4-amino-3,6-dichloro-2-pyridinecarboxylic acid, including its... 4.0 Wheat, straw 0.25 (2) Tolerances are established for residues of the herbicide aminopyralid, 4...

40 CFR 180.610 - Aminopyralid; tolerances for residues.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... residues of the herbicide aminopyralid, 4-amino-3,6-dichloro-2-pyridinecarboxylic acid, including its... 4.0 Wheat, straw 0.25 (2) Tolerances are established for residues of the herbicide aminopyralid, 4...

Improvement of high-yield pulp properties by using a small amount of bleached wheat straw pulp.

PubMed

Zhang, Hongjie; He, Zhibin; Ni, Yonghao

2011-02-01

In this study, the potential of using bleached wheat straw pulp (BWSP) was explored to improve the tensile strength of the high-yield pulp (HYP) while preserving its high bulk property. The results showed that with the addition of 5-10% refined BWSP, the HYP tensile strength can be increased by about 10-20% without sacrificing the bulk. Similar results were obtained by adding refined BWSP into a mixed furnish of bleached kraft pulps (BKPs) and HYP. The explanation was that micro fines from refined BWSP can act as binders to improve the HYP interfiber bonding, as a result, the HYP tensile strength can be improved by using a small amount of BWSP, while the HYP bulk is not significantly affected. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Feeding value of urea molasses-treated wheat straw ensiled with fresh cattle manure for growing crossbred cattle calves.

PubMed

Sarwar, Muhammad; Shahzad, Muhammad A; Nisa, Mahr U; Afzal, Danish; Sharif, Muhammad; Saddiqi, Hafiz A

2011-03-01

The study was carried out to evaluate the influence of urea plus molasses-treated wheat straw (WS) ensiled with cattle manure (CM) on nutrients intake, their digestibilities, and growth performance of crossbred (Sahiwal × Holstein Friesian) cattle calves. The CM was mixed with ground WS in a ratio of 30:70 on dry matter (DM) basis. The WS-CM mixture treated with urea (4% DM) and molasses (4% DM) was allowed to ferment for 40 days in a cemented pit. Four iso-nitrogenous and iso-energetic fermented wheat straw (FWS)-based experimental diets were formulated. The FWS0, FWS20, FWS30, and FWS40 diets contained 0%, 20%, 30%, and 40% FWS, respectively. Twenty calves (9-10 months of age) were randomly allocated to four dietary treatments in a randomized complete block design, five in each group. Increasing trends for DM, organic matter, crude protein, and neutral detergent fiber intakes by calves were observed with increasing dietary FWS level. Weight gain was significantly different among calves fed different levels of FWS. The highest weight gain (491.8 g/day) was observed in calves fed FWS40 diet, while calves fed FWS0 and FWS20 diets gained 350.0 and 449.6 g/day, respectively. The results from this study imply that the FWS can be added up to 30% in the diet of growing crossbred calves without any detrimental effect on their performance.

Evaluation of biomass of some invasive weed species as substrate for oyster mushroom (Pleurotus spp.) cultivation.

PubMed

Mintesnot, Birara; Ayalew, Amare; Kebede, Ameha

2014-01-15

This study assessed the bioconversion of Agriculture wastes like invasive weeds species (Lantana camara, Prosopis juliflora, Parthenium hysterophorus) as a substrate for oyster mushroom (Pleurotus species) cultivation together with wheat straw as a control. The experiment was laid out in factorial combination of substrates and three edible oyster mushroom species in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three replications. Pleurotus ostreatus gave significantly (p < 0.01) total yield of 840 g kg(-1) on P. hysterophorus, Significantly (p < 0.01) biological efficiency (83.87%) and production rate of 3.13 was recorded for P. ostreatus grown on P. hysterophorus. The highest total ash content (13.90%) was recorded for P. florida grown on L. camara. while the lowest (6.92%) was for P. sajor-caju grown on the P. juliflora. Crude protein ranged from 40.51-41.48% for P. florida grown on P. hysterophorus and L. camara. Lowest crude protein content (30.11%) was recorded for P. ostreatus grown on wheat straw. The crude fiber content (12.73%) of P. sajor-caju grown on wheat straw was the highest. The lowest crude fiber (5.19%) was recorded for P. ostreatus on P. juliflora. Total yield had a positive and significant correlation with biological efficiency and production. Utilization of the plant biomass for mushroom cultivation could contribute to alleviating ecological impact of invasive weed species while offering practical option to mitigating hunger and malnutrition in areas where the invasive weeds became dominant.

Characterization of a Novel Dye-Decolorizing Peroxidase (DyP)-Type Enzyme from Irpex lacteus and Its Application in Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Wheat Straw

PubMed Central

Salvachúa, Davinia; Prieto, Alicia

2013-01-01

Irpex lacteus is a white rot basidiomycete proposed for a wide spectrum of biotechnological applications which presents an interesting, but still scarcely known, enzymatic oxidative system. Among these enzymes, the production, purification, and identification of a new dye-decolorizing peroxidase (DyP)-type enzyme, as well as its physico-chemical, spectroscopic, and catalytic properties, are described in the current work. According to its N-terminal sequence and peptide mass fingerprinting analyses, I. lacteus DyP showed high homology (>95%) with the hypothetical (not isolated or characterized) protein cpop21 from an unidentified species of the family Polyporaceae. The enzyme had a low optimal pH, was very stable to acid pH and temperature, and showed improved activity and stability at high H2O2 concentrations compared to other peroxidases. Other attractive features of I. lacteus DyP were its high catalytic efficiency oxidizing the recalcitrant anthraquinone and azo dyes assayed (kcat/Km of 1.6 × 106 s-1 M-1) and its ability to oxidize nonphenolic aromatic compounds like veratryl alcohol. In addition, the effect of this DyP during the enzymatic hydrolysis of wheat straw was checked. The results suggest that I. lacteus DyP displayed a synergistic action with cellulases during the hydrolysis of wheat straw, increasing significantly the fermentable glucose recoveries from this substrate. These data show a promising biotechnological potential for this enzyme. PMID:23666335

Characterization and Comparison of Fast Pyrolysis Bio-oils from Pinewood, Rapeseed Cake, and Wheat Straw Using 13C NMR and Comprehensive GC × GC

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Fast pyrolysis bio-oils are feasible energy carriers and a potential source of chemicals. Detailed characterization of bio-oils is essential to further develop its potential use. In this study, quantitative 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (13C NMR) combined with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC × GC) was used to characterize fast pyrolysis bio-oils originated from pinewood, wheat straw, and rapeseed cake. The combination of both techniques provided new information on the chemical composition of bio-oils for further upgrading. 13C NMR analysis indicated that pinewood-based bio-oil contained mostly methoxy/hydroxyl (≈30%) and carbohydrate (≈27%) carbons; wheat straw bio-oil showed to have high amount of alkyl (≈35%) and aromatic (≈30%) carbons, while rapeseed cake-based bio-oil had great portions of alkyl carbons (≈82%). More than 200 compounds were identified and quantified using GC × GC coupled to a flame ionization detector (FID) and a time of flight mass spectrometer (TOF-MS). Nonaromatics were the most abundant and comprised about 50% of the total mass of compounds identified and quantified via GC × GC. In addition, this analytical approach allowed the quantification of high value-added phenolic compounds, as well as of low molecular weight carboxylic acids and aldehydes, which exacerbate the unstable and corrosive character of the bio-oil. PMID:27668136

The importance of nano-porosity in the stalk-derived biochar to the sorption of 17β-estradiol and retention of it in the greenhouse soil.

PubMed

Zhang, Fengsong; Li, Yanxia; Zhang, Guixiang; Li, Wei; Yang, Lingsheng

2017-04-01

Natural estrogens in greenhouse soils with long-term manure application are becoming a potential threat to adjacent aquatic environment. Porous stalk biochar as a cost-effective adsorbent of estrogen has a strong potential to reduce their transportation from soil to waters. But the dominant adsorption mechanism of estrogen to stalk biochars and retention of estrogen by greenhouse soils amended with biochar are less well known. Element, function groups, total surface area (SA total ), nano-pores of stalk biochars, and chemical structure of 17β-estradiol (E2, length 1.20 nm, width 0.56 nm, thickness 0.48 nm) are integrated in research on E2 sorption behavior in three stalk-derived biochars produced from wheat straw (WS), rice straw (RS), and corn straw (CS), and greenhouse soils amended with optimal biochar. The three biochars had comparable H/C and (O + N)/C, while their aromatic carbon contents and total surface areas (SA total ) both varied as CS > WS > RS. However, WS had the highest sorption capacity (logK oc ), sorption affinity (K f ), and strongest nonlinearity (n). Additionally, the variation of Langmuir maximum adsorption capacity (Q 0 ) was consistent with the trend for SA 1.2-20 (WS > RS > CS) but contrary to the trend for SA total and SA <1.2 (CS > WS > RS). These results indicate that pore-filling dominates the sorption of E2 by biochars and exhibits "sieving effect" and length-directionality-specific via H-bonding between -OH groups on the both ends of E2 in the length direction and polar groups on the inner surface of pores. After the addition of wheat straw biochar, the extent of increase in the sorption affinity for E2 in the soil with low OC content was higher than those in the soil with high OC content. Therefore, the effectiveness for the wheat straw biochar mitigating the risk of E2 in greenhouse soil depended on the compositions of soil, especially organic matter.

76 FR 38158 - Withdrawal of Pesticide Petitions for Residues of Pesticide Chemicals in or on Various Commodities

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-29

...-0307) which announced the filing of a pesticide petition (PP 3E6536) by Dow AgroSciences LLC., 9330... commodities mandarin oranges/mandarins at 5.0 parts per million (ppm). On December 21, 2010, Dow AgroSciences..., forage at 25 ppm, wheat, straw at 7.0 ppm; wheat, aspirated grain fractions at 6.0 ppm; cattle, fat at 1...

Mapping quantitative trait loci with additive effects and additive x additive epistatic interactions for biomass yield, grain yield, and straw yield using a doubled haploid population of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

PubMed

Li, Z K; Jiang, X L; Peng, T; Shi, C L; Han, S X; Tian, B; Zhu, Z L; Tian, J C

2014-02-28

Biomass yield is one of the most important traits for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-breeding programs. Increasing the yield of the aerial parts of wheat varieties will be an integral component of future wheat improvement; however, little is known regarding the genetic control of aerial part yield. A doubled haploid population, comprising 168 lines derived from a cross between two winter wheat cultivars, 'Huapei 3' (HP3) and 'Yumai 57' (YM57), was investigated. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) for total biomass yield, grain yield, and straw yield were determined for additive effects and additive x additive epistatic interactions using the QTLNetwork 2.0 software based on the mixed-linear model. Thirteen QTL were determined to have significant additive effects for the three yield traits, of which six also exhibited epistatic effects. Eleven significant additive x additive interactions were detected, of which seven occurred between QTL showing epistatic effects only, two occurred between QTL showing epistatic effects and additive effects, and two occurred between QTL with additive effects. These QTL explained 1.20 to 10.87% of the total phenotypic variation. The QTL with an allele originating from YM57 on chromosome 4B and another QTL contributed by HP3 alleles on chromosome 4D were simultaneously detected on the same or adjacent chromosome intervals for the three traits in two environments. Most of the repeatedly detected QTL across environments were not significant (P > 0.05). These results have implications for selection strategies in wheat biomass yield and for increasing the yield of the aerial part of wheat.

Comparative characterization of proteins secreted by Neurospora sitophila in solid-state and submerged fermentation.

PubMed

Li, Yanjun; Peng, Xiaowei; Chen, Hongzhang

2013-10-01

Although submerged fermentation (SmF) accounts for most of current enzyme industries, it has been reported that solid-state fermentation (SSF) can produce higher enzyme yields in laboratory scale. In order to understand the reasons contributing to high enzyme production in SSF, this study compared the cellulase activities and secretomes of Neurospora sitophila cultured in SSF and SmF using steam exploded wheat straw as carbon source and enzyme inducer. The total amounts of protein and biomass (glucosamine content) in SSF were respectively 30 and 2.8 times of those in SmF. The CMCase, FPA and β-glucoside activities in SSF were 53-181 times of those in SmF. Both in SSF and SmF, N. sitophila secreted the most critical cellulases and hemicellulases known for Trichoderma reesei, although a β-xylosidase was exclusively identified in SSF. Six endoglucanases were identified in N. sitophila secretion with the high CMCase activity. The non-enzyme proteins in SSF were involved in fungal mycelia growth and conidiation; while those in SmF were more related to glycometabolism and stress tolerance. This revealed that SSF more likely serves as a natural habitat for filamentous fungi to facilitate the enzyme secretion. Copyright © 2013 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessing the environmental sustainability of ethanol from integrated biorefineries

PubMed Central

Falano, Temitope; Jeswani, Harish K; Azapagic, Adisa

2014-01-01

This paper considers the life cycle environmental sustainability of ethanol produced in integrated biorefineries together with chemicals and energy. Four types of second-generation feedstocks are considered: wheat straw, forest residue, poplar, and miscanthus. Seven out of 11 environmental impacts from ethanol are negative, including greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, when the system is credited for the co-products, indicating environmental savings. Ethanol from poplar is the best and straw the worst option for most impacts. Land use change from forest to miscanthus increases the GHG emissions several-fold. For poplar, the effect is opposite: converting grassland to forest reduces the emissions by three-fold. Compared to fossil and first-generation ethanol, ethanol from integrated biorefineries is more sustainable for most impacts, with the exception of wheat straw. Pure ethanol saves up to 87% of GHG emissions compared to petrol per MJ of fuel. However, for the current 5% ethanol–petrol blends, the savings are much smaller (<3%). Therefore, unless much higher blends become widespread, the contribution of ethanol from integrated biorefineries to the reduction of GHG emissions will be insignificant. Yet, higher ethanol blends would lead to an increase in some impacts, notably terrestrial and freshwater toxicity as well as eutrophication for some feedstocks. PMID:24478110

Natural cellulose fibers from soybean straw.

PubMed

Reddy, Narendra; Yang, Yiqi

2009-07-01

This paper reports the development of natural cellulose technical fibers from soybean straw with properties similar to the natural cellulose fibers in current use. About 220 million tons of soybean straw available in the world every year could complement the byproducts of other major food crops as inexpensive, abundant and annually renewable sources for natural cellulose fibers. Using the agricultural byproducts as sources for fibers could help to address the concerns on the future price and availability of both the natural and synthetic fibers in current use and also help to add value to the food crops. A simple alkaline extraction was used to obtain technical fibers from soybean straw and the composition, structure and properties of the fibers was studied. Technical fibers obtained from soybean straw have high cellulose content (85%) but low% crystallinity (47%). The technical fibers have breaking tenacity (2.7 g/den) and breaking elongation (3.9%) higher than those of fibers obtained from wheat straw and sorghum stalk and leaves but lower than that of cotton. Overall, the structure and properties of the technical fibers obtained from soybean straw indicates that the fibers could be suitable for use in textile, composite and other industrial applications.

Re-use of invasive plants (water hyacinth) as organic fertilizer through composting and vermicomposting (Extremadura, Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Labrador, Juana; Gordillo, Judit; Ruiz, Trinidad; Moreno, Marta M.

2015-04-01

The water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is an invasive plant that is native of the Amazon basin and whose capacity for growth and propagation causes major conservation problems with considerable socioeconomic repercussions. The greatest damage due to its fast expansion has been in the middle reaches of the River Guadiana in the SW Iberian Peninsula, where was detected in the Autumn of 2004. Due to its rapid expansion, mechanical extraction was carried out by the Confederación Hidrográfica del Guadiana (CHG) of Spain's Ministry of the Environment since the affected zone is an important area of irrigation farming and hydraulic works and this alien plant weed provoked acute social alarm (Ruiz et al., 2008). In this work we used composting and vermicomposting techniques as an environmental alternative to assess the possibilities of biotransformation of the water hyacinth biomass removed mechanically from the Guadiana River Basin (Spain). Four compost piles 1.5 x 10 m size, mechanically tumbled and with no forced ventilation (turning windrows system), were constructed outdoor. Each compost pile was considered as a different treatment: CC1: fresh water hyacinth / wheat straw (1:1 vol/vol); CC2: fresh water hyacinth / sheep manure rich in wheat straw (1:1 vol/vol); CC3: fresh water hyacinth / sheep manure rich in wheat straw (2:1 vol/vol) + Bokachi EM Activator (200 g m-2) to favor the composting process; CC4: fresh water hyacinth / sheep manure rich in wheat straw (1:1 vol/vol) + Bokachi EM Activator (200 g m-2). The vermicomposting process was performed on mesh coated wooden boxes (0.34 m3) covered with a shadow mesh with the aim of harmonizing the environmental conditions. The quantities of water hyacinth biomass used were identical in volume (120 l) but with different state or composition: fresh and chopped biomass (VCF); dry and chopped biomass (VCS); fresh and pre-composted biomass with sheep manure rich in wheat straw (VCP). Identical worm density, irrigation type (microaspersion), irrigation period and vermicomposting process duration (four months) were adopted. Phytotoxicity tests were performed on Lactuca sativa cv. "cuatro estaciones" with the aim of finding the appropriate concentrations to be incorporated to the soil. The composting process required water hyacinth to be crushed, because only chopping made the process very slow. The greatest effectiveness was observed with the vermicomposting trials. In the phytotoxicity tests, the vermicompost extracts did not cause any toxicity at any of the concentrations studied; however, compost extracts obtained in CC1 and CC3 caused problems in root development. Key words: composting, vermicomposting, water hyacinth. References Ruiz T., Martín de Rodrigo E., Lorenzo G., Albano E., Morán R., Sánchez J.M. 2008. The Water Hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes: an invasive plant in the Guadiana River Basin (Spain). Aquatic Invasions Volume 3, Issue 1: 42-53.

Effects of different types of solid feeds on health status and performance of Swiss veal calves. II. Basic feeding with whole milk.

PubMed

Räber, R; Kaufmann, T; Regula, G; von Rotz, A; Stoffel, H M; Posthaus, H; Rérat, M; Morel, I; Kirchhofer, M; Steiner, A; Bähler, C

2013-05-01

The objective of this study was to identify a suitable alternative to the current practice of complementing the feeding of whole milk with straw. The influence of 3 different solid supplements on the health and performance of Swiss veal calves was investigated during 3 production cycles of 90 veal calves each with a mean initial age of 42 days and a mean initial weight of 68.7 kg. The calves were housed in groups of 30 in stalls strewn with wheat straw without outside pen. Liquid feeding consisted of whole milk combined with an additional skim milk powder ad libitum. Groups were assigned to one of the three following experimental solid feeds provided ad libitum: Pellet mix (composition: oat hulls, corn [whole plant], barley, sunflower seeds, squeezed grains of corn, molasses and a pellet binder), whole plant corn pellets, and wheat straw as control. Calves of the straw group showed significantly more abomasal lesions in the fundic part as compared to the pellet mix and corn pellets groups (P < 0.001), the prevalence of insufficient papillae was highest (P < 0.05), and ruminating behavior was unsatisfactory. In contrast to the pellet mix and straw groups, performance of calves in the corn pellets group was good. Additionally, prevalence of abomasal fundic lesions was lowest (P < 0.001), and rumen development was best in calves of the corn pellets group (P < 0.01). As in part I, the results reveal that whole-plant corn pellets are most consistent with an optimal result combining the calves' health and fattening performance. Therefore, it can be recommended as a solid supplement for veal calves basically fed whole milk under Swiss conditions.

Hydrothermal pretreatment of several lignocellulosic mixtures containing wheat straw and two hardwood residues available in Southern Europe.

PubMed

Silva-Fernandes, Talita; Duarte, Luís Chorão; Carvalheiro, Florbela; Loureiro-Dias, Maria Conceição; Fonseca, César; Gírio, Francisco

2015-05-01

This work studied the processing of biomass mixtures containing three lignocellulosic materials largely available in Southern Europe, eucalyptus residues (ER), wheat straw (WS) and olive tree pruning (OP). The mixtures were chemically characterized, and their pretreatment, by autohydrolysis, evaluated within a severity factor (logR0) ranging from 1.73 up to 4.24. A simple modeling strategy was used to optimize the autohydrolysis conditions based on the chemical characterization of the liquid fraction. The solid fraction was characterized to quantify the polysaccharide and lignin content. The pretreatment conditions for maximal saccharides recovery in the liquid fraction were at a severity range (logR0) of 3.65-3.72, independently of the mixture tested, which suggests that autohydrolysis can effectively process mixtures of lignocellulosic materials for further biochemical conversion processes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enhancing saccharification of wheat straw by mixing enzymes from genetically-modified Trichoderma reesei and Aspergillus niger.

PubMed

Jiang, Yanping; Duarte, Alexandra Vivas; van den Brink, Joost; Wiebenga, Ad; Zou, Gen; Wang, Chengshu; de Vries, Ronald P; Zhou, Zhihua; Benoit, Isabelle

2016-01-01

To increase the efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis for plant biomass conversion into renewable biofuel and chemicals. By overexpressing the point mutation A824 V transcriptional activator Xyr1 in Trichoderma reesei, carboxymethyl cellulase, cellobiosidase and β-D-glucosidase activities of the best mutant were increased from 1.8 IU/ml, 0.1 IU/ml and 0.05 IU/ml to 4.8 IU/ml, 0.4 IU/ml and 0.3 IU/ml, respectively. The sugar yield of wheat straw saccharification by combining enzymes from this mutant and the Aspergillus niger genetically modified strain ΔcreA/xlnR c/araR c was improved up to 7.5 mg/ml, a 229 % increase compared to the combination of wild type strains. Mixing enzymes from T. reesei and A. niger combined with the genetic modification of transcription factors is a promising strategy to increase saccharification efficiency.

Fate of Carbohydrates and Lignin during Composting and Mycelium Growth of Agaricus bisporus on Wheat Straw Based Compost

PubMed Central

Jurak, Edita; Punt, Arjen M.; Arts, Wim; Kabel, Mirjam A.; Gruppen, Harry

2015-01-01

In wheat straw based composting, enabling growth of Agaricus bisporus mushrooms, it is unknown to which extent the carbohydrate-lignin matrix changes and how much is metabolized. In this paper we report yields and remaining structures of the major components. During the Phase II of composting 50% of both xylan and cellulose were metabolized by microbial activity, while lignin structures were unaltered. During A. bisporus’ mycelium growth (Phase III) carbohydrates were only slightly consumed and xylan was found to be partially degraded. At the same time, lignin was metabolized for 45% based on pyrolysis GC/MS. Remaining lignin was found to be modified by an increase in the ratio of syringyl (S) to guaiacyl (G) units from 0.5 to 0.7 during mycelium growth, while fewer decorations on the phenolic skeleton of both S and G units remained. PMID:26436656

Prewashing enhances the liquid hot water pretreatment efficiency of waste wheat straw with high free ash content.

PubMed

Huang, Chen; Wu, Xinxing; Huang, Yang; Lai, Chenhuan; Li, Xin; Yong, Qiang

2016-11-01

The effect of prewashing process prior to the liquid hot water (LHW) pretreatment of high free ash content waste wheat straw (WWS) was investigated. It was found that prewashing process decreased the ash content of WWS greatly, from 29.48% to 9.82%. This contributed to the lower pH value of prehydrolyzate and higher xylan removal in the following LHW pretreatment. More importantly, the prewashing process effectively increased the cellulose enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency of pretreated WWS, from 53.04% to 84.15%. The acid buffering capacity (ABC) and cation exchange capacity (CEC) of raw and prewashed WWS were examined. The majority of free ash removal from WWS by prewashing resulted in the decrease of the ABC of the WWS from 211.74 to 61.81mmol/pH-kg, and potentially enhancing the efficiency of the follow-up LHW pretreatment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improving lead adsorption through chemical modification of wheat straw by lactic acid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mu, Ruimin; Wang, Minxiang; Bu, Qingwei; Liu, Dong; Zhao, Yanli

2018-01-01

This work describes the creation of a new cellulosic material derived from wheat straw modified by lactic acid for adsorption of lead in aqueous solution, called 0.3LANS (the concentration of the lactic acid were 0.3mol/L). Batch experiments were conducted to study the effects of initial pH value, contact time, adsorbent dose, initial concentration and temperature. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Elemental analysis, BET surface area and Scanning electron micrographs (SEM) analysis were used to investigate the chemical modification. Adsorption isotherm models namely, Langmuir, Freundlich were used to analyse the equilibrium data, and the Langmuir isotherm model provided the best correlation, means that the adsorption was chemical monolayer adsorption and the adsorption capacity qm was increased with increasing temperature, and reached 51.49mg/g for 0.3LANS at 35°C, showing adsorption was exothermic.

Soil aggregate and organic carbon distribution at dry land soil and paddy soil: the role of different straws returning.

PubMed

Huang, Rong; Lan, Muling; Liu, Jiang; Gao, Ming

2017-12-01

Agriculture wastes returning to soil is one of common ways to reuse crop straws in China. The returned straws are expected to improve the fertility and structural stability of soil during the degradation of straw it selves. The in situ effect of different straw (wheat, rice, maize, rape, and broad bean) applications for soil aggregate stability and soil organic carbon (SOC) distribution were studied at both dry land soil and paddy soil in this study. Wet sieving procedures were used to separate soil aggregate sizes. Aggregate stability indicators including mean weight diameter, geometric mean diameter, mean weight of specific surface area, and the fractal dimension were used to evaluate soil aggregate stability after the incubation of straws returning. Meanwhile, the variation and distribution of SOC in different-sized aggregates were further studied. Results showed that the application of straws, especially rape straw at dry land soil and rice straw at paddy soil, increased the fractions of macro-aggregate (> 0.25 mm) and micro-aggregate (0.25-0.053 mm). Suggesting the nutrients released from straw degradation promotes the growing of soil aggregates directly and indirectly. The application of different straws increased the SOC content at both soils and the SOC mainly distributed at < 0.53 mm aggregates. However, the contribution of SOC in macro- and micro-aggregates increased. Straw-applied paddy soil have a higher total SOC content but lower SOC contents at > 0.25 and 0.25-0.053 mm aggregates with dry land soil. Rape straw in dry land and rice straw in paddy field could stabilize soil aggregates and increasing SOC contents best.

Straw enhanced CO2 and CH4 but decreased N2O emissions from flooded paddy soils: Changes in microbial community compositions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ning; Yu, Jian-Guang; Zhao, Ya-Hui; Chang, Zhi-Zhou; Shi, Xiao-Xia; Ma, Lena Q.; Li, Hong-Bo

2018-02-01

To explore microbial mechanisms of straw-induced changes in CO2, CH4, and N2O emissions from paddy field, wheat straw was amended to two paddy soils from Taizhou (TZ) and Yixing (YX), China for 60 d under flooded condition. Illumia sequencing was used to characterize shift in bacterial community compositions. Compared to control, 1-5% straw amendment significantly elevated CO2 and CH4 emissions with higher increase at higher application rates, mainly due to increased soil DOC concentrations. In contrast, straw amendment decreased N2O emission. Considering CO2, CH4, and N2O emissions as a whole, an overall increase in global warming potential was observed with straw amendment. Total CO2 and CH4 emissions from straw-amended soils were significantly higher for YX than TZ soil, suggesting that straw-induced greenhouse gas emissions depended on soil characteristics. The abundance of C-turnover bacteria Firmicutes increased from 28-41% to 54-77% with straw amendment, thereby increasing CO2 and CH4 emissions. However, straw amendment reduced the abundance of denitrifying bacteria Proteobacteria from 18% to 7.2-13% or increased the abundance of N2O reducing bacteria Clostridium from 7.6-11% to 13-30%, thereby decreasing N2O emission. The results suggested straw amendment strongly influenced greenhouse gas emissions via alerting soil properties and bacterial community compositions. Future field application is needed to ascertain the effects of straw return on greenhouse gas emissions.

Effects of straw mulch on soil water and winter wheat production in dryland farming

PubMed Central

Peng, Zhang; Ting, Wei; Haixia, Wang; Min, Wang; Xiangping, Meng; Siwei, Mou; Rui, Zhang; Zhikuan, Jia; Qingfang, Han

2015-01-01

The soil water supply is the main factor that limits dryland crop production in China. In a three-year field experiment at a dryland farming experimental station, we evaluated the effects of various straw mulch practices on soil water storage, grain yield, and water use efficiency (WUE) of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum). Field experiments were conducted with six different mulch combinations (two different mulch durations and three different mulch amounts): high (SM1; 9000 kg ha−1), medium (SM2; 6000 kg ha−1), and low (SM3; 3000 kg ha−1) straw mulch treatments for the whole period; and high (SM4), medium (SM5) and low (SM6) straw mulch treatments during the growth period only, where the control was the whole period without mulch (CK). Throughout the whole growth period of the three-year experiment, the average soil water content in the 0–200 cm soil layer increased by 0.7–22.5% compared with CK, while the WUE increased significantly by 30.6%, 32.7% and 24.2% with SM1, SM2, and SM3, respectively (P < 0.05). The yield increased by 13.3–23.0% when mulch was provided during the growth period, while the WUE increased by 15.2%, 17.2% and 18.0% with SM4, SM5, and SM6, respectively, compared with CK. PMID:26035528

Comparison of characterization and microbial communities in rice straw- and wheat straw-based compost for Agaricus bisporus production.

PubMed

Wang, Lin; Mao, Jiugeng; Zhao, Hejuan; Li, Min; Wei, Qishun; Zhou, Ying; Shao, Heping

2016-09-01

Rice straw (RS) is an important raw material for the preparation of Agaricus bisporus compost in China. In this study, the characterization of composting process from RS and wheat straw (WS) was compared for mushroom production. The results showed that the temperature in RS compost increased rapidly compared with WS compost, and the carbon (C)/nitrogen (N) ratio decreased quickly. The microbial changes during the Phase I and Phase II composting process were monitored using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis. Bacteria were the dominant species during the process of composting and the bacterial community structure dramatically changed during heap composting according to the DGGE results. The bacterial community diversity of RS compost was abundant compared with WS compost at stages 4-5, but no distinct difference was observed after the controlled tunnel Phase II process. The total amount of PLFAs of RS compost, as an indicator of microbial biomass, was higher than that of WS. Clustering by DGGE and principal component analysis of the PLFA compositions revealed that there were differences in both the microbial population and community structure between RS- and WS-based composts. Our data indicated that composting of RS resulted in improved degradation and assimilation of breakdown products by A. bisporus, and suggested that the RS compost was effective for sustaining A. bisporus mushroom growth as well as conventional WS compost.

Screening and production study of microbial xylanase producers from Brazilian Cerrado.

PubMed

Alves-Prado, Heloiza Ferreira; Pavezzi, Fabiana Carina; Leite, Rodrigo Simões Ribeiro; de Oliveira, Valéria Maia; Sette, Lara Durães; Dasilva, Roberto

2010-05-01

Hemicelluloses are polysaccharides of low molecular weight containing 100 to 200 glycosidic residues. In plants, the xylans or the hemicelluloses are situated between the lignin and the collection of cellulose fibers underneath. The xylan is the most common hemicellulosic polysaccharide in cell walls of land plants, comprising a backbone of xylose residues linked by beta-1,4-glycosidic bonds. So, xylanolytic enzymes from microorganism have attracted a great deal of attention in the last decade, particularly because of their biotechnological characteristics in various industrial processes, related to food, feed, ethanol, pulp, and paper industries. A microbial screening of xylanase producer was carried out in Brazilian Cerrado area in Selviria city, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil. About 50 bacterial strains and 15 fungal strains were isolated from soil sample at 35 degrees C. Between these isolated microorganisms, a bacterium Lysinibacillus sp. and a fungus Neosartorya spinosa as good xylanase producers were identified. Based on identification processes, Lysinibacillus sp. is a new species and the xylanase production by this bacterial genus was not reported yet. Similarly, it has not reported about xylanase production from N. spinosa. The bacterial strain P5B1 identified as Lysinibacillus sp. was cultivated on submerged fermentation using as substrate xylan, wheat bran, corn straw, corncob, and sugar cane bagasse. Corn straw and wheat bran show a good xylanase activity after 72 h of fermentation. A fungus identified as N. spinosa (strain P2D16) was cultivated on solid-state fermentation using as substrate source wheat bran, wheat bran plus sawdust, corn straw, corncob, cassava bran, and sugar cane bagasse. Wheat bran and corncobs show the better xylanase production after 72 h of fermentation. Both crude xylanases were characterized and a bacterial xylanase shows optimum pH for enzyme activity at 6.0, whereas a fungal xylanase has optimum pH at 5.0-5.5. They were stable in the pH range 5.0-10.0 and 5.5-8.5 for bacterial and fungal xylanase, respectively. The optimum temperatures were 55 and 60 degrees C for bacterial and fungal xylanase, respectively, and they were thermally stable up to 50 degrees C.

The introduction of yellow mealworm (Tenebrio Molitor L.) into BLSS as a source of animal protein for humans: experiments and modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Leyuan; Liu, lh64. Hong; Ruo Zhao, Zhi

2012-07-01

In bioregenerative life support systems, using inedible plant biomass to feed animals can provide animal protein for astronauts, while at the same time treating with wastes so as to increase the degree of system closure and the efficiency of material cycling. In this study, an analysis and demonstration on the potential of yellow mealworms (Tenebrio molitor L.) as an animal candidate in the system was presented. The feasibility of feeding T. molitor with inedible parts of wheat and vegetables was studied. Moreover, a process for straw fermentation was selected. T. molitor was fed on wheat bran for the first 10 days, and then gradually, fermented straw was added. Old leaves of Chinese cabbage were used as supplementary feedstuff. The results showed that T. molitor larvae fed on this diet survived and grew normally, their fresh and dry weight achieved 56.15% and 46.76% of the larvae fed on a conventional diet, respectively. The bioconversion rate of the larvae was 16.07%, which was 88.05% of the conventional diet group. The protein and fat contents were 76.14% and 6.44% on dry weigh, respectively. Through the processes of anaerobic fermentation and mealworm consumption, the straw lost about 47.79% of the initial dry weight, and its lignocellulose had a degradation of about 45.74%. Wheat germination test indicated that the frass of T. molitor has the potential to be utilized as plant cultivation substrate after certain treatment. Stoichiometric modeling of BLSS containing T. molitor was also conducted.

Assessing biochar ecotoxicology for soil amendment by root phytotoxicity bioassays.

PubMed

Visioli, Giovanna; Conti, Federica D; Menta, Cristina; Bandiera, Marianna; Malcevschi, Alessio; Jones, Davey L; Vamerali, Teofilo

2016-03-01

Soil amendment with biochar has been proposed as effective in improving agricultural land fertility and carbon sequestration, although the characterisation and certification of biochar quality are still crucial for widespread acceptance for agronomic purposes. We describe here the effects of four biochars (conifer and poplar wood, grape marc, wheat straw) at increasing application rates (0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50% w/w) on both germination and root elongation of Cucumis sativus L., Lepidium sativum L. and Sorghum saccharatum Moench. The tested biochars varied in chemical properties, depending on the type and quality of the initial feedstock batch, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) being high in conifer and wheat straw, Cd in poplar and Cu in grape marc. We demonstrate that electrical conductivity and Cu negatively affected both germination and root elongation at ≥5% rate biochar, together with Zn at ≥10% and elevated pH at ≥20%. In all species, germination was less sensitive than root elongation, strongly decreasing at very high rates of chars from grape marc (>10%) and wheat straw (>50%), whereas root length was already affected at 0.5% of conifer and poplar in cucumber and sorghum, with marked impairment in all chars at >5%. As a general interpretation, we propose here logarithmic model for robust root phytotoxicity in sorghum, based on biochar Zn content, which explains 66% of variability over the whole dosage range tested. We conclude that metal contamination is a crucial quality parameter for biochar safety, and that root elongation represents a stable test for assessing phytotoxicity at recommended in-field amendment rates (<1-2%).

Assembly of Xylanases into Designer Cellulosomes Promotes Efficient Hydrolysis of the Xylan Component of a Natural Recalcitrant Cellulosic Substrate

PubMed Central

Moraïs, Sarah; Barak, Yoav; Hadar, Yitzhak; Wilson, David B.; Shoham, Yuval; Lamed, Raphael; Bayer, Edward A.

2011-01-01

ABSTRACT In nature, the complex composition and structure of the plant cell wall pose a barrier to enzymatic degradation. Nevertheless, some anaerobic bacteria have evolved for this purpose an intriguing, highly efficient multienzyme complex, the cellulosome, which contains numerous cellulases and hemicellulases. The rod-like cellulose component of the plant cell wall is embedded in a colloidal blend of hemicelluloses, a major component of which is xylan. In order to enhance enzymatic degradation of the xylan component of a natural complex substrate (wheat straw) and to study the synergistic action among different xylanases, we have employed a variation of the designer cellulosome approach by fabricating a tetravalent complex that includes the three endoxylanases of Thermobifida fusca (Xyn10A, Xyn10B, and Xyn11A) and an Xyl43A β-xylosidase from the same bacterium. Here, we describe the conversion of Xyn10A and Xyl43A to the cellulosomal mode. The incorporation of the Xyl43A enzyme together with the three endoxylanases into a common designer cellulosome served to enhance the level of reducing sugars produced during wheat straw degradation. The enhanced synergistic action of the four xylanases reflected their immediate juxtaposition in the complex, and these tetravalent xylanolytic designer cellulosomes succeeded in degrading significant (~25%) levels of the total xylan component of the wheat straw substrate. The results suggest that the incorporation of xylanases into cellulosome complexes is advantageous for efficient decomposition of recalcitrant cellulosic substrates—a distinction previously reserved for cellulose-degrading enzymes. PMID:22086489

Saprotrophic and Mycoparasitic Components of Aggressiveness of Trichoderma harzianum Groups toward the Commercial Mushroom Agaricus bisporus

PubMed Central

Williams, Josie; Clarkson, John M.; Mills, Peter R.; Cooper, Richard M.

2003-01-01

We examined the mycoparasitic and saprotrophic behavior of isolates representing groups of Trichoderma harzianum to establish a mechanism for the aggressiveness towards Agaricus bisporus in infested commercial compost. Mycoparasitic structures were infrequently observed in interaction zones on various media, including compost, with cryoscanning electron microscopy. T. harzianum grows prolifically in compost in the absence or presence of A. bisporus, and the aggressive European (Th2) and North American (Th4) isolates produced significantly higher biomasses (6.8- and 7.5-fold, respectively) in compost than did nonaggressive, group 1 isolates. All groups secreted depolymerases that could attack the cell walls of A. bisporus and of wheat straw, and some were linked to aggressiveness. Growth on mushroom cell walls in vitro resulted in rapid production of chymoelastase and trypsin-like proteases by only the Th2 and Th4 isolates. These isolates also produced a dominant protease isoform (pI 6.22) and additional chitinase isoforms. On wheat straw, Th4 produced distinct isoforms of cellulase and laminarinase, but there was no consistent association between levels or isoforms of depolymerases and aggressiveness. Th3's distinctive profiles confirmed its reclassification as Trichoderma atroviride. Proteases and glycanases were detected for the first time in sterilized compost colonized by T. harzianum. Xylanase dominated, and some isoforms were unique to compost, as were some laminarinases. We hypothesize that aggressiveness results from competition, antagonism, or parasitism but only as a component of, or following, extensive saprotrophic growth involving degradation of wheat straw cell walls. PMID:12839799

Overproduction of ligninolytic enzymes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Elisashvili, Vladimir; Kachlishvili, Eva; Torok, Tamas

Methods, compositions, and systems for overproducing ligninolytic enzymes from the basidiomycetous fungus are described herein. As described, the method can include incubating a fungal strain of Cerrena unicolor IBB 303 in a fermentation system having growth medium which includes lignocellulosic material and then cultivating the fungal strain in the fermentation system under conditions wherein the fungus expresses the ligninolytic enzymes. In some cases, the lignocellulosic material is mandarin peel, ethanol production residue, walnut pericarp, wheat bran, wheat straw, or banana peel.

Butyric acid production from lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysates by engineered Clostridium tyrobutyricum overexpressing Class I heat shock protein GroESL.

PubMed

Suo, Yukai; Fu, Hongxin; Ren, Mengmeng; Yang, Xitong; Liao, Zhengping; Wang, Jufang

2018-02-01

Lignocellulosic biomass is the most abundant and renewable substrate for biological fermentation, but the inhibitors present in the lignocellulosic hydrolysates could severely inhibit the cell growth and productivity of industrial strains. This study confirmed that overexpressing of native groESL in Clostridium tyrobutyricum could significantly improve its tolerance to lignocellulosic hydrolysate-derived inhibitors, especially for phenolic compounds. Consequently, ATCC 25755/groESL showed a better performance in butyric acid fermentation with hydrolysates of corn cob, corn straw, rice straw, wheat straw, soybean hull and soybean straw, respectively. When corn straw and rice straw hydrolysates, which showed strong toxicity to C. tyrobutyricum, were used as the substrates, 29.6 g/L and 30.1 g/L butyric acid were obtained in batch fermentation, increased by 26.5% and 19.4% as compared with the wild-type strain, respectively. And more importantly, the butyric acid productivity reached 0.31 g/L·h (vs. 0.20-0.21 g/L·h for the wild-type strain) due to the shortened lag phase. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Systemic Growth of F. graminearum in Wheat Plants and Related Accumulation of Deoxynivalenol

PubMed Central

Moretti, Antonio; Panzarini, Giuseppe; Somma, Stefania; Campagna, Claudio; Ravaglia, Stefano; Logrieco, Antonio F.; Solfrizzo, Michele

2014-01-01

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is an important disease of wheat worldwide caused mainly by Fusarium graminearum (syn. Gibberella zeae). This fungus can be highly aggressive and can produce several mycotoxins such as deoxynivalenol (DON), a well known harmful metabolite for humans, animals, and plants. The fungus can survive overwinter on wheat residues and on the soil, and can usually attack the wheat plant at their point of flowering, being able to infect the heads and to contaminate the kernels at the maturity. Contaminated kernels can be sometimes used as seeds for the cultivation of the following year. Poor knowledge on the ability of the strains of F. graminearum occurring on wheat seeds to be transmitted to the plant and to contribute to the final DON contamination of kernels is available. Therefore, this study had the goals of evaluating: (a) the capability of F. graminearum causing FHB of wheat to be transmitted from the seeds or soil to the kernels at maturity and the progress of the fungus within the plant at different growth stages; (b) the levels of DON contamination in both plant tissues and kernels. The study has been carried out for two years in a climatic chamber. The F. gramineraum strain selected for the inoculation was followed within the plant by using Vegetative Compatibility technique, and quantified by Real-Time PCR. Chemical analyses of DON were carried out by using immunoaffinity cleanup and HPLC/UV/DAD. The study showed that F. graminearum originated from seeds or soil can grow systemically in the plant tissues, with the exception of kernels and heads. There seems to be a barrier that inhibits the colonization of the heads by the fungus. High levels of DON and F. graminearum were found in crowns, stems, and straw, whereas low levels of DON and no detectable levels of F. graminearum were found in both heads and kernels. Finally, in all parts of the plant (heads, crowns, and stems at milk and vitreous ripening stages, and straw at vitreous ripening), also the accumulation of significant quantities of DON-3-glucoside (DON-3G), a product of DON glycosylation, was detected, with decreasing levels in straw, crown, stems and kernels. The presence of DON and DON-3G in heads and kernels without the occurrence of F. graminearum may be explained by their water solubility that could facilitate their translocation from stem to heads and kernels. The presence of DON-3G at levels 23 times higher than DON in the heads at milk stage without the occurrence of F. graminearum may indicate that an active glycosylation of DON also occurs in the head tissues. Finally, the high levels of DON accumulated in straws are worrisome since they represent additional sources of mycotoxin for livestock. PMID:24727554

Monitoring the impact of straw burning on particulate pollution using satellite and in-situ observations in the North China Plain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, C.

2015-12-01

The North China Plain is one of the main grain producing areas of China, but is also a severe straw burning zone. Winter wheat and summer corn harvests in this area usually occur from the beginning of Jun and Oct, respectively. After harvest, farmers usually burn out the remaining straw for convenience. However, straw burning can release a large quantity of air pollutants and can consequently result in a significant deterioration in regional air quality. To monitor the impact of straw burning on particulate pollution, daily MODIS thermal anomaly products (MOD14 and MYD14) were used to identify dates and regions of straw burning. Then the corresponding MODIS AOD products (MOD04 and MYD04) and particulate matter (PM) concentration observations from ground stations were integrated using a geostatistical method. By combining the accurate station-based PM observations and satellite data of well spatial coverage, PM concentration distribution maps were generated. Meanwhile, NCEP reanalysis data were used to obtain the corresponding surface wind pattern maps. Preliminary results show that satellite and station-based observations can indicate the impact of straw burning on PM pollution during harvest time. Air qualities during these times are obviously affected by the straw burning and surface wind field. Moreover, the air quality of the southeast study region is susceptible to the straw burning in adjacent areas due to the characteristic of the terrain.

The effects of different types of crop straw on the transformation of pentachlorophenol in flooded paddy soil.

PubMed

Lin, Jiajiang; Meng, Jun; He, Yan; Xu, Jianming; Chen, Zuliang; Brookes, Philip C

2018-02-01

The incorporation of various types of crop straw to agricultural soils has long been practiced to improve soil fertility. However, the effects of crop straw on the fate of organo-chlorine pesticides in flooded paddy soils are not well understood. The dechlorination of pentachlorophenol (PCP) in four vertical profiles (0-10, 10-20, 20-30, 30-50 mm depth) of two flooded paddy soils, a Plinthudult (Soil 1) and a Tropudult (Soil 2) was investigated following the application of four crop straws (rice, wheat, rape and Chinese milk vetch) to them. In all treatments, PCP dechlorination decreased with increasing soil depth. In the crop straw treatments, PCP was almost completely dechlorinated within 60 days, and rapidly transformed to 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorophenol, and further to 3,4,5-trichlorophenol. Further dechlorination of 3,4,5-trichlorophenol also occurred in all treatments except for the rape straw. It is possible that the NH 4 + and NO 3 - derived from the straw are responsible for the inhibition of the 3,4,5-trichlorophenol dechlorination. The reduction of Fe (III) and SO 4 2- increased following application of the crop straws. The RDA analysis indicated that the Fe (III) reducing bacteria might be involved in the ortho-dechlorination, while SO 4 2- reducing bacteria were involved in para- and meta-dechlorination of PCP. The complete detoxification of PCP depended upon both the crop straw type and soil properties. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of long-term combined application of organic and inorganic fertilizers on soil nematode communities within aggregates

PubMed Central

Zhang, Zhiyong; Zhang, Xiaoke; Mahamood, Md.; Zhang, Shuiqing; Huang, Shaomin; Liang, Wenju

2016-01-01

A long-term fertilization experiment was conducted to examine the effects of different fertilization practices on nematode community composition within aggregates in a wheat-maize rotation system. The study was a randomized complete block design with three replicates. The experiment involved the following four treatments: no fertilizer, inorganic N, P and K fertilizer (NPK), NPK plus manure (NPKM) and NPK plus maize straw (NPKS). Soil samples were taken at 0–20 cm depth during the wheat harvest stage. Based on our results, NPKS contributed to soil aggregation and moisture retention, with a positive effect on soil total nitrogen accumulation, particularly within small macroaggregates (0.25–1 mm) and microaggregates (<0.25 mm). The C/N ratio was correlated to the distribution of the soil nematode community. Both manure application and straw incorporation increased the nematode functional metabolic footprints within all aggregates. Additionally, the functional metabolic footprints decreased with a decline in aggregate size. The accumulation of total nitrogen within <1 mm aggregates under NPKS might play a key role in maintaining the survival of soil nematodes. In our study, both crop straw incorporation and inorganic fertilizer application effectively improved soil physicochemical properties and were also beneficial for nematode survival within small aggregate size fractions. PMID:27502433

Carbon footprint of grain production in China.

PubMed

Zhang, Dan; Shen, Jianbo; Zhang, Fusuo; Li, Yu'e; Zhang, Weifeng

2017-06-29

Due to the increasing environmental impact of food production, carbon footprint as an indicator can guide farmland management. This study established a method and estimated the carbon footprint of grain production in China based on life cycle analysis (LCA). The results showed that grain production has a high carbon footprint in 2013, i.e., 4052 kg ce/ha or 0.48 kg ce/kg for maize, 5455 kg ce/ha or 0.75 kg ce/kg for wheat and 11881 kg ce/ha or 1.60 kg ce/kg for rice. These footprints are higher than that of other countries, such as the United States, Canada and India. The most important factors governing carbon emissions were the application of nitrogen fertiliser (8-49%), straw burning (0-70%), energy consumption by machinery (6-40%), energy consumption for irrigation (0-44%) and CH 4 emissions from rice paddies (15-73%). The most important carbon sequestration factors included returning of crop straw (41-90%), chemical nitrogen fertiliser application (10-59%) and no-till farming practices (0-10%). Different factors dominated in different crop systems in different regions. To identity site-specific key factors and take countermeasures could significantly lower carbon footprint, e.g., ban straw burning in northeast and south China, stopping continuous flooding irrigation in wheat and rice production system.

Product distribution from pyrolysis of wood and agricultural residues

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Di Blasi, C.; Signorelli, G.; Di Russo, C.

1999-06-01

The pyrolysis characteristics of agricultural residues (wheat straw, olive husks, grape residues, and rice husks) and wood chips have been investigated on a bench scale. The experimental system establishes the conditions encountered by a thin (4 {times} 10{sup {minus}2} m diameter) packed bed of biomass particles suddenly exposed in a high-temperature environment, simulated by a radiant furnace. Product yields (gases, liquids, and char) and gas composition, measured for surface bed temperatures in the range 650--1000 K, reproduce trends already observed for wood. However, differences are quantitatively large. Pyrolysis of agricultural residues is always associated with much higher solid yields (upmore » to a factor of 2) and lower liquid yields. Differences are lower for the total gas, and approximate relationships exist among the ratios of the main gas species yields, indicating comparable activation energies for the corresponding apparent kinetics of formation. However, while the ratios are about the same for wood chips, rice husks, and straw, much lower values are shown by olive and grape residues. Large differences have also been found in the average values of the specific devolatilization rates. The fastest (up to factors of about 1.5 with respect to wood) have been observed for wheat straw and the slowest (up to factors of 2) for grape residues.« less

Effect of long-term combined application of organic and inorganic fertilizers on soil nematode communities within aggregates.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhiyong; Zhang, Xiaoke; Mahamood, Md; Zhang, Shuiqing; Huang, Shaomin; Liang, Wenju

2016-08-09

A long-term fertilization experiment was conducted to examine the effects of different fertilization practices on nematode community composition within aggregates in a wheat-maize rotation system. The study was a randomized complete block design with three replicates. The experiment involved the following four treatments: no fertilizer, inorganic N, P and K fertilizer (NPK), NPK plus manure (NPKM) and NPK plus maize straw (NPKS). Soil samples were taken at 0-20 cm depth during the wheat harvest stage. Based on our results, NPKS contributed to soil aggregation and moisture retention, with a positive effect on soil total nitrogen accumulation, particularly within small macroaggregates (0.25-1 mm) and microaggregates (<0.25 mm). The C/N ratio was correlated to the distribution of the soil nematode community. Both manure application and straw incorporation increased the nematode functional metabolic footprints within all aggregates. Additionally, the functional metabolic footprints decreased with a decline in aggregate size. The accumulation of total nitrogen within <1 mm aggregates under NPKS might play a key role in maintaining the survival of soil nematodes. In our study, both crop straw incorporation and inorganic fertilizer application effectively improved soil physicochemical properties and were also beneficial for nematode survival within small aggregate size fractions.

Sorption potential of alkaline treated straw and a soil for sulfonylurea herbicide removal from aqueous solutions: An environmental management strategy.

PubMed

Cara, Irina-Gabriela; Rusu, Bogdan-George; Raus, Lucian; Jitareanu, Gerard

2017-11-01

The adsorption potential of alkaline treated straw (wheat and corn) in mixture with soil, has been investigated for the removal of sulfonylurea molecules from an aqueous solutions. The surface characteristics were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared - FTIR, while the adsorbent capacity was evaluated using batch sorption tests and liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Surface analysis of alkaline treated straw samples by scanning electron microscopy - SEM showed the increasing of the surface roughness improving their functional surface activity. An increase (337.22 mg g -1 ) of adsorption capacity of sulfonylurea molecules was obtained for all studied straw. The Langmuir isotherm model was the best model for the mathematical description of the adsorption process indicating the forming of a surface sorption monolayer with a finite number of identical sites. The kinetics of sulfonylurea herbicide followed the pseudo-second order mechanism corresponding to strong chemical interactions. The results sustained that the alkaline treated straw have biosorption characteristics, being suitable adsorbent materials. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Straw use and availability for second generation biofuels in England.

PubMed

Glithero, Neryssa J; Wilson, Paul; Ramsden, Stephen J

2013-08-01

Meeting EU targets for renewable transport fuels by 2020 will necessitate a large increase in bioenergy feedstocks. Although deployment of first generation biofuels has been the major response to meeting these targets they are subject to wide debate on their sustainability leading to the development of second generation technologies which use lignocellulosic feedstocks. Second generation biofuel can be subdivided into those from dedicated bioenergy crops (DESGB), e.g. miscanthus, or those from co-products (CPSGB) such as cereal straw. Potential supply of cereal straw as a feedstock for CPSGB's is uncertain in England due to the difficulty in obtaining data and the uncertainty in current estimates. An on-farm survey of 249 farms (Cereal, General Cropping and Mixed) in England was performed and linked with Farm Business Survey data to estimate current straw use and potential straw availability. No significant correlations between harvested grain and straw yields were found for wheat and oilseed rape and only a weak correlation was observed for barley. In England there is a potential cereal straw supply of 5.27 Mt from arable farm types; 3.82 Mt are currently used and 1.45 Mt currently chopped and incorporated. If currently chopped and incorporated cereal straw from arable farm types was converted into bioethanol, this could represent 1.5% of the UK petrol consumption by energy equivalence. The variations in regional straw yields (t ha -1 ) have a great effect on the England supply of straw and the potential amount of bioethanol that can be produced.

Cacao bean husk: an applicable bedding material in dairy free-stall barns.

PubMed

Yajima, Akira; Owada, Hisashi; Kobayashi, Suguru; Komatsu, Natsumi; Takehara, Kazuaki; Ito, Maria; Matsuda, Kazuhide; Sato, Kan; Itabashi, Hisao; Sugimura, Satoshi; Kanda, Shuhei

2017-07-01

The objectives of the study were to assess the effect of cacao bean husk as bedding material in free-stall barn on the behavior, productivity, and udder health of dairy cattle, and on the ammonia concentrations in the barn. Four different stall surfaces (no bedding, cacao bean husk, sawdust, and chopped wheat straw) were each continuously tested for a period of 1 week to determine their effects on nine lactating Holstein cows housed in the free-stall barn with rubber matting. The lying time and the milk yield were measured between d 4 and d 7. Blood samples for plasma cortisol concentration and teat swabs for bacterial counts were obtained prior to morning milking on d 7. The time-averaged gas-phase ammonia concentrations in the barn were measured between d 2 and d 7. The cows spent approximately 2 h more per day lying in the stalls when bedding was available than without bedding. The milk yield increased in the experimental periods when cows had access to bedding materials as compared to the period without bedding. The lying time was positively correlated with the milk yield. Bacterial counts on the teat ends recorded for cows housed on cacao bean husk were significantly lower than those recorded for cows housed without bedding. Ammonia concentration under cacao bean husk bedding decreased by 6%, 15%, and 21% as compared to no bedding, sawdust, and chopped wheat straw, respectively. The cortisol concentration was lowest in the period when cacao bean husk bedding was used. We observed a positive correlation between the ammonia concentrations in the barn and the plasma cortisol concentrations. Cacao bean husk is a potential alternative of conventional bedding material, such as sawdust or chopped wheat straw, with beneficial effects on udder health and ammonia concentrations in the barns.

Process design of SSCF for ethanol production from steam-pretreated, acetic-acid-impregnated wheat straw.

PubMed

Bondesson, Pia-Maria; Galbe, Mats

2016-01-01

Pretreatment is an important step in the production of ethanol from lignocellulosic material. Using acetic acid together with steam pretreatment allows the positive effects of an acid catalyst to be retained, while avoiding the negative environmental effects associated with sulphuric acid. Acetic acid is also formed during the pretreatment and hydrolysis of hemicellulose, and is a known inhibitor that may impair fermentation at high concentrations. The purpose of this study was to improve ethanol production from glucose and xylose in steam-pretreated, acetic-acid-impregnated wheat straw by process design of simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation (SSCF), using a genetically modified pentose fermenting yeast strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae . Ethanol was produced from glucose and xylose using both the liquid fraction and the whole slurry from pretreated materials. The highest ethanol concentration achieved was 37.5 g/L, corresponding to an overall ethanol yield of 0.32 g/g based on the glucose and xylose available in the pretreated material. To obtain this concentration, a slurry with a water-insoluble solids (WIS) content of 11.7 % was used, using a fed-batch SSCF strategy. A higher overall ethanol yield (0.36 g/g) was obtained at 10 % WIS. Ethanol production from steam-pretreated, acetic-acid-impregnated wheat straw through SSCF with a pentose fermenting S. cerevisiae strain was successfully demonstrated. However, the ethanol concentration was too low and the residence time too long to be suitable for large-scale applications. It is hoped that further process design focusing on the enzymatic conversion of cellulose to glucose will allow the combination of acetic acid pretreatment and co-fermentation of glucose and xylose.

Impact of process conditions on the density and durability of wheat, oat, canola, and barley straw briquettes

DOE PAGES

Tumuluru, J. S.; Tabil, L. G.; Song, Y.; ...

2014-10-01

The present study is to understand the impact of process conditions on the quality attributes of wheat oat, barley, and canola straw briquettes. Analysis of variance indicated that briquette moisture content and initial density immediately after compaction and final density after 2 weeks of storage are strong functions of feedstock moisture content and compression pressure, whereas durability rating is influenced by die temperature and feedstock moisture content. Briquettes produced at a low feedstock moisture content of 9 % (w.b.) yielded maximum densities >700 kg/m3 for wheat, oat, canola, and barley straws. Lower feedstock moisture content of <10 % (w.b.) andmore » higher die temperatures >110 °C and compression pressure >10 MPa minimized the briquette moisture content and maximized densities and durability rating based on surface plots observations. Optimal process conditions indicated that a low feedstock moisture content of about 9 % (w.b.), high die temperature of 120–130 °C, medium-to-large hammer mill screen sizes of about 24 to 31.75 mm, and low to high compression pressures of 7.5 to 12.5 MPa minimized briquette moisture content to <8 % (w.b.) and maximized density to >700 kg/m3. Durability rating >90 % is achievable at higher die temperatures of >123 °C, lower to medium feedstock moisture contents of 9 to 12 % (w.b.), low to high compression pressures of 7.5 to 12.5 MPa, and large hammer mill screen size of 31.75 mm, except for canola where a lower compression pressure of 7.5 to 8.5 MPa and a smaller hammer mill screen size of 19 mm for oat maximized the durability rating values.« less

[Effects of Short-time Conservation Tillage Managements on Greenhouse Gases Emissions from Soybean-Winter Wheat Rotation System].

PubMed

Xie, Yan; Chen, Xi; Hu, Zheng-hua; Chen, Shu-tao; Zhang, Han; Ling, Hui; Shen, Shuang-he

2016-04-15

Field experiments including one soybean growing season and one winter-wheat growing season were adopted. The experimental field was divided into four equal-area sub-blocks which differed from each other only in tillage managements, which were conventional tillage (T) , no-tillage with no straw cover ( NT) , conventional tillage with straw cover (TS) , and no-tillage with straw cover (NTS). CO₂ and N₂O emission fluxes from soil-crop system were measured by static chamber-gas chromatograph technique. The results showed that: compared with T, in the soybean growing season, NTS significantly increased the cumulative amount of CO₂ (CAC) from soil-soybean system by 27.9% (P = 0.045) during the flowering-podding stage, while NT significantly declined CAC by 28.9% (P = 0.043) during the grain filling-maturity stage. Compared with T, NT significantly declined the cumulative amount of N₂O (CAN) by 28.3% (P = 0.042) during the grain filling-maturity stage. In the winter-wheat growing season, compared with T, TS and NT significantly declined CAC by 24.3% (P = 0.032) and 36.0% (P = 0.041) during the elongation-booting stage, and also declined CAC by 26.8% (P = 0.027) and 33.1% (P = 0.038) during the maturity stage. During the turning-green stage, compared with T treatment, NT, NTS, and TS treatments had no significant effect on CAN, while NTS significant declined CAN by 42.0% (P = 0.035) compared with NT. Our findings suggested that conservation tillage managements had a more significant impact on CO₂ emission than 20 emission from soil-crop system.

40 CFR 180.659 - Pyroxasulfone; tolerances for residues.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... residues of the herbicide pyroxasulfone, including its metabolites and degradates, in or on the commodities... Wheat, grain 0.03 (2) Tolerances are established for residues of the herbicide pyroxasulfone, including..., straw 0.60 (3) Tolerances are established for residues of the herbicide pyroxasulfone, including its...

Influence of biochar on volatile fatty acids accumulation and microbial community succession during biosolids composting.

PubMed

Awasthi, Mukesh Kumar; Awasthi, Sanjeev Kumar; Wang, Quan; Wang, Zhen; Lahori, Altaf Hussain; Ren, Xiuna; Chen, Hongyu; Wang, Meijing; Zhao, Junchao; Zhang, Zengqiang

2018-03-01

The impact of biochar amendment on volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and odor generation during the biosolids-wheat straw composting was investigated. Five treatments were design using the same mixture of biosolids-wheat straw with different dosage of biochar blending (2%, 4%, 8% and 12% on dry weight basis) and without biochar applied treatment served as control. The results of VFAs and Odour Index (OI) profile designated that compost with 8-12% biochar became more rapidly humified with less quantity of VFAs and OI generation content compared to control. Consequently, the VFAs degrading and total bacterial abundance are also significantly higher recorded in 8-12% biochar than 2% biochar and control. In addition, 8-12% biochar applied treatment has significantly maximum close correlation among the all physicochemical and gaseous emission parameters. Finally, results designated that higher dosage of biochar (8-12% biochar) was more feasible approach for biosolids composting. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cellulase stability, adsorption/desorption profiles and recycling during successive cycles of hydrolysis and fermentation of wheat straw.

PubMed

Rodrigues, Ana Cristina; Felby, Claus; Gama, Miguel

2014-03-01

The potential of enzymes recycling after hydrolysis and fermentation of wheat straw under a variety of conditions was investigated, monitoring the activity of the enzymes in the solid and liquid fractions, using low molecular weight substrates. A significant amount of active enzymes could be recovered by recycling the liquid phase. In the early stage of the process, enzyme adsorb to the substrate, then gradually returning to the solution as the saccharification proceeds. At 50°C, normally regarded as an acceptable operational temperature for saccharification, the enzymes (Celluclast) significantly undergo thermal deactivation. The hydrolysis yield and enzyme recycling efficiency in consecutive recycling rounds can be increased by using high enzyme loadings and moderate temperatures. Indeed, the amount of enzymes in the liquid phase increased with its thermostability and hydrolytic efficiency. This study contributes towards developing effective enzymes recycling strategies and helping to reduce the enzyme costs on bioethanol production. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of some new pretreatment methods for second generation bioethanol production from wheat straw and water hyacinth.

PubMed

Guragain, Yadhu Nath; De Coninck, Joelle; Husson, Florence; Durand, Alain; Rakshit, Sudip Kumar

2011-03-01

Pretreatment of lignocellulosic residues like water hyacinth (WH) and wheat straw (WS) using crude glycerol (CG) and ionic liquids (IL) pretreatment was evaluated and compared with conventional dilute acid pretreatment (DAT) in terms of enzymatic hydrolysis yield and fermentation yield of pretreated samples. In the case of WS, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate pretreatment was found to be the best method. The hydrolysis yields of glucose and total reducing sugars were 2.1 and 3.3 times respectively higher by IL pretreatment than DAT, while it was 1.4 and 1.9 times respectively higher with CG pretreatment. For WH sample, CG pretreatment was as effective as DAT and more effective than IL pretreatment regarding hydrolysis yield. The fermentation inhibition was not noticeable with both types of pretreatment methods and feedstocks. Besides, CG pretreatment was found as effective as pure glycerol pretreatment for both feedstocks. This opens up an attractive economic route for the utilization of CG. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dissecting the effect of chemical additives on the enzymatic hydrolysis of pretreated wheat straw.

PubMed

Monschein, Mareike; Reisinger, Christoph; Nidetzky, Bernd

2014-10-01

Chemical additives were examined for ability to increase the enzymatic hydrolysis of thermo-acidically pretreated wheat straw by Trichoderma reesei cellulase at 50 °C. Semi-empirical descriptors derived from the hydrolysis time courses were applied to compare influence of these additives on lignocellulose bioconversion on a kinetic level, presenting a novel view on their mechanism of action. Focus was on rate retardation during hydrolysis, substrate conversion and enzyme adsorption. PEG 8000 enabled a reduction of enzyme loading by 50% while retaining the same conversion of 67% after 24h. For the first time, a beneficial effect of urea is reported, increasing the final substrate conversion after 48 h by 16%. The cationic surfactant cetyl-trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) enhanced the hydrolysis rate at extended reaction time (rlim) by 34% and reduced reaction time by 28%. A combination of PEG 8000 and urea increased sugar release more than additives used individually. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Production of short-chain fatty acids from the biodegradation of wheat straw lignin by Aspergillus fumigatus.

PubMed

Baltierra-Trejo, Eduardo; Sánchez-Yáñez, Juan Manuel; Buenrostro-Delgado, Otoniel; Márquez-Benavides, Liliana

2015-11-01

The wheat straw lignin-rich fraction (WSLig-RF) can be used as a raw material for the production of metabolites for industrial use if ligninolytic mitosporic fungi are used for its biodegradation into aromatics and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs, i.e., SCFA2-6). Although methods for the production of SCFA2-6 have been described previously, quantitative data of SCFA2-6 production have not been reported. The objectives of this study were to investigate the biodegradation of different concentrations of WSLig-RF by Aspergillus fumigatus and to identify whether SCFA2-6 production was dependent on the concentration of aromatics. A. fumigatus generated 2805mgL(-1) acetic acid when mixed with WSLig-RF at a concentration of 20gL(-1). Thus, aromatics are a substrate for the biosynthesis of SCFA2-6, and their production depends on the concentration of WSLig-RF aromatics. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of four pretreatments on enzymatic hydrolysis and ethanol fermentation of wheat straw. Influence of inhibitors and washing.

PubMed

Toquero, Cristina; Bolado, Silvia

2014-04-01

Pretreatment is essential in the production of alcohol from lignocellulosic material. In order to increase enzymatic sugar release and bioethanol production, thermal, dilute acid, dilute basic and alkaline peroxide pretreatments were applied to wheat straw. Compositional changes in pretreated solid fractions and sugars and possible inhibitory compounds released in liquid fractions were analysed. SEM analysis showed structural changes after pretreatments. Enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation by Pichia stipitis of unwashed and washed samples from each pretreatment were performed so as to compare sugar and ethanol yields. The effect of the main inhibitors found in hydrolysates (formic acid, acetic acid, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and furfural) was first studied through ethanol fermentations of model media and then compared to real hydrolysates. Hydrolysates of washed alkaline peroxide pretreated biomass provided the highest sugar concentrations, 31.82g/L glucose, and 13.75g/L xylose, their fermentation yielding promising results, with ethanol concentrations reaching 17.37g/L. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Acid-catalyzed autohydrolysis of wheat straw to improve sugar recovery.

PubMed

Ertas, Murat; Han, Qiang; Jameel, Hasan

2014-10-01

A comparison study of autohydrolysis and acid-catalyzed autohydrolysis of wheat straw was performed to understand the impact of acid addition on overall sugar recovery. Autohydrolysis combined with refining is capable of achieving sugar recoveries in the mid 70s. If the addition of a small amount of acid is capable of increasing the sugar recovery even higher it may be economically attractive. Acetic, sulfuric, hydrochloric and sulfurous acids were selected for acid-catalyzed autohydrolysis pretreatments. Autohydrolysis with no acid at 190 °C showed the highest total sugar in the prehydrolyzate. Enzymatic hydrolysis was performed for all the post-treated solids with and without refining at enzyme loadings of 4 and 10 FPU/g for 96 h. Acid-catalyzed autohydrolysis at 190 °C with sulfurous acid showed the highest total sugar recovery of 81.2% at 4 FPU/g enzyme charge compared with 64.3% at 190 °C autohydrolysis without acid. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of additives on adsorption and desorption behavior of xylanase on acid-insoluble lignin from corn stover and wheat straw.

PubMed

Li, Yanfei; Ge, Xiaoyan; Sun, Zongping; Zhang, Junhua

2015-06-01

The competitive adsorption between cellulases and additives on lignin in the hydrolysis of lignocelluloses has been confirmed, whereas the effect of additives on the interaction between xylanase and lignin is not clear. In this work, the effects of additives, poly(ethylene glycol) 2000, poly(ethylene glycol) 6000, Tween 20, and Tween 80, on the xylanase adsorption/desorption onto/from acid-insoluble lignin from corn stover (CS-lignin) and wheat straw (WS-lignin) were investigated. The results indicated that the additives could adsorb onto isolated lignin and reduce the xylanase adsorption onto lignin. Compared to CS-lignin, more additives could adsorb onto WS-lignin, making less xylanase adsorbed onto WS-lignin. In addition, the additives could enhance desorption of xylanase from lignin, which might be due to the competitive adsorption between xylanase and additives on lignin. The released xylanase from lignin still exhibited hydrolytic capacity in the hydrolysis of isolated xylan and xylan in corn stover. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Techno-economical study of biogas production improved by steam explosion pretreatment.

PubMed

Shafiei, Marzieh; Kabir, Maryam M; Zilouei, Hamid; Sárvári Horváth, Ilona; Karimi, Keikhosro

2013-11-01

Economic feasibility of steam explosion pretreatment for improvement of biogas production from wheat straw and paper tube residuals was investigated. The process was simulated by Aspen plus ®, and the economical feasibility of five different plant capacities was studied by Aspen Process Economic Analyzer. Total project investment of a plant using paper tube residuals or wheat straw was 63.9 or 61.8 million Euros, respectively. The manufacturing cost of raw biogas for these two feedstocks was calculated to 0.36 or 0.48 €/m(3) of methane, respectively. Applying steam explosion pretreatment resulted in 13% higher total capital investment while significantly improved the economy of the biogas plant and decreased the manufacturing cost of methane by 36%. The sensitivity analysis showed that 5% improvement in the methane yield and 20% decrease in the raw material price resulted in 5.5% and 8% decrease in the manufacturing cost of methane, respectively. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of hydrothermal pretreatment on the structural changes of alkaline ethanol lignin from wheat straw.

PubMed

Chen, Xue; Li, Hanyin; Sun, Shaoni; Cao, Xuefei; Sun, Runcang

2016-12-16

Due to the enormous abundance of lignin and its unique aromatic nature, lignin has great potential for the production of industrially useful fuels, chemicals, and materials. However, the rigid and compact structure of the plant cell walls significantly blocks the separation of lignin. In this study, wheat straw was hydrothermally pretreated at different temperatures (120-200 °C) followed by post-treatment with 70% ethanol containing 1% NaOH to improve the isolation of lignin. Results demonstrated that the content of associated carbohydrates of the lignin fractions was gradually reduced with the increment of the hydrothermal severity. The structure of the lignins changed regularly with the increase of the pretreatment temperature from 120 to 200 °C. In particular, the contents of β-O-4', β-β', β-5' linkages and aliphatic OH in the lignins showed a tendency of decrease, while the content of phenolic OH and thermal stability of the lignin fractions increased steadily as the increment of the pretreatment temperature.

Effect of hydrothermal pretreatment on the structural changes of alkaline ethanol lignin from wheat straw

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xue; Li, Hanyin; Sun, Shaoni; Cao, Xuefei; Sun, Runcang

2016-12-01

Due to the enormous abundance of lignin and its unique aromatic nature, lignin has great potential for the production of industrially useful fuels, chemicals, and materials. However, the rigid and compact structure of the plant cell walls significantly blocks the separation of lignin. In this study, wheat straw was hydrothermally pretreated at different temperatures (120-200 °C) followed by post-treatment with 70% ethanol containing 1% NaOH to improve the isolation of lignin. Results demonstrated that the content of associated carbohydrates of the lignin fractions was gradually reduced with the increment of the hydrothermal severity. The structure of the lignins changed regularly with the increase of the pretreatment temperature from 120 to 200 °C. In particular, the contents of β-O-4‧, β-β‧, β-5‧ linkages and aliphatic OH in the lignins showed a tendency of decrease, while the content of phenolic OH and thermal stability of the lignin fractions increased steadily as the increment of the pretreatment temperature.

Simulation of the ozone pretreatment of wheat straw.

PubMed

Bhattarai, Sujala; Bottenus, Danny; Ivory, Cornelius F; Gao, Allan Haiming; Bule, Mahesh; Garcia-Perez, Manuel; Chen, Shulin

2015-11-01

Wheat straw is a potential feedstock in biorefinery for sugar production. However, the cellulose, which is the major source of sugar, is protected by lignin. Ozonolysis deconstructs the lignin and makes cellulose accessible to enzymatic digestion. In this study, the change in lignin concentration with different ozonolysis times (0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 15, 20, 30, 60min) was fit to two different kinetic models: one using the model developed by Garcia-Cubero et al. (2012) and another including an outer mass transfer barrier or "cuticle" region where ozone mass transport is reduced in proportion to the mass of unreacted insoluble lignin in the cuticle. The kinetic parameters of two mathematical models for predicting the soluble and insoluble lignin at different pretreatment time were determined. The results showed that parameters derived from the cuticle-based model provided a better fit to experimental results compared to a model without a cuticle layer. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Feasibility of co-composting of sewage sludge, spent mushroom substrate and wheat straw.

PubMed

Meng, Liqiang; Li, Weiguang; Zhang, Shumei; Wu, Chuandong; Lv, Longyi

2017-02-01

In this study, the lab-scale co-composting of sewage sludge (SS) with mushroom substrate (SMS) and wheat straw (WS) conducted for 20days was evaluated. The addition of SMS evidently increased CO 2 production and dehydrogenase activity. The combined addition of SMS and WS significantly improved the compost quality in terms of temperature, organic matter degradation and germination index, especially, reduced 21.9% of NH 3 emission. That's because SMS and WS possessed the complementarity of free air space and contained plenty of degradable carbon source. The SMS could create a comfortable environment for the nitrifying bacteria and improve nitrification. The carbohydrates from combined addition of SMS and WS could be utilized by thermophilic microorganisms, stimulate ammonia assimilation and reduce NH 3 emission. These results suggested that adding SMS and WS could not only improve the degradation of organic matter and the quality of compost product, but also stimulate ammonia assimilation and reduce ammonia emission. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Effect of thermal, acid, alkaline and alkaline-peroxide pretreatments on the biochemical methane potential and kinetics of the anaerobic digestion of wheat straw and sugarcane bagasse.

PubMed

Bolado-Rodríguez, Silvia; Toquero, Cristina; Martín-Juárez, Judit; Travaini, Rodolfo; García-Encina, Pedro Antonio

2016-02-01

The effect of thermal, acid, alkaline and alkaline-peroxide pretreatments on the methane produced by the anaerobic digestion of wheat straw (WS) and sugarcane bagasse (SCB) was studied, using whole slurry and solid fraction. All the pretreatments released formic and acetic acids and phenolic compounds, while 5-hydroxymetilfurfural (HMF) and furfural were generated only by acid pretreatment. A remarkable inhibition was found in most of the whole slurry experiments, except in thermal pretreatment which improved methane production compared to the raw materials (29% for WS and 11% for SCB). The alkaline pretreatment increased biodegradability (around 30%) and methane production rate of the solid fraction of both pretreated substrates. Methane production results were fitted using first order or modified Gompertz equations, or a novel model combining both equations. The model parameters provided information about substrate availability, controlling step and inhibitory effect of compounds generated by each pretreatment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Utilization of wheat straw for the preparation of coated controlled-release fertilizer with the function of water retention.

PubMed

Xie, Lihua; Liu, Mingzhu; Ni, Boli; Wang, Yanfang

2012-07-18

With the aim of improving fertilizer use efficiency and minimizing the negative impact on the environment, a new coated controlled-release fertilizer with the function of water retention was prepared. A novel low water solubility macromolecular fertilizer, poly(dimethylourea phosphate) (PDUP), was "designed" and formulated from N,N'-dimethylolurea (DMU) and potassium dihydrogen phosphate. Simultaneously, an eco-friendly superabsorbent composite based on wheat straw (WS), acrylic acid (AA), 2-acryloylamino-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid (AMPS), and N-hydroxymethyl acrylamide (NHMAAm) was synthesized and used as the coating to control the release of nutrient. The nitrogen release profile and water retention capacity of the product were also investigated. The degradation of the coating material in soil solution was studied. Meanwhile, the impact of the content of N-hydroxymethyl acrylamide on the degradation extent was examined. The experimental data showed that the product with good water retention and controlled-release capacities, being economical and eco-friendly, could be promising for applications in agriculture and horticulture.

Effect of phenol on the mycelial growth and fructification in some of basidiomycetous fungi.

PubMed

Upadhyay, R C; Hofrichter, M

1993-01-01

Cometabolic growth studies with phenol were undertaken to screen 32 strains of white and brown rot fungi. All the cultures studied grew well up to 4 mM of phenol on Czapekdox agar except Agaricus bisporus (white button mushroom) and Pleurotus cystidiosus. Most of them could grow even up to 6 mM of phenol. Phenol induced a brown pigmentation of the culture medium. P. flabellatus and P. pulmonarius metabolized 67 and 64 mg/l phenol in 10 days. Studies have indicated that phenol (0.1 to 1.0 mM) incorporated in malt-extract agar has no inhibitory effect on fruitbody formation. Preliminary studies indicate that soaking of wheat straw with phenol solution up to 1600 mg/l give better mycelial growth and fructification of P. cornucopiae, P. ostreatus Z-15 and Calocybe indica than water soaked. Soaking of wheat straw in phenol inhibited the growth of common competitor weed fungi like Stachybotrys sp. and Coprinus sp.

Isolation and characterization of lignins from wheat straw: Application as binder in lithium batteries.

PubMed

Domínguez-Robles, Juan; Sánchez, Rafael; Díaz-Carrasco, Pilar; Espinosa, Eduardo; García-Domínguez, M T; Rodríguez, Alejandro

2017-11-01

Three different lignin-rich fractions have been used as binder material for electrodes in rechargeable lithium batteries. Lignin samples were obtained through three different pulping processes; kraft, soda and organosolv pulping processes, using wheat straw as raw material. Physico-chemical characterization of three types of lignins was evaluated. Characterization has been performed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and 31 P NMR Spectroscopy to analyse the functional groups; gel permeation chromatography (GPC) for determining molar mass distribution (MWD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to follow the thermal behaviour. Electrodes containing lignin or poly vinylidene fluoride (PVDF) were tested electrochemically. The three different lignin samples exhibited excellent performance as binder, retaining the specific capacity after 50 cycles at a current density of 100mAg -1 . These results show that lignin could be used as a low-cost and environmental binder, replacing the PVDF polymer in electrodes for energy storage applications. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Enzymatic saccharification of pretreated wheat straw: comparison of solids-recycling, sequential hydrolysis and batch hydrolysis.

PubMed

Pihlajaniemi, Ville; Sipponen, Satu; Sipponen, Mika H; Pastinen, Ossi; Laakso, Simo

2014-02-01

In the enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulose materials, the recycling of the solid residue has previously been considered within the context of enzyme recycling. In this study, a steady state investigation of a solids-recycling process was made with pretreated wheat straw and compared to sequential and batch hydrolysis at constant reaction times, substrate feed and liquid and enzyme consumption. Compared to batch hydrolysis, the recycling and sequential processes showed roughly equal hydrolysis yields, while the volumetric productivity was significantly increased. In the 72h process the improvement was 90% due to an increased reaction consistency, while the solids feed was 16% of the total process constituents. The improvement resulted primarily from product removal, which was equally efficient in solids-recycling and sequential hydrolysis processes. No evidence of accumulation of enzymes beyond the accumulation of the substrate was found in recycling. A mathematical model of solids-recycling was constructed, based on a geometrical series. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The type of carbohydrates specifically selects microbial community structures and fermentation patterns.

PubMed

Chatellard, Lucile; Trably, Eric; Carrère, Hélène

2016-12-01

The impact on dark fermentation of seven carbohydrates as model substrates of lignocellulosic fractions (glucose, cellobiose, microcrystalline cellulose, arabinose, xylose, xylan and wheat straw) was investigated. Metabolic patterns and bacterial communities were characterized at the end of batch tests inoculated with manure digestate. It was found that hydrogen production was linked to the sugar type (pentose or hexose) and the degree of polymerisation. Hexoses produced less hydrogen, with a specific selection of lactate-producing bacterial community structures. Maximal hydrogen production was five times higher on pentose-based substrates, with specific bacterial community structures producing acetate and butyrate as main metabolites. Low hydrogen amounts accumulated from complex sugars (cellulose, xylan and wheat straw). A relatively high proportion of the reads was affiliated to Ruminococcaceae suggesting an efficient hydrolytic activity. Knowing that the bacterial community structure is very specific to a particular substrate offers new possibilities to design more efficient H 2 -producing biological systems. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Agricultural residue availability in the United States.

PubMed

Haq, Zia; Easterly, James L

2006-01-01

The National Energy Modeling System (NEMS) is used by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) to forecast US energy production, consumption, and price trends for a 25-yr-time horizon. Biomass is one of the technologies within NEMS, which plays a key role in several scenarios. An endogenously determined biomass supply schedule is used to derive the price-quantity relationship of biomass. There are four components to the NEMS biomass supply schedule including: agricultural residues, energy crops, forestry residues, and urban wood waste/mill residues. The EIA's Annual Energy Outlook 2005 includes updated estimates of the agricultural residue portion of the biomass supply schedule. The changes from previous agricultural residue supply estimates include: revised assumptions concerning corn stover and wheat straw residue availabilities, inclusion of non-corn and non-wheat agricultural residues (such as barley, rice straw, and sugarcane bagasse), and the implementation of assumptions concerning increases in no-till farming. This article will discuss the impact of these changes on the supply schedule.

The Effect of Plant Source on the Structural Properties of Lignin-based Polyurethane Blends

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lang, Jason; Dadmun, Mark

The development of polyurethane materials based on incorporating lignin from a variety of plant sources (softwood, hardwood, and non-wood) were synthesized. Further experiments study the physical properties of the resulting lignin-based polyurethane as a function of the lignin structure, which varies with plant source. Here, we report the effect that internal crosslinking of the lignin structure has on the modulus, hardness, glass transition temperature, and thermal decomposition of the synthesized lignin-based polyurethane composites. The lignins used in this work were a softwood kraft lignin, hardwood lignosulfonate, and a wheat straw soda lignin. The lignin, acting as a polyol and the hardblock segment, reacts with TDI-endcapped PPG (2,300 MN) as the rubbery softblock component to produce lignin-based polyurethanes with varying lignin content (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 wt%). Results show that the wheat straw lignin provides the superior mechanical properties and thermal resistance. These properties are correlated to the two-phase morphology of the resultant polyurethane.

[Change characteristics of soil moisture and nutrients in rain-fed winter wheat field under different fertilization modes in Southern Shanxi of China during summer fallow period].

PubMed

Li, Ting-Liang; Xie, Ying-He; Hong, Jian-Ping; Feng, Qian; Sun, Cheng-Hong; Wang, Zhi-Wei

2013-06-01

In 2009-2011, a field experiment was conducted in a rain-fed winter wheat field in Southern Shanxi of China to study the effects of different fertilization modes on the change characteristics of soil moisture and nitrate-N contents in 0-200 cm layer and of soil available phosphorus (Oslen-P) and potassium contents in 0-40 cm layer during summer fallow period (from June to September). Three fertilization modes were installed, i. e., conventional fertilization (CF), recommended fertilization (RF), and ridge film furrow planting (RFFP) combined with straw mulch. The results showed that the rainfall in summer fallow period could complement the consumed water in 0-200 cm soil layer in dryland wheat field throughout the growth season, and more than 94% of the water storage was in 0-140 cm soil layer, with the fallow efficiency ranged from 6% to 27%. The rainfall in summer fallow period caused the soil nitrate-N moving downward. 357-400 mm rainfall could make the soil nitrate-N leaching down to 100 cm soil layer, with the peak in 20-40 cm soil layer. Straw mulching or plastic film with straw mulch in summer fallow period could effectively increase the Oslen-P and available K contents in 0-40 cm soil layer, and the accumulative increment in three summer fallow periods was 16-45% and 36-49%, respectively. Among the three modes, the binary coverage mode of RFFP plus furrow straw mulching had the best effect in maintaining soil water and fertility. The accumulative water storage and mineral N in 0-200 cm soil layer in three summer fallow periods were up to 215 mm and 90 kg x hm(-2), and the accumulative Oslen-P and available K contents in plough layer were increased by 2.7 mg x kg(-1) and 83 mg x kg(-1), respectively, being significantly higher than those in treatments CF and RF. There were no significant differences in the change characteristics in the soil moisture and nutrients between treatments CF and RF.

Treatment of wheat straw using tannase and white-rot fungus to improve feed utilization by ruminants.

PubMed

Raghuwanshi, Shailendra; Misra, Swati; Saxena, Rajendra Kumar

2014-02-20

Current research to enrich cattle feed has primarily focused on treatment using white rot fungi, while there are scarce reports using the enzyme tannase, which is discussed only in reviews or in the form of a hypothesis. In this context, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of tannase on wheat straw (WS) and also the effect of lyophilized tannase at concentrations of 0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.3% (w/w) on WS followed by fermentation with Ganoderma sp. for 10 d and compared in relation to biochemical parameters, crude protein (CP) content, and nutritional value by calculating the C/N ratio in order to improve the nutritional value of cattle feed. Penicillium charlesii, a tannase-producing microorganism, produced 61.4 IU/mL of tannase in 54 h when 2% (w/v) tannic acid (TA) was initially used as a substrate in medium containing (% w/v) sucrose (1.0), NaNO3 (1.0), and MgSO4 (0.08 pH, 5.0) in a 300-L fermentor (working volume 220 L), and concomitantly fed with 1.0% (w/v) TA after 24 h. The yield of partially purified and lyophilized tannase was 5.8 IU/mg. The tannin-free myco-straw at 0.1% (w/w) tannase showed 37.8% (w/w) lignin degradation with only a 20.4% (w/w) decrease in cellulose content and the in vitro feed digestibility was 32.2%. An increase in CP content (up to 1.28-fold) along with a lower C/N ratio of 25.0%, as compared to myco-straw, was obtained. The use of tannin-free myco-straw has potential to improve the nutritional content of cattle feed. This biological treatment process was safe, eco-friendly, easy to perform, and was less expensive as compared to other treatment methods.

Treatment of wheat straw using tannase and white-rot fungus to improve feed utilization by ruminants

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Current research to enrich cattle feed has primarily focused on treatment using white rot fungi, while there are scarce reports using the enzyme tannase, which is discussed only in reviews or in the form of a hypothesis. In this context, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of tannase on wheat straw (WS) and also the effect of lyophilized tannase at concentrations of 0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.3% (w/w) on WS followed by fermentation with Ganoderma sp. for 10 d and compared in relation to biochemical parameters, crude protein (CP) content, and nutritional value by calculating the C/N ratio in order to improve the nutritional value of cattle feed. Results Penicillium charlesii, a tannase-producing microorganism, produced 61.4 IU/mL of tannase in 54 h when 2% (w/v) tannic acid (TA) was initially used as a substrate in medium containing (% w/v) sucrose (1.0), NaNO3 (1.0), and MgSO4 (0.08 pH, 5.0) in a 300-L fermentor (working volume 220 L), and concomitantly fed with 1.0% (w/v) TA after 24 h. The yield of partially purified and lyophilized tannase was 5.8 IU/mg. The tannin-free myco-straw at 0.1% (w/w) tannase showed 37.8% (w/w) lignin degradation with only a 20.4% (w/w) decrease in cellulose content and the in vitro feed digestibility was 32.2%. An increase in CP content (up to 1.28-fold) along with a lower C/N ratio of 25.0%, as compared to myco-straw, was obtained. Conclusions The use of tannin-free myco-straw has potential to improve the nutritional content of cattle feed. This biological treatment process was safe, eco-friendly, easy to perform, and was less expensive as compared to other treatment methods. PMID:24555694

Periodic peristalsis increasing acetone-butanol-ethanol productivity during simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of steam-exploded corn straw.

PubMed

Li, Jingwen; Wang, Lan; Chen, Hongzhang

2016-11-01

The acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation of lignocellulose at high solids content has recently attracted extensive attention. However, the productivity of high solids ABE fermentation of lignocellulose is typically low in traditional processes due to the lack of efficient intensifying methods. In the present study, periodic peristalsis, a novel intensifying method, was applied to improve ABE production by the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of steam-exploded corn straw using Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC824. The ABE concentration and the ABE productivity of SSF at a solids content of 17.5% (w/w) with periodic peristalsis were 17.1 g/L and 0.20 g/(L h), respectively, which were higher than those obtained under static conditions (15.2 g/L and 0.14 g/(L h)). The initial sugar conversion rate over the first 12 h with periodic peristalsis was 4.67 g/(L h) at 10 FPU/g cellulase dosage and 15% (w/w) solids content, an increase of 49.7% compared with the static conditions. With periodic peristalsis, the period of batch fermentation was shortened from 108 h to 84 h. The optimal operating regime was a low frequency (6 h -1 ) of periodic peristalsis in the acid-production phase (0-48 h) of SSF. Therefore, periodic peristalsis should be an effective intensifying method to increase the productivity of ABE fermentation at high solids content. Copyright © 2016 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Microsclerotia of Metarhizium brunneum F52 applied in hydromulch for control of Asian longhorned beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium brunneum (Petch), strain F52 (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) is able to produce environmentally persistent microsclerotia. Incorporating these desiccation-tolerant M. brunneum F52 microsclerotia (Mb MS) granules into hydromulch [a mixture of water + wheat straw...

Flocculation of high purity wheat straw soda lignin

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Flocculant action on lignocellulose mixtures has been studied, but flocculant action on purified sulfur-free lignin has not been reported. In the last step of the industrial process, the purified lignin solution is acidified with sulfuric acid which causes the lignin to become insoluble. The feasi...

A multi-substrate approach for functional metagenomics-based screening for (hemi)cellulases in two wheat straw-degrading microbial consortia unveils novel thermoalkaliphilic enzymes.

PubMed

Maruthamuthu, Mukil; Jiménez, Diego Javier; Stevens, Patricia; van Elsas, Jan Dirk

2016-01-28

Functional metagenomics is a promising strategy for the exploration of the biocatalytic potential of microbiomes in order to uncover novel enzymes for industrial processes (e.g. biorefining or bleaching pulp). Most current methodologies used to screen for enzymes involved in plant biomass degradation are based on the use of single substrates. Moreover, highly diverse environments are used as metagenomic sources. However, such methods suffer from low hit rates of positive clones and hence the discovery of novel enzymatic activities from metagenomes has been hampered. Here, we constructed fosmid libraries from two wheat straw-degrading microbial consortia, denoted RWS (bred on untreated wheat straw) and TWS (bred on heat-treated wheat straw). Approximately 22,000 clones from each library were screened for (hemi)cellulose-degrading enzymes using a multi-chromogenic substrate approach. The screens yielded 71 positive clones for both libraries, giving hit rates of 1:440 and 1:1,047 for RWS and TWS, respectively. Seven clones (NT2-2, T5-5, NT18-17, T4-1, 10BT, NT18-21 and T17-2) were selected for sequence analyses. Their inserts revealed the presence of 18 genes encoding enzymes belonging to twelve different glycosyl hydrolase families (GH2, GH3, GH13, GH17, GH20, GH27, GH32, GH39, GH53, GH58, GH65 and GH109). These encompassed several carbohydrate-active gene clusters traceable mainly to Klebsiella related species. Detailed functional analyses showed that clone NT2-2 (containing a beta-galactosidase of ~116 kDa) had highest enzymatic activity at 55 °C and pH 9.0. Additionally, clone T5-5 (containing a beta-xylosidase of ~86 kDa) showed > 90% of enzymatic activity at 55 °C and pH 10.0. This study employed a high-throughput method for rapid screening of fosmid metagenomic libraries for (hemi)cellulose-degrading enzymes. The approach, consisting of screens on multi-substrates coupled to further analyses, revealed high hit rates, as compared with recent other studies. Two clones, 10BT and T4-1, required the presence of multiple substrates for detectable activity, indicating a new avenue in library activity screening. Finally, clones NT2-2, T5-5 and NT18-17 were found to encode putative novel thermo-alkaline enzymes, which could represent a starting point for further biotechnological applications.

Comparison of different pretreatment methods for separation hemicellulose from straw during the lignocellulosic bioethanol production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eisenhuber, Katharina; Krennhuber, Klaus; Steinmüller, Viktoria; Kahr, Heike; Jäger, Alexander

2013-04-01

The combustion of fossil fuels is responsible for 73% of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere and consequently contributes to global warming. This fact has enormously increased the interest in the development of methods to reduce greenhouse gases. Therefore, the focus is on the production of biofuels from lignocellulosic agricultural residues. The feedstocks used for 2nd generation bioethanol production are lignocellulosic raw materials like different straw types or energy crops like miscanthus sinensis or arundo donax. Lignocellulose consists of hemicellulose (xylose and arabinose), which is bonded to cellulose (glucose) and lignin. Prior to an enzymatic hydrolysis of the polysaccharides and fermentation of the resulting sugars, the lignocelluloses must be pretreated to make the sugar polymers accessible to enzymes. A variety of pretreatment methods are described in the literature: thermophysical, acid-based and alkaline methods.In this study, we examined and compared the most important pretreatment methods: Steam explosion versus acid and alkaline pretreatment. Specific attention was paid to the mass balance, the recovery of C 5 sugars and consumption of chemicals needed for pretreatment. In lab scale experiments, wheat straw was either directly pretreated by steam explosion or by two different protocols. The straw was either soaked in sulfuric acid or in sodium hydroxide solution at different concentrations. For both methods, wheat straw was pretreated at 100°C for 30 minutes. Afterwards, the remaining straw was separated by vacuum filtration from the liquid fraction.The pretreated straw was neutralized, dried and enzymatically hydrolyzed. Finally, the sugar concentrations (glucose, xylose and arabinose) from filtrate and from hydrolysate were determined by HPLC. The recovery of xylose from hemicellulose was about 50% using the sulfuric acid pretreatment and less than 2% using the sodium hydroxide pretreatment. Increasing concentrations of sulfuric acid lead to increasing conversion of hemicellulose to xylose. In contrast, increasing sodium hydroxide concentrations degrade the hemicellulose to unknown derivates. Consequently, almost no sugars from hemicellulose remain for fermentation. The hydrolysis of sulfuric acid pretreated straw results in a maximum glucose concentration of 100 g/kg straw and a xylose concentration of nearly 30 g/kg. Sodium hydroxide pretreated and hydrolyzed straw leads to a maximum glucose concentration of 90 g/kg straw and a xylose concentration of nearly 20 g/kg. In comparison to the two chemical pretreatment methods (sodium hydroxide and sulfuric acid pretreatment), the steam explosion pretreatment (conditions: temperature 190°C, time 20 minutes) results in a higher glucose concentration of about 190 g/kg straw and a xylose concentration of nearly 75 g/kg straw after enzymatic hydrolysis of the dried straw. Because of the small effect the sodium hydroxide pretreatment has on xylose recovery, this method won't be used for separation and conversion of hemicellulose into xylose and arabinose. Although pretreatment with sulfuric acid achieved promising results, further research and economical considerations have to be performed. In conclusion, the steam explosion method is still the state of the art pretreatment method for the production of lignocellulosic biofuels. Alkaline methods destroy most of the xylose part of the sugar fraction and a loss of up to 25 % of the fermentable sugars is not acceptable for a sustainable biofuel production. The acid pretreatment yields high amounts of accessible hemicellulose and cellulose, but the consumption of chemicals for acid pretreatment and neutralization has to be taken into account when considering technical implementation.

Use of tannery wastewater as an alternative substrate and a pre-treatment medium for biogas production.

PubMed

Vazifehkhoran, Ali Heidarzadeh; Shin, Seung Gu; Triolo, Jin M

2018-06-01

This study investigated biogas production as an alternative treatment of tannery wastewater (TWW) and its use as a pre-treatment medium to increase CH 4 yield from anaerobic digestion (AD) of wheat straw. The TWW had high levels of sulfate and chloride, so biochemical CH 4 potential could be estimated only when the TWW was diluted. Untreated straw yielded 255 NL CH 4 (kg VS) -1 , whereas straw that had been pre-treated with TWW yielded 314 NL CH 4 (kg VS) -1 (35% increase). Treatment of TWW by AD with a co-substrate might be possible using a controlled feedstock mixing ratio. Use of TWW as a pre-treatment medium by simple co-storage before AD would be beneficial as an inexpensive treatment of lignocellulosic biomass. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Novel Alleviation Mechanisms of Aluminum Phytotoxicity via Released Biosilicon from Rice Straw-Derived Biochars

PubMed Central

Qian, Linbo; Chen, Baoliang; Chen, Mengfang

2016-01-01

Replacing biosilicon and biocarbon in soil via biochar amendment is a novel approach for soil amelioration and pollution remediation. The unique roles of silicon (Si)-rich biochar in aluminum (Al) phytotoxicity alleviation have not been discovered. In this study, the alleviation of Al phytotoxicity to wheat plants (root tips cell death) by biochars fabricated from rice straw pyrolyzed at 400 and 700 °C (RS400 and RS700) and the feedstock (RS100) were studied using a slurry system containing typical acidic soils for a 15-day exposure experiment. The distributions of Al and Si in the slurry solution, soil and plant root tissue were monitored by staining methods, chemical extractions and SEM-EDS observations. We found that the biological sourced silicon in biochars served dual roles in Al phytotoxicity alleviation in acidic soil slurry. On one hand, the Si particles reduced the amount of soil exchangeable Al and prevented the migration of Al to the plant. More importantly, the Si released from biochars synchronously absorbed by the plants and coordinated with Al to form Al-Si compounds in the epidermis of wheat roots, which is a new mechanism for Al phytotoxicity alleviation in acidic soil slurry by biochar amendment. In addition, the steady release of Si from the rice straw-derived biochars was a sustainable Si source for aluminosilicate reconstruction in acidic soil. PMID:27385598

Novel Alleviation Mechanisms of Aluminum Phytotoxicity via Released Biosilicon from Rice Straw-Derived Biochars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qian, Linbo; Chen, Baoliang; Chen, Mengfang

2016-07-01

Replacing biosilicon and biocarbon in soil via biochar amendment is a novel approach for soil amelioration and pollution remediation. The unique roles of silicon (Si)-rich biochar in aluminum (Al) phytotoxicity alleviation have not been discovered. In this study, the alleviation of Al phytotoxicity to wheat plants (root tips cell death) by biochars fabricated from rice straw pyrolyzed at 400 and 700 °C (RS400 and RS700) and the feedstock (RS100) were studied using a slurry system containing typical acidic soils for a 15-day exposure experiment. The distributions of Al and Si in the slurry solution, soil and plant root tissue were monitored by staining methods, chemical extractions and SEM-EDS observations. We found that the biological sourced silicon in biochars served dual roles in Al phytotoxicity alleviation in acidic soil slurry. On one hand, the Si particles reduced the amount of soil exchangeable Al and prevented the migration of Al to the plant. More importantly, the Si released from biochars synchronously absorbed by the plants and coordinated with Al to form Al-Si compounds in the epidermis of wheat roots, which is a new mechanism for Al phytotoxicity alleviation in acidic soil slurry by biochar amendment. In addition, the steady release of Si from the rice straw-derived biochars was a sustainable Si source for aluminosilicate reconstruction in acidic soil.

Evaluation of Physical Strength of Wheat Straw Under Different Fertilizer Treatments and Rates

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Application of nitrogen (N) fertilizer as urea ammonium nitrate and N plus sulfur fertilizer as ammonium thiosulfate as a mist on crop residue to stimulate microbial activity and subsequent decomposition of the residue is often debated, particularly for its potential to solve stand establishment iss...

40 CFR 180.413 - Imazalil; tolerances for residues.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... PROGRAMS TOLERANCES AND EXEMPTIONS FOR PESTICIDE CHEMICAL RESIDUES IN FOOD Specific Tolerances § 180.413 Imazalil; tolerances for residues. (a) General. (1) Tolerances are established for the combined residues of..., hay 0.5 Wheat, straw 0.5 (2) Tolerances are established for the combined residues of the fungicide...

Effects of feeding different varieties of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) straws with concentrate supplement on feed intake, digestibility, body weight gain and carcass characteristics of Arsi-Bale sheep.

PubMed

Wegi, Teklu; Tolera, Adugna; Wamatu, Jane; Animut, Getachew; Rischkowsky, Barbara

2017-12-19

A study was conducted to evaluate the varietal differences among faba bean straws and also to assess the potentials of faba bean straws supplemented with concentrate fed at the rate 70% straws and 30% concentrate mixture on feed intake, digestibility, body weight gain and carcass characteristics of the animals. Forty yearling Arsi-Bale sheep with initial body weight of 19.85+0.29 kg (mean + SD were grouped in a randomized complete block design into eight blocks of five animals each based on their initial body weight. Straws include in the study were from Mosisa (T1M), Walki (T2W), Degaga (T3D), Shallo (T4S) and local (T5L) varieties of faba bean and concentrate (2:1 ratio of wheat bran to "noug" seed cake). The experiment consisted of seven days of digestibility and 90 days of feeding trials followed by evaluation of carcass parameters at the end. Local variety had lower (P<0.05) in grain and straw yield compared to improved varieties but higher in crude protein, metabolizable energy contents and in vitro organic matter digestibility. The apparent digestibility of dry matter and crude protein of sheep fed Walki and Mosisa straws were higher than (P<0.05) straws from Shallo varieties. Sheep fed Walki straw had greater (P<0.05) dry matter intake, average daily gain and feed conversion efficiency than sheep fed local and Shallo straws. Slaughter body weight and empty body weight were higher (P<0.05) for sheep fed Mosisa and Walki straws as compared to sheep fed Shallo straws. Apart from this, the other carcass components were not affected (P>0.05) by variety of the faba bean straws. There is significant varietal differences between faba bean straws both in quality and quantity. Similarly, significant variation observed among sheep in feed intake, digestibility, body weight gain and feed conversion efficiency among sheep fed different straws of faba bean varieties with concentrate supplement. Based on these results, Walki and Mosisa varieties could be recommended as pulse crop rotation with cereals in the study area.

TASK 3.4--IMPACTS OF COFIRING BIOMASS WITH FOSSIL FUELS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Christopher J. Zygarlicke; Donald P. McCollor; Kurt E. Eylands

2001-08-01

With a major worldwide effort now ongoing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, cofiring of renewable biomass fuels at conventional coal-fired utilities is seen as one of the lower-cost options to achieve such reductions. The Energy & Environmental Research Center has undertaken a fundamental study to address the viability of cofiring biomass with coal in a pulverized coal (pc)-fired boiler for power production. Wheat straw, alfalfa stems, and hybrid poplar were selected as candidate biomass materials for blending at a 20 wt% level with an Illinois bituminous coal and an Absaloka subbituminous coal. The biomass materials were found to be easilymore » processed by shredding and pulverizing to a size suitable for cofiring with pc in a bench-scale downfired furnace. A literature investigation was undertaken on mineral uptake and storage by plants considered for biomass cofiring in order to understand the modes of occurrence of inorganic elements in plant matter. Sixteen essential elements, C, H, O, N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn, B, Mo, and Cl, are found throughout plants. The predominant inorganic elements are K and Ca, which are essential to the function of all plant cells and will, therefore, be evenly distributed throughout the nonreproductive, aerial portions of herbaceous biomass. Some inorganic constituents, e.g., N, P, Ca, and Cl, are organically associated and incorporated into the structure of the plant. Cell vacuoles are the repository for excess ions in the plant. Minerals deposited in these ubiquitous organelles are expected to be most easily leached from dry material. Other elements may not have specific functions within the plant, but are nevertheless absorbed and fill a need, such as silica. Other elements, such as Na, are nonessential, but are deposited throughout the plant. Their concentration will depend entirely on extrinsic factors regulating their availability in the soil solution, i.e., moisture and soil content. Similarly, Cl content is determined less by the needs of the plant than by the availability in the soil solution; in addition to occurring naturally, Cl is present in excess as the anion complement in K fertilizer applications. An analysis was performed on existing data for switchgrass samples from ten different farms in the south-central portion of Iowa, with the goal of determining correlations between switchgrass elemental composition and geographical and seasonal changes so as to identify factors that influence the elemental composition of biomass. The most important factors in determining levels of various chemical compounds were found to be seasonal and geographical differences related to soil conditions. Combustion testing was performed to obtain deposits typical of boiler fouling and slagging conditions as well as fly ash. Analysis methods using computer-controlled scanning electron microscopy and chemical fractionation were applied to determine the composition and association of inorganic materials in the biomass samples. Modified sample preparation techniques and mineral quantification procedures using cluster analysis were developed to characterize the inorganic material in these samples. Each of the biomass types exhibited different inorganic associations in the fuel as well as in the deposits and fly ash. Morphological analyses of the wheat straw show elongated 10-30-{micro}m amorphous silica particles or phytoliths in the wheat straw structure. Alkali such as potassium, calcium, and sodium is organically bound and dispersed in the organic structure of the biomass materials. Combustion test results showed that the blends fed quite evenly, with good burnout. Significant slag deposit formation was observed for the 100% wheat straw, compared to bituminous and subbituminous coals burned under similar conditions. Although growing rapidly, the fouling deposits of the biomass and coal-biomass blends were significantly weaker than those of the coals. Fouling was only slightly worse for the 100% wheat straw fuel compared to the coals. The wheat straw ash was found to show the greatest similarity from the fuel to the ash analyzed. A high percentage of particles from both fuel and ash samples contained both Si and K. While Cl was a significant component in the fuel, very little was detected in the ash sample.« less

Coupled effects of straw and nitrogen management on N2O and CH4 emissions of rainfed agriculture in Northwest China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Htun, Yin Min; Tong, Yanan; Gao, Pengcheng; Xiaotang, Ju

2017-05-01

Straw incorporation is a common agricultural practice, but the additional carbon source may increase greenhouse gas emissions by stimulating microbial activity in soil, particularly when straw is applied at the same time as nitrogen (N) fertilizer. We investigated the coupled effects of straw and N fertilizer on greenhouse gas emissions in a rainfed winter wheat-summer fallow system in Northwest China. Simultaneous applications of straw and N fertilizer increased N2O emissions by up to 88%, net greenhouse gas (NGHG) emission and net greenhouse gas intensity (NGHGI) by over 90%, and the N2O emission factor by over 2-fold. When straw was applied before N fertilizer, the emission factor (0.22%) decreased by approximately one-half compared with that for simultaneous applications (0.45%). In addition, early straw incorporation decreased N2O emissions, NGHG, and NGHGI by 35% (0.62 kg N2O-N ha-1 yr-1), 40% (242 kg CO2-eq ha-1 yr-1), and 38% (42 kg CO2-eq t-1 grain), respectively. We identified the period 30-35 days after N fertilization as a crucial period for evaluating the effectiveness of management practices on N2O emissions. The time between straw and fertilizer applications was negatively related to N2O emission (R2 = 0.8031; p < 0.01) but positively related to soil CH4 uptake (R2 = 0.7662; p < 0.01). Therefore, early straw incorporation can effectively mitigate greenhouse gas emissions by reducing N2O flux and increasing soil CH4 uptake without significantly decreasing grain yield.

Association Mapping in Scandinavian Winter Wheat for Yield, Plant Height, and Traits Important for Second-Generation Bioethanol Production

PubMed Central

Bellucci, Andrea; Torp, Anna Maria; Bruun, Sander; Magid, Jakob; Andersen, Sven B.; Rasmussen, Søren K.

2015-01-01

A collection of 100 wheat varieties representing more than 100 years of wheat-breeding history in Scandinavia was established in order to identify marker-trait associations for plant height (PH), grain yield (GY), and biomass potential for bioethanol production. The field-grown material showed variations in PH from 54 to 122 cm and in GY from 2 to 6.61 t ha-1. The release of monomeric sugars was determined by high-throughput enzymatic treatment of ligno-cellulosic material and varied between 0.169 and 0.312 g/g dm for glucose (GLU) and 0.146 and 0.283 g/g dm for xylose (XYL). As expected, PH and GY showed to be highly influenced by genetic factors with repeatability (R) equal to 0.75 and 0.53, respectively, while this was reduced for GLU and XYL (R = 0.09 for both). The study of trait correlations showed how old, low-yielding, tall varieties released higher amounts of monomeric sugars after straw enzymatic hydrolysis, showing reduced recalcitrance to bioconversion compared to modern varieties. Ninety-three lines from the collection were genotyped with the DArTseq® genotypic platform and 5525 markers were used for genome-wide association mapping. Six quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for GY, PH, and GLU released from straw were mapped. One QTL for PH was previously reported, while the remaining QTLs constituted new genomic regions linked to trait variation. This paper is one of the first studies in wheat to identify QTLs that are important for bioethanol production based on a genome-wide association approach. PMID:26635859

Separate hydrolysis and co-fermentation for improved xylose utilization in integrated ethanol production from wheat meal and wheat straw

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The commercialization of second-generation bioethanol has not been realized due to several factors, including poor biomass utilization and high production cost. It is generally accepted that the most important parameters in reducing the production cost are the ethanol yield and the ethanol concentration in the fermentation broth. Agricultural residues contain large amounts of hemicellulose, and the utilization of xylose is thus a plausible way to improve the concentration and yield of ethanol during fermentation. Most naturally occurring ethanol-fermenting microorganisms do not utilize xylose, but a genetically modified yeast strain, TMB3400, has the ability to co-ferment glucose and xylose. However, the xylose uptake rate is only enhanced when the glucose concentration is low. Results Separate hydrolysis and co-fermentation of steam-pretreated wheat straw (SPWS) combined with wheat-starch hydrolysate feed was performed in two separate processes. The average yield of ethanol and the xylose consumption reached 86% and 69%, respectively, when the hydrolysate of the enzymatically hydrolyzed (18.5% WIS) unwashed SPWS solid fraction and wheat-starch hydrolysate were fed to the fermentor after 1 h of fermentation of the SPWS liquid fraction. In the other configuration, fermentation of the SPWS hydrolysate (7.0% WIS), resulted in an average ethanol yield of 93% from fermentation based on glucose and xylose and complete xylose consumption when wheat-starch hydrolysate was included in the feed. Increased initial cell density in the fermentation (from 5 to 20 g/L) did not increase the ethanol yield, but improved and accelerated xylose consumption in both cases. Conclusions Higher ethanol yield has been achieved in co-fermentation of xylose and glucose in SPWS hydrolysate when wheat-starch hydrolysate was used as feed, then in co-fermentation of the liquid fraction of SPWS fed with the mixed hydrolysates. Integration of first-generation and second-generation processes also increases the ethanol concentration, resulting in a reduction in the cost of the distillation step, thus improving the process economics. PMID:22410131

Butanol productivity enhancers in wheat straw hydrolyzate: employing potential of enhanced reaction rate

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Butanol production by fermentation is gaining momentum due to increased prices of fossil fuels. This biofuel is a major product of acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation that can be produced from hydrolyzed agricultural residues and/or corn. A control glucose (60 g/L) based batch fermentation us...

Best management practices: Managing cropping systems for soil protection and bioenergy production

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Interest in renewable alternatives to fossil fuels has increased. Crop residue such as corn stover or wheat straw can be used for bioenergy including a substitution for natural gas or coal. Harvesting crop residue needs to be managed to protect the soil and future soil productivity. The amount of bi...

40 CFR 180.227 - Dicamba; tolerances for residues.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... herbicide dicamba, 3,6-dichloro-o-anisic acid, including its metabolites and degradates, in or on the... Wheat, straw 30.0 (2) Tolerances are established for residues of the herbicide dicamba, 3,6-dichloro-o... residues of the herbicide dicamba, 3,6-dichloro-o-anisic acid, including its metabolites and degradates, in...

Recovery of wheat straw soda lignin using flocculation by proteins, synthetic flocculants, and a metal coagulant

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Non-sulfonated lignin, a byproduct of biomass conversion to fuel ethanol, is finding increasing applications and can be converted to chemical substances which replace those obtained from petrochemicals. To date, most studies of flocculant function on non-sulfonated lignin have used mixtures of lign...

Wheat straw yield, nutrient uptake and soil chemical changes in two coastal plains ultisols amended with uncharred and pyrolyzed sorghum residues

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Current concerns about rising global population growth combined with global food security necessitate major optimization in agricultural management. The fertility of highly weathered Ultisols in the southeastern Coastal Plains region of United States is considerably low. In this region, intensive cr...

Improved Production of Thermostable Cellulase from Thermoascus aurantiacus RCKK by Fermentation Bioprocessing and Its Application in the Hydrolysis of Office Waste Paper, Algal Pulp, and Biologically Treated Wheat Straw.

PubMed

Jain, Kavish Kumar; Kumar, Sandeep; Deswal, Deepa; Kuhad, Ramesh Chander

2017-02-01

Thermostable cellulases have wide variety of applications and distinctive advantages, but their low titer becomes the hurdle in their commercialization. In the present work, an assessment of optimum levels of significant factors (temperature, moisture ratio, inoculum size, and ammonium sulfate) and the effect of their interactions on production of thermostable CMCase, FPase, and β-glucosidase by Thermoascus aurantiacus RCKK under solid-state fermentation (SSF) was carried out using central composite design (CCD) of response surface methodology (RSM). The study revealed 33, 13, and 8 % improvement in FPase, CMCase, and β-glucosidase production, respectively. Moreover, crude cellulase from T. aurantiacus RCKK efficiently hydrolyzed office waste paper, algal pulp (Gracillaria verulosa), and biologically treated wheat straw at 60 °C with sugar release of about 830 mg/ml, 285 mg/g, and 260 mg/g of the substrate, respectively. The thermostable enzyme from T. aurantiacus RCKK holds potential to be used in biofuel industry.

Optimization of methane production in anaerobic co-digestion of poultry litter and wheat straw at different percentages of total solid and volatile solid using a developed response surface model.

PubMed

Shen, Jiacheng; Zhu, Jun

2016-01-01

Poultry litter (PL) can be good feedstock for biogas production using anaerobic digestion. In this study, methane production from batch co-digestion of PL and wheat straw (WS) was investigated for two factors, i.e., total solid (2%, 5%, and 10%) and volatile solid (0, 25, and 50% of WS), constituting a 3 × 3 experimental design. The results showed that the maximum specific methane volume [197 mL (g VS)(‑1)] was achieved at 50% VS from WS at 5% TS level. It was estimated that the inhibitory threshold of free ammonia was about 289 mg L(--1), beyond which reduction of methanogenic activity by at least 54% was observed. The specific methane volume and COD removal can be expressed using two response surface models (R(2) = 0.9570 and 0.9704, respectively). Analysis of variance of the experimental results indicated that the C/N ratio was the most significant factor influencing the specific methane volume and COD removal in the co-digestion of these two materials.

Optimization of liquid fermentation of microbial consortium WSD-5 followed by saccharification and acidification of wheat straw.

PubMed

Wen, Boting; Yuan, Xufeng; Cao, Yanzhuan; Liu, Yan; Wang, Xiaofen; Cui, Zongjun

2012-08-01

The microbial consortium WSD-5 is composed of bacteria and fungi, and the cooperation and symbiosis of the contained microbes enhance the degradation ability of WSD-5. Experiment results showed that the highest cellulase and hemicellulase were obtained when ventilation volume was 4 L/min, stirring rate was 0 rpm, and substrate loading rate was 3%. After 6 days of cultivation, a 67.60% loss in wheat straw dry weight was observed. The crude enzyme secreted from WSD-5 after optimization was evaluated by experiments of saccharification and acidification. The maximum concentration of reducing sugars was 3254 mg/L after 48 h saccharification. The concentration of sCOD peaked on day 2 with a value of 4345 mg/L during acidification, and the biogas yield and methane yield were 22.3% and 32.3% higher than un-acidified samples. This study is the first attempt to explore both the saccharification and the acidification ability of crude enzymes secreted by microbial consortium. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Co-cultivation of Trichoderma reesei RutC30 with three black Aspergillus strains facilitates efficient hydrolysis of pretreated wheat straw and shows promises for on-site enzyme production.

PubMed

Kolasa, Marta; Ahring, Birgitte Kiær; Lübeck, Peter Stephensen; Lübeck, Mette

2014-10-01

Co-cultivation of fungi may be an excellent system for on-site production of cellulolytic enzymes in a single bioreactor. Enzyme supernatants from mixed cultures of Trichoderma reesei RutC30, with either the novel Aspergillus saccharolyticus AP, Aspergillus carbonarius ITEM 5010 or Aspergillus niger CBS 554.65 cultivated in solid-state fermentation were tested for avicelase, FPase, endoglucanase and beta-glucosidase activity as well as in hydrolysis of pretreated wheat straw. Around 30% more avicelase activity was produced in co-cultivation of T. reesei and A. saccharolyticus than in T. reesei monoculture, suggesting synergistic interaction between those fungi. Fermentation broths of mixed cultures of T. reesei with different Aspergillus strains resulted in approx. 80% efficiency of hydrolysis which was comparable to results obtained using blended supernatants from parallel monocultures. This indicates that co-cultivation of T. reesei with A. saccharolyticus or A. carbonarius could be a competitive alternative for monoculture enzyme production and a cheaper alternative to commercial enzymes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improving the enzymatic hydrolysis of dilute acid pretreated wheat straw by metal ion blocking of non-productive cellulase adsorption on lignin.

PubMed

Akimkulova, Ardak; Zhou, Yan; Zhao, Xuebing; Liu, Dehua

2016-05-01

Eleven salts were selected to screen the possible metal ions for blocking the non-productive adsorption of cellulase onto the lignin of dilute acid pretreated wheat straw. Mg(2+) was screened finally as the promising candidate. The optimal concentration of MgCl2 was 1 mM, but the beneficial action was also dependent on pH, hydrolysis time and cellulase loading. Significant improvement of glucan conversion (19.3%) was observed at low cellulase loading (5 FPU/g solid). Addition of isolated lignins, tannic acid and lignin model compounds to pure cellulose hydrolysis demonstrated that phenolic hydroxyl group (Ph-OH) was the main active site blocked by Mg(2+). The interaction between Mg(2+) and Ph-OH of lignin monomeric moieties followed an order of p-hydroxyphenyl (H)>guaiacyl (G)>syringyl (S). Mg(2+) blocking made the lignin surface less negatively charged, which might weaken the hydrogen bonding and electrostatically attractive interaction between lignin and cellulase enzymes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of solid-state to liquid anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic feedstocks for biogas production.

PubMed

Brown, Dan; Shi, Jian; Li, Yebo

2012-11-01

Lignocellulosic biomass feedstocks (switchgrass, corn stover, wheat straw, yard waste, leaves, waste paper, maple, and pine) were evaluated for methane production under liquid anaerobic digestion (L-AD) and solid-state anaerobic digestion (SS-AD). No significant difference in methane yield between L-AD and SS-AD, except for waste paper and pine, were found. However, the volumetric productivity was 2- to 7-fold greater in the SS-AD system compared with the L-AD system, except for paper. Methane yields from corn stover, wheat straw, and switchgrass were 2-5 times higher than those from yard waste, maple, and pine biomass. Waste paper had a methane yield of only 15 L/kg VS caused by souring during SS-AD due to organic overloading. Pine also had very low biogas yield of 17 L/kg VS, indicating the need for pretreatment prior to SS-AD. The findings of this study can guide future studies to improve the efficiency and stability of SS-AD of lignocellulosic biomass. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of different swine manure to wheat straw ratios on antibiotic resistance genes and the microbial community structure during anaerobic digestion.

PubMed

Song, Wen; Wang, Xiaojuan; Gu, Jie; Zhang, Sheqi; Yin, Yanan; Li, Yang; Qian, Xun; Sun, Wei

2017-05-01

This study explored the effects of different mass ratios of swine manure relative to wheat straw (3:7, 5:5, and 7:3, i.e., control reactors C1, C2, and C3, respectively) on variations in antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and the microbial community during anaerobic digestion (AD). The cumulative biogas production volumes were 1711, 3857, and 3226mL in C1, C2, and C3, respectively. After AD, the total relative abundance of ARGs decreased by 4.23 logs in C3, whereas the reductions were only 1.03 and 1.37 logs in C1 and C2, respectively. Network analysis showed that the genera Solibacillus, Enterococcus, Facklamia, Corynebacterium_1, and Acinetobacter were potential hosts of ermB, sul1, and dfrA7. Redundancy analysis showed that the bacterial communities and environmental factors played important roles in the variation in ARGs. Thus, reductions in ARGs should be considered before reusing animal manure treated by AD. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of hydrothermal pretreatment on the structural changes of alkaline ethanol lignin from wheat straw

PubMed Central

Chen, Xue; Li, Hanyin; Sun, Shaoni; Cao, Xuefei; Sun, Runcang

2016-01-01

Due to the enormous abundance of lignin and its unique aromatic nature, lignin has great potential for the production of industrially useful fuels, chemicals, and materials. However, the rigid and compact structure of the plant cell walls significantly blocks the separation of lignin. In this study, wheat straw was hydrothermally pretreated at different temperatures (120–200 °C) followed by post-treatment with 70% ethanol containing 1% NaOH to improve the isolation of lignin. Results demonstrated that the content of associated carbohydrates of the lignin fractions was gradually reduced with the increment of the hydrothermal severity. The structure of the lignins changed regularly with the increase of the pretreatment temperature from 120 to 200 °C. In particular, the contents of β-O-4′, β-β′, β-5′ linkages and aliphatic OH in the lignins showed a tendency of decrease, while the content of phenolic OH and thermal stability of the lignin fractions increased steadily as the increment of the pretreatment temperature. PMID:27982101

Biorefining strategy for maximal monosaccharide recovery from three different feedstocks: eucalyptus residues, wheat straw and olive tree pruning.

PubMed

Silva-Fernandes, Talita; Duarte, Luís Chorão; Carvalheiro, Florbela; Marques, Susana; Loureiro-Dias, Maria Conceição; Fonseca, César; Gírio, Francisco

2015-05-01

This work proposes the biorefining of eucalyptus residues (ER), wheat straw (WS) and olive tree pruning (OP) combining hydrothermal pretreatment (autohydrolysis) with acid post-hydrolysis of the liquid fraction and enzymatic hydrolysis of the solid fraction towards maximal recovery of monosaccharides from those lignocellulose materials. Autohydrolysis of ER, WS and OP was performed under non-isothermal conditions (195-230°C) and the non-cellulosic saccharides were recovered in the liquid fraction while cellulose and lignin remained in the solid fraction. The acid post-hydrolysis of the soluble oligosaccharides was studied by optimizing sulfuric acid concentration (1-4%w/w) and reaction time (10-60 min), employing a factorial (2(2)) experimental design. The solids resulting from pretreatment were submitted to enzymatic hydrolysis by applying commercial cellulolytic enzymes Celluclast® 1.5L and Novozyme® 188 (0.225 and 0.025 g/g solid, respectively). This strategy provides high total monosaccharide recovery or high glucose recovery from lignocellulosic materials, depending on the autohydrolysis conditions applied. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of Hydraulic Retention Time on Anaerobic Digestion of Wheat Straw in the Semicontinuous Continuous Stirred-Tank Reactors

PubMed Central

Shi, Xiao-Shuang; Yu, Jun-Hong; Yin, Hua; Hu, Shu-Min; Huang, Shu-Xia

2017-01-01

Three semicontinuous continuous stirred-tank reactors (CSTR) operating at mesophilic conditions (35°C) were used to investigate the effect of hydraulic retention time (HRT) on anaerobic digestion of wheat straw. The results showed that the average biogas production with HRT of 20, 40, and 60 days was 46.8, 79.9, and 89.1 mL/g total solid as well as 55.2, 94.3, and 105.2 mL/g volatile solids, respectively. The methane content with HRT of 20 days, from 14.2% to 28.5%, was the lowest among the three reactors. The pH values with HRT of 40 and 60 days were in the acceptable range compared to that with HRT of 20 days. The propionate was dominant in the reactor with HRT of 20 days, inhibiting the activities of methanogens and causing the lower methane content in biogas. The degradation of cellulose, hemicellulose, and crystalline cellulose based on XRD was also strongly influenced by HRTs. PMID:28589134

Potential of a gypsum-free composting process of wheat straw for mushroom production.

PubMed

Mouthier, Thibaut M B; Kilic, Baris; Vervoort, Pieter; Gruppen, Harry; Kabel, Mirjam A

2017-01-01

Wheat straw based composting generates a selective substrate for mushroom production. The first phase of this process requires 5 days, and a reduction in time is wished. Here, we aim at understanding the effect of gypsum on the duration of the first phase and the mechanism behind it. Hereto, the regular process with gypsum addition and the same process without gypsum were studied during a 5-day period. The compost quality was evaluated based on compost lignin composition analysed by py-GC/MS and its degradability by a commercial (hemi-)cellulolytic enzyme cocktail. The composting phase lead to the decrease of the pyrolysis products 4-vinylphenol and 4-vinylguaiacol that can be associated with p-coumarates and ferulates linking xylan and lignin. In the regular compost, the enzymatic conversion reached 32 and 39% for cellulose, and 23 and 32% for xylan after 3 and 5 days, respectively. In absence of gypsum similar values were reached after 2 and 4 days, respectively. Thus, our data show that in absence of gypsum the desired compost quality was reached 20% earlier compared to the control process.

Potential of a gypsum-free composting process of wheat straw for mushroom production

PubMed Central

Mouthier, Thibaut M. B.; Kilic, Baris; Vervoort, Pieter; Gruppen, Harry

2017-01-01

Wheat straw based composting generates a selective substrate for mushroom production. The first phase of this process requires 5 days, and a reduction in time is wished. Here, we aim at understanding the effect of gypsum on the duration of the first phase and the mechanism behind it. Hereto, the regular process with gypsum addition and the same process without gypsum were studied during a 5-day period. The compost quality was evaluated based on compost lignin composition analysed by py-GC/MS and its degradability by a commercial (hemi-)cellulolytic enzyme cocktail. The composting phase lead to the decrease of the pyrolysis products 4-vinylphenol and 4-vinylguaiacol that can be associated with p-coumarates and ferulates linking xylan and lignin. In the regular compost, the enzymatic conversion reached 32 and 39% for cellulose, and 23 and 32% for xylan after 3 and 5 days, respectively. In absence of gypsum similar values were reached after 2 and 4 days, respectively. Thus, our data show that in absence of gypsum the desired compost quality was reached 20% earlier compared to the control process. PMID:28982119

LCA of 1,4-Butanediol Produced via Direct Fermentation of Sugars from Wheat Straw Feedstock within a Territorial Biorefinery

PubMed Central

Forte, Annachiara; Zucaro, Amalia; Basosi, Riccardo; Fierro, Angelo

2016-01-01

The bio-based industrial sector has been recognized by the European Union as a priority area toward sustainability, however, the environmental profile of bio-based products needs to be further addressed. This study investigated, through the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach, the environmental performance of bio-based 1,4-butanediol (BDO) produced via direct fermentation of sugars from wheat straw, within a hypothetical regional biorefinery (Campania Region, Southern Italy). The aim was: (i) to identify the hotspots along the production chain; and (ii) to assess the potential environmental benefits of this bio-based polymer versus the reference conventional product (fossil-based BDO). Results identified the prevailing contribution to the total environmental load of bio-based BDO in the feedstock production and in the heat requirement at the biorefinery plant. The modeled industrial bio-based BDO supply chain, showed a general reduction of the environmental impacts compared to the fossil-based BDO. The lowest benefits were gained in terms of acidification and eutrophication, due to the environmental load of the crop phase for feedstock cultivation. PMID:28773687

Batch and semi-continuous anaerobic co-digestion of goose manure with alkali solubilized wheat straw: A case of carbon to nitrogen ratio and organic loading rate regression optimization.

PubMed

Hassan, Muhammad; Ding, Weimin; Umar, Muhammad; Rasool, Ghulam

2017-04-01

The present study focused on carbon to nitrogen ratio (C/N) and organic loading rate (OLR) optimization of goose manure (GM) and wheat straw (WS). Dealing the anaerobic digestion of poultry manure on industrial scale; the question of optimum C/N (mixing ratio) and OLR (daily feeding concentration) have significant importance still lack in literature. Therefore, Batch and CSTR co-digestion experiments of the GM and WS were carried out at mesophilic condition. The alkali (NaOH) solubilization pretreatment for the WS had greatly enhanced its anaerobic digestibility. The highest methane production was evaluated between the C/N of 20-30 during Batch experimentation while for CSTRs; the second applied OLR of (3g.VS/L.d) was proved as the optimum with maximum methane production capability of 254.65ml/g.VS for reactor B at C/N of 25. The C/N and OLR regression optimization models were developed for their commercial scale usefulness. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of different water-washing treatments effects on wheat straw combustion properties.

PubMed

Ma, Qiulin; Han, Lujia; Huang, Guangqun

2017-12-01

A series of experiments was conducted to explore the effects of various water-washing solid-liquid ratios (1:50 and 1:10) and the stirring on wheat straw (WS) combustion properties. Comparing different solid-liquid ratio groups, a 16% increment in the higher heating value was obtained for 1:50 groups and only 5% for 1:10 groups relative to the raw material. Moreover, energy was lost 4-26 times greater in 1:10 groups than 1:50 groups. While water-washing reduced the comprehensive combustibility index by 14.89%-32.09%, the index values of washed WS were all higher than 2, indicating good combustion performance. The combustion activation energy of four washed WS were 175, 172, 186, and 176kJ/mol, which were all higher than the 160kJ/mol of WS. The fouling/slagging propensity of washed WS reduced to a lower possibility compared to medium of untreated WS. Overall, the recommended condition for washing WS before combustion is 1:50 ratio without stirring. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of wheat straw: influence of feedwater pH prepared by acetic acid and potassium hydroxide.

PubMed

Reza, M Toufiq; Rottler, Erwin; Herklotz, Laureen; Wirth, Benjamin

2015-04-01

In this study, influence of feedwater pH (2-12) was studied for hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of wheat straw at 200 and 260°C. Acetic acid and KOH were used as acidic and basic medium, respectively. Hydrochars were characterized by elemental and fiber analyses, SEM, surface area, pore volume and size, and ATR-FTIR, while HTC process liquids were analyzed by HPLC and GC. Both hydrochar and HTC process liquid qualities vary with feedwater pH. At acidic pH, cellulose and elemental carbon increase in hydrochar, while hemicellulose and pseudo-lignin decrease. Hydrochars produced at pH 2 feedwater has 2.7 times larger surface area than that produced at pH 12. It also has the largest pore volume (1.1 × 10(-1) ml g(-1)) and pore size (20.2 nm). Organic acids were increasing, while sugars were decreasing in case of basic feedwater, however, phenolic compounds were present only at 260°C and their concentrations were increasing in basic feedwater. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optimizing feeding composition and carbon-nitrogen ratios for improved methane yield during anaerobic co-digestion of dairy, chicken manure and wheat straw.

PubMed

Wang, Xiaojiao; Yang, Gaihe; Feng, Yongzhong; Ren, Guangxin; Han, Xinhui

2012-09-01

This study investigated the possibilities of improving methane yield from anaerobic digestion of multi-component substrates, using a mixture of dairy manure (DM), chicken manure (CM) and wheat straw (WS), based on optimized feeding composition and the C/N ratio. Co-digestion of DM, CM and WS performed better in methane potential than individual digestion. A larger synergetic effect in co-digestion of DM, CM and WS was found than in mixtures of single manures with WS. As the C/N ratio increased, methane potential initially increased and then declined. C/N ratios of 25:1 and 30:1 had better digestion performance with stable pH and low concentrations of total ammonium nitrogen and free NH(3). Maximum methane potential was achieved with DM/CM of 40.3:59.7 and a C/N ratio of 27.2:1 after optimization using response surface methodology. The results suggested that better performance of anaerobic co-digestion can be fulfilled by optimizing feeding composition and the C/N ratio. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Photo-biohydrogen production potential of Rhodobacter capsulatus-PK from wheat straw

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Biotechnological exploitation of lignocellulosic biomass is promising for sustainable and environmentally sound energy provision strategy because of the abundant availability of the renewable resources. Wheat straw (WS) comprising of 75-80% cellulose and hemicellulose is one of widely available, inexpensive and renewable lignocellulosic biomass types. The cellulosic and hemicellulose substrate can be hydrolyzed into monomeric sugars by chemical and/or biological methods. Results This study examined comparative potential of dilute acid and pre-ammonia pretreated and enzymatically hydrolyzed wheat straw (WS) for hydrogen production by purple non sulfur bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus-PK. Gas production became noticeable after 14 h of inoculation in WS pretreated with 4% H2SO4. The detoxified liquid hydrolyzate (DLH) after overliming attained a production level of 372 mL-H2/L after 16 h under illumination of 120-150 W/m2 at 30 ± 2.0°C. Whereas the non-detoxified acid pretreated hydrolyzate (NDLH) of WS could produce only upto 254 mL-H2/L after 21 h post inoculation. Evolution of H2 became observable just after 10 ± 2.0 h of inoculation by employing 48 h age inoculum on the WS pretreated with 30% ammonia, hydrolyzed with cellulase 80 FPU/g and β-glucosidase 220 CbU/ml at 50°C. Upto 712 ml/L of culture was measured with continuous shaking for 24 h. The 47.5% and 64.2% higher hydrogen volume than the DLH and NDLH substrates, respectively appeared as a function of significantly higher monomeric sugar contents of the enzymatically hydrolyzed substrate and lesser/zero amounts of toxic derivatives including pH reducing agents. Conclusion Photofermentative hydrogen production from lignocellulosic waste is a feasible approach for eco-friendly sustainable supply of bioenergy in a cost-effective way. Results of this study provide new insight for addressing biotechnological exploitation of abundantly available and low-cost cellulosic substrates. PMID:24099439

Cacao bean husk: an applicable bedding material in dairy free-stall barns

PubMed Central

Yajima, Akira; Owada, Hisashi; Kobayashi, Suguru; Komatsu, Natsumi; Takehara, Kazuaki; Ito, Maria; Matsuda, Kazuhide; Sato, Kan; Itabashi, Hisao; Sugimura, Satoshi; Kanda, Shuhei

2017-01-01

Objective The objectives of the study were to assess the effect of cacao bean husk as bedding material in free-stall barn on the behavior, productivity, and udder health of dairy cattle, and on the ammonia concentrations in the barn. Methods Four different stall surfaces (no bedding, cacao bean husk, sawdust, and chopped wheat straw) were each continuously tested for a period of 1 week to determine their effects on nine lactating Holstein cows housed in the free-stall barn with rubber matting. The lying time and the milk yield were measured between d 4 and d 7. Blood samples for plasma cortisol concentration and teat swabs for bacterial counts were obtained prior to morning milking on d 7. The time-averaged gas-phase ammonia concentrations in the barn were measured between d 2 and d 7. Results The cows spent approximately 2 h more per day lying in the stalls when bedding was available than without bedding. The milk yield increased in the experimental periods when cows had access to bedding materials as compared to the period without bedding. The lying time was positively correlated with the milk yield. Bacterial counts on the teat ends recorded for cows housed on cacao bean husk were significantly lower than those recorded for cows housed without bedding. Ammonia concentration under cacao bean husk bedding decreased by 6%, 15%, and 21% as compared to no bedding, sawdust, and chopped wheat straw, respectively. The cortisol concentration was lowest in the period when cacao bean husk bedding was used. We observed a positive correlation between the ammonia concentrations in the barn and the plasma cortisol concentrations. Conclusion Cacao bean husk is a potential alternative of conventional bedding material, such as sawdust or chopped wheat straw, with beneficial effects on udder health and ammonia concentrations in the barns. PMID:28002931

Effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Supplementation and Anhydrous Ammonia Treatment of Wheat Straw on In-situ Degradability and, Rumen Fermentation and Growth Performance of Yearling Lambs

PubMed Central

Cömert, Muazzez; Şayan, Yılmaz; Özelçam, Hülya; Baykal, Gülşah Yeğenoğlu

2015-01-01

The effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae supplementation (6.6×108 cfu) and anhydrous ammonia treatment (3%) of wheat straw (WS) were investigated on in-situ dry matter (DM) degradability, and on rumen fermentation and growth performance of lambs. Rumen-fistulated Menemen sheep fed a diet with and without live yeast were used to assess the DM degradability characteristics of WS and ammonia-treated wheat straw (WSNH3). Twenty-six yearling Menemen male lambs were fed in four groups. Lambs of control group (WS) received untreated WS without supplemental yeast, whereas other three groups were fed WS treated with anhydrous ammonia (WSNH3 group), untreated WS and yeast (WS+YEAST group) or WS treated with anhydrous ammonia and yeast (WSNH3+YEAST group). Supplemented live yeast (4 g/d) was added in the diet. Lambs were offered untreated or ammonia treated WS ad-libitum and concentrate was fed at 1% of live body weight. The degradability of the water-insoluble (fraction B) was significantly increased by all of the treatment groups. Potential degradability (A+B), effective DM degradability’s (pe2, pe5, and pe8) and average daily weight gain increased only in WSNH3+YEAST group (p<0.05). Voluntary DM intake was not increased by the treatments (p>0.05), but voluntary metabolizable energy and crude protein intake were increased by WSNH3 and by WSNH3+YEAST (p<0.05). Average daily rumen pH was not affected by any of the treatments, but average daily NH3-N was significantly higher in the WSNH3 and WSNH3+YEAST groups, and total volatile fatty acids were significantly higher in the WS+YEAST and WSNH3+YEAST groups. In conclusion, the improvement of feed value of WS was better by the combination of ammonia-treatment and yeast supplementation compared to either treatment alone. PMID:25656177

Pilot-scale conversion of lime-treated wheat straw into bioethanol: quality assessment of bioethanol and valorization of side streams by anaerobic digestion and combustion

PubMed Central

Maas, Ronald HW; Bakker, Robert R; Boersma, Arjen R; Bisschops, Iemke; Pels, Jan R; de Jong, Ed; Weusthuis, Ruud A; Reith, Hans

2008-01-01

Introduction The limited availability of fossil fuel sources, worldwide rising energy demands and anticipated climate changes attributed to an increase of greenhouse gasses are important driving forces for finding alternative energy sources. One approach to meeting the increasing energy demands and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is by large-scale substitution of petrochemically derived transport fuels by the use of carbon dioxide-neutral biofuels, such as ethanol derived from lignocellulosic material. Results This paper describes an integrated pilot-scale process where lime-treated wheat straw with a high dry-matter content (around 35% by weight) is converted to ethanol via simultaneous saccharification and fermentation by commercial hydrolytic enzymes and bakers' yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). After 53 hours of incubation, an ethanol concentration of 21.4 g/liter was detected, corresponding to a 48% glucan-to-ethanol conversion of the theoretical maximum. The xylan fraction remained mostly in the soluble oligomeric form (52%) in the fermentation broth, probably due to the inability of this yeast to convert pentoses. A preliminary assessment of the distilled ethanol quality showed that it meets transportation ethanol fuel specifications. The distillation residue, which contained non-hydrolysable and non-fermentable (in)organic compounds, was divided into a liquid and solid fraction. The liquid fraction served as substrate for the production of biogas (methane), whereas the solid fraction functioned as fuel for thermal conversion (combustion), yielding thermal energy, which can be used for heat and power generation. Conclusion Based on the achieved experimental values, 16.7 kg of pretreated wheat straw could be converted to 1.7 kg of ethanol, 1.1 kg of methane, 4.1 kg of carbon dioxide, around 3.4 kg of compost and 6.6 kg of lignin-rich residue. The higher heating value of the lignin-rich residue was 13.4 MJ thermal energy per kilogram (dry basis). PMID:18699996

Growth and Productivity Response of Hybrid Rice to Application of Animal Manures, Plant Residues and Phosphorus

PubMed Central

Amanullah; Khan, Shams-ul-Tamraiz; Iqbal, Asif; Fahad, Shah

2016-01-01

The objective of this research was to evaluate the impact of organic sources (animal manures vs. plant residues at the rate of 10 t ha−1 each) on the productivity of hybrid rice (Oryza sativa L.) production under different levels of phosphorus (0, 30, 60, and 90 kg P ha−1) fertilization. Two separate field experiments were conducted. In experiment (1), impact of three animal manures sources (cattle, sheep, and poultry manures) and P levels were studied along with one control plot (no animal manure and P applied) was investigated. In experiment (2), three plant residues sources (peach leaves, garlic residues, and wheat straw) and P levels were studied along with one control plot (no plant residues and P applied). Both the experiments were carried out on small land farmer field at District Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province (Northwest Pakistan) during summer 2015. The results revealed that in both experiments the control plot had significantly (p ≤ 0.05) less productivity than the average of all treated plots with organic sources and P level. The increase in P levels in both experiments (animal manure vs. plant residues) resulted in higher rice productivity (90 > 60 > 30 > 0 kg P ha−1). In the experiment under animal manures, application of poultry manure increased rice productivity as compared with sheep and cattle manures (poultry > sheep > cattle manures). In the experiment under plant residues, application of peach leaves or garlic residues had higher rice productivity than wheat straw (peach leaves = garlic residues > wheat straw). On average, rice grown under animal manures produced about 20% higher grain yield than rice grown under crop residues. We conclude from this study that application of 90 kg P ha−1 along with combined application of animal manures, especially poultry manure increases rice productivity. Also, the use of either garlic residues or peach leaves, never applied before as organic manures, can increase crop productivity and will help in degraded soil for sustainable soil management. PMID:27803701

PM2.5 emissions and source profiles from open burning of crop residues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ni, Haiyan; Tian, Jie; Wang, Xiaoliang; Wang, Qiyuan; Han, Yongming; Cao, Junji; Long, Xin; Chen, L.-W. Antony; Chow, Judith C.; Watson, John G.; Huang, Ru-Jin; Dusek, Ulrike

2017-11-01

Wheat straw, rice straw, and corn stalks, the major agricultural crop residues in China, were collected from six major crop producing regions, and burned in a laboratory combustion chamber to determine PM2.5 source profiles and speciated emission factors (EFs). Organic carbon (OC) and water-soluble ions (the sum of NH4+, Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Cl-, NO3- and SO42-) are major constituents, accounting for 43.1 ± 8.3% and 27.4 ± 14.6% of PM2.5, respectively. Chloride (Cl-) and water-soluble potassium (K+) are the dominant ionic species, with an average abundance of 14.5 ± 8.2% and 6.4 ± 4.4% in PM2.5, respectively. The average K+/Cl- ratio is ∼0.4, lower than 2.8-5.4 for wood combustion. Similarity measures (i.e., Student's t-test, coefficient of divergence, correlations, and residual to uncertainty ratios) show the crop profiles are too similar for the species measured to be resolved from one another by receptor modeling. The largest difference was found between rice straw and corn stalk emissions, with higher OC and lower Cl- and K+ abundances (50%, 8%, and 3% of PM2.5, respectively) for corn stalks; lower OC, and higher Cl- and K+ abundances (38%, 21%, and 10% of PM2.5, respectively) for rice straw. Average EFs were 4.8 ± 3.1 g kg-1 for OC, 1.3 ± 0.8 g kg-1 for Cl- and 0.59 ± 0.56 g kg-1 for K+. Flaming and smoldering combustions resulted in an average modified combustion efficiency (MCE) of 0.92 ± 0.03, and low elemental carbon (EC) EFs (0.24 ± 0.12 g kg-1). OC/EC ratios from individual source profiles ranged from 12.9 ± 4.3 for rice straw to 24.1 ± 13.5 for wheat straw. The average K+/EC ratio was 2.4 ± 1.5, an order of magnitude higher than those from residential wood combustion (0.2-0.76). Elevated emission rates were found for OC (387 Gg yr-1) and Cl- (122 Gg yr-1), accounting for 44% and 14% of 2008 PM2.5 emissions in China.

The impact of particle size and initial solid loading on thermochemical pretreatment of wheat straw for improving sugar recovery.

PubMed

Rojas-Rejón, Oscar A; Sánchez, Arturo

2014-07-01

This work studies the effect of initial solid load (4-32 %; w/v, DS) and particle size (0.41-50 mm) on monosaccharide yield of wheat straw subjected to dilute H(2)SO(4) (0.75 %, v/v) pretreatment and enzymatic saccharification. Response surface methodology (RSM) based on a full factorial design (FFD) was used for the statistical analysis of pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis. The highest xylose yield obtained during pretreatment (ca. 86 %; of theoretical) was achieved at 4 % (w/v, DS) and 25 mm. The solid fraction obtained from the first set of experiments was subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis at constant enzyme dosage (17 FPU/g); statistical analysis revealed that glucose yield was favored with solids pretreated at low initial solid loads and small particle sizes. Dynamic experiments showed that glucose yield did not increase after 48 h of enzymatic hydrolysis. Once established pretreatment conditions, experiments were carried out with several initial solid loading (4-24 %; w/v, DS) and enzyme dosages (5-50 FPU/g). Two straw sizes (0.41 and 50 mm) were used for verification purposes. The highest glucose yield (ca. 55 %; of theoretical) was achieved at 4 % (w/v, DS), 0.41 mm and 50 FPU/g. Statistical analysis of experiments showed that at low enzyme dosage, particle size had a remarkable effect over glucose yield and initial solid load was the main factor for glucose yield.

Assessing the environmental sustainability of ethanol from integrated biorefineries.

PubMed

Falano, Temitope; Jeswani, Harish K; Azapagic, Adisa

2014-06-01

This paper considers the life cycle environmental sustainability of ethanol produced in integrated biorefineries together with chemicals and energy. Four types of second-generation feedstocks are considered: wheat straw, forest residue, poplar, and miscanthus. Seven out of 11 environmental impacts from ethanol are negative, including greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, when the system is credited for the co-products, indicating environmental savings. Ethanol from poplar is the best and straw the worst option for most impacts. Land use change from forest to miscanthus increases the GHG emissions several-fold. For poplar, the effect is opposite: converting grassland to forest reduces the emissions by three-fold. Compared to fossil and first-generation ethanol, ethanol from integrated biorefineries is more sustainable for most impacts, with the exception of wheat straw. Pure ethanol saves up to 87% of GHG emissions compared to petrol per MJ of fuel. However, for the current 5% ethanol-petrol blends, the savings are much smaller (<3%). Therefore, unless much higher blends become widespread, the contribution of ethanol from integrated biorefineries to the reduction of GHG emissions will be insignificant. Yet, higher ethanol blends would lead to an increase in some impacts, notably terrestrial and freshwater toxicity as well as eutrophication for some feedstocks. © 2014 The Authors. Biotechnology Journal published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Effect of bedding materials on concentration of odorous compounds and Escherichia coli in beef cattle bedded manure packs

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of bedding material (corn stover, soybean stover, wheat straw, switchgrass, wood chips, wood shavings, corn cobs, and shredded paper) on concentration of odorous volatile organic compounds (VOC) in bedded pack material, and to determine the e...

Effect of cellulosic sugar degradation products (furfural and hydroxymethylfurfural) on acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation using Clostridium beijerinckii P260

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Studies were performed to identify chemicals present in wheat straw hydrolysate (WSH) that enhance acetone butanol ethanol (ABE) productivity. These chemicals were identified as furfural and hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF). Control experiment resulted in the production of 21.09-21.66 gL**-1 ABE with a ...

Butyric acid from anaerobic fermentation of lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysates by Clostridium sp. strain RPT-4213

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A novel Clostridium sp. strain RPT-4213 was found producing butyrate under strict anaerobic conditions. This strain produced 9.47 g L-1 butyric acid from MRS media (0.48 g/g glucose). RPT-4213 was also used to ferment dilute acid pretreated hydrolysates including wheat straw (WSH), corn fiber (CFH...

Lignin fate and characterization during ionic liquid biomass pretreatment for renewable chemicals and fuels production

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The fate of lignin from wheat straw, Miscanthus, and Loblolly pine after pretreatment by a non-toxic and recyclable ionic liquid (IL), [C2mim][OAc], followed by enzymatic hydrolysis was investigated. The lignin partitioned into six process streams, each of which was quantified and analyzed by a comb...

76 FR 62050 - Issuance of a Loan Guarantee to Abengoa Bioenergy Biomass of Kansas, LLC for the Abengoa...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-06

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Issuance of a Loan Guarantee to Abengoa Bioenergy Biomass of Kansas, LLC for... 2005 (EPAct 2005) to Abengoa Bioenergy Biomass of Kansas, LLC (Abengoa) for construction and start-up... combination of biomass feedstocks, such as corn stover and wheat straw, to produce cellulosic ethanol and to...

Simplifying pyrolysis; using gasification to produce corn stover and wheat straw biochar for sorptive and horitcultural media

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Biochar is a renewable, useful material that can be utilized in many different applications. Biochar is commonly produced via pyrolysis methods using a retort-style oven with inert gas. Gasification is another method that can utilize pyrolysis to produce biochar, but with the advantage of not requir...

Integrated double mulching practices optimizes soil temperature and improves soil water utilization in arid environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Wen; Feng, Fuxue; Zhao, Cai; Yu, Aizhong; Hu, Falong; Chai, Qiang; Gan, Yantai; Guo, Yao

2016-09-01

Water shortage threatens agricultural sustainability in many arid and semiarid areas of the world. It is unknown whether improved water conservation practices can be developed to alleviate this issue while increasing crop productivity. In this study, we developed a "double mulching" system, i.e., plastic film coupled with straw mulch, integrated together with intensified strip intercropping. We determined (i) the responses of soil evaporation and moisture conservation to the integrated double mulching system and (ii) the change of soil temperature during key plant growth stages under the integrated systems. Experiments were carried out in northwest China in 2009 to 2011. Results show that wheat-maize strip intercropping in combination with plastic film and straw covering on the soil surface increased soil moisture (mm) by an average of 3.8 % before sowing, 5.3 % during the wheat and maize co-growth period, 4.4 % after wheat harvest, and 4.9 % after maize harvest, compared to conventional practice (control). The double mulching decreased total evapotranspiration of the two intercrops by an average of 4.6 % ( P < 0.05), compared to control. An added feature was that the double mulching system decreased soil temperature in the top 10-cm depth by 1.26 to 1.31 °C in the strips of the cool-season wheat, and by 1.31 to 1.51 °C in the strips of the warm-season maize through the 2 years. Soil temperature of maize strips higher as 1.25 to 1.94 °C than that of wheat strips in the top 10-cm soil depth under intercropping with the double mulching system; especially higher as 1.58 to 2.11 °C under intercropping with the conventional tillage; this allows the two intercrops to grow in a well "collaborative" status under the double mulching system during their co-growth period. The improvement of soil moisture and the optimization of soil temperature for the two intercrops allow us to conclude that wheat-maize intensification with the double mulching system can be used as an effective farming model in alleviating water shortage issues experiencing in water shortage areas.

Organic acids associated with saccharification of cellulosic wastes during solid-state fermentation.

PubMed

El-Naggar, Noura El-Ahmady; El-Hersh, Mohammed Saad

2011-02-01

Saccharification of five cellulosic wastes, i.e. rice husks, wheat bran, corn cobs, wheat straw and rice straw by three cellulytic fungi, i.e. Aspergillus glaums MN1, Aspergillus oryzae MN2 and Penicillium purpurogenum MN3, during solid-state fermentation (SSF) was laboratory studied. Rice husks, wheat bran, and corn cobs were selected as inducers of glucose production in the tested fungi. An incubation interval of 10 days was optimal for glucose production. Maximal activities of the cellulases FP-ase, CMC-ase, and p-glucosidase were detected during SSF of rice husks by P. purpurogenum; however, a-amylase activity (7.2 U/g) was comparatively reduced. Meanwhile, the productivities of FP-ase, CMC-ase, and β-glucosidase were high during SSF of rice husks by A glaucus; however, they decreased during SSF of corn cobs by P. purpurogenum. Addition of rock phosphate (RP) (75 mg P(2)O(5)) decreased the pH of SSF media. (NH(4))(2)SO(4) was found to be less inducer of cellulytic enzymes, during SSF of rice husks by A. glaucus or A. oryzae; it also induced phytase production and solubilization of RP. The organic acids associated with saccharification of the wastes studied have also been investigated. The highest concentration of levulinic acid was detected (46.15 mg/g) during SSF of corn cobs by P. purpurogenum. Likewise, oxalic acid concentration was 43.20 mg/g during SSF of rice husks by P. purpurogenum.

The variability of biomass burning and its influence on regional aerosol properties during the wheat harvest season in North China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Lili; Xin, Jinyuan; Li, Xingru; Wang, Yuesi

2015-04-01

The spatial-temporal variation of biomass burning in June during the wheat harvest season in the North China (32-41°N, 111-120°E) and its influence on the regional aerosol optical depth (AOD) and the chemical compositions of size-segregated aerosols in the urban environment were investigated to evaluate the effectiveness of the burn ban policy and the influence on regional pollution. Fire events that occurred in early and middle June accounted for approximately 89% of the events during the month, and fire points located in mid-eastern China (32.5-35.5°N, 114-120°E) comprised 71%. The occurrences exhibit oscillatory changes with a minimum in 2008 (during the Beijing Olympics) and a peak and explosive growth in 2012. Under high relative humidity and south winds, fire emissions from straw burning combined with high urban/industrial emissions to produce intensive regional haze pollution in the North Plain. The formation of secondary inorganic particles was intensified due to the interactions of smoke plumes and urban/industrial pollutants in an urban environment. Higher concentrations and percentages (79%) of sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, and organic carbon in the fine particles under high relative humidity conditions contributed to a deteriorated urban visibility. Therefore, stronger management and a comprehensive ban on wheat straw burning in June are urgently needed, especially during years when the south wind is dominant.

Open burning of rice, corn and wheat straws: primary emissions, photochemical aging, and secondary organic aerosol formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, Zheng; Deng, Wei; Zhang, Yanli; Ding, Xiang; Tang, Mingjin; Liu, Tengyu; Hu, Qihou; Zhu, Ming; Wang, Zhaoyi; Yang, Weiqiang; Huang, Zhonghui; Song, Wei; Bi, Xinhui; Chen, Jianmin; Sun, Yele; George, Christian; Wang, Xinming

2017-12-01

Agricultural residues are among the most abundant biomass burned globally, especially in China. However, there is little information on primary emissions and photochemical evolution of agricultural residue burning. In this study, indoor chamber experiments were conducted to investigate primary emissions from open burning of rice, corn and wheat straws and their photochemical aging as well. Emission factors of NOx, NH3, SO2, 67 non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs), particulate matter (PM), organic aerosol (OA) and black carbon (BC) under ambient dilution conditions were determined. Olefins accounted for > 50 % of the total speciated NMHCs emission (2.47 to 5.04 g kg-1), indicating high ozone formation potential of straw burning emissions. Emission factors of PM (3.73 to 6.36 g kg-1) and primary organic carbon (POC, 2.05 to 4.11 gC kg-1), measured at dilution ratios of 1300 to 4000, were lower than those reported in previous studies at low dilution ratios, probably due to the evaporation of semi-volatile organic compounds under high dilution conditions. After photochemical aging with an OH exposure range of (1.97-4.97) × 1010 molecule cm-3 s in the chamber, large amounts of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) were produced with OA mass enhancement ratios (the mass ratio of total OA to primary OA) of 2.4-7.6. The 20 known precursors could only explain 5.0-27.3 % of the observed SOA mass, suggesting that the major precursors of SOA formed from open straw burning remain unidentified. Aerosol mass spectrometry (AMS) signaled that the aged OA contained less hydrocarbons but more oxygen- and nitrogen-containing compounds than primary OA, and carbon oxidation state (OSc) calculated with AMS resolved O / C and H / C ratios increased linearly (p < 0.001) with OH exposure with quite similar slopes.

Electron beam agrobionanotechnologies for agriculture and food industry enabled by electron accelerators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pavlov, Y. S.; Revina, A. A.; Souvorova, O. V.; Voropaeva, N. L.; Chekmar, D. V.; Abkhalimov, E. V.; Zavyalov, M. A.; Filippovich, V. P.

2017-12-01

Electron beam (EB) radiation technologies have been employed to increase efficiency of biologically active nanochips developed for agricultural plants seed pre-treatment with purpose of enhancing crop yield and productivity. Iron-containing nanoparticles (NPs), synthesized in reverse micelles following known radiation-chemical technique, have served as a multifunctional biologically active and phytosanitary substance of the chips. Porous chip carriers activation has been performed by EB ionization (doze 20kGy) of the active carbons (AC) prepared from agricultural waste and by-products: Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) straw, rape (Brassica napus L. ssp. oleifera Metzg) straw, camelina (Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz) straw, wheat (Triticum aestivum) straw. Three methods, UV-VIS spectrophotometry, Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry (CV) have been used for process control and characterization of radiation-activated and NPs-modified ACs. The results show a notable effect of ACs activation by electron beam radiation, evidenced by FeNPs-adsorption capacity increase. Studies of the impact of Fe NPs-containing nanochip technology on enhancement of seeds germination rate and seedlings vigour suggest that reported electron beam radiation treatment techniques of the ACs from selected agricultural residues may be advantageous for industrial application.

Atmospheric contribution to boron enrichment in aboveground wheat tissues.

PubMed

Wang, Cheng; Ji, Junfeng; Chen, Mindong; Zhong, Cong; Yang, Zhongfang; Browne, Patrick

2017-05-01

Boron is an essential trace element for all organisms and has both beneficial and harmful biological functions. A particular amount of boron is discharged into the environment every year because of industrial activities; however, the effects of environmental boron emissions on boron accumulation in cereals has not yet been estimated. The present study characterized the accumulation of boron in wheat under different ecological conditions in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) area. This study aimed to estimate the effects of atmospheric boron that is associated with industrial activities on boron accumulation in wheat. The results showed that the concentrations of boron in aboveground wheat tissues from the highly industrialized region were significantly higher than those from the agriculture-dominated region, even though there was no significant difference in boron content in soils. Using the model based on the translocation coefficients of boron in the soil-wheat system, we estimated that the contribution of atmosphere to boron accumulation in wheat straw in the highly industrialized region exceeded that in the agriculture-dominated region by 36%. In addition, from the environmental implication of the model, it was estimated that the development of boron-utilizing industries had elevated the concentration of boron in aboveground wheat tissues by 28-53%. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Combined submerged and solid substrate fermentation for the bioconversion of lignocellulose

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Viesturs, U.E.; Strikauska, S.V.; Leite, M.P.

1987-01-01

A novel two-stage bioreactor has been designed for a combined submerged (SF) and solid substrate fermentation (SSF) of wheat straw. The straw was pretreated with steam, and cellulases from the culture fluid of Trichoderma reesei were adsorbed on it for increased bio-convertibility. SSF was conducted in the top part of the bioreactor by inoculating the straw with a 36-h mycelial culture of T. reesei, or Coriolus versicolor. In the bottom part of the fermenter, Endomycopsis fibuliger was grown in SF. The SF liquor was recirculated through the SSF stage at 24 hour intervals to remove glucose and other metabolites thatmore » may inhibit growth, and to maintain optimum moisture level and temperature. The removed glucose and other metabolites provided nutrients for the yeast in the SF stage. The combined fermentation resulted in overall higher biomass yield, increased bioconversion, increased cellulase production, and increased digestibility compared with single SSF or SF. (Refs. 16).« less

The effect of a combined biological and thermo-mechanical pretreatment of wheat straw on energy yields in coupled ethanol and methane generation.

PubMed

Theuretzbacher, Franz; Blomqvist, Johanna; Lizasoain, Javier; Klietz, Lena; Potthast, Antje; Horn, Svein Jarle; Nilsen, Paal J; Gronauer, Andreas; Passoth, Volkmar; Bauer, Alexander

2015-10-01

Ethanol and biogas are energy carriers that could contribute to a future energy system independent of fossil fuels. Straw is a favorable bioenergy substrate as it does not compete with food or feed production. As straw is very resistant to microbial degradation, it requires a pretreatment to insure efficient conversion to ethanol and/or methane. This study investigates the effect of combining biological pretreatment and steam explosion on ethanol and methane yields in order to improve the coupled generation process. Results show that the temperature of the steam explosion pretreatment has a particularly strong effect on possible ethanol yields, whereas combination with the biological pretreatment showed no difference in overall energy yield. The highest overall energy output was found to be 10.86 MJ kg VS(-1) using a combined biological and steam explosion pretreatment at a temperature of 200°C. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A comprehensive biomass burning emission inventory with high spatial and temporal resolution in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Ying; Xing, Xiaofan; Lang, Jianlei; Chen, Dongsheng; Cheng, Shuiyuan; Wei, Lin; Wei, Xiao; Liu, Chao

2017-02-01

Biomass burning injects many different gases and aerosols into the atmosphere that could have a harmful effect on air quality, climate, and human health. In this study, a comprehensive biomass burning emission inventory including domestic and in-field straw burning, firewood burning, livestock excrement burning, and forest and grassland fires is presented, which was developed for mainland China in 2012 based on county-level activity data, satellite data, and updated source-specific emission factors (EFs). The emission inventory within a 1 × 1 km2 grid was generated using geographical information system (GIS) technology according to source-based spatial surrogates. A range of key information related to emission estimation (e.g. province-specific proportion of domestic and in-field straw burning, detailed firewood burning quantities, uneven temporal distribution coefficient) was obtained from field investigation, systematic combing of the latest research, and regression analysis of statistical data. The established emission inventory includes the major precursors of complex pollution, greenhouse gases, and heavy metal released from biomass burning. The results show that the emissions of SO2, NOx, PM10, PM2.5, NMVOC, NH3, CO, EC, OC, CO2, CH4, and Hg in 2012 are 336.8 Gg, 990.7 Gg, 3728.3 Gg, 3526.7 Gg, 3474.2 Gg, 401.2 Gg, 34 380.4 Gg, 369.7 Gg, 1189.5 Gg, 675 299.0 Gg, 2092.4 Gg, and 4.12 Mg, respectively. Domestic straw burning, in-field straw burning, and firewood burning are identified as the dominant biomass burning sources. The largest contributing source is different for various pollutants. Domestic straw burning is the largest source of biomass burning emissions for all the pollutants considered, except for NH3, EC (firewood), and NOx (in-field straw). Corn, rice, and wheat represent the major crop straws. The combined emission of these three straw types accounts for 80 % of the total straw-burned emissions for each specific pollutant mentioned in this study. As for the straw burning emission of various crops, corn straw burning has the largest contribution to all of the pollutants considered, except for CH4; rice straw burning has highest contribution to CH4 and the second largest contribution to other pollutants, except for SO2, OC, and Hg; wheat straw burning is the second largest contributor to SO2, OC, and Hg and the third largest contributor to other pollutants. Heilongjiang, Shandong, and Henan provinces located in the north-eastern and central-southern regions of China have higher emissions compared to other provinces in China. Gridded emissions, which were obtained through spatial allocation based on the gridded rural population and fire point data from emission inventories at county resolution, could better represent the actual situation. High biomass burning emissions are concentrated in the areas with more agricultural and rural activity. The months of April, May, June, and October account for 65 % of emissions from in-field crop residue burning, while, regarding EC, the emissions in January, February, October, November, and December are relatively higher than other months due to biomass domestic burning in heating season. There are regional differences in the monthly variations of emissions due to the diversity of main planted crops and climatic conditions. Furthermore, PM2.5 component results showed that OC, Cl-, EC, K+, NH4+, elemental K, and SO42- are the main PM2.5 species, accounting for 80 % of the total emissions. The species with relatively high contribution to NMVOC emission include ethylene, propylene, toluene, mp-xylene, and ethyl benzene, which are key species for the formation of secondary air pollution. The detailed biomass burning emission inventory developed by this study could provide useful information for air-quality modelling and could support the development of appropriate pollution-control strategies.

Techniques for establishing vegetation for long-term erosion control on disturbed slopes in Alabama

Treesearch

M. Dougherty; A. Baharanyi; B. Guertal; J. Grace

2010-01-01

One year results from 21 outdoor erosion and sediment control plots constructed in 2008 on a 4:1 slope are presented. The study objectives were to evaluate; 1) the effects of incorporating lime and fertilizer on establishment of bermudagrass on steep slopes, 2) the differences in bermudagrass establishment as a function of temporary covers including wheat straw,...

Degradation of plant wastes by anaerobic process using rumen bacteria.

PubMed

Seon, J; Creuly, C; Duchez, D; Pons, A; Dussap, C G

2003-01-01

An operational reactor has been designed for the fermentation of a pure culture of Fibrobacter succinogenes with the constraints of strict anaerobic condition. The process is controlled by measurements of pH, redox, temperature and CO2 pressure; it allows an efficient degradation (67%) of lignocellulosic wastes such as a mixture of wheat straw, soya bean cake and green cabbage.

Flocculation of wheat straw soda lignin by hemoglobin and chicken blood: Effects of cationic polymer or calcium chloride

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Flocculation can be used to separate non-sulfonated lignin from base hydrolyzed biomass. In the industrial process, the lignin is isolated by filtration and washed with water. Some of the lignin is lost in the wash water, and flocculation can be used to recover this lignin. Several ways of enhanc...

Nitrate leaching in a winter wheat-summer maize rotation on a calcareous soil as affected by nitrogen and straw management.

PubMed

Huang, Tao; Ju, Xiaotang; Yang, Hao

2017-02-08

Nitrate leaching is one of the most important pathways of nitrogen (N) loss which leads to groundwater contamination or surface water eutrophication. Clarifying the rates, controlling factors and characteristics of nitrate leaching is the pre-requisite for proposing effective mitigation strategies. We investigated the effects of interactions among chemical N fertilizer, straw and manure applications on nitrogen leaching in an intensively managed calcareous Fluvo-aquic soil with winter wheat-summer maize cropping rotations on the North China Plain from October 2010 to September 2013 using ceramic suction cups and seepage water calculations based on a long-term field experiment. Annual nitrate leaching reached 38-60 kg N ha -1 from conventional N managements, but declined by 32-71% due to optimum N, compost manure or municipal waste treatments, respectively. Nitrate leaching concentrated in the summer maize season, and fewer leaching events with high amounts are the characteristics of nitrate leaching in this region. Overuse of chemical N fertilizers, high net mineralization and nitrification, together with predominance of rainfall in the summer season with light soil texture are the main controlling factors responsible for the high nitrate leaching loss in this soil-crop-climatic system.

[Adsorption behavior of copper ion and methylene blue on citric acid- esterified wheat straw].

PubMed

Sun, Jin; Zhong, Ke-Ding; Feng, Min; Liu, Xing-Yan; Gong, Ren-Min

2008-03-01

A cationic adsorbent with carboxyl groups derived from citric acid- esterified wheat straw (EWS) was prepared by the method of solid phase preparation, and a batch experiment was conducted to study the adsorption behaviors of Cu (II) and methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solution on the EWS under conditions of different initial pH, adsorbent dosage, adsorbate concentration, and contact time. The results showed that the maximum adsorption of Cu (II) and MB was obtained when the initial solution pH was > or = 4.0. 96% of Cu (II) in 100 mg x L(-1) Cu solution and 99% of MB in 250 mg x L(-1) dye solution could be removed by > or = 2.0 g x L(-1) of EWS. The adsorption of Cu (II) and MB fitted the Langmuir sorption isothermal model. The maximum removal capacity (Qm) of EWS was 79.37 mg x g(-1) for Cu (II) and 312.50 mg x g(-1) for MB, and the adsorption equilibrium of Cu (II) and MB was reached within 75 min and 5 h, respectively. The adsorption processes of Cu (II) and MB could be described by pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order kinetic functions, respectively.

Evaluation of Integrated Anaerobic Digestion and Hydrothermal Carbonization for Bioenergy Production

PubMed Central

Reza, M. Toufiq; Werner, Maja; Pohl, Marcel; Mumme, Jan

2014-01-01

Lignocellulosic biomass is one of the most abundant yet underutilized renewable energy resources. Both anaerobic digestion (AD) and hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) are promising technologies for bioenergy production from biomass in terms of biogas and HTC biochar, respectively. In this study, the combination of AD and HTC is proposed to increase overall bioenergy production. Wheat straw was anaerobically digested in a novel upflow anaerobic solid state reactor (UASS) in both mesophilic (37 °C) and thermophilic (55 °C) conditions. Wet digested from thermophilic AD was hydrothermally carbonized at 230 °C for 6 hr for HTC biochar production. At thermophilic temperature, the UASS system yields an average of 165 LCH4/kgVS (VS: volatile solids) and 121 L CH4/kgVS at mesophilic AD over the continuous operation of 200 days. Meanwhile, 43.4 g of HTC biochar with 29.6 MJ/kgdry_biochar was obtained from HTC of 1 kg digestate (dry basis) from mesophilic AD. The combination of AD and HTC, in this particular set of experiment yield 13.2 MJ of energy per 1 kg of dry wheat straw, which is at least 20% higher than HTC alone and 60.2% higher than AD only. PMID:24962786

Comparison of sodium carbonate-oxygen and sodium hydroxide-oxygen pretreatments on the chemical composition and enzymatic saccharification of wheat straw.

PubMed

Geng, Wenhui; Huang, Ting; Jin, Yongcan; Song, Junlong; Chang, Hou-Min; Jameel, Hasan

2014-06-01

Pretreatment of wheat straw with a combination of sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) or sodium hydroxide (NaOH) with oxygen (O2) 0.5MPa was evaluated for its delignification ability at relatively low temperature 110°C and for its effect on enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency. In the pretreatment, the increase of alkali charge (as Na2O) up to 12% for Na2CO3 and 6% for NaOH, respectively, resulted in enhancement of lignin removal, but did not significantly degrade cellulose and hemicellulose. When the pretreated solid was hydrolyzed with a mixture of cellulases and hemicellulases, the sugar yield increased rapidly with the lignin removal during the pretreatment. A total sugar yield based on dry matter of raw material, 63.8% for Na2CO3-O2 and 71.9% for NaOH-O2 was achieved under a cellulase loading of 20FPU/g-cellulose. The delignification efficiency and total sugar yield from enzymatic hydrolysis were comparable to the previously reported results at much higher temperature without oxygen. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rumen modulatory effect of thyme, clove and peppermint oils in vitro using buffalo rumen liquor.

PubMed

Roy, Debashis; Tomar, S K; Kumar, Vinod

2015-02-01

The present study was conducted to examine the rumen modulatory effect of thyme, clove and peppermint oils on rumen fermentation pattern in vitro using roughage based diet. Thyme, clove and peppermint oils were tested at concentration of 0, 30, 300 and 600 mg/l (ppm) of total culture fluid using in vitro gas production technique in wheat straw based diet (concentrate: Wheat straw 50:50). Different in vitro parameters e.g., total gas production, methane production, nutrient degradability, volatile fatty acid (VFA) production and ammonia nitrogen concentration were studied using buffalo rumen liquor. Thyme oil at higher dose level (600 ppm) reduced (p<0.05) total gas production, feed degradability and ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) concentration whereas total VFA concentration was significantly lower (p>0.05) in 300 and 600 ppm dose levels. 600 ppm dose level of clove oil reduced (p<0.05) total gas production, feed degradability, total VFA and acetate to propionate ratio. Methane production was significantly reduced (p<0.05) in 300 and 600 ppm dose levels of clove and peppermint oil. Right combination of these essential oils may prove to enhance performance of animals by reducing methane production and inhibiting protein degradation in rumen.

Two approaches for introduction of wheat straw lignin into rigid polyurethane foams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arshanitsa, A.; Paberza, A.; Vevere, L.; Cabulis, U.; Telysheva, G.

2014-05-01

In present work the BIOLIGNIN{trade mark, serif} obtained in the result of wheat straw organosolv processing in CIMV pilot plant (France) was investigated as a component of rigid polyurethanes (PUR) foam systems. Different separate approaches of lignin introduction into PUR foam system were studied: as filler without chemical preprocessing and as liquid lignopolyol obtained by lignin oxypropylation in alkali conditions. The incorporation of increasing amount of lignin as filler into reference PUR foam systems on the basis of mixture of commercial polyethers Lupranol 3300 and Lupranol 3422 steadily decreased the compression characteristics of foams, their dimensional stability and hydrophobicity. The complete substitution of Lupranol 3300 by lignopolyol increases its cell structure uniformity and dimensional stability and does not reduce the physical-mechanical properties of foam. In both cases the incorporation of lignin into PUR foam leads to the decreasing of maximum values of thermodegradation rates. The lignin filler can be introduced into lignopolyol based PUR foam in higher quantity than in the reference Lupranol based PUR without reduction of compression characteristics of material. In this work the optimal lignin content in the end product - PUR foam as both polyol and filler is 16%.

Production of bioethanol and value added compounds from wheat straw through combined alkaline/alkaline-peroxide pretreatment.

PubMed

Yuan, Zhaoyang; Wen, Yangbing; Li, Guodong

2018-07-01

An efficient scheme was developed for the conversion of wheat straw (WS) into bioethanol, silica and lignin. WS was pre-extracted with 0.2 mol/L sodium hydroxide at 30 °C for 5 h to remove about 91% of initial silica. Subsequently, the alkaline-pretreated solids were subjected to alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP) pretreatment with 40 mg hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 )/g biomass at 50 °C for 7 h to prepare highly digestible substrate. The results of enzymatic hydrolysis demonstrated that the sequential alkaline-AHP pretreated WS was efficiently hydrolyzed at 10% (w/v) solids loading using an enzyme dosage of 10 mg protein/g glucan. The total sugar conversion of 92.4% was achieved. Simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation (SSCF) was applied to produce ethanol from the two-stage pretreated substrate using Saccharomyces cerevisiae SR8u strain. Ethanol with concentration of 31.1 g/L was produced. Through the proposed process, about 86.4% and 54.1% of the initial silica and lignin were recovered, respectively. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nitrate leaching in a winter wheat-summer maize rotation on a calcareous soil as affected by nitrogen and straw management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Tao; Ju, Xiaotang; Yang, Hao

2017-02-01

Nitrate leaching is one of the most important pathways of nitrogen (N) loss which leads to groundwater contamination or surface water eutrophication. Clarifying the rates, controlling factors and characteristics of nitrate leaching is the pre-requisite for proposing effective mitigation strategies. We investigated the effects of interactions among chemical N fertilizer, straw and manure applications on nitrogen leaching in an intensively managed calcareous Fluvo-aquic soil with winter wheat-summer maize cropping rotations on the North China Plain from October 2010 to September 2013 using ceramic suction cups and seepage water calculations based on a long-term field experiment. Annual nitrate leaching reached 38-60 kg N ha-1 from conventional N managements, but declined by 32-71% due to optimum N, compost manure or municipal waste treatments, respectively. Nitrate leaching concentrated in the summer maize season, and fewer leaching events with high amounts are the characteristics of nitrate leaching in this region. Overuse of chemical N fertilizers, high net mineralization and nitrification, together with predominance of rainfall in the summer season with light soil texture are the main controlling factors responsible for the high nitrate leaching loss in this soil-crop-climatic system.

Methane enhancement through co-digestion of chicken manure and thermo-oxidative cleaved wheat straw with waste activated sludge: A C/N optimization case.

PubMed

Hassan, Muhammad; Ding, Weimin; Shi, Zhendan; Zhao, Sanqin

2016-07-01

The present study emphasized the co-digestion of the thermal-H2O2 pretreated wheat straw (WS) and chicken manure (CM) with the waste activated sludge at four levels of C/N (35:1, 30:1, 25:1 and 20:1). All C/N compositions were found significant (P<0.05) to enhance methane generation and process stability during the anaerobic co-digestion of WS and CM. The experimental results revealed that the composition having C/N value of 20:1 was proved as optimum treatment with the methane enhancing capability of 85.11%, CODs removal efficiency of 48.55% and 66.83% VS removal as compared with the untreated WS. The other compositions having C/N of 25:1, 30:1 and 35:1 provided 75.85%, 63.04% and 59.96% enhanced methane respectively as compared with the control. Pretreatment of the WS reduced its C/N value up to 65%. Moreover, to optimize the most suitable C/N composition, the process stability of the co-digestion of WS and CM was deeply monitored. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Role of anaerobic fungi in wheat straw degradation and effects of plant feed additives on rumen fermentation parameters in vitro.

PubMed

Dagar, S S; Singh, N; Goel, N; Kumar, S; Puniya, A K

2015-01-01

In the present study, rumen microbial groups, i.e. total rumen microbes (TRM), total anaerobic fungi (TAF), avicel enriched bacteria (AEB) and neutral detergent fibre enriched bacteria (NEB) were evaluated for wheat straw (WS) degradability and different fermentation parameters in vitro. Highest WS degradation was shown for TRM, followed by TAF, NEB and least by AEB. Similar patterns were observed with total gas production and short chain fatty acid profiles. Overall, TAF emerged as the most potent individual microbial group. In order to enhance the fibrolytic and rumen fermentation potential of TAF, we evaluated 18 plant feed additives in vitro. Among these, six plant additives namely Albizia lebbeck, Alstonia scholaris, Bacopa monnieri, Lawsonia inermis, Psidium guajava and Terminalia arjuna considerably improved WS degradation by TAF. Further evaluation showed A. lebbeck as best feed additive. The study revealed that TAF plays a significant role in WS degradation and their fibrolytic activities can be improved by inclusion of A. lebbeck in fermentation medium. Further studies are warranted to elucidate its active constituents, effect on fungal population and in vivo potential in animal system.

Optimization of media components for laccase production by litter dwelling fungal isolate Fusarium incarnatum LD-3.

PubMed

Chhaya, Urvish; Gupte, Akshaya

2010-02-01

Laccase production by solid state fermentation (SSF) using an indigenously isolated litter dwelling fungus Fusarium incarnatum LD-3 was optimized. Fourteen medium components were screened by the initial screening method of Plackett-Burman. Each of the components was screened on the basis of 'p' (probability value) which was above 95% confidence level. Ortho-dianisidine, thiamine HCl and CuSO(4) . 5 H(2)O were identified as significant components for laccase production. The Central Composite Design response surface methodology was then applied to further optimize the laccase production. The optimal concentration of these three medium components for higher laccase production were (g/l): CuSO(4) . 5 H(2)O, 0.01; thiamine HCl, 0.0136 and ortho-dianisidine, 0.388 mM served as an inducer. Wheat straw, 5.0 g was used as a solid substrate. Using this statistical optimization method the laccase production was found to increase from 40 U/g to 650 U/g of wheat straw, which was sixteen times higher than non optimized medium. This is the first report on statistical optimization of laccase production from Fusarium incarnatum LD-3.

Influence on anaerobic digestion by intermediate thermal hydrolysis of waste activated sludge and co-digested wheat straw.

PubMed

Bjerg-Nielsen, Michael; Ward, Alastair James; Møller, Henrik Bjarne; Ottosen, Lars Ditlev Mørck

2018-02-01

This paper analyses time (30 and 60 min) and temperature (120-190 °C) effects of intermediate thermal hydrolysis (ITHP) in a two-step anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge (WAS) with and without wheat straw as a co-substrate. Effects were analyzed by measuring biochemical methane potential for 60 days and assessing associated kinetic and chemical data. Compared to non-treatment, ITHP increased the secondary step methane yield from 52 to 222 L CH 4  kg VS -1 and from 147 to 224 L CH 4  kg VS -1 for pre-digested WAS and pre-co-digested WAS respectively at an optimum of 170 °C and 30 min. The hydrolysis coefficients (k hyd ) increased by up to 127% following treatment. Increasing ITHP time from 30 to 60 min showed ambiguous results regarding methane yields, whilst temperature had a clear and proportional effect on the concentrations of acetic acid. The energy balances were found to be poor and dewatering to increase total solids above the values tested here is necessary for this process to be energetically feasible. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Isolation and Characterization of Lectins Formed by Cerrena unicolor (Higher Basidiomycetes) in Solid-State Fermentation of Sorghum and Wheat Straw.

PubMed

Davitashvili, Elene; Kapanadze, Ekaterine; Kachlishvili, Eva; Mikiashvili, Nona A; Elisashvili, Vladimir

2015-01-01

The capability of Cerrena unicolor to produce fruiting bodies and lectins was studied in solid-state fermentation of a sorghum and wheat straw mixture. The first primordia appeared on day 48 and reached 6-10 mm; however, no formation of fruiting bodies occurred and these rudiments were harvested on day 55. The protein content in the rudiment extracts was significantly higher, whereas the specific hemagglutinating activity (HA) was sixfold lower as compared with those in extracts from mycelial biomass. Moreover, the specific HA of the 80-day mycelium increased to 16,667 U/mg, exceeding by sixfold that of 55-day-old mycelium. Four protein fractions (160, 105, 67, and 8 kDa) were detected by gel-chromatography of mycelial biomass crude extract; the highest specific HA was revealed in fraction III (26336 U HA/mg). Among sugars tested, galactose was the most potent inhibitor of HA of all protein fractions, with minimal inhibition concentrations of 0.095-0.780 mM. The galactose-specific lectins isolated from the fractions II and III by affinity chromatography ranged from 15 to 116 kDa and differed with kinetic parameters.

Kinetics of phosphorus and potassium release from rock phosphate and waste mica enriched compost and their effect on yield and nutrient uptake by wheat (Triticum aestivum).

PubMed

Nishanth, D; Biswas, D R

2008-06-01

An attempt was made to study the efficient use of rice straw and indigenous source of phosphorus and potassium in crop production through composting technology. Various enriched composts were prepared using rice straw, rock phosphate (RP), waste mica and bioinoculant (Aspergillus awamori) and kinetics of release of phosphorus and potassium from enriched composts and their effect on yield and nutrient uptake by wheat (Triticum aestivum) were carried out. Results showed sharp increases in release in water-soluble P and K from all the composts at 8th to 12th day of leaching, thereafter, it decreased gradually. Maximum release of water-soluble P and K were obtained in ordinary compost than enriched composts during the initial stages of leaching, but their differences narrowed down at latter stages. Data in pot experiments revealed that enriched composts performed poorly than diammonium phosphate during initial stages of crop growth, but they out yielded at the latter stages, particularly at maturity stage, as evident from their higher yield, uptake, nutrient recoveries and fertility status of P and K in soils. Moreover, enriched composts prepared with RP and waste mica along with A. awamori resulted in significantly higher biomass yield, uptake and recoveries of P and K as well as available P and K in soils than composts prepared without inoculant. Results indicated that enriched compost could be an alternate technology for the efficient management of rice straw, low-grade RP and waste mica in crop production, which could help to reduce the reliance on costly chemical fertilizers.

Preservation of Ceriporiopsis subvermispora and Lentinula edodes treated wheat straw under anaerobic conditions.

PubMed

Mao, Lei; Sonnenberg, Anton S M; Hendriks, Wouter H; Cone, John W

2018-02-01

No attention has been paid so far to the preservation of fungal-treated lignocellulose for longer periods. In the present study, we treated wheat straw (WS) with the white-rot fungi Ceriporiopsis subvermispora and Lentinula edodes for 8 weeks and assessed changes in pH, chemical composition and in vitro gas production (IVGP) weekly. Fungal-treated WS was also stored for 64 days 'as is', with the addition of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) or with a combination of LAB and molasses in airtight glass jars mimicking ensiling conditions. Both fungi significantly reduced the lignin and hemicellulose content of WS, and increased the cellulose content. The IVGP increased with increasing time of incubation, indicating the increase in digestibility. Both fungi lowered the pH of WS under 4.3, which guarantees an initial and stable low pH during anaerobic storage. Minor changes in fibre composition and IVGP were observed for stored L. edodes treated WS, whereas no change occurred for C. subvermispora. It is possible to conserve C. subvermispora and L. edodes treated straw under anaerobic condition without additives up to 64 days. This finding is important for practical application to supply fungi-treated feed to ruminant animals for a prolonged period. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Biological pretreatment of rice straw with Streptomyces griseorubens JSD-1 and its optimized production of cellulase and xylanase for improved enzymatic saccharification efficiency.

PubMed

Zhang, Dan; Luo, Yanqing; Chu, Shaohua; Zhi, Yuee; Wang, Bin; Zhou, Pei

2016-08-17

Biological pretreatment of rice straw and production of reducing sugars by hydrolysis of bio-pretreated material with Streptomyces griseorubens JSD-1 was investigated. After 10 days of incubation, various chemical compositions of inoculated rice straw were degraded and used for further enzymatic hydrolysis studies. The production of cellulolytic enzyme by S. griseorubens JSD-1 favored the conversion of cellulose to reducing sugars. The culture medium for cellulolytic enzyme production by using agro-industrial wastes was optimized through response surface methodology. According to the response surface analysis, the concentrations of 11.13, 20.34, 4.61, and 2.85 g L(-1) for rice straw, wheat bran, peptone, and CaCO3, respectively, were found to be optimum for cellulase and xylanase production. Then the hydrolyzed spent Streptomyces cells were used as a nitrogen source and the maximum filter paper cellulase, carboxymethylcellulase, and xylanase activities of 25.79, 78.91, and 269.53 U mL(-1) were achieved. The crude cellulase produced by S. griseorubens JSD-1 was subsequently used for the hydrolysis of bio-pretreated rice straw, and the optimum saccharification efficiency of 88.13% was obtained, indicating that the crude enzyme might be used instead of commercial cellulase during a saccharification process. These results give a basis for further study of bioethanol production from agricultural cellulosic waste.

Effects of soil properties on the transfer of cadmium from soil to wheat in the Yangtze River delta region, China--a typical industry-agriculture transition area.

PubMed

Wang, Cheng; Ji, Junfeng; Yang, Zhongfang; Chen, Lingxiao; Browne, Patrick; Yu, Ruilian

2012-08-01

In order to identify the effects of soil properties on the transfer of Cd from soil to wheat under actual field conditions, 126 pairs of topsoil and wheat samples were collected from the Yangtze River delta region, China. Relevant parameters (Cd, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, N, P, K, S, pH, total organic carbon, and speciation of soil Cd) in soil and wheat tissues were analyzed, and the results were treated by statistical methods. Soil samples (19.8%) and 14.3% of the wheat grain samples exceeded the relevant maximum permissible Cd concentrations in China for agricultural soil and wheat grain, respectively. The major speciations of Cd in soil were exchangeable, bound to carbonates and fulvic and humic acid fraction, and they were readily affected by soil pH, total Ca, Mg, S and P, DTPA-Fe, Ex-Ca, and Ex-Mg. Cadmium showed a strong correlation with Fe, S, and P present in the grain and the soil, whereas there was no significant correlation in the straw or root. Generally, soil pH, Ca, Mg, Mn, P, and slowly available K restricted Cd transfer from soil to wheat, whereas soil S, N, Zn, DTPA-Fe, and total organic carbon enhance Cd uptake by wheat.

Comparative degradation of [14C]-2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid in wheat and potato after Foliar application and in wheat, radish, lettuce, and apple after soil application.

PubMed

Hamburg, A; Puvanesarajah, V; Burnett, T J; Barnekow, D E; Premkumar, N D; Smith, G A

2001-01-01

The fate of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) applied foliarly as the 2-ethylhexyl ester (EHE) to wheat and potatoes, to the soil as the dimethylamine (DMA) salt under apple tree canopies, and preplant as the free acid for wheat, lettuce, and radish was studied to evaluate metabolic pathways. Crop fractions analyzed for (14)C residues included wheat forage, straw, and grain; potato vine and tubers; and apple fruit. The primary metabolic pathway for foliar application in wheat is ester hydrolysis followed by the formation of base-labile 2,4-D conjugates. A less significant pathway for 2,4-D in wheat was ring hydroxylation to give NIH-shift products 2,5-dichloro-4-hydroxyphenoxyacetic acid (4-OH-2,5-D), 4-OH-2,3-D, and 5-OH-2,4-D both free and as acid-labile conjugates. The primary metabolic pathway in potato was again ester hydrolysis. 2,4-D acid was further transformed to 4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid and 4-OH-2,5-D. For the soil applications, (14)C residues in the crops were low, and characterization of the (14)C residues indicated association with or incorporation into the biochemical matrix of the tissue. The degradative pathways observed in wheat are similar to those characterized in other intact plant studies but differ from those in studies in wheat cell suspension culture in that no amino acid conjugates were observed.

Effects of straw incorporation along with microbial inoculant on methane and nitrous oxide emissions from rice fields.

PubMed

Liu, Gang; Yu, Haiyang; Ma, Jing; Xu, Hua; Wu, Qinyan; Yang, Jinghui; Zhuang, Yiqing

2015-06-15

Incorporation of straw together with microbial inoculant (a microorganism agent, accelerating straw decomposition) is being increasingly adopted in rice cultivation, thus its effect on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions merits serious attention. A 3-year field experiment was conducted from 2010 to 2012 to investigate combined effect of straw and microbial inoculant on methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, global warming potential (GWP) and greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI) in a rice field in Jurong, Jiangsu Province, China. The experiment was designed to have treatment NPK (N, P and K fertilizers only), treatment NPKS (NPK plus wheat straw), treatment NPKSR (NPKS plus Ruilaite microbial inoculant) and treatment NPKSJ (NPKS plus Jinkuizi microbial inoculant). Results show that compared to NPK, NPKS increased seasonal CH4 emission by 280-1370%, while decreasing N2O emission by 7-13%. When compared with NPKS, NPKSR and NPKSJ increased seasonal CH4 emission by 7-13% and 6-12%, respectively, whereas reduced N2O emission by 10-27% and 9-24%, respectively. The higher CH4 emission could be attributed to the higher soil CH4 production potential triggered by the combined application of straw and microbial inoculant, and the lower N2O emission to the decreased inorganic N content. As a whole, the benefit of lower N2O emission was completely offset by increased CH4 emission, resulting in a higher GWP for NPKSR (5-12%) and NPKSJ (5-11%) relative to NPKS. Due to NPKSR and NPKSJ increased rice grain yield by 3-6% and 2-4% compared to NPKS, the GHGI values for NPKS, NPKSR and NPKSJ were comparable. These findings suggest that incorporating straw together with microbial inoculant would not influence the radiative forcing of rice production in the terms of per unit of rice grain yield relative to the incorporation of straw alone. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Transitional Effects of Double-Lateral Drip Irrigation and Straw Mulch on Irrigation Water Consumption, Mineral Nutrition, Yield, and Storability of Sweet Cherry

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A field trial was conducted on a Cherryhill silt loam soil at The Dalles, OR from 2006 through 2008. The impacts of switching from the traditional micro sprinkler irrigation (MS) to double-lateral drip irrigation (DD) and from no ground cover with herbicide control of weeds (NC) to in-row wheat (Tri...

Lignin fate and characterization during ionic liquid biomass pretreatment for renewable chemicals and fuels production

Treesearch

Noppadon Sathitsuksanoh; Kevin M. Holtman; Daniel J. Yelle; Trevor Morgan; Vitalie Stavila; Jeffrey Pelton; Harvey Blanch; Blake A. Simmons; Anthe George

2014-01-01

The fate of lignin from wheat straw, Miscanthus, and Loblolly pine after pretreatment by a non-toxic and recyclable ionic liquid (IL), [C2mim][OAc], followed by enzymatic hydrolysis was investigated. The lignin partitioned into six process streams, each of which was quantified and analyzed by a combination of a novel solution-state two-dimensional (2D) nuclear magnetic...

Effect of reducing dietary forage in lower starch diets on performance, ruminal characteristics, and nutrient digestibility in lactating Holstein cows.

PubMed

Farmer, E R; Tucker, H A; Dann, H M; Cotanch, K W; Mooney, C S; Lock, A L; Yagi, K; Grant, R J

2014-09-01

This experiment evaluated the effect of feeding a lower starch diet (21% of dry matter) with different amounts of forage (52, 47, 43, and 39% of dry matter) on lactational performance, chewing activity, ruminal fermentation and turnover, microbial N yield, and total-tract nutrient digestibility. Dietary forage consisted of a mixture of corn and haycrop silages, and as dietary forage content was reduced, chopped wheat straw (0-10% of dry matter) was added in an effort to maintain chewing activity. Dietary concentrate was adjusted (corn meal, nonforage fiber sources, and protein sources) to maintain similar amounts of starch and other carbohydrate and protein fractions among the diets. Sixteen lactating Holstein cows were used in replicated 4×4 Latin squares with 21-d periods. Dry matter intake increased while physically effective neutral detergent fiber (peNDF1.18) intake was reduced as forage content decreased from 52 to 39%. However, reducing dietary forage did not influence milk yield or composition, although we observed changes in dry matter intake. Time spent chewing, eating, and ruminating (expressed as minutes per day or as minutes per kilogram of NDF intake) were not affected by reducing dietary forage. However, addition of chopped wheat straw to the diets resulted in greater time spent chewing and eating per kilogram of peNDF1.18 consumed. Reducing dietary forage from 52 to 39% did not affect ruminal pH, ruminal digesta volume and mass, ruminal pool size of NDF or starch, ruminal digesta mat consistency, or microbial N yield. Ruminal acetate-to-propionate ratio was reduced, ruminal turnover rates of NDF and starch were greater, and total-tract digestibility of fiber diminished as dietary forage content decreased. Reducing the dietary forage content from 52 to 39% of dry matter, while increasing wheat straw inclusion to maintain chewing and rumen function, resulted in similar milk yield and composition although feed intake increased. With the lower starch diets in this short-term study, the minimal forage content to maintain lactational performance was between 39 and 43%. Copyright © 2014 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Conversion of cellulosic materials into glycolipid biosurfactants, mannosylerythritol lipids, by Pseudozyma spp. under SHF and SSF processes.

PubMed

Faria, Nuno Torres; Santos, Marisa; Ferreira, Carla; Marques, Susana; Ferreira, Frederico Castelo; Fonseca, César

2014-11-04

Mannosylerythritol lipids (MEL) are glycolipids with unique biosurfactant properties and are produced by Pseudozyma spp. from different substrates, preferably vegetable oils, but also sugars, glycerol or hydrocarbons. However, solvent intensive downstream processing and the relatively high prices of raw materials currently used for MEL production are drawbacks in its sustainable commercial deployment. The present work aims to demonstrate MEL production from cellulosic materials and investigate the requirements and consequences of combining commercial cellulolytic enzymes and Pseudozyma spp. under separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF) and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) processes. MEL was produced from cellulosic substrates, Avicel® as reference (>99% cellulose) and hydrothermally pretreated wheat straw, using commercial cellulolytic enzymes (Celluclast 1.5 L® and Novozyme 188®) and Pseudozyma antarctica PYCC 5048(T) or Pseudozyma aphidis PYCC 5535(T). The strategies included SHF, SSF and fed-batch SSF with pre-hydrolysis. While SSF was isothermal at 28°C, in SHF and fed-batch SSF, yeast fermentation was preceded by an enzymatic (pre-)hydrolysis step at 50°C for 48 h. Pseudozyma antarctica showed the highest MEL yields from both cellulosic substrates, reaching titres of 4.0 and 1.4 g/l by SHF of Avicel® and wheat straw (40 g/l glucan), respectively, using enzymes at low dosage (3.6 and 8.5 FPU/gglucan at 28°C and 50°C, respectively) with prior dialysis. Higher MEL titres were obtained by fed-batch SSF with pre-hydrolysis, reaching 4.5 and 2.5 g/l from Avicel® and wheat straw (80 g/l glucan), respectively. This work reports for the first time MEL production from cellulosic materials. The process was successfully performed through SHF, SSF or Fed-batch SSF, requiring, for maximal performance, dialysed commercial cellulolytic enzymes. The use of inexpensive lignocellulosic substrates associated to straightforward downstream processing from sugary broths is expected to have a great impact in the economy of MEL production for the biosurfactant market, inasmuch as low enzyme dosage is sufficient for good systems performance.

Effect of bone on the pyrolysis product distribution and composition in a fixed bed reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alhassan, M.; Andresen, J. M.

2012-04-01

Co-pyrolysis of Biomass including Pistachio shell (PS), Pine wood (PW) and Wheat Straw (WS) with Bone matter (BM) have been investigated to determine the effect of bone on the quality of bio-char and bio-oil produced. The aim of this study is to generate stable and nitrogen enriched bio-char that can act as fertilizer while at the same time optimizes the chemical stability of the char to act as a Carbon Capture and Storage system (CCS) and co-produce high quality oils for renewable energy generation. To achieve this, the present study has focused on the influence of bone matter addition from 0wt% to 25wt% to the biomasses in a fixed bed pyrolysis reactor at 3000C. The analysis of the char products shows that the addition of bone to the biomass increased their char yields up to 10wt% addition. Higher addition was found to reduce the overall char yield from the biomass. At 10wt% bone addition, the carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen content, and the gross calorific value of the chars were increased by 7wt%, 29wt%, 163wt% and 19Mj/kg, for Wheat straw, 62wt%, 46wt%, 135wt%, 110Mj/kg for Pine wood and 7wt%, 76wt%, 42wt% and 33Mj/kg for Pistachio shells. The oxygen content of the Wheat straw, Pistachio shells and pine wood mixed with 10wt% BM decreased by 28wt%, 21wt%, and 93wt%, respectively. The bio-oil yield increased for the bone addition up to 5%wt% for all the samples, its energy value and concentration of its major chemical components was improved for fuel and pharmaceutical use. Port experiment has shown that plant grown on soil amended with the bio-char produced gave higher yield as compared to that from un-amended soil. Comparison between the three biomasses investigated showed similar pattern of change. Hence it can be concluded that at optimum addition of bone to the biomass, bio-chars and oil yield could be optimized for soil amendment, energy production, while retaining carbon for sequestration.

Testing fungistatic properties of soil-like substrate for growing plants in bioregenerative life support systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Enzhu, Hu; Nesterenko, Elena; Liu, Professor Hong; Manukovsky, N. S.; Kovalev, Vladimir; Gurevich, Yu.; Kozlov, Vladimir; Khizhnyak, Serge; Xing, Yidong; Hu, Enzhu; Enzhu, Hu

There are two ways of getting vegetable food in BLSS: in hydroponic culture and on soil substrates. In any case there is a chance that the plants will be affected by plant pathogenic microorganisms. The subject of the research was a soil-like substrate (SLS) for growing plants in a Bioregenerative Life Support System (BLSS). We estimated the fungistatic properties of SLS using test cultures of Bipolaris and Alternaria plant pathogenic fungi. Experiments were made with the samples of SLS, natural soil and sand (as control). We tested 2 samples of SLS produced by way of bioconversion of wheat and rice straw. We measured the disease severity of wheat seedlings and the incidence of common root rot in natural (non-infectious) background and man-made (infectious) conditions. The severity of disease on the SLS was considerably smaller both in non-infectious and infectious background conditions (8 and 12%) than on the natural soil (18 and 32%) and sand. It was the soil-like substrate that had the minimal value among the variants being compared (20% in non-infectious and 40% in infectious background conditions). This index in respect of the soil was 55 and 78%, correspondingly, and in respect of the sand - 60%, regardless of the background. It was found that SLS significantly suppressed conidia germination of Bipolaris soroikiniana (p<0.001). In the presence of SLS germination of conidia decreased to 9.9 - 12.2% of the control value. No significant differences were found between SLS samples obtained from wheat and rice straw.

Distribution of photoperiod-insensitive allele Ppd-A1a and its effect on heading time in Japanese wheat cultivars.

PubMed

Seki, Masako; Chono, Makiko; Nishimura, Tsutomu; Sato, Mikako; Yoshimura, Yasuhiro; Matsunaka, Hitoshi; Fujita, Masaya; Oda, Shunsuke; Kubo, Katashi; Kiribuchi-Otobe, Chikako; Kojima, Hisayo; Nishida, Hidetaka; Kato, Kenji

2013-09-01

The Ppd-A1 genotype of 240 Japanese wheat cultivars and 40 foreign cultivars was determined using a PCR-based method. Among Japanese cultivars, only 12 cultivars, all of which were Hokkaido winter wheat, carried the Ppd-A1a allele, while this allele was not found in Hokkaido spring wheat cultivars or Tohoku-Kyushu cultivars. Cultivars with a photoperiod-insensitive allele headed 6.9-9.8 days earlier in Kanto and 2.5 days earlier in Hokkaido than photoperiod-sensitive cultivars. The lower effect of photoperiod-insensitive alleles observed in Hokkaido could be due to the longer day-length at the spike formation stage compared with that in Kanto. Pedigree analysis showed that 'Purple Straw' and 'Tohoku 118' were donors of Ppd-A1a and Ppd-D1a in Hokkaido wheat cultivars, respectively. Wheat cultivars recently developed in Hokkaido carry photoperiod-insensitive alleles at a high frequency. For efficient utilization of Ppd-1 alleles in the Hokkaido wheat-breeding program, the effect of Ppd-1 on growth pattern and grain yield should be investigated. Ppd-A1a may be useful as a unique gene source for fine tuning the heading time in the Tohoku-Kyushu region since the effect of Ppd-A1a on photoperiod insensitivity appears to differ from the effect of Ppd-B1a and Ppd-D1a.

Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide emissions from a rice-wheat rotation as affected by crop residue incorporation and temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zou, Jianwen; Huang, Yao; Zong, Lianggang; Zheng, Xunhua; Wang, Yuesi

2004-10-01

Field measurements were made from June 2001 to May 2002 to evaluate the effect of crop residue application and temperature on CO2, CH4, and N2O emissions within an entire rice-wheat rotation season. Rapeseed cake and wheat straw were incorporated into the soil at a rate of 2.25 t hm-2 when the rice crop was transplanted in June 2001. Compared with the control, the incorporation of rapeseed cake enhanced the emissions of CO2, CH4, and N2O in the rice-growing season by 12.3%, 252.3%, and 17.5%, respectively, while no further effect was held on the emissions of CO2 and N2O in the following wheatgrowing season. The incorporation of wheat straw enhanced the emissions of CO2 and CH4 by 7.1% and 249.6%, respectively, but reduced the N2O emission by 18.8% in the rice-growing season. Significant reductions of 17.8% for the CO2 and of 12.9% for the N2O emission were observed in the following wheatgrowing season. A positive correlation existed between the emissions of N2O and CO2 ( R 2 = 0.445, n = 73, p < 0.001) from the rice-growing season when N2O was emitted. A trade-off relationship between the emissions of CH4 and N2O was found in the rice-growing season. The CH4 emission was significantly correlated with the CO2 emission for the period from rice transplantation to field drainage, but not for the entire rice-growing season. In addition, air temperature was found to regulate the CO2 emissions from the non-waterlogged period over the entire rice-wheat rotation season and the N2O emissions from the nonwaterlogged period of the rice-growing season, which can be quantitatively described by an exponential function. The temperature coefficient ( Q 10) was then evaluated to be 2.3±0.2 for the CO2 emission and 3.9±0.4 for the N2O emission, respectively.

Impacts of natural factors and farming practices on greenhouse gas emissions in the North China Plain: A meta-analysis.

PubMed

Xu, Cong; Han, Xiao; Bol, Roland; Smith, Pete; Wu, Wenliang; Meng, Fanqiao

2017-09-01

Requirements for mitigation of the continued increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are much needed for the North China Plain (NCP). We conducted a meta-analysis of 76 published studies of 24 sites in the NCP to examine the effects of natural conditions and farming practices on GHG emissions in that region. We found that N 2 O was the main component of the area-scaled total GHG balance, and the CH 4 contribution was <5%. Precipitation, temperature, soil pH, and texture had no significant impacts on annual GHG emissions, because of limited variation of these factors in the NCP. The N 2 O emissions increased exponentially with mineral fertilizer N application rate, with y  =   0.2389e 0.0058 x for wheat season and y  =   0.365e 0.0071 x for maize season. Emission factors were estimated at 0.37% for wheat and 0.90% for maize at conventional fertilizer N application rates. The agronomic optimal N rates (241 and 185 kg N ha -1 for wheat and maize, respectively) exhibited great potential for reducing N 2 O emissions, by 0.39 (29%) and 1.71 (56%) kg N 2 O-N ha -1  season -1 for the wheat and maize seasons, respectively. Mixed application of organic manure with reduced mineral fertilizer N could reduce annual N 2 O emissions by 16% relative to mineral N application alone while maintaining a high crop yield. Compared with conventional tillage, no-tillage significantly reduced N 2 O emissions by ~30% in the wheat season, whereas it increased those emissions by ~10% in the maize season. This may have resulted from the lower soil temperature in winter and increased soil moisture in summer under no-tillage practice. Straw incorporation significantly increased annual N 2 O emissions, by 26% relative to straw removal. Our analysis indicates that these farming practices could be further tested to mitigate GHG emission and maintain high crop yields in the NCP.

Differences in net global warming potential and greenhouse gas intensity between major rice-based cropping systems in China.

PubMed

Xiong, Zhengqin; Liu, Yinglie; Wu, Zhen; Zhang, Xiaolin; Liu, Pingli; Huang, Taiqing

2015-12-02

Double rice (DR) and upland crop-single rice (UR) systems are the major rice-based cropping systems in China, yet differences in net global warming potential (NGWP) and greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI) between the two systems are poorly documented. Accordingly, a 3-year field experiment was conducted to simultaneously measure methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions and changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) in oil rape-rice-rice and wheat-rice (representing DR and UR, respectively) systems with straw incorporation (0, 3 and 6 t/ha) during the rice-growing seasons. Compared with the UR system, the annual CH4, N2O, grain yield and NGWP were significantly increased in the DR system, though little effect on SOC sequestration or GHGI was observed without straw incorporation. Straw incorporation increased CH4 emission and SOC sequestration but had no significant effect on N2O emission in both systems. Averaged over the three study years, straw incorporation had no significant effect on NGWP and GHGI in the UR system, whereas these parameters were greatly increased in the DR system, i.e., by 108% (3 t/ha) and 180% (6 t/ha) for NGWP and 103% (3 t/ha) and 168% (6 t/ha) for GHGI.

Differences in net global warming potential and greenhouse gas intensity between major rice-based cropping systems in China

PubMed Central

Xiong, Zhengqin; Liu, Yinglie; Wu, Zhen; Zhang, Xiaolin; Liu, Pingli; Huang, Taiqing

2015-01-01

Double rice (DR) and upland crop-single rice (UR) systems are the major rice-based cropping systems in China, yet differences in net global warming potential (NGWP) and greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI) between the two systems are poorly documented. Accordingly, a 3-year field experiment was conducted to simultaneously measure methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions and changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) in oil rape-rice-rice and wheat-rice (representing DR and UR, respectively) systems with straw incorporation (0, 3 and 6 t/ha) during the rice-growing seasons. Compared with the UR system, the annual CH4, N2O, grain yield and NGWP were significantly increased in the DR system, though little effect on SOC sequestration or GHGI was observed without straw incorporation. Straw incorporation increased CH4 emission and SOC sequestration but had no significant effect on N2O emission in both systems. Averaged over the three study years, straw incorporation had no significant effect on NGWP and GHGI in the UR system, whereas these parameters were greatly increased in the DR system, i.e., by 108% (3 t/ha) and 180% (6 t/ha) for NGWP and 103% (3 t/ha) and 168% (6 t/ha) for GHGI. PMID:26626733

A straw-soil co-composting and evaluation for plant substrate in BLSS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Quanyong; Guo, Shuangsheng; Ai, Weidang; Tang, Yongkang; Qin, Lifeng

2013-02-01

Material closure is important for the establishment of Bioregenerative Life Support System, and many studies have focused on transforming candidate plant residues into plant culture medium. For the limitations of using wheat straw compost as substrate for plant cultivation, a straw-soil co-composting technique was studied. The changes of pH, C/N value, germination index, cellulose, lignin and so on were monitored during the co-composting process. The maturity was evaluated by the C/N value and the germination index. The result showed that after 45 days' fermentation, the straw-soil final co-compost with inoculation (T1) became mature, while the co-compost without inoculation (T0) was not mature. In the plant culture test, the T1 substrate could satisfy the needs for lettuce's growth, and the edible biomass yield of lettuce averaged 74.42 g pot-1 at harvest. But the lettuces in T0 substrate showed stress symptoms and have not completed the growth cycle. Moreover, the results of nitrogen (N) transformation experiment showed that about 10.0% and 3.1% N were lost during the T1 co-composting and plant cultivation, respectively, 23.5% N was absorbed by lettuce, and 63.4% N remained in the T1 substrate after cultivation.

Differences in net global warming potential and greenhouse gas intensity between major rice-based cropping systems in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiong, Zhengqin; Liu, Yinglie; Wu, Zhen; Zhang, Xiaolin; Liu, Pingli; Huang, Taiqing

2015-12-01

Double rice (DR) and upland crop-single rice (UR) systems are the major rice-based cropping systems in China, yet differences in net global warming potential (NGWP) and greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI) between the two systems are poorly documented. Accordingly, a 3-year field experiment was conducted to simultaneously measure methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions and changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) in oil rape-rice-rice and wheat-rice (representing DR and UR, respectively) systems with straw incorporation (0, 3 and 6 t/ha) during the rice-growing seasons. Compared with the UR system, the annual CH4, N2O, grain yield and NGWP were significantly increased in the DR system, though little effect on SOC sequestration or GHGI was observed without straw incorporation. Straw incorporation increased CH4 emission and SOC sequestration but had no significant effect on N2O emission in both systems. Averaged over the three study years, straw incorporation had no significant effect on NGWP and GHGI in the UR system, whereas these parameters were greatly increased in the DR system, i.e., by 108% (3 t/ha) and 180% (6 t/ha) for NGWP and 103% (3 t/ha) and 168% (6 t/ha) for GHGI.

No-tillage and fertilization management on crop yields and nitrate leaching in North China Plain

PubMed Central

Huang, Manxiang; Liang, Tao; Wang, Lingqing; Zhou, Chenghu

2015-01-01

A field experiment was performed from 2003 to 2008 to evaluate the effects of tillage system and nitrogen management regimes on crop yields and nitrate leaching from the fluvo-aquic soil with a winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)–maize (Zea mays L.) double-cropping system. The tillage systems consisted of conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT). Three nitrogen management regimes were included: 270 kg N ha−1 of urea for wheat and 225 kg N ha−1 of urea for maize (U), 180 kg N ha−1 of urea and 90 kg N ha−1 of straw for wheat and 180 kg N of urea and 45 kg N ha−1 of straw for maize (S), 180 kg N ha−1 of urea and 90 kg N ha−1 of manure for wheat and 180 kg N ha−1 of urea and 45 kg N ha−1 of manure for maize (M). An array of tension-free pan lysimeters (50 cm × 75 cm) were installed (1.2 m deep) to measure water flow and -N movement. No significant effect of the N management regime on yields of winter wheat and maize grain was found in the 5-year rotation. Tillage systems had significant influences on -N leaching from the second year and thereafter interacted with N management regimes on -N loads during all maize seasons. The average yield-scaled -N leaching losses were in order of CTS < NTS< CTU < NTU

Integrated double mulching practices optimizes soil temperature and improves soil water utilization in arid environments.

PubMed

Yin, Wen; Feng, Fuxue; Zhao, Cai; Yu, Aizhong; Hu, Falong; Chai, Qiang; Gan, Yantai; Guo, Yao

2016-09-01

Water shortage threatens agricultural sustainability in many arid and semiarid areas of the world. It is unknown whether improved water conservation practices can be developed to alleviate this issue while increasing crop productivity. In this study, we developed a "double mulching" system, i.e., plastic film coupled with straw mulch, integrated together with intensified strip intercropping. We determined (i) the responses of soil evaporation and moisture conservation to the integrated double mulching system and (ii) the change of soil temperature during key plant growth stages under the integrated systems. Experiments were carried out in northwest China in 2009 to 2011. Results show that wheat-maize strip intercropping in combination with plastic film and straw covering on the soil surface increased soil moisture (mm) by an average of 3.8 % before sowing, 5.3 % during the wheat and maize co-growth period, 4.4 % after wheat harvest, and 4.9 % after maize harvest, compared to conventional practice (control). The double mulching decreased total evapotranspiration of the two intercrops by an average of 4.6 % (P < 0.05), compared to control. An added feature was that the double mulching system decreased soil temperature in the top 10-cm depth by 1.26 to 1.31 °C in the strips of the cool-season wheat, and by 1.31 to 1.51 °C in the strips of the warm-season maize through the 2 years. Soil temperature of maize strips higher as 1.25 to 1.94 °C than that of wheat strips in the top 10-cm soil depth under intercropping with the double mulching system; especially higher as 1.58 to 2.11 °C under intercropping with the conventional tillage; this allows the two intercrops to grow in a well "collaborative" status under the double mulching system during their co-growth period. The improvement of soil moisture and the optimization of soil temperature for the two intercrops allow us to conclude that wheat-maize intensification with the double mulching system can be used as an effective farming model in alleviating water shortage issues experiencing in water shortage areas.

The Public Acceptance of Biofuels and Bioethanol from Straw- how does this affect Geoscience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jäger, Alexander; Ortner, Tina; Kahr, Heike

2015-04-01

The Public Acceptance of Biofuels and Bioethanol from Straw- how does this affect Geoscience The successful use of bioethanol as a fuel requires its widespread acceptance by consumers. Due to the planned introduction of a 10 per cent proportion of bioethanol in petrol in Austria, the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria carried out a representative opinion poll to collect information on the population's acceptance of biofuels. Based on this survey, interviews with important stakeholders were held to discuss the results and collect recommendations on how to increase the information level and acceptance. The results indicate that there is a lack of interest and information about biofuels, especially among young people and women. First generation bioethanol is strongly associated with the waste of food resources, but the acceptance of the second generation, produced from agricultural remnants like straw from wheat or corn, is considerably higher. The interviewees see more transparent, objective and less technical information about biofuels as an essential way to raise the information level and acceptance rate. As the production of bioethanol from straw is now economically feasible, there is one major scientific question to answer: In which way does the withdrawal of straw from the fields affect the formation of humus and, therefore, the quality of the soil? An interdisciplinary approach of researchers in the fields of bioethanol production, geoscience and agriculture in combination with political decision makers are required to make the technologies of renewable bioenergy acceptable to the population.

Decreasing the roughage:concentrate ratio of a diet to determine the critical roughage part for beef cattle.

PubMed

De Campeneere, S; Fiems, L O; De Boever, J L; Vanacker, J M; De Brabander, D L

2002-02-01

The critical roughage part (CRP) of 2 diet types was determined in a cross-over design with 6 double-muscled and 6 normally conformed Belgian Blue bulls fitted with rumen cannulae. The roughage:concentrate ratio was lowered weekly until signs of a lack of physical structure were observed. For diet 1, consisting of maize silage and concentrates, the initial proportion of maize silage was 25% of DM but it decreased weekly with 5% units of DM. For the second diet, consisting of wheat straw and concentrate, 12% straw (DM basis) was provided during the first week and thereafter the proportion of straw decreased weekly with 3% units of DM. Several directly observable parameters (rumen pH, feed intake, bloat, faecal consistency) were evaluated weekly for each bull. Apart from these direct indicators of acidosis, also other parameters, whose results were only available after the end of the trial, were determined (volatile fatty acid profile, lactic acid concentration, chewing time). The roughage part between the part fed when signs of a lack of physical structure was first observed and the part that was fed the week before, was considered as the CRP. Most animals showed no acute signs of clinical acidosis (directly observable parameters) and finished the trial on a 100% concentrate diet. However, in sacco rumen DM-degradabilities of maize silage, grass silage and wheat grain was depressed considerably when low roughage diets were fed. Based on all observed parameters, the mean CRP was calculated to be 14.7% for diet 1 and 8.1% for diet 2. The beef type (double-muscled or not) had no influence on the CRP.