Life cycle assessment of superheated steam drying technology as a novel cow manure management method.

Common methods of managing dairy manure are directly applying it to the farm field as a fertilizer. For direct application without any type of treatment, the majority of nutrients in the manure run off to the local river and lake during precipitation periods. The algae bloom is one of the environmental outcomes due to eutrophication of the lakes, which may jeopardize the quality of drinking water. In this study, superheated steam drying (SSD) technology is investigated as an alternative manure management method. Rapidly dried cow manure can be used as alternative fuel. Evaluations of energy payback time (EPBT) and life cycle assessment (LCA) of the SSD technology are presented in the SSD scenario and the results are compared with those of the direct field application (FA) of fresh manure and anaerobic digestion (AD). The heat required for the generation of superheated steam in the SSD scenario is provided from combustion of the dry manure to reduce energy costs. The results for the SSD process show 95% and 70% lower eutrophication and global warming potential in comparison to the FA scenario. Acidification potential for SSD turned out to be 35% higher than FA. The comparison of SSD with AD for their EPBT and normalized impacts indicated that the proposed SSD scenario has higher environmental sustainability than AD (70% lower impact), and is likely an economically better choice compared to conventional AD method (87% lower EPBT) for the future investment.

Metabolism of (-)-cis- and (-)-trans-rose oxide by cytochrome P450 enzymes in human liver microsomes.

The in vitro metabolism of (-)-cis- and (-)-trans-rose oxide was investigated using human liver microsomes and recombinant cytochrome P450 (P450 or CYP) enzymes for the first time. Both isomers of rose oxide were incubated with human liver microsomes, and the formation of the respective 9-oxidized metabolite were determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Of 11 different recombinant human P450 enzymes used, CYP2B6 and CYP2C19 were the primary enzymes catalysing the metabolism of (-)-cis- and (-)-trans-rose oxide. CYP1A2 also efficiently oxidized (-)-cis-rose oxide at the 9-position but not (-)-trans-rose oxide. α-Naphthoflavone (a selective CYP1A2 inhibitor), thioTEPA (a CYP2B6 inhibitor) and anti-CYP2B6 antibody inhibited (-)-cis-rose oxide 9-hydroxylation catalysed by human liver microsomes. On the other hand, the metabolism of (-)-trans-rose oxide was suppressed by thioTEPA and anti-CYP2B6 at a significant level in human liver microsomes. However, omeprazole (a CYP2C19 inhibitor) had no significant effects on the metabolism of both isomers of rose oxide. Using microsomal preparations from nine different human liver samples, (-)-9-hydroxy-cis- and (-)-9-hydroxy-trans-rose oxide formations correlated with (S)-mephenytoin N-demethylase activity (CYP2B6 marker activity). These results suggest that CYP2B6 plays important roles in the metabolism of (-)-cis- and (-)-trans-rose oxide in human liver microsomes.

Optimization of separate hydrogen and methane production from cassava wastewater using two-stage upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor (UASB) system under thermophilic operation.

The objective of this study was to investigate the separate hydrogen and methane productions from cassava wastewater by using a two-stage upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) system under thermophilic operation. Recycle ratio of the effluent from methane bioreactor-to-feed flow rate was fixed at 1:1 and pH of hydrogen UASB unit was maintained at 5.5. At optimum COD loading rate of 90 kg/m3 d based on the feed COD load and hydrogen UASB volume, the produced gas from the hydrogen UASB unit mainly contained H2 and CO2 which provided the maximum hydrogen yield (54.22 ml H2/g COD applied) and specific hydrogen production rate (197.17 ml/g MLVSSd). At the same optimum COD loading rate, the produced gas from the methane UASB unit mainly contained CH4 and CO2 without H2 which were also consistent with the maximum methane yield (164.87 ml CH4/g COD applied) and specific methane production rate (356.31 ml CH4/g MLVSSd). The recycling operation minimized the use of NaOH for pH control in hydrogen UASB unit.

Life-cycle energy and environmental analysis of bioethanol production from cassava in Thailand.

In this study, the life-cycle energy and environmental assessment was conducted for bioethanol production from cassava in Thailand. The scope covered all stages in the life cycle of bioethanol production including cultivating, chip processing, transportation and bioethanol conversion. The input-output data were collected at plantation sites and ethanol plants which included materials usage, energy consumption, and all emissions. From the energy analysis, the results show that cassava-based bioethanol has a negative net energy value with an energy ratio was less than 1, indicating a net energy loss. For the environmental performance, the results show that throughout the life cycle of bioethanol, the conversion stage contributes most to the environmental impacts which is due to the use of coal for power and steam production in the bioethanol plants. It is suggested that a partial substitution of coal with biogas produced from existing wastewater treatment could lead to a significant reduction in the environmental impact.

Adsolubilization of toluene and acetophenone as a function of surfactant adsorption.

Adsolubilization, solubilization of organic compounds into adsorbed surfactant aggregates, has attracted much attention in the past few years. It is being explored for a variety of new commercial applications including the formation of engineered surfaces, pharmaceutical applications, and nanotechnology. Adsolubilization is strongly influenced by the amount of adsorbed surfactant, which in turn depends upon pH, ionic strength, and surfactant type and concentration. In this study, the adsorption of a cationic surfactant, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) on precipitated silica and the adsolubilization of organic solutes (toluene and acetophenone) into the adsorbed surfactant aggregates were examined as a function of surfactant adsorption at two pH values (5 and 8). Three levels of surfactant adsorption, corresponding to equilibrium concentration low in region II, high in region II, and low in region III of the adsorption isotherm, and the adsolubilization of toluene and acetophenone were investigated both in single- and mixed-solute systems. The results showed that the adsorption of CTAB depended strongly on pH and for each pH the adsolubilization increased with increasing surface adsorption. However, the adsolubilization behaviors of the adsorbed CTAB aggregates in different adsorption regions were quite distinct, suggesting that the structural arrangement of the surfactant aggregates may play an important part in addition to the amount of adsorbed surfactant. This phenomenon was more noticeable at low surfactant adsorption than at higher surface adsorption. In mixed-solute systems, the presence of acetophenone had little effect on the toluene adsolubilization. In contrast, a synergetic effect was observed in the adsolubilization of acetophenone in the presence of toluene.