Characterization of Molecular Species and Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Purified Phospholipids from Antarctic Krill Oil.

The phospholipids (PLs) from Antarctic krill oil were purified (>97.2%) using adsorption column chromatography. Forty-nine PL molecular species were characterized by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS). Most of molecular species contained eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA, 22:5), and arachidonic acid (AA, 20:4). Notably, a special species PC (20:5/22:6) (1298.17 nmol/g) and many ether PLs were detected. The Antarctic krill PL liposome (IC50 = 0.108 mg/mL) showed better anti-inflammatory activity than crude Antarctic krill oil (IC50 = 0.446 mg/mL). It could block NF-κB signaling pathway via suppression of IκB-α degradation and p65 activation and dose-dependently reduce the cellular content of inflammatory mediators including nitric oxide (NO), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and inflammatory cytokines in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. In addition, it can suppress carrageenan-induced mouse paw swelling. Results from the present study could provide a reference for better evaluation of nutritional and medicinal values of Antarctic krill oil.

Shrimp Oil Extracted from Shrimp Processing By-Product Is a Rich Source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Astaxanthin-Esters, and Reveals Potential Anti-Adipogenic Effects in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes.

The province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, generates tons of shrimp processing by-product every year. Shrimp contains omega (n)-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and astaxanthin (Astx), a potent antioxidant that exists in either free or esterified form (Astx-E). In this study, shrimp oil (SO) was extracted from the shrimp processing by-product using the Soxhlet method (hexane:acetone 2:3). The extracted SO was rich in phospholipids, n-3 PUFA, and Astx-E. The 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were differentiated to mature adipocytes in the presence or absence of various treatments for 8 days. The effects of SO were then investigated on fat accumulation, and the mRNA expression of genes involved in adipogenesis and lipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells. The effects of fish oil (FO), in combination with Astx-E, on fat accumulation, and the mRNA expression of genes involved in adipogenesis and lipogenesis were also investigated. The SO decreased fat accumulation, compared to untreated cells, which coincided with lower mRNA expression of adipogenic and lipogenic genes. However, FO and FO + Astx-E increased fat accumulation, along with increased mRNA expression of adipogenic and lipogenic genes, and glucose transporter type 4 (Glut-4), compared to untreated cells. These findings have demonstrated that the SO is a rich source of n-3 PUFA and Astx-E, and has the potential to elicit anti-adipogenic effects. Moreover, the SO and FO appear to regulate adipogenesis and lipogenesis via independent pathways in 3T3-L1 cells.

Processing Methodologies of Wet Microalga Biomass Toward Oil Separation: An Overview.

One of the main goals of Mankind is to ensure food system sustainability-including management of land, soil, water, and biodiversity. Microalgae accordingly appear as an innovative and scalable alternative source in view of the richness of their chemical profiles. In what concerns lipids in particular, microalgae can synthesize and accumulate significant amounts of fatty acids, a great fraction of which are polyunsaturated; this makes them excellent candidates within the framework of production and exploitation of lipids by various industrial and health sectors, either as bulk products or fine chemicals. Conventional lipid extraction methodologies require previous dehydration of microalgal biomass, which hampers economic feasibility due to the high energy demands thereof. Therefore, extraction of lipids directly from wet biomass would be a plus in this endeavor. Supporting processes and methodologies are still limited, and most approaches are empirical in nature-so a deeper mechanistic elucidation is a must, in order to facilitate rational optimization of the extraction processes. Besides circumventing the current high energy demands by dehydration, an ideal extraction method should be selective, sustainable, efficient, harmless, and feasible for upscale to industrial level. This review presents and discusses several pretreatments incurred in lipid extraction from wet microalga biomass, namely recent developments and integrated processes. Unfortunately, most such developments have been proven at bench-scale only-so demonstration in large facilities is still needed to confirm whether they can turn into competitive alternatives.

Treatment of wastewater containing oil and grease by biological method- a review.

One of the complex environmental problems that triggers at present is oily wastewater contamination arising out of the activities related to engineering vehicular (automobile) workshop or garage, kitchens in houses and restaurants, gas stations, metal finishing house, petrochemical industry, edible oil production unit etc. Oily wastewater discharge is a major issue of environmental pollution in the present decade as some of its constituents are hazardous in nature. Hence, appropriate treatment technology for oily wastewater needs to be addressed. Biological treatment (BT) technique would be the best option in this regard, because it has multiple advantages over various other techniques as available today. BT degrades effectively the harmful constituents of oily wastewater into innocuous products that are environment friendly and it is considered to be the economical method. The resulting effluent of pretreatment followed by biological treatment of oily wastewater can be reused after conforming discharge limits. Again, numerous research works in these days have optimized the function and result of existing laboratory and pilot scale treatment technologies. This review paper describes a comprehensive understanding of the origin and characteristics, existing techniques in laboratory and pilot scale, screening of different methods, justification for advocating biological methods for treatment of oily wastewater.

An integrated microbiome and metabolomic analysis identifies immunoenhancing features of Ganoderma lucidum spores oil in mice.

Ganoderma lucidum (Leyss. ex Fr.) Karst. is a valuable dietary supplement used worldwide for promoting health as well as a medicinal fungus for handling fatigue, immunological disorders, and cancer. Previous studies have revealed the immunoenhancing effect of G. lucidum and the polysaccharide extract, with potential involvement of gut microbiome. The oil of G. lucidum spores (GLSO)is one of the well-known G. lucidum-related products. However, there is little evidence supporting the immune promotion activity and the underlying mechanisms. The present study aims to investigate the immunoenhancing effect of GLSO in mice. GLSO enhanced macrophage phagocytosis and NK cell cytotoxicity of mice. Further microbiome and metabolomics studies showed that GLSO induced structural rearrangement of gut microbiota, mediating alterations in a wide range of metabolites. By clustering, multivariate and correlation analysis, the immunoenhancing effect of GLSO was found to be highly correlated with elevated abundance of several bacterial genera (Lactobacillus, Turicibacter and Romboutsia) and species (Lactobacillus_intestinalis and Lactobacillus_reuteri), and decreased level of Staphylococcus and Helicobacter, which resulted in the regulation of a range of key metabolites such as dopamine, prolyl-glutamine, pentahomomethionine, leucyl-glutamine, l-threonine, stearoylcarnitine, dolichyl ß-d-glucosyl phosphate, etc. These results provide new insights into the understanding of the modulatory effect of GLSO on immune system.

Preparation and Characterization of Microemulsions Based on Antarctic Krill Oil.

Antarctic krill oil is high in nutritional value and has biological functions like anti-inflammation and hypolipidemic effects. But it has and unpleasant smell, and unsaturated fatty acids are prone to oxidative deterioration. Its high viscosity and low solubility in water make it difficult for processing. Microemulsion can be a new promising route for development of krill oil product. We determined a formula of krill oil-in-water microemulsion with krill oil: isopropyl myristate = 1:3 as oil phase, Tween 80:Span 80 = 8:2 as surfactant, ethanol as co-surfactant and the mass ratio of surfactant to co-surfactant of 3:1. After screening the formula, we researched several characteristics of the prepared oil-in-water microemulsion, including electrical conductivity, microstructure by transmission electron microscope and cryogenic transmission electron microscope, droplet size analysis, rheological properties, thermal behavior by differential scanning calorimeter and stability against pH, salinity, and storage time.

Cyclic lipopeptide signature as fingerprinting for the screening of halotolerant Bacillus strains towards microbial enhanced oil recovery.

Cyclic lipopeptides (CLPs) are non-ribosomal biosurfactants produced by Bacillus species that exhibit outstanding interfacial activity. The synthesis of CLPs is under genetic and environmental influence, and representatives from different families are generally co-produced, generating isoforms that differ in chemical structure and biological activities. This study to evaluate the effect of low and high NaCl concentrations on the composition and surface activity of CLPs produced by Bacillus strains TIM27, TIM49, TIM68, and ICA13 towards microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR). The strains were evaluated in mineral medium containing NaCl 2.7, 66, or 100 g L-1 and growth, surface tension and emulsification activity were monitored. Based on the analysis of 16S rDNA, gyrB and rpoB sequences TIM27 and TIM49 were assigned to Bacillus subtilis, TIM68 to Bacillus vallismortis, and ICA13 to Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. All strains tolerated up to 100-g L-1 NaCl, but only TIM49 and TIM68 were able to reduce surface tension at this concentration. TIM49 also showed emulsification activity at concentrations up to 66-g L-1 NaCl. ESI-MS analysis showed that the strains produced a mixture of CLPs, which presented distinct CLP profiles at low and high NaCl concentrations. High NaCl concentration favored the synthesis of surfactins and/or fengycins that correlated with the surface activities of TIM49 and TIM68, whereas low concentration favored the synthesis of iturins. Taken together, these findings suggest that the determination of CLP signatures under the expected condition of oil reservoirs can be useful in the guidance for choosing well-suited strains to MEOR.

Skin Barrier Restoration and Moisturization Using Horse Oil-Loaded Dissolving Microneedle Patches.

BACKGROUND: Horse oil (HO) has skin barrier restoration and skin-moisturizing effects. Although cream formulations have been used widely and safely, their limited penetration through the stratum corneum is a major obstacle to maximizing the cosmetic efficacy of HO. Therefore, we aimed to encapsulate HO in a cosmetic dissolving microneedle (DMN) for efficient transdermal delivery. METHODS: To overcome these limitations of skin permeation, HO-loaded DMN (HO-DMN) patches were developed and evaluated for their efficacy and safety using in vitro and clinical studies. RESULTS: Despite the lipophilic nature of HO, the HO-DMN patches had a sharp shape and uniform array, with an average length and tip diameter of 388.36 ± 16.73 and 38.54 ± 5.29 µm, respectively. The mechanical strength of the HO-DMN patches was sufficient (fracture force of 0.29 ± 0.01 N), and they could successfully penetrate pig skin. During the 4-week clinical evaluation, HO-DMN patches caused significant improvements in skin and dermal density, skin elasticity, and moisturization. Additionally, a brief safety assessment showed that the HO-DMN patches induced negligible adverse events. CONCLUSION: The HO-DMNs are efficient, safe, and convenient for wide use in cosmetic applications for skin barrier restoration and moisturization.

Electrocoagulation with polarity switch for fast oil removal from oil in water emulsions.

An electrocoagulation technique using a 3.5 L reactor, with aluminum electrodes in a monopolar arrangement with polarity switch at each 10 s was used to separate oil from synthetic oily water similar in oil concentration to produced water from offshore platforms. Up to 98% of oil removal was achieved after 20 min of processing. Processing time dependence of the oil removal and pH was measured and successfully adjusted to exponential models, indicating a pseudo first order behavior. Statistical analysis was used to prove that electrical conductivity and total solids depend significantly on the concentration of electrolyte (NaCl) in the medium. Oil removal depends mostly on the distance between the electrodes but is proportional to electrolyte concentration when initial pH is 8. Electrocoagulation with polarity switch maximizes the lifetime of the electrodes. The process reduced oil concentration to a value below that stipulated by law, proving it can be an efficient technology to minimize the offshore drilling impact in the environment.

A multi-module microfluidic platform for continuous pre-concentration of water-soluble ions and separation of oil droplets from oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions using a DC-biased AC electrokinetic technique.

A novel continuous flow microfluidic platform specifically designed for environmental monitoring of O/W emulsions during an aftermath of oil spills is reported herein. Ionized polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons which are toxic are readily released from crude oil to the surrounding water phase through the smaller oil droplets with enhanced surface area. Hence, a multi-module microfluidic device is fabricated to form ion enrichment zones in the water phase of O/W emulsions for the ease of detection and to separate micron-sized oil droplets from the O/W emulsions. Fluorescein ions in the water phase are used to simulate the presence of these toxic ions in the O/W emulsion. A DC-biased AC electric field is employed in both modules. In the first module, a nanoporous Nafion membrane is used for activating the concentration polarization effect on the fluorescein ions, resulting in the formation of stable ion enrichment zones in the water phase of the emulsion. A 35.6% amplification of the fluorescent signal is achieved in the ion enrichment zone; corresponding to 100% enrichment of the fluorescent dye concentration. In this module, the main inlet is split into two channels by using a Y-junction so that there are two outlets for the oil droplets. The second module located downstream of the first module consists of two oil droplet entrapment zones at two outlets. By switching on the appropriate electrodes, either one of the two oil droplet entrapment zones can be activated and the droplets can be blocked in the corresponding outlet.

Oil and eicosapentaenoic acid production by the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum cultivated outdoors in Green Wall Panel (GWP®) reactors.

Phaeodactylum tricornutum is a widely studied diatom and has been proposed as a source of oil and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), particularly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Recent studies indicate that lipid accumulation occurs under nutritional stress. Aim of this research was to determine how changes in nitrogen availability affect productivity, oil yield, and fatty acid (FA) composition of P. tricornutum UTEX 640. After preliminary laboratory trials, outdoor experiments were carried out in 40-L GWP® reactors under different nitrogen regimes in batch. Nitrogen replete cultures achieved the highest productivity of biomass (about 18 g m-2 d-1 ) and EPA (about 0.35 g m-2 d-1 ), whereas nitrogen-starved cultures achieved the highest FA productivity (about 2.6 g m-2 d-1 ). The annual potential yield of P. tricornutum grown outdoors in GWP® reactors is 730 kg of EPA per hectare under nutrient-replete conditions and 5,800 kg of FA per hectare under nitrogen starvation. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 2204-2210. © 2017 The Authors. Biotechnology and Bioengineering Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Isolation and Selection of Microalgal Strains from Natural Water Sources in Viet Nam with Potential for Edible Oil Production.

Industrial vegetable oil production in Viet Nam depends on oil seeds and crude plant oils that are currently more than 90% imported. As the first step in investigating the feasibility of using microalgae to provide Viet Nam with a domestic source of oil for food and edible oil industries, fifty lipid-producing microalgae were isolated and characterized. The microalgae were isolated from water sources ranging from freshwater to brackish and marine waters from a wide geographic distribution in Viet Nam. Initial analyses showed that 20 of the 50 strains had good growth rates, produced high biomass and had high lipid content, ranging up to 50% of dry weight biomass. 18S rRNA gene sequence analyses of the 50 strains showed a great diversity in this assemblage of microalgae, comprising at least 38 species and representatives of 25 genera: Chlamydomonas, Poterioochromonas, Scenedesmus, Desmodesmus, Chlorella, Bracteacoccus, Monoraphidium, Selenastrum, Acutodesmus, Mychonastes, Ankistrodesmus, Kirchneriella, Raphidocelis, Dictyosphaerium, Coelastrella, Schizochlamydella, Oocystidium, Nannochloris, Auxenochlorella, Chlorosarcinopsis, Stichococcus, Picochlorum, Prasinoderma, Chlorococcum, and Marvania. Some of the species are closely related to well-known lipid producers such as Chlorella sorokiniana, but some other strains are not closely related to the strains found in public sequence databases and likely represent new species. Analysis of oil quality showed that fatty acid profiles of the microalgal strains were very diverse and strain-dependent. Fatty acids in the microalgal oils comprised saturated fatty acids (SFAs), poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), and mono-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). The main SFA was palmitic acid. MUFAs and PUFAs were dominated by oleic acid, and linoleic and linolenic acids, respectively. Some strains were especially rich in the essential fatty acid α-linolenic acid (ALA), which comprised more than 20% of the fatty acids in these strains. Other strains had fatty acid compositions similar to that of palm oil. Several strains have been selected on the basis of their suitable fatty acid profiles and high lipid content for further chemical and physical characterization, toxicity and organoleptic tests of their oils, and for scale-up.

Efficient bioconversion from acid hydrolysate of waste oleaginous yeast biomass after microbial oil extraction to bacterial cellulose by Komagataeibacter xylinus.

Biomass acid hydrolysate of oleaginous yeast Trichosporon cutaneum after microbial oil extraction was applied as substrate for bacterial cellulose (BC) production by Komagataeibacter xylinus (also named as Gluconacetobacter xylinus previously) for the first time. BC was synthesized in static culture for 10 days, and the maximum BC yield (2.9 g/L) was got at the 4th day of fermentation. Most carbon sources in the substrate (glucose, mannose, formic acid, acetic acid) can be utilized by K. xylinus. The highest chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal (40.7 ± 3.0%) was obtained at the 6th day of fermentation, and then the COD increased possibly due to the degradation of BC. The highest BC yield on COD consumption was 38.7 ± 4.0% (w/w), suggesting that this is one efficient bioconversion for BC production. The BC structure was affected little by the substrate by comparison with that generated in classical HS medium using field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), Fourier transform infrared, and X-ray diffraction. Overall, this technology can both solve the issue of waste oleaginous yeast biomass and produce valuable biopolymer (BC).

Stimuli-Responsive Cellulose Nanocrystals for Surfactant-Free Oil Harvesting.

Cellulose nanocrystals with grafted binary polymer brushes (CNC-BPB), poly(oligoethylene glycol) methacrylate (POEGMA) and poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA), were prepared by cerium-mediated polymerization in aqueous solution. The physical properties of CNC-BPB can be controlled by external triggers, such as temperature and pH, which can be utilized to stabilize and destabilize oil-water emulsions. By virtue of the modifications, these bifunctionalized CNCs diffused to the oil-water interface and stabilized the oil droplets at high pHs. When the pH was lowered to 2, strong hydrogen bonding between POEGMA and PMAA chains grafted on the CNC induced the coalescence of the emulsion droplets, resulting in the phase separation of oil and water. For emulsions stabilized by CNC-POEGMA and free PMAA mixtures, instantaneous coalescence was not observed at low pHs. Successive stabilization-destabilization over 5 cycles was demonstrated by modulating the pH with the addition of acid or base without any loss in efficiency. This work demonstrates that functional sustainable nanomaterials can be used for small scale oil-water separations, particularly for oil droplet transportation and harvesting of lipophilic compounds.

A robust salt-tolerant superoleophobic aerogel inspired by seaweed for efficient oil-water separation in marine environments.

Oil-water separation has recently become an important subject due to the increasing incidence of oil spills. Materials with underwater superoleophobic properties have aroused considerable interest due to their cost-effectiveness, environmental friendliness and anti-fouling properties. This paper presents a robust salt-tolerant superoleophobic aerogel inspired by seaweed used without any further chemical modification for oil-seawater separation. The green aerogel is prepared by freeze-drying of sodium alginate (SA)-nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) using Ca2+ ions as the crosslinking agent. The three-dimensional (3D) interconnected network structure of the developed aerogel ensures its high mechanical strength and good flexibility. The natural hydrophilicity of the polysaccharides contained in the aerogel ensures its excellent underwater superoleophobicity, antifouling and salt-tolerance properties. More impressively, the as-prepared aerogel can even keep its underwater superoleophobicity and high hydrophilicity after being immersed in seawater for 30 days, indicating its good stability in marine environments. Furthermore, the aerogel could separate oil-seawater mixtures with a high separation efficiency (of up to 99.65%) and good reusability (at least 40 cycles). The facile and green fabrication process combined with the excellent separation performance and good reusability makes it possible to develop engineering materials for oil-water separation in marine environments.

Biomimetic super-lyophobic and super-lyophilic materials applied for oil/water separation: a new strategy beyond nature.

Oil spills and industrial organic pollutants have induced severe water pollution and threatened every species in the ecological system. To deal with oily water, special wettability stimulated materials have been developed over the past decade to separate oil-and-water mixtures. Basically, synergy between the surface chemical composition and surface topography are commonly known as the key factors to realize the opposite wettability to oils and water and dominate the selective wetting or absorption of oils/water. In this review, we mainly focus on the development of materials with either super-lyophobicity or super-lyophilicity properties in oil/water separation applications where they can be classified into four kinds as follows (in terms of the surface wettability of water and oils): (i) superhydrophobic and superoleophilic materials, (ii) superhydrophilic and under water superoleophobic materials, (iii) superhydrophilic and superoleophobic materials, and (iv) smart oil/water separation materials with switchable wettability. These materials have already been applied to the separation of oil-and-water mixtures: from simple oil/water layered mixtures to oil/water emulsions (including oil-in-water emulsions and water-in-oil emulsions), and from non-intelligent materials to intelligent materials. Moreover, they also exhibit high absorption capacity or separation efficiency and selectivity, simple and fast separation/absorption ability, excellent recyclability, economical efficiency and outstanding durability under harsh conditions. Then, related theories are proposed to understand the physical mechanisms that occur during the oil/water separation process. Finally, some challenges and promising breakthroughs in this field are also discussed. It is expected that special wettability stimulated oil/water separation materials can achieve industrial scale production and be put into use for oil spills and industrial oily wastewater treatment in the near future.

Assessment of Egg Yolk Oil Extraction Methods of for ShiZhenKang Oil by Pharmacodynamic Index Evaluation.

To assess the extraction methods of egg yolk oil in ShiZhenKang (SZK) oil, which is used to treat eczema, a mice model of eczema was established by using 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB). The therapeutic effects of egg yolk oil extracted by different methods from SZK oil on the model of acute eczema in mice were evaluated. The oil yield rate of ethanol extraction is 42.06%. Its egg yolk oil is orange and has a rich, sweet, egg smell. Moreover, the SZK oil prepared from it has a very good therapeutic effect on the model of acute eczema in mice. The alcohol extraction method is the preferable method according to a comprehensive evaluation of each index of seven kinds of methods to extract the egg yolk oil.

New Trends on Antineoplastic Therapy Research: Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana Shaw) Oil Nanostructured Systems.

Bullfrog oil is a natural product extracted from the Rana catesbeiana Shaw adipose tissue and used in folk medicine for the treatment of several diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the extraction process of bullfrog oil, to develop a suitable topical nanoemulsion and to evaluate its efficacy against melanoma cells. The oil samples were obtained by hot and organic solvent extraction processes and were characterized by titration techniques and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The required hydrophile-lipophile balance and the pseudo-ternary phase diagram (PTPD) were assessed to determine the emulsification ability of the bullfrog oil. The anti-tumoral activity of the samples was assessed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay for normal fibroblast (3T3) and melanoma (B16F10) cell lines. Both extraction methods produced yielded around 60% and the oil was mainly composed of unsaturated compounds (around 60%). The bullfrog oil nanoemulsion obtained from PTPD presented a droplet size of about 390 nm and polydispersity = 0.05 and a zeta potential of about -25 mV. Both the bullfrog oil itself and its topical nanoemulsion did not show cytotoxicity in 3T3 linage. However, these systems showed growth inhibition in B16F10 cells. Finally, the bullfrog oil presented itself as a candidate for the development of pharmaceutical products free from cytotoxicity and effective for antineoplastic therapy.

A Sugar-Based Gelator for Marine Oil-Spill Recovery.

Marine oil spills constitute an environmental disaster with severe adverse effects on the economy and ecosystem. Phase-selective organogelators (PSOGs), molecules that can congeal oil selectively from oil-water mixtures, have been proposed to be useful for oil-spill recovery. However, a major drawback lies in the mode of application of the PSOG to an oil spill spread over a large area. The proposed method of using carrier solvents is impractical for various reasons. Direct application of the PSOG as a solid, although it would be ideal, is unknown, presumably owing to poor dispersion of the solid through the oil. We have designed five cheap and easy-to-make glucose-derived PSOGs that disperse in the oil phase uniformly when applied as a fine powder. These gelators were shown to selectively congeal many oils, including crude oil, from oil-water mixtures to form stable gels, which is an essential property for efficient oil-spill recovery. We have demonstrated that these PSOGs can be applied aerially as a solid powder onto a mixture of crude oil and sea water and the congealed oil can then be scooped out. Our innovative mode of application and low cost of the PSOG offers a practical solution to oil-spill recovery.

Simultaneous recovery of organic and inorganic content of paper deinking residue through low-temperature microwave-assisted pyrolysis.

Significant amounts of paper deinking residue (DIR) has been and is still being generated from paper deinking processes, representing both an economic and environmental burden for recycled paper mills. Our research on low-temperature (<200 °C) microwave-assisted (MW-assisted) pyrolysis of DIR allows for simultaneously efficient fast separation and recovery of the organic and inorganic content of DIR at relatively low temperature and within 15 min. Our study is the first highly detailed account of the use low-temperature MW-assisted pyrolysis to effect this change. The obtained liquid and solid products were characterized by a variety of analytical techniques (e.g., attenuated total reflection infrared, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, liquid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), X-ray diffraction, solid-state cross-polarization/magic-angle spinning (13)C NMR, and Bloch-decay (13)C NMR). The results reveal that the process efficiently separates the inorganic minerals as microwave residue (mainly calcite and kaolinite) from organic matter, and hence the microwave residue could be reused to produce new paper/cardboard products. The organic fraction bio-oil generated is energy-densified and rich in carbohydrates and is a potential source for valuable aromatic compounds.