Emission Characteristics of NOx and SO2 during the Combustion of Antibiotic Mycelial Residue.

The antibiotic mycelial residue (AMR) generated from cephalosporin C production is a hazardous organic waste, which is usually disposed of by landfilling that causes potential secondary environmental pollution. AMR combustion can be an effective method to treat AMR. In order to develop clean combustion technologies for safe disposal and energy recovery from various AMRs, the emission characteristics of NOx and SO2 from AMR combustion were studied experimentally in this work. It was found that the fuel-N is constituted by 85% protein nitrogen and 15% inorganic nitrogen, and the fuel-S by 78% inorganic sulfur and 22% organic sulfur. Nitrogen oxide emissions mainly occur at the volatile combustion stage when the temperature rises to 400 °C, while the primary sulfur oxide emission appears at the char combustion stage above 400 °C. Increasing the combustion temperature and airflow cause higher NOx emissions. High moisture content in AMR can significantly reduce the NOx emission by lowering the combustion temperature and generating more reducing gases such as CO. For the SO2 emission, the combustion temperature (700 to 900 °C), airflow and AMR water content do not seem to exhibit obvious effects. The presence of CaO significantly inhibits SO2 emission, especially for the SO2 produced during the AMR char combustion because of the good control effect on the direct emission of inorganic SO2. Employing air/fuel staging technologies in combination with in-situ desulfurization by calcium oxide/salts added in the combustor with operation temperatures lower than 900 °C should be a potential technology for the clean disposal of AMRs.

Effects of potassium salts loading on calcium oxide on the hydrogen production from pyrolysis-gasification of biomass.

The effects of potassium (K) salts loading on CaO on the H2 production from pyrolysis-gasification of wheat straw were investigated. The loading of 0.25 wt% KCl could significantly enhance the CO2 absorption capability of CaO. The CO2 concentration in the product gas decreased sharply from 20.83 to 11.70 vol%, and the H2 concentration increased from 48.2 to 55.5 vol%. While the loading of 0.25 wt% K2CO3/K2SO4 inhibited the enhancing effect of CaO. Further increasing the loading of KCl on CaO, the CO2 absorption of CaO declined, but the catalytic effect of KCl on the gasification process was promoted. The loading of 0.25 wt% KCl on CaO significantly improved the cyclic performance of CaO during the pyrolysis-gasification process. Higher H2 concentration and more CO2 absorbed by CaO were obtained with the loading of 0.25 wt% KCl even after 5 cycles compared with those of pure CaO in the first cycle.

Co-gasification of coal and biomass: Synergy, characterization and reactivity of the residual char.

The synergy effect between coal and biomass in their co-gasification was studied in a vertical fixed bed reactor, and the physic-chemical structural characteristics and gasification reactivity of the residual char obtained from co-gasification were also investigated. The results shows that, conversion of the residual char and tar into gas is enhanced due to the synergy effect between coal and biomass. The physical structure of residual char shows more pore on coal char when more biomass is added in the co-gasification. The migration of inorganic elements between coal and biomass was found, the formation and competitive role of K2SiO3, KAlSiO4, and Ca3Al2(SiO4)3 is a mechanism behind the synergy. The graphization degree is enhanced but size of graphite crystallite in the residual char decreases with biomass blending ratio increasing. TGA results strongly suggest the big difference in the reactivity of chars derived from coal and biomass in spite of influence from co-gasification.

Cloning and characterization of miRNAs and their targets, including a novel miRNA-targeted NBS-LRR protein class gene in apple (Golden Delicious).

MicroRNA (miRNA) has emerged as an important regulator of gene expression in plants. 146 miRNAs were identified from apple (Malus domestica cv. Golden Delicious) by bioinformatic analysis and RNA library sequencing. From these, 135 were conserved and 11 were novel miRNAs. Target analysis predicted one of the novel miRNAs, Md-miRLn11 (Malus domestica microRNA Ln11), targeted an apple nucleotide-binding site (NBS)-leucine-rich repeat (LRR) class protein coding gene (Md-NBS). 5' RACE assay confirmed the ability of Md-miRLn11 to cleave Md-NBS at the 11-12-nt position. Analysis of the expression of Md-miRLn11 and Md-NBS during the optimum invasion period in 40 apple varieties showed that the expression of Md-NBS gene in resistant varieties is higher than in susceptible varieties, with an inverse pattern for Md-miRLn11. Seedlings from the resistant apple variety 'JiGuan' were used to carry out an Agrobacterium infiltration assay, and then inoculated with the apple leaf spot disease. The result showed a clear decline of disease resistance in JiGuan apples. In contrast, the susceptible variety 'FuJi' infiltrated with the Md-NBS gene showed a significant increase in disease resistance. Based on the above results, we propose that Md-miRLn11 regulates Md-NBS gene expression in particular under the condition of pathogen infection, and that the Md-miRLn11 targeting P-loop site may regulate many NBS-LRR protein class genes in woody plants.