Effect of lignin on short-chain fatty acids production from anaerobic fermentation of waste activated sludge.

Lignin, a biological resource with great potential, can be as high as ∼16% of the total organics in the waste activated sludge (WAS). This work therefore aims to fill the knowledge gap about the effect of lignin on short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production from anaerobic fermentation of sludge. Experimental results showed that lignin promoted rather than inhibited SCFAs production. Specifically, the presence of 15% lignin promoted the SCFAs production from 129.1 ± 6.5 to 223.14 ± 7.8 mg COD/g VSS compared with the control, and the proportion of acetic increased by 61.8%, while that of propionic decreased by 44.9%. Mechanism exploration revealed that lignin improved the solubilization of biodegradable substrates due to its hydrophobic characteristics. In addition, lignin enhanced the acidogenesis process, possibly by perfecting the electron transfer chain in the fermentation system, and the quinone structure in lignin may compete electrons with methanogens to inhibit the consumption of SCFAs. Microbiological analysis showed that the abundance of microorganisms related to acidogenesi, especially the acetogenesis, including Proteiniclasticum sp., Acetoanaerobium sp., in the fermenter with lignin increased, which caused the community to shift towards specialized and diverse SCFAs production.

Study of the nonlinear optical response and thermal stability of edible oils using the Z-scan technique.

Organic compounds and vegetable origin oils are subject to scratiny in the photonics and nonlinear optics area, due to their high non-linear response: a characteristic linked to the molecular nature of these compounds and their own chemical bond. In the food industry, quick and non-invasive studies are needed to evaluate the nutritional quality of edible products. The nonlinear optical response of 4 vegetable oils was analyzed: extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), extra virgin sesame oil (EVSO), extra refined linseed oil (ERLO) and virgin avocado oil (VAVO), using the Z-scan technique. Where the third order electric susceptibility value (χ3), refractive index (η2) and characteristic non-linear absorption coefficient (ß) were determined for each compound. Parameters that were found by measuring the transmittance as a function of the excitation power using a Nd: YAG laser of 532 nm operating in CW mode. In addition, the η2 response was compared according to the oil type, it was determined that EVOO presents a greater non-linear response at low excitation potencies. Therefore, an additional study was performed on samples exposed to thermal stress to evaluate oxidative stability, again using the Z-scan technique n order to review the relationship between nonlinear optical properties with chemical changes resulting from heating.

Simultaneous voltammetric determination of four organic acids in fruit juices using multiway calibration.

A sensitive, fast, and inexpensive square wave voltammetric method using a cobalt phthalocyanine modified carbon paste electrode was developed for simultaneous determination of citric, lactic, malic and tartaric acids in fruit juices. To overcome the strong overlap of voltammetric signals caused by calibrated and uncalibrated constituents, multivariate curve resolution with alternating least squares (MCR-ALS) was used. Data were previous treated for correction of baseline and potential shift. The MCR-ALS calibration models were constructed and evaluated using a validation set obtained from a Taguchi design. The values predicted by the optimized MCR-ALS models were unbiased and no statistically significant difference was observed between proposed and reference methods, applying the paired t-test at a confidence level of 95%. As far as the authors know, a voltammetric method that simultaneously determines four organic acids in complex samples such as fruit juices without any previous pretreatment has not yet been reported in the literature.

Fixed-bed study for bone char adsorptive removal of refractory organics from electrodialysis concentrate produced by petroleum refinery.

Water reuse in industrial processes has been an increasing need encouraged in recent years. However, as the streams are recycled, solutes accumulate, thus requiring purification techniques. Membrane processes (reverse osmosis and electrodialysis) have been implemented and in order to increase the reuse of water at its highest level, crystallization has been evaluated to remove salts from the concentrate produced and get a feasible disposal. Nevertheless, contaminants affect the crystallization performance, thus making the removal of residual organics important for both the efficiency of crystallization and the increase of water reuse. In this context, aiming at establishing a sustainable virtuous circle, bone char (0.5-1.4 mm particle size, mesoporous structure) was used to remove refractory organics from an electrodialysis concentrate effluent (C-EDR) from a Brazilian petroleum refinery, at a lab-scale, in a fixed-bed adsorption column. Bone char selectively and partially removed the refractory organics, a complex mixture of long-chain hydrocarbons, aromatic compounds, carboxylic acids, amines and amides. The maximum adsorption capacity increased with the increase in bed depth and reduction in flow rate. A maximum removal of 35.60 mg g-1 was achieved for the highest bed depth evaluated (12.9 cm). The breakthrough curves indicated that bone char could adsorb part of the organic compounds from the C-EDR. The scaling up was possible for the C/C0 ratios of 0.55, 0.60 and 0.65, providing a service time at about 16 days for 45% removal efficiency for typical real operational conditions used in the refinery.

Photochemistry of coronene in cosmic water ice analogs at different concentrations.

This work presents the photochemistry of ultraviolet (UV) irradiated coronene in water ices at 15 K, studied using mid-infrared Fourier transform (FTIR) spectroscopy for C24H12:H2O at concentrations of (1:50), (1:150), (1:200), (1:300) and (1:400). Previous UV irradiation studies of anthracene:H2O, pyrene:H2O and benzo[ghi]perylene:H2O ices at 15 K have shown that aromatic alcohols and ketones, as well as CO2 and H2CO are formed at very low temperatures. Like-wise, here, in addition to the coronene cation, hydroxy-, keto-, and protonated coronene (coronene-H+) are formed. The rate constants for the decay of neutral coronene and for the formation of photoproducts have been derived. It is shown that PAHs and their UV-induced PAH:H2O photoproducts have mid-infrared spectroscopic signatures in the 5-8 µm region that can contribute to the interstellar ice components described by Boogert et al. (2008) as C1-C5. Our results suggest that oxygenated and hydrogenated PAHs could be in UV-irradiated regions of the ISM where water-rich ices are important.

A systematic approach to evaluate parameter consistency in the inlet stream of source separated biowaste composting facilities: A case study in Colombia.

Biowaste is commonly the largest fraction of municipal solid waste (MSW) in developing countries. Although composting is an effective method to treat source separated biowaste (SSB), there are certain limitations in terms of operation, partly due to insufficient control to the variability of SSB quality, which affects process kinetics and product quality. This study assesses the variability of the SSB physicochemical quality in a composting facility located in a small town of Colombia, in which SSB collection was performed twice a week. Likewise, the influence of the SSB physicochemical variability on the variability of compost parameters was assessed. Parametric and non-parametric tests (i.e. Student's t-test and the Mann-Whitney test) showed no significant differences in the quality parameters of SSB among collection days, and therefore, it was unnecessary to establish specific operation and maintenance regulations for each collection day. Significant variability was found in eight of the twelve quality parameters analyzed in the inlet stream, with corresponding coefficients of variation (CV) higher than 23%. The CVs for the eight parameters analyzed in the final compost (i.e. pH, moisture, total organic carbon, total nitrogen, C/N ratio, total phosphorus, total potassium and ash) ranged from 9.6% to 49.4%, with significant variations in five of those parameters (CV>20%). The above indicate that variability in the inlet stream can affect the variability of the end-product. Results suggest the need to consider variability of the inlet stream in the performance of composting facilities to achieve a compost of consistent quality.

Dietary supplementation with probiotic and butyrate for Litopenaeus vannamei in pre-nursery / Suplementação dietética com probiótico e butirato de sódio no pré-berçário de Litopenaeus vannamei

This study aimed to evaluate the diet supplementation with sodium butyrate, probiotic (Lactobacillus plantarum) and their interaction, in the diet for post-larvae of the Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) in pre-nursery. We used the following treatments during the entire experimental period: (1) Probiotic 1x108 UFC/g, sodium butyrate 2%, (3) probiotic 1x108 UFC/g + sodium butyrate 2%, (4) control (Base diet). In all treatment we added culture medium in the same doses as in the probiotic treatments. We used 16 experimental units of 60L each, with the bottom Ushaped, stocked with 2,880 post-larvae 5. Fifteen days later, regardless the presence or absence of the probiotic, shrimps from treatment with butyrate had higher survival (p = 0.0039) and lowest individual dry weight (p = 0.0043). No morphological changes were observed in the gut of postlarvae in any treatment. Therefore, the diet supplementation with sodium butyrate increases the survival of shrimp post-larvae of in the pre-nursery phase, without causing morphological changes in its gut.(AU)

Este estudo teve por objetivo avaliar o uso suplementar de probiótico (Lactobacillus plantarum) e butirato de sódio, e a interação deles na dieta de póslarvas de camarão-branco-do-pacífico (Litopenaeus vannamei) em fase de pré-berçário. Durante o experimento foram aplicados nas dietas os tratamentos: (1) probiótico 1x108 UFC/g, (2) butirato de sódio 2%, (3) probiótico 1x108 UFC/g + butirato de sódio 2%, (4) controle (dieta base). Todos os tratamentos tiveram a adição de meio de cultura na mesma dosagem utilizada nos tratamentos com probiótico. Foram utilizadas 16 unidades experimentais de 60 L cada uma, com fundo em formato U, povoadas com 2.880 póslarvas 5. Após quinze dias, independentemente da presença ou não do probiótico, os camarões dos tratamentos com butirato apresentaram maior sobrevivência (p = 0,0039) e menor peso seco individual (p = 0,0043). Não foram observadas alterações morfológicas no intestino das pós-larvas em nenhum dos tratamentos. Portanto, a suplementação com butirato de sódio na ração aumenta a sobrevivência das pós-larvas de camarões na fase de pré-berçário sem causar alteração morfológica em seu intestino.(AU)

Dietary supplementation with probiotic and butyrate for Litopenaeus vannamei in pre-nursery / Suplementação dietética com probiótico e butirato de sódio no pré-berçário de Litopenaeus vannamei

This study aimed to evaluate the diet supplementation with sodium butyrate, probiotic (Lactobacillus plantarum) and their interaction, in the diet for post-larvae of the Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) in pre-nursery. We used the following treatments during the entire experimental period: (1) Probiotic 1x108 UFC/g, sodium butyrate 2%, (3) probiotic 1x108 UFC/g + sodium butyrate 2%, (4) control (Base diet). In all treatment we added culture medium in the same doses as in the probiotic treatments. We used 16 experimental units of 60L each, with the bottom Ushaped, stocked with 2,880 post-larvae 5. Fifteen days later, regardless the presence or absence of the probiotic, shrimps from treatment with butyrate had higher survival (p = 0.0039) and lowest individual dry weight (p = 0.0043). No morphological changes were observed in the gut of postlarvae in any treatment. Therefore, the diet supplementation with sodium butyrate increases the survival of shrimp post-larvae of in the pre-nursery phase, without causing morphological changes in its gut.

Este estudo teve por objetivo avaliar o uso suplementar de probiótico (Lactobacillus plantarum) e butirato de sódio, e a interação deles na dieta de póslarvas de camarão-branco-do-pacífico (Litopenaeus vannamei) em fase de pré-berçário. Durante o experimento foram aplicados nas dietas os tratamentos: (1) probiótico 1x108 UFC/g, (2) butirato de sódio 2%, (3) probiótico 1x108 UFC/g + butirato de sódio 2%, (4) controle (dieta base). Todos os tratamentos tiveram a adição de meio de cultura na mesma dosagem utilizada nos tratamentos com probiótico. Foram utilizadas 16 unidades experimentais de 60 L cada uma, com fundo em formato U, povoadas com 2.880 póslarvas 5. Após quinze dias, independentemente da presença ou não do probiótico, os camarões dos tratamentos com butirato apresentaram maior sobrevivência (p = 0,0039) e menor peso seco individual (p = 0,0043). Não foram observadas alterações morfológicas no intestino das pós-larvas em nenhum dos tratamentos. Portanto, a suplementação com butirato de sódio na ração aumenta a sobrevivência das pós-larvas de camarões na fase de pré-berçário sem causar alteração morfológica em seu intestino.

Ácidos orgânicos em rações de poedeiras comerciais

Organic acids are incorporated to the poultry feeds to control Salmonella and moulds. However, there is little information about its effect on the performance of laying hens. Thus, this work was undertaken to study the incorporation of organic acids on the laying hens eggs production. They were placed in 3 groups of 25 animals. Birds in group I were fed with ration containing organic acid for 4 weeks; birds in group II received ration containing organic acid for 8 weeks, and birds in group III were fed with ration without organic acid (Control group). Egg production, body weight, egg weight and egg quality were the analyzed parameters. With base on the results of the incorporation of organic acid into the feed for 4 or 8 weeks improved the egg production, and the body weight (P>0.05) but the egg weight and egg quality were not affected.

Desenvolveu-se este trabalho com o objetivo de avaliar o efeito de ácidos orgânicos adicionados à dieta de aves de postura. Foram utilizadas 75 frangas Isa Brown de 4 meses de idade, divididas em três grupos experimentais (I, II e III) de 25 aves cada e avaliadas por um período de 8 semanas. O grupo I recebeu ração tratada com ácidos orgânicos por quatro semanas, enquanto que o grupo II recebeu ração com ácidos orgânicos por oito semanas, permanecendo o grupo III sem a suplementação de ácidos orgânicos durante todo o período experimental, sendo definido como grupo controle. Ao final do experimento, foram observados dados de produção de ovos, peso das aves, qualidade e peso de ovos. Os resultados demonstraram que a produção de ovos foi melhor nas aves tratadas com o aditivo acidificante (grupos I e II), sendo que os acidificantes também proporcionaram um melhor peso corporal nas aves (P 0,05). A qualidade e o peso dos ovos não foram afetados pela suplementação desses aditivos.

Ácidos orgânicos em rações de poedeiras comerciais

Organic acids are incorporated to the poultry feeds to control Salmonella and moulds. However, there is little information about its effect on the performance of laying hens. Thus, this work was undertaken to study the incorporation of organic acids on the laying hens eggs production. They were placed in 3 groups of 25 animals. Birds in group I were fed with ration containing organic acid for 4 weeks; birds in group II received ration containing organic acid for 8 weeks, and birds in group III were fed with ration without organic acid (Control group). Egg production, body weight, egg weight and egg quality were the analyzed parameters. With base on the results of the incorporation of organic acid into the feed for 4 or 8 weeks improved the egg production, and the body weight (P>0.05) but the egg weight and egg quality were not affected.

Desenvolveu-se este trabalho com o objetivo de avaliar o efeito de ácidos orgânicos adicionados à dieta de aves de postura. Foram utilizadas 75 frangas Isa Brown de 4 meses de idade, divididas em três grupos experimentais (I, II e III) de 25 aves cada e avaliadas por um período de 8 semanas. O grupo I recebeu ração tratada com ácidos orgânicos por quatro semanas, enquanto que o grupo II recebeu ração com ácidos orgânicos por oito semanas, permanecendo o grupo III sem a suplementação de ácidos orgânicos durante todo o período experimental, sendo definido como grupo controle. Ao final do experimento, foram observados dados de produção de ovos, peso das aves, qualidade e peso de ovos. Os resultados demonstraram que a produção de ovos foi melhor nas aves tratadas com o aditivo acidificante (grupos I e II), sendo que os acidificantes também proporcionaram um melhor peso corporal nas aves (P 0,05). A qualidade e o peso dos ovos não foram afetados pela suplementação desses aditivos.