Succinoylation of sugarcane bagasse under ultrasound irradiation

Effect of Ammonia Fiber Expansion Combined with NaOH Pretreatment on the Resource Efficiency of Herbaceous and Woody Lignocellulosic Biomass

The most essential issue facing the world today is the provision of energy and sustainable consumption of natural resources. Pretreatment is an essential step to produce biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass. In this study, ammonia fiber explosion (AFEX) combined with NaOH (A-NaOH) pretreatment effects on the characteristics of Pennisetum sinese (herbaceous), oak (hardwood), and camphor wood (softwood) were assessed using enzymatic efficiency analysis, thereby identifying the composition properties of subsequent bio-H₂ production. The results show that the lignin removal (84.2%, 59.7%, and 36.7%, respectively) at 5%A-NaOH conditions and enzymatic efficiency (36.2%, 9.7%, and 6.5%, respectively) of Pennisetum sinese (P. sinese), oak, and camphor wood were significantly increased under 4% A-NaOH conditions. Further A-NaOH pretreatment significantly promoted dark fermentation bio-H₂ production (152.3, 99.1, and 76.9 mL/g TS, respectively) and volatile acid production (4660.2, 3720.2, and 3496.2 mg/L, respectively) of P. sinese, oak, and camphor wood. These findings show that A-NaOH pretreatment is an effective means of utilization of lignocellulose resources.

Effects of different pretreatment methods on the structural characteristics, enzymatic saccharification and photo-fermentative bio-hydrogen production performance of corn straw

In this study, the effects of different pretreatment methods, including hydrothermal, acid, alkali, acid-heat, and alkali-heat on the structural characteristics, enzymatic saccharification and photo-fermentative bio-hydrogen production performance of corn straw were investigated. Results revealed that all the studied pretreatments effectively destroyed the corn straw structure and improved its enzymatic saccharification potential. The alkali-heat and alkali pretreatment showed significant advantage in reducing sugars release, and the highest total reducing sugar concentration of 23.07 g/L was obtained under the pretreatment condition of 2% NaOH-Heat. The maximum cumulative hydrogen yield of 137.76 mL/g TS was achieved from 2% NaOH pretreated corn straw, while corn straw pretreated with 4% NaOH-heat had the minimum cumulative hydrogen yield of 44.20 mL/g TS. These results suggest that appropriate pretreatment can effectively destroy the corn straw structure and enhance its enzymatic saccharification and hydrogen production performance.

Mechanochemical esterification of waste mulberry wood by wet Ball-milling with tetrabutylammonium fluoride

Esterification of lignocellulosic biomass driven by dry ball-milling suffered from agglomeration of lignocellulosic matters during milling process. In this study, esterification of waste mulberry wood (MW) was carried out by wet ball-milling with water and tetrabutylammonium fluoride (TBAF) to prepare all-wood-plastic composites. Under the same condition, the esterification of MW by wet ball-milling with TBAF presented higher efficiency than that without TBAF which was attributed to catalytic function of F^- ions meanwhile the binding of TBA⁺ to cellulose fibrils hindered the compaction of fibrillated fragments. Pre-ball-milling of MW for 4.0 h apparently promoted the esterification with succinic anhydride. All-wood-plastic composites prepared after 7.0 h succinoylation demonstrated prominent mechanical performance due to strong adhesion of fragments and matrix. This study is supposed to provide an environment-friendly method for efficient conversion of waste lignocellulosic biomass.

A sensitive and rapid radiolabelling method for the in vivo pharmacokinetic study of lentinan

The aim of this study is to establish a rapid and sensitive method for detecting lentinan (LNT) in biosamples and to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of LNT in mice and rats. A diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) derivative of LNT (DTPA-LNT) was synthesized first to allow labelling with 99m-technetium (99mTc). After purification and identification, 99mTc-DTPA-LNT was intravenously administered to mice (2 mg kg-1) and rats at different doses (0.5, 2 and 8 mg kg-1). The results showed that the 99mTc-labelling method was suitable for the quantification of the LNT concentration in biological samples, with satisfactory linearity (r2 > 0.998), precision (<7%), accuracy (95.01-104.51%) and total recovery (∼90%). The blood concentration-time profiles of 99mTc-DTPA-LNT were consistent with the two-compartment model and showed a rapid distribution phase and a slow elimination, and no significant difference in the blood level of LNT was found among the tested doses (0.5, 2 and 8 mg kg-1). LNT was predominantly incorporated into the liver and spleen, and there was a small amount of aggregation in the bile, kidneys, lungs and stomach. Approximately 40% of the administered radioactivity was detected in urine and faeces within 24 h post-dosing. In addition, SPECT imaging of 99mTc-DTPA-LNT was performed to visually reveal the pharmacokinetic characteristics of LNT. These findings provide a reference for further study and for use of LNT and other β-glucans.

Anionically Stabilized Cellulose Nanofibrils through Succinylation Pretreatment in Urea-Lithium Chloride Deep Eutectic Solvent

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are green chemicals that have the potential to replace traditional solvents in chemical reactions. In this study, urea-LiCl DES was used successfully as a reaction medium in the anionic functionalization of wood cellulose with succinic anhydride. The effects of reaction temperature and time on the carboxyl content and yield were evaluated. The analyses of the degree of polymerization and crystallinity revealed that the DES was a nondegrading and nondissolving reaction medium. Three samples with the highest carboxyl contents were further nanofibrillated with a microfluidizer to diameters of 2-7 nm, as observed by atomic force microscopy. Samples treated at 70-80 °C for 2 h gave the best outcome and resulted in highly viscose and transparent gels. The sample treated at 90 °C contained larger nanoparticles and larger aggregates owing to the occurrence of possible side reactions but resulted in better thermal stability.

Evaluation of chain architectures and charge properties of various starch-based flocculants for flocculation of humic acid from water

Three different starch-based flocculants with various chain architectures and charge properties have been prepared through etherification, graft copolymerization, or their combination. Two of the flocculants (starch-graft-poly[(2-methacryloyloxyethyl) trimethyl ammonium chloride] and starch-3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl triethyl ammonium chloride, denoted as STC-g-PDMC and STC-CTA respectively) are cationic, and another one (carboxymethyl starch-graft-poly[(2-methacryloyloxyethyl) trimethyl ammonium chloride], denoted as CMS-g-PDMC) is amphoteric. Those three flocculants have shown far different flocculation efficiency and floc properties for the removal of humic acid (HA) from water due to their distinct structural features. The effects of pH, flocculant dose, and initial HA concentration have been studied systematically. Accordingly, STC-g-PDMC and CMS-g-PDMC with strongly cationic branch chains have much better flocculation performance than polyaluminum chloride (PAC) and STC-CTA, the latter of which features linear chain architecture and strongly cationic pieces lying on its chain backbone. It indicates that the architecture of cationic branch chains plays an important role in HA flocculation due to their significantly enhanced bridging effects. Moreover, STC-g-PDMC has higher HA removal efficiency and better floc properties than CMS-g-PDMC, suggesting that charge neutralization effects make notable contributions to HA removal and that the additional anionic pieces on CMS-g-PDMC can weaken its flocculation performance. In addition, STC-g-PDMC used as coagulant aid for PAC has also been tried, which observably reduces the optimal dose of the inorganic coagulant.

Green route to modification of wood waste, cellulose and hemicellulose using reactive extrusion

A large volume of wood waste is produced in timber processing industry which traditionally used in low value applications. Here, value addition to the wood waste (Sander dust) and cellulose, hemicellulose isolated thereof by functionalisation using cyclic anhydrides in a solvent-free and green reactive extrusion process is reported. The effect of extrusion temperature, catalyst and different weight ratios of Sander dust (SD):succinic anhydride (SA) on the esterification reaction is evaluated. The esterified products were characterised by the acid value, degree of substitution (DS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), solid state (13)C NMR and thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA). Under optimum extrusion conditions, mixed esters are formed, with highest acid value obtained for succinylation of cellulose (0.122 g/g at DS of 0.350) which is two times higher compared to succinylated SD (0.059 g/g at a weight gain of 0.452) and hemicellulose (0.043 g/g at DS of 0.290). The reactivity trend for individual anhydride was: (1) SA-Cellulose>SD>hemicellulose; (2) maleic anhydride (MA)-SD>hemicellulose>cellulose and (3) dodecenyl succinic anhydride (DDSA)-SD ≈ cellulose ≫ hemicellulose. The pendant free carboxyl groups generated through functionalisation of wood waste, cellulose and hemicellulose without the presence of polymeric carriers will allow more tailored or targeted modification of wood-plastic composites.

Removal of cadmium(II) from aqueous solutions by chemically modified maize straw

A new regenerable adsorbent was successfully prepared by modifying maize straw (MS) with succinic anhydride in xylene. The succinylated-maize straw (S-MS) was characterized by FTIR, solid-state MAS (13)C NMR spectroscopy, SEM-EDX and point of zero charge analysis. NaS-MS was successfully obtained after deprotonating the carboxylic acid groups of S-MS by Na2CO3 solution. Batch experiments were carried out with NaS-MS for the removal of Cd(II). The effects of pH, adsorbent dosage, contact time, initial concentration and temperature were investigated. The experimental data were best described by a pseudo-second-order kinetics and Langmuir adsorption models. Thermodynamic parameters (ΔG, ΔH, and ΔS) were also calculated from data obtained from experiments performed to study the effect of temperatures. NaS-MS could be regenerated at least five times in saturated NaCl solution without any loss. Furthermore, ∼97% of adsorbed Cd(II) ions could be recovered as the metal oxide. Finally, the adsorption mechanism of NaS-MS was discussed.

Microscopic structure and properties changes of cassava stillage residue pretreated by mechanical activation

This study has focused on the pretreatment of cassava stillage residue (CSR) by mechanical activation (MA) using a self-designed stirring ball mill. The changes in surface morphology, functional groups and crystalline structure of pretreated CSR were examined by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) under reasonable conditions. The results showed that MA could significantly damage the crystal structure of CSR, resulting in the variation of surface morphology, the increase of amorphous region ratio and hydrogen bond energy, and the decrease in crystallinity and crystalline size. But no new functional groups generated during milling, and the crystal type of cellulose in CSR still belonged to cellulose I after MA.

Removal of Zn2+ from aqueous single metal solutions and electroplating wastewater with wood sawdust and sugarcane bagasse modified with EDTA dianhydride (EDTAD)

This work describes the preparation of a new chelating material derived from wood sawdust, Manilkara sp., and not only the use of a new support, but also a chemically modified sugarcane bagasse synthesized in our previous work to remove Zn(2+) from aqueous solutions and electroplating wastewater. The first part describes the chemical modification of wood sawdust and sugarcane bagasse using ethylenediaminetetraacetic dianhydride (EDTAD) as modifying agent in order to introduce carboxylic acid and amine functional groups into these materials. The obtained materials such as the modified sugarcane bagasse, EB, and modified wood sawdust, ES were then characterized by infrared spectroscopy (IR) and CHN. The second part evaluates the adsorption capacity of Zn(2+) by EB and ES from aqueous single metal solutions and real electroplating wastewater, which concentration was determined through direct titration with EDTA and inductively coupled plasma (ICP-OES). Adsorption isotherms were developed using Langmuir model. Zn(2+) adsorption capacities were found to be 80 mg/g for ES and 105 mg/g for EB whereas for the industrial wastewater these values were found to be 47 mg/g for ES and 45 mg/g for EB. Zn(2+) adsorption in the wastewater was found to be lower than in Zn(2+) spiked solution due to the competition between other cations and/or interference of other ions, mainly Ca(2+) and Cl(-) that were present in the wastewater.

Homogeneous sulfation of bagasse cellulose in an ionic liquid and anticoagulation activity

Homogeneous sulfation of bagasse cellulose (BC) with chlorosulfonic acid-dimethylformamide was accomplished in an ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([C(4)mim]Cl). The BCS products from the sulfation had degrees of substitution (DS) in the range of 0.52-2.95 and a simultaneous substitution pattern at C-6, C-2 and C-3 positions. The sulfated BCS attained significant anticoagulation activity, causing a dose-dependent prolongation of coagulation time and inhibition of FIIa and FXa activities in human plasma. The anticoagulation activity of BCS showed a positive correlation with DS, and some of the activity indexes exceeded those of heparin.