Lignin recovery from rice straw biorefinery solid waste by soda process with ethylene glycol as co-solvent

Rice Straw Waste-Based Biogas Production via Microbial Digestion: A Review

The development of sustainable and renewable energy production is in high demand, and bioenergy production via microbial digestion of organic wastes is in prime focus. Biogas produced from the microbial digestion of organic waste is the most promising among existing biofuel options. In this context, biogas production from lignocellulosic biomass is one of the most viable and promising technologies for sustainable biofuel production. In the present review, an assessment and feasibility advancement have been presented towards the sustainable production of biogas from rice straw waste. Rice straw (RS) is abundantly available, contains a high composition of cellulose, and is found under the category of lignocellulosic waste, but it may cause severe environmental issues if not treated. Whereas, due to its high cellulose and inorganic content, lower cost, and huge availability, this waste can be effectively valorized into biogas production at a lower cost on a commercial scale. Therefore, the present review provides existing insight in this area by focusing on the operational parameter's improvement and advancement in the research for the expansion of mass-scale production at a lower cost. Thus, the presented review analyzed the processing parameters status, associated challenges, and positive endnote solutions for more sustainable viability for biogas production.

Genome-wide identification, characterization, evolution and expression analysis of the DIR gene family in potato (Solanum tuberosum)

The dirigent (DIR) gene is a key player in environmental stress response and has been identified in many multidimensional tube plant species. However, there are few studies on the StDIR gene in potato. In this study, we used genome-wide identification to identify 31 StDIR genes in potato. Among the 12 potato chromosomes, the StDIR gene was distributed on 11 chromosomes, among which the third chromosome did not have a family member, while the tenth chromosome had the most members with 11 members. 22 of the 31 StDIRs had a classical DIR gene structure, with one exon and no intron. The conserved DIR domain accounts for most of the proteins in the 27 StDIRs. The structure of the StDIR gene was analyzed and ten different motifs were detected. The StDIR gene was divided into three groups according to its phylogenetic relationship, and 22 duplicate genes were identified. In addition, four kinds of cis-acting elements were detected in all 31 StDIR promoter regions, most of which were associated with biotic and abiotic stress. The findings demonstrated that the StDIR gene exhibited specific responses to cold stress, salt stress, ABA, and drought stress. This study provides new candidate genes for improving potato's resistance to stress.

Offsetting the environmental impacts of single or multi-product biorefineries from wheat straw

Moving toward a bioeconomy system is fundamental to climate change mitigation, nevertheless, the biotechnological routes should guarantee an environmental sustainability. Isobutene, a precursor in several industrial applications, is one of those chemicals that the environmental effects of its bio-based production have been scarcely explored. This study aims to assess the environmental performance of two biorefinery systems: the first one focuses only on the production of isobutene (I) and the second one on the co-production with lignin (I + L), both from the valorisation of wheat straw. The Life Cycle Assessment methodology is used to determine the environmental impacts considering mid-point and end-point categories. Biorefineries report 0.65 and 1.32 kg CO₂-eq per kg of biomass processed for I and I + L system, respectively. The most affected endpoint damage category corresponds to Human Health, regardless of the scenarios. Moreover, the pre-treatment stage constitutes the main hotspot of both systems considering midpoint and endpoint perspectives.