Optimizing Douglas-fir bark liquefaction in mixtures of glycerol and polyethylene glycol and KOH

AbstractThe outer bark of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) has a significant amount of cork tissue that may be an important source of chemicals derived from its natural polymers, suberin, cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin. The present work focuses on the polyalcohol liquefaction of Douglas-fir bark with glycerol and polyethylene glycol (PEG) in order to obtain a liquid that can be further processed to other chemicals and products. The results show thatPseudotsugabark can be liquefied in a significant percentage in presence of alkali. The best liquefaction yield was obtained with 6% KOH as agents. Although the use of a cosolvent is favorable, good liquefaction yields can also be obtained by glycerol alone. Lower temperatures are favorable as they lead to acceptable liquefaction yields. FTIR-ATR studies showed that all the structural compounds of the bark were attacked and depolymerized. The process tested has a high potential for generation of value-added products from liquefied Douglas-fir bark.

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Demonstration and Assessment of Purification Cascades for the Separation and Valorization of Hemicellulose from Organosolv Beechwood Hydrolyzates

Membranes ◽

10.3390/membranes12010082 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 82

Author(s):

Roy Nitzsche ◽

Hendrik Etzold ◽

Marlen Verges ◽

Arne Gröngröft ◽

Matthias Kraume

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Hydrothermal Treatment ◽

Experimental Work ◽

Value Added ◽

Aspen Plus ◽

High Potential ◽

Production Costs ◽

Specific Production ◽

The Cost ◽

Value Added Products

Hemicellulose and its derivatives have a high potential to replace fossil-based materials in various high-value-added products. Within this study, two purification cascades for the separation and valorization of hemicellulose and its derived monomeric sugars from organosolv beechwood hydrolyzates (BWHs) were experimentally demonstrated and assessed. Purification cascade 1 included hydrothermal treatment for converting remaining hemicellulose oligomers to xylose and the purification of the xylose by nanofiltration. Purification cascade 2 included the removal of lignin by adsorption, followed by ultrafiltration for the separation and concentration of hemicellulose. Based on the findings of the experimental work, both cascades were simulated on an industrial scale using Aspen Plus®. In purification cascade 1, 63% of the oligomeric hemicellulose was hydrothermally converted to xylose and purified by nanofiltration to 7.8 t/h of a xylose solution with a concentration of 200 g/L. In purification cascade 2, 80% of the lignin was removed by adsorption, and 7.6 t/h of a purified hemicellulose solution with a concentration of 200 g/L was obtained using ultrafiltration. The energy efficiency of the cascades was 59% and 26%, respectively. Furthermore, the estimation of specific production costs showed that xylose can be recovered from BWH at the cost of 73.7 EUR/t and hemicellulose at 135.1 EUR/t.

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Glyceryl-Acyl and Aryl-Acyl Dimers in Pseudotsuga menziesii Bark Suberin

Holzforschung ◽

10.1515/hf.1999.066 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 53 (4) ◽

pp. 397-402 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

José Graça ◽

Helena Pereira

Keyword(s):

Ferulic Acid ◽

Pseudotsuga Menziesii ◽

Relative Abundance ◽

Direct Evidence ◽

Douglas Fir ◽

Aliphatic Acid ◽

Outer Bark ◽

Primary Hydroxyl ◽

Alkanoic Acids ◽

Main Component

Summary The cork from the outer bark of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) was exhaustively extracted and submitted to a mild CaO-catalyzed methanolic depolymerization. The solubilized material (2.5 % yield) was derivatized and analysed with GC-MS. Glycerol was the main component (41.2%), followed by aliphatic acid monomers (30.6%) and glyceryl and feruloyl dimers (14.5%). Monoacylglyceryl esters of α,ω-diacids were dominant (68% of glyceryl dimers), followed by monoacylglyceryl esters of alkanoic acids and of ω-hydroxyacids (respectively 20% and 9%). For all cases 1- and 2-monoacyl-glyceryl esters were present. Dimers of ω-hydroxyacids esterified to ferulic acid through their primary hydroxyl were also found. The feruloyl ester of docosanol could also be identified. The relative abundance of the dimers followed the proportion of acid monomers. The direct evidence found here for P. menziesii, and previously for Q. suber, that glycerol is esterified to all suberinic acids and that ω-hydroxyacids are esterified to ferulic acid supported the discussion of a suberin structure developing on glyceryl-diacyl-glyceryl and glyceryl-hydroxyacyl-feruloyl backbones.

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OPPORTUNITIES FOR STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT OF BIO-ECONOMY IN THE FOOD AND TOURISM INDUSTRY

Knowledge International Journal ◽

10.35120/kij28051681g ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 28 (5) ◽

pp. 1681-1684

Author(s):

Georgi Toskov ◽

Ana Yaneva ◽

Stanko Stankov ◽

Hafize Fidan

Keyword(s):

National Level ◽

Value Added ◽

Tourism Industry ◽

Small Companies ◽

Food Sector ◽

Strategic Development ◽

Innovation Potential ◽

Wide Range ◽

Foreign Brands ◽

Value Added Products

The European Commission defines the bioeconomy as "the production of renewable biological resources and the conversion of these resources and waste streams into value added products, such as food, feed, bio-based products and bioenergy. Its sectors and industries have strong innovation potential due to their use of a wide range of sciences, enabling and industrial technologies, along with local and implied knowledge." The Bulgarian food industry faces a lot of challenges on the local and national level, which have direct influence on the structure of the production companies. Most of the enterprises from the food sector produce under foreign brands in order to be flexible partners to the large Bulgarian retail chains. The small companies from the food sector are not able to develop as an independent competitive producer on the territory of their local markets. This kind of companies rarely has a working strategy for positioning on new markets. In order to consolidate their already built positions for long period of time, the producers are trying to optimize their operations in a short term. However, the unclear vision of the companies for the business segment does not allow them to fully develop. Tourism in Bulgaria is a significant contributor to the country's economy.

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Oxidized indium with transformable dimensions for CO2 electroreduction toward formate aided by oxygen vacancies

Sustainable Energy & Fuels ◽

10.1039/d0se00498g ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (7) ◽

pp. 3726-3731

Author(s):

Fenghui Ye ◽

Jinghui Gao ◽

Yilin Chen ◽

Yunming Fang

Keyword(s):

Crucial Role ◽

Oxygen Vacancies ◽

Value Added ◽

Promising Technique ◽

Co2 Electroreduction ◽

Value Added Products

Electroreduction of CO2 into value-added products is a promising technique in which the structure of the catalyst plays a crucial role.

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β-Galactosidases from a Sequence-Based Metagenome: Cloning, Expression, Purification and Characterization

Microorganisms ◽

10.3390/microorganisms9010055 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 55

Author(s):

María Florencia Eberhardt ◽

José Matías Irazoqui ◽

Ariel Fernando Amadio

Keyword(s):

Bacterial Species ◽

Value Added ◽

Raw Material ◽

Activity Levels ◽

Treatment Technology ◽

Catalytic Domains ◽

Stabilization Ponds ◽

Cazy Database ◽

Genes Encoding ◽

Value Added Products

Stabilization ponds are a common treatment technology for wastewater generated by dairy industries. Large proportions of cheese whey are thrown into these ponds, creating an environmental problem because of the large volume produced and the high biological and chemical oxygen demands. Due to its composition, mainly lactose and proteins, it can be considered as a raw material for value-added products, through physicochemical or enzymatic treatments. β-Galactosidases (EC 3.2.1.23) are lactose modifying enzymes that can transform lactose in free monomers, glucose and galactose, or galactooligosacharides. Here, the identification of novel genes encoding β-galactosidases, identified via whole-genome shotgun sequencing of the metagenome of dairy industries stabilization ponds is reported. The genes were selected based on the conservation of catalytic domains, comparing against the CAZy database, and focusing on families with β-galactosidases activity (GH1, GH2 and GH42). A total of 394 candidate genes were found, all belonging to bacterial species. From these candidates, 12 were selected to be cloned and expressed. A total of six enzymes were expressed, and five cleaved efficiently ortho-nitrophenyl-β-galactoside and lactose. The activity levels of one of these novel β-galactosidase was higher than other enzymes reported from functional metagenomics screening and higher than the only enzyme reported from sequence-based metagenomics. A group of novel mesophilic β-galactosidases from diary stabilization ponds’ metagenomes was successfully identified, cloned and expressed. These novel enzymes provide alternatives for the production of value-added products from dairy industries’ by-products.

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Milk Fat Globule Membrane Proteome and Micronutrients in the Milk Lipid Fraction: Insights into Milk Bioactive Compounds

Dairy ◽

10.3390/dairy2020018 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 202-217

Author(s):

Michele Manoni ◽

Donata Cattaneo ◽

Sharon Mazzoleni ◽

Carlotta Giromini ◽

Antonella Baldi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Milk Fat ◽

Lipid Fraction ◽

Value Added ◽

Milk Lipid ◽

Milk Fat Globule Membrane ◽

Fat Globules ◽

Milk Fat Globules ◽

Milk Fat Globule ◽

Fat Globule ◽

Value Added Products

Milk lipids are composed of milk fat globules (MFGs) surrounded by the milk fat globule membrane (MFGM). MFGM protects MFGs from coalescence and enzymatic degradation. The milk lipid fraction is a “natural solvent” for macronutrients such as phospholipids, proteins and cholesterol, and micronutrients such as minerals and vitamins. The research focused largely on the polar lipids of MFGM, given their wide bioactive properties. In this review we discussed (i) the composition of MFGM proteome and its variations among species and phases of lactation and (ii) the micronutrient content of human and cow’s milk lipid fraction. The major MFGM proteins are shared among species, but the molecular function and protein expression of MFGM proteins vary among species and phases of lactation. The main minerals in the milk lipid fraction are iron, zinc, copper and calcium, whereas the major vitamins are vitamin A, β-carotene, riboflavin and α-tocopherol. The update and the combination of this knowledge could lead to the exploitation of the MFGM proteome and the milk lipid fraction at nutritional, biological or technological levels. An example is the design of innovative and value-added products, such as MFGM-supplemented infant formulas.

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