scholarly journals How Thermodynamics Illuminates Population Interactions in Microbial Communities

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mayumi Seto ◽  
Yoh Iwasa
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Science ◽  
Electric Energy ◽  
Chemical Energy ◽  
Support Surface ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Microbial Ecosystems ◽  
Limited Supply ◽  
Population Interactions ◽  
By Products ◽  
Traditional Population

In traditional population models of microbial ecology, there are two central players: producers and consumers (including decomposers that depend on organic carbon). Producers support surface ecosystems by generating adenosine triphosphate (ATP) from sunlight, part of which is used to build new biomass from carbon dioxide. In contrast, the productivity of subsurface ecosystems with a limited supply of sunlight must rely on bacteria and archaea that are able generate ATP solely from chemical or electric energy to fix inorganic carbon. These “light-independent producers” are frequently not included in traditional food webs, even though they are ubiquitous in nature and interact with one another through the utilization of the by-products of others. In this review, we introduce theoretical approaches based on population dynamics that incorporate thermodynamics to highlight characteristic interactions in the microbial community of subsurface ecosystems, which may link community structures and ecosystem expansion under conditions of a limited supply of sunlight. In comparison with light-dependent producers, which compete with one another for light, the use of Gibbs free energy (chemical energy) can lead cooperative interactions among light-independent producers through the effects of the relative quantities of products and reactants on the available chemical energy, which is termed abundant resource premium. The development of a population theory that incorporates thermodynamics offers fundamental ecological insights into subsurface microbial ecosystems, which may be applied to fields of study such as environmental science/engineering, astrobiology, or the microbial ecosystems of the early earth.

Sustainable 2,5-furandicarboxylic synthesis by a direct 5-hydroxymethylfurfural fuel cell based on a bifunctional PtNiSx catalyst

2020 ◽  
Vol 56 (88) ◽  
pp. 13611-13614
Author(s):  
Jialu Wang ◽  
Xian Zhang ◽  
Guozhong Wang ◽  
Yunxia Zhang ◽  
Haimin Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Electric Energy ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Chemical Energy ◽  
New Type

A new type of direct 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) oxidation fuel cell based on a bifunctional PtNiSx/CB catalyst not only transformed chemical energy into electric energy but also converted HMF into value-added 2,5-furandicarboxylic (FDCA).

Preliminary results of the optimization of biogas production at the biogas station of the national research institute of animal production in Grodziec Sląski – Kostkowice

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 26-31
Author(s):  
K. Węglarzy ◽  
Yu. Shliva ◽  
B. Matros ◽  
G. Sych
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Crude Protein ◽  
Biogas Production ◽  
Electric Energy ◽  
Corn Silage ◽  
Industrial Wastes ◽  
Organic Mass ◽  
National Research Institute ◽  
Digestion Process ◽  
By Products

Aim. To optimize the methane digestion process while using different recipes of substrate components of ag- ricultural origin. Methods. The chemical composition of separate components of the substrate of agricultural by-products, industrial wastes, fats of the agrorefi nery and corn silage was studied. Dry (organic) mass, crude protein (fat) fi ber, loose ash, nitrogen-free exhaust were estimated in the components and the productivity of biogas was determined along with the methane content. These data were used as a basis for daily recipes of the substrate and the analysis of biogas production at the biogas station in Kostkowice. Results. The application of by-products of agricultural production solves the problem of their storage on boards and in open containers, which reduces investment costs, related to the installation of units for their storage. Conclusions. The return on investment for obtaining electric energy out of agricultural biogas depends considerably on the kind of the substrate used and on technological and market conditions.

scholarly journals Bromate anion reduction: novel autocatalytic (EC″) mechanism of electrochemical processes. Its implication for redox flow batteries of high energy and power densities

2017 ◽  
Vol 89 (10) ◽  
pp. 1429-1448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikhail A. Vorotyntsev ◽  
Anatoly E. Antipov ◽  
Dmıtry V. Konev
Keyword(s):  
Electric Energy ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Redox Couple ◽  
Bulk Solution ◽  
Layer Model ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Diffusion Limited ◽  
Ec Mechanism ◽  
Tracer Amount ◽  
Very High

Abstract Recent theoretical studies of the bromate electroreduction from strongly acidic solution have been overviewed in view of very high redox-charge and energy densities of this process making it attractive for electric energy sources. Keeping in mind non-electroactivity of the bromate ion the possibility to ensure its rapid transformation via a redox-mediator cycle (EC′ mechanism) is analyzed. Alternative route via the bromine/bromide redox couple and the comproportionation reaction inside the solution phase is considered within the framework of several theoretical approaches based on the conventional Nernst layer model, or on its recently proposed advanced version (Generalized Nernst layer model), on the convective diffusion transport equations. This analysis has revealed that this process corresponds to a novel (EC″) electrochemical mechanism since the transformation of the principal oxidant (bromate) is carried out via autocatalytic redox cycle where the bromate consumption leads to progressive accumulation of the bromine/bromide redox couple catalyzing the process. As a result, even a tracer amount of its component, bromine, in the bulk solution leads under certain conditions to extremely high current densities which may even overcome the diffusion-limited one for bromate, i.e. be well over 1 A/cm2 for concentrated bromate solutions. This analysis allows one to expect that the hydrogen–bromate flow battery may generate very high values of both the current density and specific electric power, over 1 A/cm2 and 1 W/cm2.

EcoLexicon and by-products

Terminology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 222-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pilar León-Araúz ◽  
Arianne Reimerink ◽  
Pamela Faber
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Web ◽  
Knowledge Representation ◽  
Knowledge Base ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Environmental Science ◽  
Image Annotation ◽  
Open Data ◽  
Annotation Tool ◽  
Different Types ◽  
By Products

Abstract Reutilization and interoperability are major issues in the fields of knowledge representation and extraction, as reflected in initiatives such as the Semantic Web and the Linked Open Data Cloud. This paper shows how terminological resources can be integrated and reused within different types of application. EcoLexicon is a multilingual terminological knowledge base (TKB) on environmental science that integrates conceptual, linguistic and visual information. It has led to the following by-products: (i) the EcoLexicon English Corpus; (ii) EcoLexiCAT, a terminology-enhanced translation tool; and (iii) Manzanilla, an image annotation tool. This paper explains EcoLexicon and its by-products, and shows how the latter exploit and enhance the data in the TKB.

Electrochemical neutralization energy: from concept to devices

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yichun Ding ◽  
Pingwei Cai ◽  
Zhenhai Wen
Keyword(s):  
Energy Conversion ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Electric Energy ◽  
Chemical Energy ◽  
Energy Devices ◽  
Promising Strategy ◽  
Electrochemical Energy

Electrochemical neutralization energy establishes a bridge for facilitating energy conversion between some chemical energy and electric energy, shedding light on a promising strategy to develop high-performance aqueous electrochemical energy devices.

scholarly journals Efficient conversion of chemical energy into mechanical work by Hsp70 chaperones

eLife ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salvatore Assenza ◽  
Alberto Stefano Sassi ◽  
Ruth Kellner ◽  
Benjamin Schuler ◽  
Paolo De Los Rios ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Free Energy ◽  
Single Molecule ◽  
Atp Hydrolysis ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Quantitative Agreement ◽  
Mechanical Work ◽  
Chemical Energy ◽  
Coarse Grained ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Non Equilibrium

Hsp70 molecular chaperones are abundant ATP-dependent nanomachines that actively reshape non-native, misfolded proteins and assist a wide variety of essential cellular processes. Here, we combine complementary theoretical approaches to elucidate the structural and thermodynamic details of the chaperone-induced expansion of a substrate protein, with a particular emphasis on the critical role played by ATP hydrolysis. We first determine the conformational free-energy cost of the substrate expansion due to the binding of multiple chaperones using coarse-grained molecular simulations. We then exploit this result to implement a non-equilibrium rate model which estimates the degree of expansion as a function of the free energy provided by ATP hydrolysis. Our results are in quantitative agreement with recent single-molecule FRET experiments and highlight the stark non-equilibrium nature of the process, showing that Hsp70s are optimized to effectively convert chemical energy into mechanical work close to physiological conditions.

scholarly journals Microbial material cycling, energetic constraints and ecosystem expansion in subsurface ecosystems

2020 ◽  
Vol 287 (1931) ◽  
pp. 20200610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mayumi Seto ◽  
Yoh Iwasa
Keyword(s):  
Material Flow ◽  
The Other ◽  
Chemical Energy ◽  
Ecosystem Productivity ◽  
Material Cycles ◽  
Energetic Constraints ◽  
Material Cycling ◽  
By Products

To harvest energy from chemical reactions, microbes engage in diverse catabolic interactions that drive material cycles in the environment. Here, we consider a simple mathematical model for cycling reactions between alternative forms of an element (A and A e ), where reaction 1 converts A to A e and reaction 2 converts A e to A. There are two types of microbes: type 1 microbes harness reaction 1, and type 2 microbes harness reaction 2. Each type receives its own catabolic resources from the other type and provides the other type with the by-products as the catabolic resources. Analyses of the model show that each type increases its steady-state abundance in the presence of the other type. The flux of material flow becomes faster in the presence of microbes. By coupling two catabolic reactions, types 1 and 2 can also expand their realized niches through the abundant resource premium, the effect of relative quantities of products and reactants on the available chemical energy, which is especially important for microbes under strong energetic limitations. The plausibility of mutually beneficial interactions is controlled by the available chemical energy (Gibbs energy) of the system. We conclude that mutualistic catabolic interactions can be an important factor that enables microbes in subsurface ecosystems to increase ecosystem productivity and expand the ecosystem.

scholarly journals Alkaline pretreatment for practicable production of ethanol and xylooligosaccharides

Bioethanol ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Viviane Marcos Nascimento ◽  
Anny Manrich ◽  
Paulo Waldir Tardioli ◽  
Roberto de Campos Giordano ◽  
George Jackson de Moraes Rocha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sugarcane Bagasse ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Electric Energy ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Birchwood Xylan ◽  
Naoh Pretreatment ◽  
Food Animal ◽  
Small Production ◽  
Reaction Cycles ◽  
By Products

AbstractThe economics for production of secondgeneration (2G) ethanol from sugarcane bagasse in large scale, competing with the cogeneration of electric energy, is still not consolidated. In this scenario, the key for feasibility may be the biorefinery concept, a multiproduct industry using biomass fractions to produce energy, chemicals and by-products. Xylooligosaccharides (XOS) are oligomers of xylose often used as additives in food, animal feeds, and drugs. The effect of NaOH pretreatment on the recovery of xylan for XOS production from sugarcane bagasse under different conditions, namely 121°C, 4-7% NaOH loading, was investigated. The best condition was 4% NaOH and 60 min of reaction, achieving 55% of xylan extraction, without monomer production. In order to produce XOS, soluble and immobilized xylanases were used to hydrolyze commercial birchwood xylan (as control) and the sugarcane bagasse xylan. The immobilized endoxylanase produced XOS with 37% of xylobiose and 20% of xylotriose (w/w). The small production of xylose clearly indicated the purity of the xylan extracted from sugarcane bagasse. The biocatalyst had more than 90% of its activity preserved after 5 reaction cycles. The results showed the suitability of sugarcane bagasse as a raw material for production of ethanol and of XOS using immobilized xylanase.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document