scholarly journals Growth and Biochemical Composition Characteristics of Arthrospira platensis Induced by Simultaneous Nitrogen Deficiency and Seawater-Supplemented Medium in an Outdoor Raceway Pond in Winter

Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 2974
Author(s):  
Hualian Wu ◽  
Tao Li ◽  
Jinting Lv ◽  
Zishuo Chen ◽  
Jiayi Wu ◽  
...  

Arthrospira platensis, a well-known cyanobacterium, is widely applied not only in human and animal nutrition but also in cosmetics for its high amounts of active products. The biochemical composition plays a key role in the application performance of the Arthrospira biomass. The present study aimed to evaluate the growth and biochemical composition characteristics of A. platensis, cultured with a nitrogen-free and seawater-supplemented medium in an outdoor raceway pond in winter. The results showed that the biomass yield could achieve 222.42 g m−2, and the carbohydrate content increased by 247% at the end of the culture period (26 d), compared with that of the starter culture. The daily and annual areal productivities were 3.96 g m−2 d−1 and 14.44 ton ha−1 yr−1 for biomass and 2.88 g m−2 d−1 and 10.53 ton ha−1 yr−1 for carbohydrates, respectively. On the contrary, a profound reduction was observed in protein, lipid, and pigment contents. Glucose, the main monosaccharide in the A. platensis biomass, increased from 77.81% to 93.75% of total monosaccharides. Based on these results, large-scale production of carbohydrate-rich A. platensis biomass was achieved via a low-cost culture, involving simultaneous nitrogen deficiency and supplementary seawater in winter.

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 751-759 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinxin Lian ◽  
Yuanjiang Lv ◽  
Haoliang Sun ◽  
David Hui ◽  
Guangxin Wang

AbstractAg nanoparticles/Mo–Ag alloy films with different Ag contents were prepared on polyimide by magnetron sputtering. The effects of Ag contents on the microstructure of self-grown Ag nanoparticles/Mo–Ag alloy films were investigated using XRD, FESEM, EDS and TEM. The Ag content plays an important role in the size and number of uniformly distributed Ag nanoparticles spontaneously formed on the Mo–Ag alloy film surface, and the morphology of the self-grown Ag nanoparticles has changed significantly. Additionally, it is worth noting that the Ag nanoparticles/Mo–Ag alloy films covered by a thin Ag film exhibits highly sensitive surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) performance. The electric field distributions were calculated using finite-difference time-domain analysis to further prove that the SERS enhancement of the films is mainly determined by “hot spots” in the interparticle gap between Ag nanoparticles. The detection limit of the Ag film/Ag nanoparticles/Mo–Ag alloy film for Rhodamine 6G probe molecules was 5 × 10−14 mol/L. Therefore, the novel type of the Ag film/Ag nanoparticles/Mo–Ag alloy film can be used as an ideal SERS-active substrate for low-cost and large-scale production.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 1706
Author(s):  
Zacharias Viskadourakis ◽  
Argiri Drymiskianaki ◽  
Vassilis M. Papadakis ◽  
Ioanna Ioannou ◽  
Theodora Kyratsi ◽  
...  

In the current study, polymer-based composites, consisting of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) and Bismuth Antimony Telluride (BixSb2−xTe3), were produced using mechanical mixing and hot pressing. These composites were investigated regarding their electrical resistivity and Seebeck coefficient, with respect to Bi doping and BixSb2-xTe3 loading into the composite. Experimental results showed that their thermoelectric performance is comparable—or even superior, in some cases—to reported thermoelectric polymer composites that have been produced using other complex techniques. Consequently, mechanically mixed polymer-based thermoelectric materials could be an efficient method for low-cost and large-scale production of polymer composites for potential thermoelectric applications.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diletta Morelli Venturi ◽  
Filippo Campana ◽  
Fabio Marmottini ◽  
Ferdinando Costantino ◽  
Luigi Vaccaro

<p>Zirconium based Metal-Organic Framework UiO-66 is to date considered one of the benchmark compound among stable MOFs and it has attracted a huge attention for its employment in many strategic applications. Large scale production of UiO-66 for industrial purposes requires the use of safe and green solvents, fulfilling the green chemistry principles and able to replace the use of <i>N,N</i>-Dimethyl-Formamide (DMF), which, despite its toxicity, is still considered the most efficient solvent for obtaining UiO-66 of high quality. Herein we report on a survey of about 40 different solvents with different polarity, boiling point and acidity, used for the laboratory scale synthesis of high quality UiO-66 crystals. The solvents were chosen according the European REACH Regulation 1907/2006 among those having low cost, low toxicity and fully biodegradable. Concerning MOF synthesis, the relevant parameters chosen for establishing the quality of the results obtained are the degree are the crystallinity, microporosity and specific surface area, yield and solvent recyclability. Taking into account also the chemical physical properties of all the solvents, a color code was assigned in order to give a final green assessment for the UiO-66 synthesis. Defectivity of the obtained products, the use of acidic modulators and the use of alternative Zr-salts have been also taken into consideration. Preliminary results lead to conclude that GVL (γ-valerolactone) is among the most promising solvents for replacing DMF in UiO-66 MOF synthesis. </p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 2115 (1) ◽  
pp. 012026
Author(s):  
Sonam Solanki ◽  
Gunendra Mahore

Abstract In the current process of producing vermicompost on a large-scale, the main challenge is to keep the worms alive. This is achieved by maintaining temperature and moisture in their living medium. It is a difficult task to maintain these parameters throughout the process. Currently, this is achieved by building infrastructure but this method requires a large initial investment and long-run maintenance. Also, these methods are limited to small-scale production. For large-scale production, a unit is developed which utilises natural airflow with water and automation. The main aim of this unit is to provide favourable conditions to worms in large-scale production with very low investment and minimum maintenance in long term. The key innovation of this research is that the technology used in the unit should be practical and easy to adopt by small farmers. For long-term maintenance of the technology lesser number of parts are used.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Jester ◽  
Hui Zhao ◽  
Mesfin Gewe ◽  
Thomas Adame ◽  
Lisa Perruzza ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTArthrospira platensis (commonly known as spirulina) is a photosynthetic cyanobacterium1. It is a highly nutritious food that has been consumed for decades in the US, and even longer by indigenous cultures2. Its widespread use as a safe food source and proven scalability have driven frequent attempts to convert it into a biomanufacturing platform. But these were repeatedly frustrated by spirulina’s genetic intractability. We report here efficient and versatile genetic engineering methodology for spirulina that allows stable expression of bioactive protein therapeutics at high levels. We further describe large-scale, indoor cultivation and downstream processing methods appropriate for the manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals in spirulina. The potential of the platform is illustrated by pre-clinical development and human testing of an orally delivered antibody therapeutic against campylobacter, a major cause of infant mortality in the developing world and a growing antibiotic resistance threat3,4. This integrated development and manufacturing platform blends the safety of food-based biotechnology with the ease of genetic manipulation, rapid growth rates and high productivity characteristic of microbial platforms. These features combine for exceptionally low-cost production of biopharmaceuticals to address medical needs that are unfeasible with current biotechnology platforms.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diletta Morelli Venturi ◽  
Filippo Campana ◽  
Fabio Marmottini ◽  
Ferdinando Costantino ◽  
Luigi Vaccaro

<p>Zirconium based Metal-Organic Framework UiO-66 is to date considered one of the benchmark compound among stable MOFs and it has attracted a huge attention for its employment in many strategic applications. Large scale production of UiO-66 for industrial purposes requires the use of safe and green solvents, fulfilling the green chemistry principles and able to replace the use of <i>N,N</i>-Dimethyl-Formamide (DMF), which, despite its toxicity, is still considered the most efficient solvent for obtaining UiO-66 of high quality. Herein we report on a survey of about 40 different solvents with different polarity, boiling point and acidity, used for the laboratory scale synthesis of high quality UiO-66 crystals. The solvents were chosen according the European REACH Regulation 1907/2006 among those having low cost, low toxicity and fully biodegradable. Concerning MOF synthesis, the relevant parameters chosen for establishing the quality of the results obtained are the degree are the crystallinity, microporosity and specific surface area, yield and solvent recyclability. Taking into account also the chemical physical properties of all the solvents, a color code was assigned in order to give a final green assessment for the UiO-66 synthesis. Defectivity of the obtained products, the use of acidic modulators and the use of alternative Zr-salts have been also taken into consideration. Preliminary results lead to conclude that GVL (γ-valerolactone) is among the most promising solvents for replacing DMF in UiO-66 MOF synthesis. </p>


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 (1) ◽  
pp. 000604-000608
Author(s):  
Matthias Hartmann ◽  
Bertram Schmidt

The current research presents recent respective to the work development of a ceramic tubular probe for online substance concentration measurements. The aim was to develop a robust and acid-resistant sensor device, which can be easily included in existing procedural pipeline systems. To archive those goals a lot of factors had to be checked. For the substance concentration measurements a capacitive sensor effect was chosen. With this method even low substance concentrations down to one-tenth of a per cent can be indentified. For the package material zirconium oxide (tetragonal zirconia polycrystal – TZP) was used. Zirconium oxide is a technical ceramic which is wear-resistant, acid-resistant, has a low thermal conductivity, is electrically isolating and can be uses in a ceramic injection molding (CIM) process. In the phase of the sensor design process multiple geometries for the sensor effect and integration space for the evaluation electronics had to be considered. A standardized DN 10 DIN 32676 flanged joint was also added for an unproblematic connection to the pipelines. All these needed geometries had to be integrated into one ceramic element. As a result of these requirements a 3D CAD model of the sensor element was designed. The CAD-file has shown that there was only the CIM technology left to comprehend developed sensor geometry. CIM is a low cost process for large-scale production which is distinguished by high size accuracy. In the CIM process the material shrinkage, this is caused by the needed debindering and sintering steps, had to be considered. The developed ceramic tubular probe was successfully tested in multiple fluidic systems. It has left the test phase and is now ready for maturity phase.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hossein Alishah Aratboni ◽  
Nahid Rafiei ◽  
Raul Garcia-Granados ◽  
Abbas Alemzadeh ◽  
José Rubén Morones-Ramírez

Abstract The use of fossil fuels has been strongly related to critical problems currently affecting society, such as: global warming, global greenhouse effects and pollution. These problems have affected the homeostasis of living organisms worldwide at an alarming rate. Due to this, it is imperative to look for alternatives to the use of fossil fuels and one of the relevant substitutes are biofuels. There are different types of biofuels (categories and generations) that have been previously explored, but recently, the use of microalgae has been strongly considered for the production of biofuels since they present a series of advantages over other biofuel production sources: (a) they don’t need arable land to grow and therefore do not compete with food crops (like biofuels produced from corn, sugar cane and other plants) and; (b) they exhibit rapid biomass production containing high oil contents, at least 15 to 20 times higher than land based oleaginous crops. Hence, these unicellular photosynthetic microorganisms have received great attention from researches to use them in the large-scale production of biofuels. However, one disadvantage of using microalgae is the high economic cost due to the low-yields of lipid content in the microalgae biomass. Thus, development of different methods to enhance microalgae biomass, as well as lipid content in the microalgae cells, would lead to the development of a sustainable low-cost process to produce biofuels. Within the last 10 years, many studies have reported different methods and strategies to induce lipid production to obtain higher lipid accumulation in the biomass of microalgae cells; however, there is not a comprehensive review in the literature that highlights, compares and discusses these strategies. Here, we review these strategies which include modulating light intensity in cultures, controlling and varying CO2 levels and temperature, inducing nutrient starvation in the culture, the implementation of stress by incorporating heavy metal or inducing a high salinity condition, and the use of metabolic and genetic engineering techniques coupled with nanotechnology.


Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (23) ◽  
pp. 5558
Author(s):  
Dimitra Vernardou ◽  
Charalampos Drosos ◽  
Andreas Kafizas ◽  
Martyn E. Pemble ◽  
Emmanouel Koudoumas

The need for clean and efficient energy storage has become the center of attention due to the eminent global energy crisis and growing ecological concerns. A key component in this effort is the ultra-high performance battery, which will play a major role in the energy industry. To meet the demands in portable electronic devices, electric vehicles, and large-scale energy storage systems, it is necessary to prepare advanced batteries with high safety, fast charge ratios, and discharge capabilities at a low cost. Cathode materials play a significant role in determining the performance of batteries. Among the possible electrode materials is vanadium pentoxide, which will be discussed in this review, due to its low cost and high theoretical capacity. Additionally, aqueous electrolytes, which are environmentally safe, provide an alternative approach compared to organic media for safe, cost-effective, and scalable energy storage. In this review, we will reveal the industrial potential of competitive methods to grow cathodes with excellent stability and enhanced electrochemical performance in aqueous media and lay the foundation for the large-scale production of electrode materials.


RSC Advances ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (47) ◽  
pp. 37830-37836 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Wei ◽  
Linlin Guo ◽  
Xiaoyang Qiu ◽  
Peng Qu ◽  
Maotian Xu ◽  
...  

Although many routes have been developed that can efficiently improve the electrochemical performance of LiFePO4 cathodes, few of them meet the urgent industrial requirements of large-scale production, low cost and excellent performance.


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