Synthesis of Al(OH)3 nanoparticles from Indonesian bauxite and tomato waste extract as chelating agent for nanofluids applications

This study aimed to determine the effect of calcination time on the properties of Al(OH)3 or gibbsite nanoparticles in the sol-gel process, which was then used as the basic material in the manufacturing of water-Al(OH)3 based nanofluids. Nanofluid is a mixture of basic fluids such as water with solid nanoparticles. Al(OH)3 nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized from Indonesia local mineral bauxite using the sol-gel method by utilizing tomato waste extract as a chelating agent at a calcination temperature of 700ºC for 1 hour, 3 hours, and 5 hours. The obtained calcined powders were characterized using X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The evaluation toward nanofluids application based on theirs stability based on visual observation and zeta potential. Based on XRD analysis, all calcined powders has single Al(OH)3 or gibbsite phase. Increasing the calcined temperature gave impact on crystallinity, crystallite size, and reorientation of crystal. The water-Al(OH)3 nanofluid was relatively less stable with a zeta potential value of -25.2 mV; -26.4 mV; and -17.4 mV for calcination time 1 h, 3 h, and 5 h, respectively.

Parameter Biokinetika dari Degradasi Limbah Kol dan Tomat Menggunakan Sistem Bioreaktor Anaerobik

The world's energy supply is very dependent on non-renewable energy in the form of fossil fuels. This causes fossil fuels depletion and the need for alternative energy sources such as biogas. Biogas is produced from the fermentation process of organic matter with the help of anaerobic bacteria in free oxygen absence. This study aims to produce biogas from cabbage and tomato waste separately. Biogas production was carried out by varying feed concentrations of 100 g/L, 200 g/L, and 300 g/L for cabbage waste and 81.6 g/L; 215 g/L; and 237 g/L for tomato waste. This study consisted of 10 days seeding and acclimatization process, followed by a start-up stage using insulated anaerobic bioreactors. The largest methane from cabbage and tomato waste was 60% at a feed concentration of 200 g/L and 50% at a feed concentration of 237 g/L, respectively. The maximum growth rates (µm) for biogas from cabbage and tomato waste were 0.122 day-1 and 0.121 day-1, respectively.

Valorization of Tomato Waste as a Source of Carotenoids

Fast-accumulating scientific evidence from many studies has revealed that fruits and vegetables are the main source of bioactive compounds; in most cases, wastes and byproducts generated by the food processing industry present similar or a higher content of antioxidant compounds. In recent years, the ever-growing amount of agricultural and food wastes has raised serious concerns from an environmental point of view. Therefore, there is an increasing interest in finding new ways for their processing toward safely upgrading these wastes for recovering high-value-added products with a sustainable approach. Among food waste, the abundance of bioactive compounds in byproducts derived from tomato suggests possibility of utilizing them as a low-cost source of antioxidants as functional ingredients. This contribution gives an overview of latest studies on the extraction methods of carotenoids from tomato waste, along with an evaluation of their antioxidant activity, as well as their industrial applications.

Effect of microwave-assisted extraction on bioactive compounds from industrial tomato waste and its antioxidant activity

The bioactive compound of tomato waste from industry was microwave-assisted extracted in different conditions including microwave powers of 180, 300 and 450 W and the extraction time of 30, 60 and 90 s. After extraction, the fractionation was performed to separate the hydrophobic fraction (hexane fraction) and hydrophilic fraction (ethanolic fraction). The bioactive compound and its DPPH radical scavenging activity were determined. For the hydrophobic part, the results showed that the microwave power of 300 W for 60 s gave the highest trans-lycopene and beta-carotene (5.74 mg lycopene/100 g and 4.83 mg beta-carotene/100 g) while the highest DPPH radical scavenging was the extracts at a microwave power of 180 W for 90 s. For hydrophilic parts, the best extraction condition giving the highest total phenolic compound (280.10 mg GAE/100 g) and total flavonoid content (9832.52 mg CE/100 g DM) were at 180 W for 90 s and 450 W for 30 s, respectively. However, the highest antioxidant activity was the extract of 300 W for 60 s. Fuzzy assessment analysis exhibited that the best condition was microwave power of 300 W for 60 s with high antioxidant activity of both fractions.

A comparative analysis of biogas production from tomato bio-waste in mesophilic batch and continuous anaerobic digestion systems

Annually, agricultural activity produces an enormous amount of plant biomass by-product. Many studies have reported the biomethane potential of agro-industrial wastes, but only a few studies have investigated applying the substrates in both batch and continuous mode. Tomato is one of the most popular vegetables globally; its processing releases a substantial amount of by-product, such as stems and leaves. This study examined the BMP of tomato plant (Solanum lycopersicum Mill. L. cv. Alfred) waste. A comparative test revealed that the BMPs of corn stover, tomato waste,and their combination were approximately the same, around 280 mL methane/g Volatile Solid. In contrast, the relative biogas production decreased in the presence of tomato waste in a continuous mesophilic anaerobic digestion system; the daily biogas productions were 860 ± 80, 290 ± 50, and 570 ± 70 mL biogas/gVolatile Solid/day in the case of corn stover, tomato waste, and their mixture, respectively. The methane content of biogas was around 46–48%. The fermentation parameters of the continuous AD experiments were optimal in all cases; thus, TW might have an inhibitory effect on the microbial community. Tomato plant materials contain e.g. flavonoids, glycoalkaloids (such as tomatine and tomatidine), etc. known as antimicrobial and antifungal agents. The negative effect of tomatine on the biogas yield was confirmed in batch fermentation experiments. Metagenomic analysis revealed that the tomato plant waste caused significant rearrangements in the microbial communities in the continuously operated reactors. The results demonstrated that tomato waste could be a good mono-substrate in batch fermentations or a co-substrate with corn stover in a proper ratio in continuous anaerobic fermentations for biogas production. These results also point to the importance of running long-term continuous fermentations to test the suitability of a novel biomass substrate for industrial biogas production.

Evaluation of Tomato-Based Packing Material for Retention of Ammonia, Nitrous Oxide, Carbon Dioxide and Methane in Gas Phase Biofilters: A Laboratory Study

Biofilters are an effective air pollution control technology to break down gaseous contaminants and produce innocuous end products. This laboratory study aimed to evaluate a biofilter media, mainly composed by tomato waste, as packing material to reduce NH3, N2O, CO2 and CH4 losses from stored pig slurry. Three mixtures of packing materials, with and without oxalic acid, were arranged in treatments, namely: mixture of tomato waste, pine bark and agricultural compost; mixture of tomato waste and rice husk; tomato waste only. A control treatment (no biofilter) was also included. The experiments were conducted using a system of laboratory scale biofilters connected to jars filled with pig slurry and under a constant airflow rate. The gas concentrations were measured for 14 days and the physicochemical of the packing materials were assessed. Results showed that biofilter media mixtures had a potential for NH3 retention ranging from 51 to 77% and the addition of oxalic acid to these biofilters increased NH3 retention to 72–79%. Additionally, the biofilter media mixtures with and without oxalic acid showed a potential retention for CH4 (29–69%) but not for N2O, yet with no impact on the global warming potential. It can be concluded that tomato based biofilters had the potential to reduce gaseous emissions from slurry.