Biopellet from demineralized oil palm trunk

Oil palm trunk (OPT) is a potential raw material for biopellet manufacturing. This study aimed to reduce the ash content of biopellet through pre-treatment with sulfuric acid. The moisture content, durability, ash content, density, and calorific values of the biopellet were determined according to DIN EN 14961-2 and 51731 standards. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated the presence of inter-particle interlocking in the highly durable biopellet. Thermal analysis indicated that the mass and water loss, hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin decomposition occurred at 76.12 ºC, 113.97-200 ºC, 310-360 ºC, and >400 ºC, respectively. Biopellet produced retained a moisture content of 3.40-8.90%, the durability of 97.75-99.38%, ash content after pre-treatment with H2SO4 of 1.02-1.47%, control ash content of 2.20-3.31%, the density of 1.03-1.30 g/cm3, and the calorific value of 3954-4608 kcal/kg. The biopellet quality fulfilled the requirements of DIN EN 14961-2, 51731, and SNI 8021-2014 standard, except for the ash content of the control.

Punch in the gut: Parasite tolerance of phytochemicals reflects host diet

Gut parasites of plant-eating insects are exposed to antimicrobial phytochemicals that can reduce infection. Trypanosomatid gut parasites infect insects of diverse nutritional ecologies as well as mammals and plants, raising the question of how host diet-associated phytochemicals shape parasite evolution and host specificity. To test the hypothesis that phytochemical tolerance of trypanosomatids reflects the chemical ecology of their hosts, we compared related parasites from honey bees and mosquitoes- hosts that differ in phytochemical consumption- and contrasted our results with previous studies on phylogenetically related, human-parasitic Leishmania. We identified one bacterial and ten plant-derived substances with known antileishmanial activity that also inhibited honey bee parasites associated with colony collapse. Bee parasites exhibited greater tolerance of chrysin- a flavonoid found in nectar, pollen, and plant resin-derived propolis. In contrast, mosquito parasites were more tolerant of cinnamic acid- a product of lignin decomposition present in woody debris-rich larval habitats. Parasites from both hosts tolerated many compounds that inhibit Leishmania, hinting at possible trade-offs between phytochemical tolerance and mammalian infection. Our results implicate the phytochemistry of host diets as a potential driver of insect-trypanosomatid associations, and identify compounds that could be incorporated into colony diets or floral landscapes to ameliorate infection in bees.