Effects of nutrition on digestión efficicency and gaseous emissions from slurry in growing-finishing pigs. I. Influence of the inclusión of two levels of orange pulp and carb meal in isofibrous diets

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of increasing the level of two sources of fibrous by-products, orange pulp (OP) and carob meal (CM), in iso-NDF growing-finishing pig diets on nutrient balance, slurry composition and potential ammonia (NH3) and methane (CH4) emissions. Thirty pigs (85.4 ± 12.3 kg) were fed five iso-nutritive diets: a commercial control wheat/barley (C) and four experimental diets including two sources of fibrous by-products (OP and CM) and two dietary levels (75 and 150 g/kg) in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. After a 14-day adaptation period, faeces and urine were collected separately for 7 days to measure nutrient digestibility and the excretory patterns of N from pigs (6 replicates per diet) housed individually in metabolic pens. For each animal, the derived NH3 and CH4 emissions were measured in samples of slurry over an 11- and 100-day storage periods, respectively. Source and level of the fibrous by-products affected digestion efficiency in a different way as the coefficients of total tract apparent digestibility (CTTAD) for dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), fibre fractions and gross energy increased with OP but decreased with CM (P < 0.05). Crude protein CTTAD decreased with the inclusion of both sources of fibre, being lower at the highest dietary level. Faecal concentration of fibre fractions increased (P < 0.05) with the level of inclusion of CM but decreased with that of OP (P < 0.01). High dietary level for both sources of fibre increased (P < 0.02) CP faecal content but urine N content decreased (from 205 to 168 g/kg DM, P < 0.05) in all the fibre-supplemented compared to C diet. Additionally, the proportions of undigested dietary, water soluble, and bacterial and endogenous debris of faecal N excretion were not affected by treatments. The initial slurry characteristics did not differ among different fibre sources and dietary levels, except pH, which decreased at the highest by-product inclusion levels. Ammonia emission per kg of slurry was lower in all the fibre-supplemented diets than in C diet (from 2.44 to 1.81 g, P < 0.05). Additionally, slurries from the highest dietary level of by-products tended (P < 0.06) to emit less NH3 per kg of initial total Kjeldahl N and showed a lower B0, independently of the fibre source. Thus, the fibre sources and their dietary levels affected pig nutrient digestion and composition of urine and faeces, showing potential to decrease NH3 and CH4 emissions at high levels of inclusion, independently of type of fibre.

NaOH and KOH for preparing activated carbons used in energy and environmental applications

Alkaline hydroxides, especially sodium and potassium hydroxides, are multi-million-ton per annum commodities and strong chemical bases that have large scale applications. Some of them are related with their consequent ability to degrade most materials, depending on the temperature used. As an example, these chemicals are involved in the manufacture of pulp and paper, textiles, biodiesels, soaps and detergents, acid gases removal (e.g., SO2) and others, as well as in many organic synthesis processes. Sodium and potassium hydroxides are strong and corrosive bases, but they are also very stable chemicals that can melt without decomposition, NaOH at 318ºC, and KOH at 360ºC. Hence, they can react with most materials, even with relatively inert ones such as carbon materials. Thus, at temperatures higher than 360ºC these melted hydroxides easily react with most types of carbon-containing raw materials (coals, lignocellulosic materials, pitches, etc.), as well as with most pure carbon materials (carbon fibers, carbon nanofibers and carbon nanotubes). This reaction occurs via a solid-liquid redox reaction in which both hydroxides (NaOH or KOH) are converted to the following main products: hydrogen, alkaline metals and alkaline carbonates, as a result of the carbon precursor oxidation. By controlling this reaction, and after a suitable washing process, good quality activated carbons (ACs), a classical type of porous materials, can be prepared. Such carbon activation by hydroxides, known since long time ago, continues to be under research due to the unique properties of the resulting activated carbons. They have promising high porosity developments and interesting pore size distributions. These two properties are important for new applications such as gas storage (e.g., natural gas or hydrogen), capture, storage and transport of carbon dioxide, electricity storage demands (EDLC-supercapacitors-) or pollution control. Because these applications require new and superior quality activated carbons, there is no doubt that among the different existing activating processes, the one based on the chemical reaction between the carbon precursor and the alkaline hydroxide (NaOH or KOH) gives the best activation results. The present article covers different aspects of the activation by hydroxides, including the characteristics of the resulting activated carbons and their performance in some environment-related applications. The following topics are discussed: i) variables of the preparation method, such as the nature of the hydroxide, the type of carbon precursor, the hydroxide/carbon precursor ratio, the mixing procedure of carbon precursor and hydroxide (impregnation of the precursor with a hydroxide solution or mixing both, hydroxide and carbon precursor, as solids), or the temperature and time of the reaction are discussed, analyzing their effect on the resulting porosity; ii) analysis of the main reactions occurring during the activation process, iii) comparative analysis of the porosity development obtained from different activation processes (e.g., CO2, steam, phosphoric acid and hydroxides activation); and iv) performance of the prepared activated carbon materials on a few applications, such as VOC removal, electricity and gas storages.

Agriculture, Food and the TTIP: Possibilities and Pitfalls. CEPS Special Report No. 99/December 2014. TTIP Series No. 3 and Paper No. 1 in the CEPS-CTR project “TTIP in the balance’’

Progress in agriculture and food issues in the TTIP talks will largely be determined by the level of ambition in the negotiations as a whole. If ambitions are modest, a low-level agreement could probably be reached that includes some limited commitments on agricultural market access and food regulations. These could include promises of mutual support in the area of opening up agricultural markets through the WTO and of further Transatlantic cooperation in trying to resolve conflicts over food regulations. Bolder ambitions would allow more scope for tackling the difficult problems, though at the cost of time. It would be unfortunate if the opportunity were not taken to make some significant progress in removing some longstanding irritants in the area of agricultural policy and food regulations: this is where the economic gains are likely to be significant and the spill-overs useful. This paper argues the case that it is worthwhile making the effort to secure a constructive and imaginative agreement on agriculture and food regulations in the TTIP. A fairly detailed suggestive list of potential sub-deals in agro-food, supported by the analysis in the paper, is the most concrete one of a series of policy conclusions

Resins for the paper converter /

Bibliography: pages 87-88.

Glossary of paper terms and instructions to exporters for guidance in properly listing and classifying exports of paper and paper products on shippers' export declarations.

Mode of access: Internet.

Bi-monetism; the money of commerce and the money of the state. An inquiry into their relations to each other, and to gold, silver and paper, as materials for money.

Mode of access: Internet.

A manual of the art of bookbinding : containing full instructions in the different branches of forwarding, gilding, and finishing : also, the art of marbling book-edges and paper : the whole designed for the practical workman, the amateur, and the book-collector /

Includes index.

The secret of pictorial art, or, Self-instructor in painting on glass, china, satin and paper : it teaches the oil photo-miniature, Grecian oil, antique, oriental, crystal and pastel paintings, crystalline, decalcomanie and diaphanie transferring /

Includes index.

Banks, banking, and paper currencies; in three parts. I. History of banking and paper money. II. Argument for open competition in banking. III. Apology for one-dollar notes.

Microfilm. Ann Arbor, Mich., Xerox University Microfilms, 1972. 35 mm. (American Culture Series, reel, 534.5)

Dissertations on government, the affairs of the bank, and paper money.

Mode of access: Internet.

Principles of banks and banking of money, as coin and paper : with the consequences of any excessive issue on the national currency, course of exchange, price of provisions, commodities, and fixed incomes ... /

Goldsmiths' Lib. cat.

Tokens of the eighteenth century connected with booksellers & bookmakers (authors, printers, publishers, engravers and paper makers)

Mode of access: Internet.