Formulation of fermentation media from flour-rich waste streams for microbial lipid production by Lipomyces starkeyi

Flour-rich waste (FRW) and by-product streams generated by bakery, confectionery and wheat milling plants could be employed as the sole raw materials for generic fermentation media production, suitable for microbial oil synthesis. Wheat milling by-products were used in solid state fermentations (SSF) of Aspergillus awamori for the production of crude enzymes, mainly glucoamylase and protease. Enzyme-rich SSF solids were subsequently employed for hydrolysis of FRW streams into nutrient-rich fermentation media. Batch hydrolytic experiments using FRW concentrations up to 205 g/L resulted in higher than 90%(w/w) starch to glucose conversion yields and 40% (w/w) total Kjeldahl nitrogen to free amino nitro-gen conversion yields. Starch to glucose conversion yields of 98.2, 86.1 and 73.4% (w/w) were achieved when initial FRW concentrations of 235, 300 and 350 g/L were employed in fed-batch hydrolytic experiments, respectively. Crude hydrolysates were used as fermentation media in shake flask cultures with the oleaginous yeast Lipomyces starkeyi DSM 70296 reaching a total dry weight of 30.5 g/L with a microbial oil content of 40.4% (w/w), higher than that achieved in synthetic media. Fed-batch bioreactor cultures led to a total dry weight of 109.8 g/L with a microbial oil content of 57.8% (w/w) and productivity of 0.4 g/L/h.

Design and techno-economic evaluation of microbial oil production as a renewable resource for biodiesel and oleochemical production

Experimental results from the open literature have been employed for the design and techno-economic evaluation of four process flowsheets for the production of microbial oil or biodiesel. The fermentation of glucose-based media using the yeast strain Rhodosporidium toruloides has been considered. Biodiesel production was based on the exploitation of either direct transesterification (without extraction of lipids from microbial biomass) or indirect transesterifaction of extracted microbial oil. When glucose-based renewable resources are used as carbon source for an annual production capacity of 10,000 t microbial oil and zero cost of glucose (assuming development of integrated biorefineries in existing industries utilising waste or by-product streams) the estimated unitary cost of purified microbial oil is $3.4/kg. Biodiesel production via indirect transesterification of extracted microbial oil proved more cost-competitive process compared to the direct conversion of dried yeast cells. For a price of glucose of $400/t oil production cost and biodiesel production cost are estimated to be $5.5/kg oil and $5.9/kg biodiesel, correspondingly. Industrial implementation of microbial oil production from oleaginous yeast is strongly dependent on the feedstock used and on the fermentation stage where significantly higher productivities and final microbial oil concentrations should be achieved.

Utilisation of by-products from sunflower-based biodiesel production processes for the production of fermentation feedstock

By-products streams from a sunflower-based biodiesel plant were utilised for the production of fermentation media that can be used for the production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA). Sunflower meal was utilised as substrate for the production of crude enzyme consortia through solid state fermentation (SSF) with the fungal strain Aspergillus oryzae. Fermented solids were subsequently mixed with unprocessed sunflower meal aiming at the production of a nutrient-rich fermentation feedstock. The highest free amino nitrogen (FAN) and inorganic phosphorus concentrations achieved were 1.5 g L-1 and 246 mg L-1, respectively, when an initial proteolytic activity of 6.4 U mL-1 was used. The FANconcentrationwas increased to 2.3 g L-1 when the initial proteolytic activity was increased to 16 U mL-1. Sunflower meal hydrolysates were mixed with crude glycerol to provide fermentationmedia that were evaluated for the production of poly(3-hydroxybutyrateco- 3-hydroxyvalerate) (P(3HB-co-3HV)) using Cupriavidus necator DSM545. The P(3HB-co-3HV) (9.9 g l-1) produced contained 3HB and 3HV units with 97 and 3 mol %, respectively. Integrating PHA production in existing 1st generation biodiesel production plants through valorisation of by-product streams could improve their sustainability.

Astringency reduction in red wine by whey proteins

Whey is a by-product of cheese manufacturing and therefore investigating new applications of whey proteins will contribute towards the valorisation of whey and hence waste reduction. This study shows for the first time a detailed comparison of the effectiveness of gelatin and β-lactoglobulin (β-LG) as fining agents. Gelatin was more reactive than whey proteins to tannic acid as shown by both the astringency method (with ovalbumin as a precipitant) and the tannins determination method (with methylcellulose as a precipitant). The two proteins showed similar selectivity for polyphenols but β-LG did not remove as much catechin. The fining agent was removed completely or to a trace level after centrifugation followed by filtration which minimises its potential allergenicity. In addition, improved understanding of protein–tannin interactions was obtained by fluorescence, size measurement and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). Overall this study demonstrates that whey proteins have the potential of reducing astringency in red wine and can find a place in enology.

Valorization of an Industrial Organosolv-Sugarcane Bagasse Lignin: Characterization and Use as a Matrix in Biobased Composites Reinforced With Sisal Fibers

In the present study, the main focus was the characterization and application of the by-product lignin isolated through an industrial organosolv acid hydrolysis process from sugarcane bagasse, aiming at the production of bioethanol. The sugarcane lignin was characterized and used to prepare phenolic-type resins. The analysis confirmed that the industrial sugarcane lignin is of HGS type, with a high proportion of the less substituted aromatic ring p-hydroxyphenyl units, which favors further reaction with formaldehyde. The lignin-formaldehyde resins were used to produce biobased composites reinforced with different proportions of randomly distributed sisal fibers. The presence of lignin moieties in both the fiber and matrix increases their mutual affinity, as confirmed by SEM images, which showed good adhesion at the biocomposite fiber/matrix interface. This in turn allowed good load transference from the matrix to the fiber, leading to biobased composites with good impact strength (near 500 J m(-1) for a 40 wt% sisal fiber-reinforced composite). The study demonstrates that sugarcane bagasse lignin obtained from a bioethanol plant can be used without excessive purification in the preparation of lignocellulosic fiber-reinforced biobased composites displaying high mechanical properties. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2010;107: 612-621. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The value of a saved tree : The lifecycle of CO2-emissions associated with the combination of printing paper and electricity production of wood in the U.S. and Sweden

The pulp- and paper production is a very energy intensive industry sector. Both Sweden and the U.S. are major pulpandpaper producers. This report examines the energy and the CO2-emission connected with the pulp- and paperindustry for the two countries from a lifecycle perspective.New technologies make it possible to increase the electricity production in the integrated pulp- andpaper mill through black liquor gasification and a combined cycle (BLGCC). That way, the mill canproduce excess electricity, which can be sold and replace electricity produced in power plants. In thisprocess the by-products that are formed at the pulp-making process is used as fuel to produce electricity.In pulp- and paper mills today the technology for generating energy from the by-product in aTomlinson boiler is not as efficient as it could be compared to the BLGCC technology. Scenarios havebeen designed to investigate the results from using the BLGCC technique using a life cycle analysis.Two scenarios are being represented by a 1994 mill in the U.S. and a 1994 mill in Sweden.The scenariosare based on the average energy intensity of pulp- and paper mills as operating in 1994 in the U.S.and Sweden respectively. The two other scenarios are constituted by a »reference mill« in the U.S. andSweden using state-of-the-art technology. We investigate the impact of varying recycling rates and totalenergy use and CO2-emissions from the production of printing and writing paper. To economize withthe wood and that way save trees, we can use the trees that are replaced by recycling in a biomassgasification combined cycle (BIGCC) to produce electricity in a power station. This produces extra electricitywith a lower CO2 intensity than electricity generated by, for example, coal-fired power plants.The lifecycle analysis in this thesis also includes the use of waste treatment in the paper lifecycle. Both Sweden and theU.S. are countries that recycle paper. Still there is a lot of paper waste, this paper is a part of the countries municipalsolid waste (MSW). A lot of the MSW is landfilled, but parts of it are incinerated to extract electricity. The thesis hasdesigned special scenarios for the use of MSW in the lifecycle analysis.This report is studying and comparing two different countries and two different efficiencies on theBLGCC in four different scenarios. This gives a wide survey and points to essential parameters to specificallyreflect on, when making assumptions in a lifecycle analysis. The report shows that there arethree key parameters that have to be carefully considered when making a lifecycle analysis of wood inan energy and CO2-emission perspective in the pulp- and paper mill in the U.S. and in Sweden. First,there is the energy efficiency in the pulp- and paper mill, then the efficiency of the BLGCC and last theCO2 intensity of the electricity displaced by BIGCC or BLGCC generatedelectricity. It also show that with the current technology that we havetoday, it is possible to produce CO2 free paper with a waste paper amountup to 30%. The thesis discusses the system boundaries and the assumptions.Further and more detailed research, including amongst others thesystem boundaries and forestry, is recommended for more specificanswers.

Modular Product Verifications Based on Design for Assembly

The desire to conquer markets through advanced product design and trendy business strategies are still predominant approaches in industry today. In fact, product development has acquired an ever more central role in the strategic planning of companies, and it has extended its influence to R&D funding levels as well. It is not surprising that many national R&D project frameworks within the EU today are dominated by product development topics, leaving production engineering, robotics, and systems on the sidelines. The reasons may be many but, unfortunately, the link between product development and the production processes they cater for are seldom treated in depth. The issue dealt with in this article relates to how product development is applied in order to attain the required production quality levels a company may desire, as well as how one may counter assembly defects and deviations through quantifiable design approaches. It is recognized that product verifications (tests, inspections, etc.) are necessary, but the application of these tactics often result in lead-time extensions and increased costs. Modular architectures improve this by simplifying the verification of the assembled product at module level. Furthermore, since Design for Assembly (DFA) has shown the possibility to identify defective assemblies, it may be possible to detect potential assembly defects already in the product and module design phase. The intention of this paper is to discuss and describe the link between verifications of modular architectures, defects and design for assembly. The paper is based on literature and case studies; tables and diagrams are included with the intention of increasing understanding of the relation between poor designs, defects and product verifications.

Product placement in movies: a cross cultural study between Brazil and the USA

The broader objective of this study undertaking can briefly be articulated in particulate aims as follows: to measure the attitudes of consumers regarding the brand displayed by this strategy as well as to highlight recall, recognition and purchase intentions generated by product placement on consumers. In addition, check the differences and similarities between the behavior of Brazilian and American consumers caused by the influence of product placements. The study was undertaken targeting consumer audience in Brazil and the U.S. A rang3 modeling set ups were performed in order to realign study instruments and hypothesis towards the research objectives. This study gave focus on the following hypothesized models. H1: Consumers / Participants who viewed the brands / products in the movie have a higher brand / product recall compared to the consumers / participants who did not view the brands / products in the movie. H2: US Consumers / Participants are able to recognize and recall brands / products which appear in the background of the movie than Brazil. H3: Consumers / participants from USA are more accepting of product placements compared to their counterparts in Brazil. H4: There are discernible similarities in consumer / participant brand attitudes and purchase intentions in consumers / participants from USA and Brazil in spite of the fact that their country of origin is different. Cronbach’s Alpha Coefficient ensured the reliability of survey instruments. The study involved the use of the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) for the hypothesis testing. This study used the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to assess both the convergent and discriminant validities instead of using the Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) or the Principal Component Analysis (PCA). This reinforced for the use of the regression Chi Square and T statistical tests in further. Only hypothesis H3 was rejected, the rest were not. T test provided insight findings on specific subgroup significant differences. In the SEM testing, the error variance for product placement attitudes was negative for both the groups. On this The Heywood Case came in handy to fix negative values. The researcher used both quantitative and qualitative approach where closed ended questionnaires and interviews respectively were used to collect primary data. The results were additionally provided with tabulations. It can be concluded that, product placement varies markedly in the U.S. from Brazil based on the influence a range of factors provided in the study. However, there are elements of convergence probably driven by the convergence in technology. In order, product placement to become more competitive in the promotional marketing, there will be the need for researchers to extend focus from the traditional variables and add knowledge on the conventional marketplace factors that is the sell-ability of the product placement technologies and strategies.

Patentes e etanol lignocelulósico

Produção intelectual e desenvolvimento tecnológico podem diferenciar países e regiões no processo de desenvolvimento socioeconômico. No caso do Brasil, observa-se o papel energético do etanol combustível para veículos motorizados leves como um resultado importante do avanço tecnológico do país, que vai além da aptidão agroclimática. A contínua busca pela especialização tecnológica verticalizada do setor sucroenergético poderia levar o Brasil a uma posição, se não autônoma, mais confortável, não só de produtor de matéria-prima, mas de processos agregadores de valor no que diz respeito aos processos de produção de etanol de segunda geração, produzido a partir de biomassa lignocelulósica. O objetivo desta dissertação é analisar os esforços de P&D que resultaram em Depósitos e Publicações de patentes em órgãos oficiais como o United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), o European Patent Office (EPO), e o Instituto Nacional de Propriedade Industrial (INPI), no tema etanol de segunda geração. Ainda, verifica-se se esses esforços impactam no poder concorrencial de países e firmas depositantes de patentes. Além das coletas e observações dos dados dos órgãos acima mencionados, foram calculados para os dados de depósitos e publicações de patentes no tema bioetanol lignocelulósico os índices de Herfindahl Hirschman (HHI) e a razão de concentração (Concentration Ratio) CR4, tradicionalmente utilizados para que órgãos reguladores de defesa do consumidor autorizem fusões e aquisições entre participantes de um determinado mercado. Esse método permite a observação do grau de competitividade entre as firmas depositantes de patentes no tema e a possível tendência sobre a detenção do controle em futuro próximo e a corrida para venda de royalties dos processos desenvolvidos em diferentes áreas tecnológicas para incrementar a produção industrial de etanol avançado. Os resultados indicam uma concentração elevada dos esforços de pesquisa, medidos pelos depósitos de patentes, referentes a etanol de segunda geração, em um número muito reduzido de empresas norte-americanas, quando analisada a base de dados dos EUA. O sucesso desses esforços, mensurados pela publicação de patentes, contudo, não se mostra concentrado nem nos EUA nem na União Europeia. No caso do Brasil, ainda não são encontradas publicações de patentes no tema Lignocellulosic Bioethanol, bem como apenas uma empresa brasileira possui uma patente publicada nos Estados Unidos. Esses resultados sugerem que investimentos em pesquisa científica no Brasil podem produzir mais artigos publicados e titulação acadêmica/científica que propriamente o registro de patentes em órgãos especializados em qualificar a invenção de métodos, processos ou fórmulas, dentro e fora do país. Isso pode significar tanto baixo esforço em pesquisa no assunto quanto à perda pelo autor e/ou sua instituição da oportunidade de ter seu esforço de pesquisa recompensado por meio de royalties, como compensação pela criatividade, dedicação intelectual e de recursos econômicos. Os resultados deste estudo contribuem para o debate a respeito da crescente necessidade de produção e abastecimento de fontes renováveis de energia, como o biocombustível etanol avançado à base do derivado bagaço de cana-de-açúcar, a custos mais competitivos como matéria-prima adicional e para produção incremental de etanol em futuro próximo. As conclusões do estudo indicam a necessidade do aumento na produção de conhecimento aplicado e em esforços para garantir sua propriedade intelectual, permitindo o retorno patrimonial com royalties.

Cytotoxicity of monomers, plasticizer and degradation by-products released from dental hard chairside reline resins

Objectives. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cytotoxic effect of the monomers isobutyl methacrylate (IBMA) and 1,6-hexanediol dimethacrylate (1,6-HDMA), the plasticizer di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), and the degradation by-products methacrylic acid (MA) and benzoic acid (BA) on L929 cells. Based on previous investigations on the release of these compounds from hard chairside reline resins, a range of concentrations (mu mol/L) were selected for the cytotoxicity tests (IBMA, 5.491406.57; 1,6-HDMA, 1.2239.32; DBP, 1.12143.8; MA, 9.07581; BA, 3.19409).Methods. Cytotoxic effects were assessed using MTT and 3H-thymidine assays after the cells had been exposed to the test compounds at the given concentrations for 24h. Cytotoxicity was rated based on cell viability relative to controls (cells exposed to medium without test substances).Results. DNA synthesis activity was inhibited by all compounds. Mitochondrial dehydrogenase activity decreased in cells treated with monomers, plasticizer and MA by-product, whereas no cytotoxic effect was observed on contact with BA at the majority of concentrations tested. The ranges of suppression for 3H-thymidine assay were: IBMA, 2595%; 1,6-HDMA, 9598%; DBP, 4098%; MA, 9799%; BA, 5471%. For MTT assay, the ranges of suppression were: IBMA, 096%; 1,6-HDMA, 2689%; DBP, 1780%; MA, 5266%; BA, 027%. The 3H-thymidine assay was more sensitive than the MTT assay.Significance. This study evaluated the cytotoxicity of a wide range of concentrations of monomers (IBMA and 1,6-HDMA), plasticizer (DBP) and degradation by-products (MA and BA), including those expected to be released from hard chairside reline resins. The differences observed in the cytotoxicity of these compounds, along with other properties, may assist the dental practitioners in the selection of reline materials with improved service life performance and low risk of adverse reactions in patients who wear relined dentures.

Production of xylanolytic enzymes by Penicillium janczewskii

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Pectinase production by Penicillium viridicatum RFC3 by solid state fermentation using agricultural wastes and agro-industrial by-products

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

CURRENT ASPECTS OF FUEL ETHANOL-PRODUCTION IN BRAZIL

Brazil has become a great producer of bioethanol using sugarcane as the basic raw material. Fed-batch process and continuous process are used. Biogas generation from vinasse, production of dry yeast, and autolyzed bagasse for animal feed are making the ethanol production less polluting and more profitable. Bagasse surplus has also been converted into electrical energy. Another alternative use for bioethanol is its conversion to petrochemical derivatives. Up to the present, however, this conversion has been carried out on only a small scale by the industry.

NAFTA and the loss of US market share by Brazil, 1992-2001

Includes bibliography

Productivity differences in Brazilian manufacturing firms, by industrial sector: school bullying and academic achievement

Includes bibliography