Biodegradation Behavior of Starch in Simulated White Water System of Old Corrugated Cardboard Pulping Process

Considering the serious barriers/issues induced by the accumulated starch generated in white water system of old corrugated cardboard(OCC)pulping process,large amounts of accumulated starch in white water would be decomposed by microorganisms and could not be utilized,thereby resulting in severe resource wastage and environmental pollution.This study mainly explored the effects of biodegradation/hydrolysis conditions of the two types of starch substrates(native starch and enzymatically(α-amylase)hydrolyzed starch),which were treated via microorganism degradation within the simulated white water from OCC pulping system and their biodegradation products on the key properties were characterized via X-ray diffraction(XRD),Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR),and gel permeation chromatography(GPC)technologies.The effects of system temperature,pH value,starch concentration,and biodegradation time on starch biodegradation ratio and the characteristics of obtained biodegradated products from the two types of starches were studied.In addition,the effect ofα-amylase dosage on the biodegradation ratio of enzymatically hydrolyzed starch and its properties was investigated.It was found that the native starch presented a maximal degradation ratio at a system temperature of 55℃and pH value range of 5-7,respectively,the corresponding starch concentration within simulated white water system was 200 mg/L.Whereas the enzymatically hydrolyzed starch exhibited a highest degradation ratio at a system temperature of 50℃and pH value of 5.5,respectively,and the corresponding starch concentration within simulated white water system was 100 mg/L.It was verified that native starch is more readily bio-hydrolyzed and biodegradation-susceptive by microorganisms in simulated white water system of OCC pulping process,while the enzymatically hydrolyzed starch exhibits better biodegradation/hydrolysis resistance to the microbial degradation than that of native starch.This study provides a practical and interesting approach to investigate the starch hydrolysis or biodegradation behaviors in white water system of OCC pulping process,which would greatly contribute to the full recycling and valorized application of starch as a versatile additive during paperboard production.

Design of B/N Co-doped micro/meso porous carbon electrodes from CNF/BNNS/ZIF-8 nanocomposites for advanced supercapacitors

Boron(B)and nitrogen(N)co-doped 3D hierarchical micro/meso porous carbon(BNPC)were successfully fabricated from cellulose nanofiber(CNF)/boron nitride nanosheets(BNNS)/zinc-methylimidazolate framework-8(ZIF-8)nanocomposites prepared by 2D BNNS,ZIF-8 nanoparticles,and wheat straw based CNFs.Herein,CNF/ZIF-8 acts as versatile skeleton and imparts partial N dopant into porous carbon structure,while the introduced BNNS can help strengthen the hierarchical porous superstructure and endow abundant B/N co-dopants within BNPC matrix.The obtained BNPC electrode possesses a high specific surface area of 505.4 m2/g,high B/N co-doping content,and desirable hydrophilicity.Supercapacitors assembled with BNPC-2(B/N co-doped porous carbon with a CNF/BNNS mass ratio of 1꞉2)electrodes exhibited exceptional electrochemical performance,demonstrating high capacitance stability even after 5000 charge-discharge cycles.The devices exhibited outstanding energy density and power density,as well as the highest specific capacitance of 433.4 F/g at 1.0 A/g,when compared with other similar reports.This study proposes a facile and sustainable strategy for efficiently fabrication of rich B/N co-doped hierarchical micro/meso porous carbon electrodes from agricultural waste biomass for advanced supercapacitor performance.