Multiscale analysis of fine slag from pulverized coal gasification in entrained-flow bed

Fine slag(FS)is an unavoidable by-product of coal gasification.FS,which is a simple heap of solid waste left in the open air,easily causes environmental pollution and has a low resource utilization rate,thereby restricting the development of energy-saving coal gasification technologies.The multiscale analysis of FS performed in this study indicates typical grain size distribution,composition,crystalline structure,and chemical bonding characteristics.The FS primarily contained inorganic and carbon components(dry bases)and exhibited a"three-peak distribution"of the grain size and regular spheroidal as well as irregular shapes.The irregular particles were mainly adsorbed onto the structure and had a dense distribution and multiple pores and folds.The carbon constituents were primarily amorphous in structure,with a certain degree of order and active sites.C 1s XPS spectrum indicated the presence of C–C and C–H bonds and numerous aromatic structures.The inorganic components,constituting 90%of the total sample,were primarily silicon,aluminum,iron,and calcium.The inorganic components contained Si–O-Si,Si–O–Al,Si–O,SO_(4)^(2−),and Fe–O bonds.Fe 2p XPS spectrum could be deconvoluted into Fe 2p_(1/2) and Fe 2p_(3/2) peaks and satellite peaks,while Fe existed mainly in the form of Fe(III).The findings of this study will be beneficial in resource utilization and formation mechanism of fine slag in future.

Supplementation with sodium butyrate improves growth and antioxidant function in dairy calves before weaning

Background: There is increasing research interest in using short-chain fatty acids(SCFAs) including butyrate as potential alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters in animal production. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of supplementation of sodium butyrate(SB) in liquid feeds(milk, milk replacer, and the mixture of both)on the growth performance, rumen fermentation, and serum antioxidant capacity and immunoglobins in dairy calves before weaning. Forty healthy female Holstein calves(4-day-old, 40 ± 5 kg of body weight) were housed in individual hutches and randomly allocated to 1 of 4 treatment groups(n = 10 per group) using the RAND function in Excel. The control group was fed no SB(SB0), while the other three groups were supplemented with 15(SB15),30(SB30), or 45(SB45) g/d of SB mixed into liquid feeds offered. The calves were initially fed milk only(days 2 to 20), then a mixture of milk and milk replacer(days 21 to 23), and finally milk replacer only(days 24 to 60).Results: The SB supplementation enhanced growth and improved feed conversion into body weight gain compared with the SB0 group, and the average daily gain increased quadratically with increasing SB supplementation. No significant effect on rumen pH;concentrations of NH_3-N, individual and total VFAs;or acetate:propionate(A:P) ratio was found during the whole experimental period. Serum glutathione peroxidase activity increased linearly with the increased SB supplementation, while the serum concentration of maleic dialdehyde linearly decreased. Serum concentrations of immunoglobulin A, immunoglobulin G, or immunoglobulin M were not affected by the SB supplementation during the whole experimental period.Conclusions: Under the conditions of this study, SB supplementation improved growth performance and antioxidant function in pre-weaned dairy calves. We recommended 45 g/d as the optimal level of SB supplementation mixed into liquid feeds(milk or milk replacer) to improve the growth and antioxidant function of dairy calves before weaning.

Nutrient value of wild fodder species and the implications for improving the diet of mithun (Bos frontalis) in Dulongjiang area, Yunnan Province, China

Wild fodder plants are valuable because they provide an important livestock feed resource globally,especially for smallholder farmers,and have important roles in natural resource management.In-depth knowledge of wild forage plants can motivate local people for feed resource and habitat conservation of threatened herbivores such as Mithun(Bos frontalis).Mithun occur in small patches in the mountains of Dulongjiang,nearby villagers domesticated this animal but left animal to freely graze in the mountains.Many fodder plants occur in these mountains,however,little is known about their nutritional value.We conducted an ethnobotanical survey to document important wild fodder plants consumed by mithun in the Dulongjiang Township.The nutritional content of 21 highly mentioned wild fodder plants in an ethnobotanical survey was examined.Laboratory analysis showed that Fagopyrum dibotrys were the fodder species with the highest crude protein(CP)content(26.89%),followed by Polygonum molle(21.88%)and Hydrangea longipes(21.12%).Synthesis of relative feed value index and grey relational grade,P.molle,H.longipes and Tetrastigma obtectum were ranked the top three nutritional fodders.There was a significant difference between 21 species on their in vitro digestibility and the most highly digestible fodder species was Elatostema hookerianum.Linear model analysis on relationship between frequency of citation of 21 wild forage plants by local farmers and their nutrient composition showed that the frequency was significantly positively correlated with the nutritional value of the feed(R2?0.28,P<0.05).We concluded that these species have high nutritional values to improve mithun production in integrated crop-livestock systems.Fodder species or mixtures of species with useful nutritional characters could be cultivated to improve livestock productivity,habitat conservation including that of mithun and wild forage resource management.

Characterization and Synthesis Mechanism of Nanosilver/PAMPS Composites by Microwave

Nanosilver/Poly(2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonate sodium (AMPS)) composites were synthesized with sliver nitrate solution containing AMPS monomer in situ by microwave radiation without addition of any reducer. The composites were characterized by means of UV-Vis, XRD, FTIR, TEM and XPS respectively. The results show that silver nanoparticles are dispersed highly and homogeneously in PAMPS matrix and possessed face-centered cubic structure. The morphology of nanosilver particles is not affected by microwave treatment and AMPS polymerization. XPS analysis reveals that there is an interaction among silver nanoparticles with nitrogen atoms and carbonyl oxygen atoms from AMPS polymer. Thermoanalysis proves that thermal stability of the PAMPS nanocomposites is decreasing with silver nanoparticles dispersed in the composites. The mechanism of silver ion reduced to nanosilver particles catalysized by PAMPS under microwave is discussed.

Heat stress impacts the multi-domain ruminal microbiota and some of the functional features independent of its effect on feed intake in lactating dairy cows

Background:Heat stress(HS)affects the ruminal microbiota and decreases the lactation performance of dairy cows.Because HS decreases feed intake,the results of previous studies were confounded by the effect of HS on feed intake.This study examined the direct effect of HS on the ruminal microbiota using lactating Holstein cows that were pair-fed and housed in environmental chambers in a 2×2 crossover design.The cows were pair-fed the same amount of identical total mixed ration to eliminate the effect of feed or feed intake.The composition and structure of the microbiota of prokaryotes,fungi,and protozoa were analyzed using metataxonomics and compared between two thermal conditions:pair-fed thermoneutrality(PFTN,thermal humidity index:65.5)and HS(87.2 for daytime and 81.8 for nighttime).Results:The HS conditions altered the structure of the prokaryotic microbiota and the protozoal microbiota,but not the fungal microbiota.Heat stress significantly increased the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes(primarily Gram-negative bacteria)while decreasing that of Firmicutes(primarily Gram-positive bacteria)and the Firmicutes-toBacteroidetes ratio.Some genera were exclusively found in the heat-stressed cows and thermal control cows.Some co-occurrence and mutual exclusion between some genera were also found exclusively for each thermal condition.Heat stress did not significantly affect the overall functional features predicted using the 16S rRNA gene sequences and ITS1 sequences,but some enzyme-coding genes altered their relative abundance in response to HS.Conclusions:Overall,HS affected the prokaryotes,fungi,and protozoa of the ruminal microbiota in lactating Holstein cows to a different extent,but the effect on the structure of ruminal microbiota and functional profiles was limited when not confounded by the effect on feed intake.However,some genera and co-occurrence were exclusively found in the rumen of heat-stressed cows.These effects should be attributed to the direct effect of heat stress on the host metabolism,physiology,and behavior.Some of the“heat-stress resistant”microbes may be useful as potential probiotics for cows under heat stress.

Maternal and infant microbiome:next-generation indicators and targets for intergenerational health and nutrition care

Microbes are commonly sensitive to shifts in the physiological and pathological state of their hosts,including mothers and babies.From this perspective,the microbiome may be a good indicator for diseases during pregnancy and has the potential to be used for perinatal health monitoring.This is embodied in the application of microbiome from multi body sites for auxiliary diagnosis,early prediction,prolonged monitoring,and retrospective diagnosis of pregnancy and infant complications,as well as nutrition management and health products developments of mothers and babies.Here we summarized the progress in these areas and explained that the microbiome of different body sites is sensitive to different diseases and their microbial biomarkers may overlap between each other,thus we need to make a diagnosis prudently for those diseases.Based on the microbiome variances and additional anthropometric and physical data,individualized responses of mothers and neonates to meals and probiotics/prebiotics were predictable,which is of importance for precise nutrition and probiotics/prebiotics managements and developments.Although a great deal of encouraging performance was manifested in previous studies,the efficacy could be further improved by combining multi-aspect data such as multi-omics and time series analysis in the future.This review reconceptualizes maternal and infant health from a microbiome perspective,and the knowledge in it may inspire the development of new options for the prevention and treatment of adverse pregnancy outcomes and bring a leap forward in perinatal health care.

N-doped residual carbon from coal gasification fine slag decorated with Fe_(3)O_(4)nanoparticles for electromagnetic wave absorption

The electromagnetic wave absorption(EMWA)performance of materials is affected by their dielectric and magnetic properties.Here,ferroferric oxide@N-doped residual carbon(Fe_(3)O_(4)@NRC)composites were successfully fabricated by decorating NRC with Fe_(3)O_(4)nanoparticles via a facile chemical co-precipitation method.The RC was obtained through acid treatment to remove the inorganic minerals in coal gasification fine slag.The structure,composition,thermal stability,morphology,and related EM parameters of the as-fabricated Fe_(3)O_(4)@NRC composites were thoroughly tested via analytical techniques.Notably,both the Fe_(3)O_(4)@NRC-2 and Fe_(3)O_(4)@NRC-3 composites exhibited superior EMWA capacity.When 40%mass was added,the value of minimal reflection loss(RL_(min))for Fe_(3)O_(4)@NRC-2 was-37.4 dB,and the effective absorption bandwidth(EAB,RL≤-10 dB)reached 4.16 GHz(13.84-18.00 GHz)at a thickness of 1.5 mm.Besides,the value of impedance matching was 1.00 as the RL_(min)was achieved.The results demonstrated that the EMWA performance of the composites could be adjusted by controlling the content of Fe_(3)O_(4)nanoparticles.The magnetic/carbon composites exhibited superior EMWA performance,thus promoting the resource utilization of residual carbon in coal gasification fine slag from coal gasification.