Penicillin fermentation residue biochar as a high-performance electrode for membrane capacitive deionization

Membrane capacitive deionization(MCDI)is an efficient desalination technology for brine.Penicillin fermentation residue biochar(PFRB)possesses a hierarchical porous and O/N-doped structure which could serve as a high-capacity desalination electrode in the MCDI system.Under optimal conditions(electrode weight,voltage,and concentration)and a carbonization temperature of 700℃,the maximum salt adsorption capacity of the electrode can reach 26.4 mg/g,which is higher than that of most carbon electrodes.Furthermore,the electrochemical properties of the PFRB electrode were characterized through cyclic voltammetry(CV)and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS)with a maximum specific capacitance of 212.18 F/g.Finally,biotoxicity tests have showed that PFRB was non-biotoxin against luminescent bacteria and the MCDI system with the PFRB electrode remained stable even after 27 adsorption–desorption cycles.This study provides a novel way to recycle penicillin residue and an electrode that can achieve excellent desalination.

Evaluation of nutritive value and in vitro rumen fermentation gas accumulation of de-oiled algal residues

Background：Algae are widely recognized for their high oil content and for exponentially accumulating biomass with particular potential to provide single cell protein for human consumption or animal feed.It is believed that along with biodiesel from algae,the high protein de-oiled algal residue may become an alternative feed supplement option in the future.This study was conducted to investigate de-oiled algal residue obtained from the common Chlorella species,Thalassiosira weissflogii,Selenarstrum capricornutum,Scenedesmus sp.,and Scenedesmus dimorphus for assessment as potential feed supplements for ruminants by comparing with soybean（Glycine max） meal and alfalfa（Medicago sativa） hay.Results：With the exception of T.weissflogii,algal residue had higher concentrations of Cu,Zn,and Mn and lower concentration of Ca,Mg,and K than soybean meal and alfalfa hay.The algal residue CP（crude protein）concentrations ranged from 140 to 445 g/kg DM and varied among the de-oiled residues.In vitro rumen fermentation gas accumulation curves indicated that algal biomass degradation potential was less than that of soybean meal or alfalfa hay by up to 41.7%.The gas production curve,interpreted with a dual pool logistic model,confirmed that the fraction sizes for fast fermenting and slow fermenting of de-oiled algal residues were smaller than those in soybean meal and alfalfa hay,and the fermenting rate of the fractions was also low.Conclusions：Inferior in vitro rumen gas accumulation from the five de-oiled algal residues suggests that these algal byproducts are less degradable in the rumen.

Extraction and Characterization of Biological Humic Acids from Fermented Furfural Residue

Objective] This study aimed to eliminate the negative effects brought about by continuous, long-term accumulation of sodium ions in soil on soil environ-ment. [Method] Biological humic acids （BHAs） were extracted from fermented furfural residue via alkali-dissolution and acidification. The effects of solid-liquid ratio （mass ratio of fermented furfural residue to water）, alkali concentration, extraction tempera-ture and extraction time on the content of BHA were investigated. Also its structure was characterized by FTIR. [Result] The optimal extraction conditions were as fol-lows： solid-liquid ratio of 1：7, KOH concentration of 6%, extraction temperature of 70℃ and extraction time of 1 h. Under the optimal conditions, the content of BHAs extracted was up to 8.5%. The infrared spectrum analysis indicated that BHA had more types of functional groups and lower molecular weight than commercial humic acid although they had similar structures. [Conclusion] The technique has the ad-vantages of simple operation and good stability, and is suitable for extracting BHAs. BHAs have a good prospect in developing new types of humic acid fertilizers.

Study on Extraction of Biological Humic Acids from Fermented Furfural Residue

[Objective] This study was conducted to obtain the optimal process for the preparation of biological humic acids （BHAs） from fermented furfural residue by al- kali-dissolution and acidification. [Method] BHAs were extracted from fermented furfural residue by the alkali-dissolution and acidification method, to investigate the effects of solid-liquid ratio （mass ratio of fermented furfural residue to water）, alkali concentration, extraction temperature and extraction time on the extraction rate of BHAs by an orthogonal experiment, and then a solid BHA product was obtained by acidification of its extract followed by solid-liquid separation and oven-drying. [Result] The results showed that the optimal extracting conditions were as follows： solid-liquid ratio of 1：8, alkali concentration of 8% KOH, with extracting temperature at 70℃ and extracting time of 2.5 h in the alkali-dissolution step, and in the acidification step, the pH of the BHA mixture was 2.5. Under the optimal conditions, the content of solid BHAs was 76%, and the extraction rate of BHAs was 49%. [Conclusion] This study provides a theoretical basis for the separation and purification of BHAs from fermented furfural residue by the alkali dissolution and acidification method.