Catalytic Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Water Hyacinth Using Fe3O4/NiO Nanocomposite: Optimization of Reaction Conditions by Response Surface Methodology

This research aimed at optimizing the reaction conditions for the catalytic hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of water hyacinth using iron oxide/nickel oxide nanocomposite as catalysts. The iron oxide/nickel oxide nanocomposite was synthesized by the co-precipitation method and used in the hydrothermal liquefaction of water hyacinth. The composition and structural morphology of the synthesized catalysts were determined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). The particle size distribution of the catalyst nanoparticles was determined by the Image J software. Three reaction parameters were optimized using the response surface methodology (RSM). These were: temperature, residence time, and catalyst dosage. A maximum bio-oil yield of 59.4 wt% was obtained using iron oxide/nickel oxide nanocomposite compared to 50.7 wt% obtained in absence of the catalyst. The maximum bio-oil yield was obtained at a temperature of 320°C, 1.5 g of catalyst dosage, and 60 min of residence time. The composition of bio-oil was analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) and elemental analysis. The GC-MS results showed an increase of hydrocarbons from 58.3% for uncatalyzed hydrothermal liquefaction to 88.66% using iron oxide/nickel oxide nanocomposite. Elemental analysis results revealed an increase in the hydrogen and carbon content and a reduction in the Nitrogen, Oxygen, and Sulphur content of the bio-oil during catalytic HTL compared to HTL in absence of catalyst nanoparticles. The high heating value increased from 33.5 MJ/Kg for uncatalyzed hydrothermal liquefaction to 38.6 MJ/Kg during the catalytic HTL. The catalyst nanoparticles were recovered from the solid residue by sonication and magnetic separation and recycled. The recycled catalyst nanoparticles were still efficient as hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) catalysts and were recycled four times. The application of iron oxide/ nickel oxide nanocomposites in the HTL of water hyacinth increases the yield of bio-oil and improves its quality by reducing hetero atoms thus increasing its energy performance as fuel. Iron oxide/nickel oxide nanocomposites used in this study are widely available and can be easily recovered magnetically and recycled. This will potentially lead to an economical, environmentally friendly, and sustainable way of converting biomass into biofuel.

Ultrafast Spectral Studies of the Primary Processes of Photosynthesis in Spinach and Water Hyacinth Leaves

The authors have studied the spectroscopic characteristics and the fluorescence lifetime for the chloroplasts from spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) and water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes (Mart) Solms.) plant leaves by absorption spectra, low temperature steady_state fluorescence spectroscopy and single photon counting measurement under the same conditions. The absorption spectra at room temperature for the spinach and water hyacinth chloroplasts are similar, which show that different plants can efficiently absorb light of same wavelength. The low temperature steady_state fluorescence spectroscopy for the water hyacinth chloroplast reveals a poor balance of photon quantum between two photosystems. The fluorescence decays in PSⅡ measured at the natural Q A state for the chloroplasts have been fitted by a three_exponential kinetic model. The slow lifetime fluorescence component is assigned to a collection of associated light harvesting Chl a/b proteins, the fast lifetime component to the reaction center of PSⅡ and the middle lifetime component to the delay fluorescence of recombination of P + 680 and Pheo -. The excited energy conversion efficiency (η) in PSⅡ RC is 87% and 91% respectively for the water hyacinth and spinach chloroplasts calculated on the 20 ps model. This interesting result is not consistent with what is assumed that the efficiency is 100% in PSⅡ RC. The results in this paper also present a support for the 20 ps electron transfer time constant in PSⅡ RC. On the viewpoint of excitation energy conversion efficiency, the growing rate for the water hyacinth plan is smaller than that for the spinach plant. But, authors' results show those plants can perform highly efficient transfer of photo_excitation energy from the light_harvesting pigment system to the reaction center (approximately 100%).

水葫芦(Water hyacinth)深度净化猪粪便污水研究

为了探索深度净化猪粪便污水的方法 ,对水葫芦 (Waterhyacinth)深度净化猪粪便污水的效果进行了研究。结果表明 ,水葫芦对猪粪便污水有很好的净化效果 ,在不影响水葫芦生长的前提下 ,单位面积水体生长的水葫芦越多去除禽畜粪便污水COD和NH+ 4 N的效果越好 ,在直径 4 0cm的塑料盆内种植 4 7～ 1 4 0g水葫芦 ,COD和NH+ 4 N去除率分别为 4 8.9%～ 5 8.1 %和 81 .4 %～ 89.9% ;当初始CODcr约为 2 0 0mg/L时 ,水葫芦去除污水CODcr的效果最好 ,去除率为 70 .9% ;在初始污水NH+ 4 N为 34.5～ 1 0 2 .5mg/L范围时 ,初始NH+ 4 N浓度越低效果越好 ,去除率为 90 .7%～ 81 .7% 。

Performance of a water hyacinth(Eichhornia crassipes)system in the treatment of wastewater from a duck farm and the effects of using water hyacinth as duck feed

Nowadays, intensive breeding of poultry and livestock of large scale has made the treatment of its waste and wastewater an urgent environmental issue, which motivated this study. A wetland of 688 mz was constructed on an egg duck farm, and water hyacinth （Eichhornia crassipes） was chosen as an aquatic plant for the wetland and used as food for duck production. The objectives of this study were to test the role of water hyacinth in purifying nutrient-rich wastewater and its effects on the ducks＇ feed intake, egg laying performance and egg quality. This paper shows that the constructed wetland removed as much as 64.44% of chemical oxygen demand （COD）, 21.78% of total nitrogen （TN） and 23.02% of total phosphorus （TP）. Both dissolved oxygen （DO） and the transparency of the wastewater were remarkably improved, with its transparency 2.5 times higher than that of the untreated wastewater. After the ducks were fed with water hyacinth, the average daily feed intake and the egg-laying ratio in the test group were 5.86% and 9.79% higher, respectively, than in the control group; the differences were both significant at the 0.01 probability level. The egg weight in the test group was 2.36% higher than in the control group （P 〈 0.05）, but the feed conversion ratios were almost the same. The eggshell thickness and strength were among the egg qualities significantly increased in ducks fed with water hyacinth. We concluded that a water hyacinth system was effective for purifying wastewater from an intensive duck farm during the water hyacinth growing season, as harvested water hyacinth had an excellent performance as duck feed. We also discussed the limitations of the experiment.

Invasion and control of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)in China

By the time of primary 21st century, water hyacinth had become a serious environmental problem in China. Water hyacinth contributes to the major part of ecological hazards from the invasion of foreign plant species, which is estimated about USD 7 billion a year in values. In the past 10 years, herbicides glyphosate, 2,4-D and paraquat have been used in controlling water hyacinth in China. Al- though the herbicides provided effective control on the weed in some areas, they could not provide the sustainable inhibition on the weed population, while would lead to pollution on water at various levels. At present, the herbicide application on water hyacinth is forbidden in many areas of China such as Shanghai. In this situation, the asexual reproduction inhibitor, KWH02, was invented for controlling water hyacinth and it provided about 70% of growth inhibition without any risk of dead plant pollution. It has been about 10 years for bio-control of water hyacinth in China. Works focused on mainly the efficacy and safety of the utilization of foreign insects. Researches on microorganism herbicides to control water hyacinth were started and obtained primary achievements in recent years. Although there are different opinions on how to face the water hyacinth problem in China, it is accepted widely that the control methods should be high efficient and safe with low cost. Some practical measures for integrated management of water hyacinth are suggested.

Anatomical studies on water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms) under the influence of textile wastewater

Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms) is a prolific free floating aquatic macrohpyte found in tropical and subtropical parts of the earth. The effects of pollutants from textile wastewater on the anatomy of the plant were studied. Water hyacinth exhibits hydrophytic adaptations which include reduced epidermis cells lacking cuticle in most cases, presence of large air spaces (7～50 μm), reduced vascular tissue and absorbing structures. Textile waste significantly affected the size of root cells.The presence of raphide crystals was noted in parenchyma cells of various organs in treated plants.

Can Water Hyacinth Clean Highly Polluted Waters? —A Short Paper for Discussion

Recently local government and environmental protection authorities in China have turned to the water hyacinth, one of the world’s worst aquatic weeds, to reduce nutrient concentrations in highly eutrophic lake waters, especially in Lake Dian in southwestern China’s Yunnan Province. Although we do not reject using water hyacinth to reduce lake eutrophication, it is not a complete solution. In our view, a more complete solution requires a holistic consideration of watershed or drainage characteristics, and a solid understanding of the limnological features of individual lakes. Before the bio-geochemistry and toxicological effects of water hyacinth be thoroughly understood, applying it widely to lake restoration and overstating its practical value is not only irresponsible but also dangerous.

Experimental Research on the Application of Water Hyacinths to the Ecological Restoration of Water Bodies with Eutrophication

[Objective] The study aims to discuss the application of water hyacinths to the ecological restoration of water bodies with eutrophication through simulation experiments. [Method] In this study, water hyacinths were used to restore the simulated eutrophic water with green algae as the dominant algae species, and then the restoration effect of the simulated eutrophic water by water hyacinths was analyzed. [Result] In the simulation test without sediment, the peak chlorophyll concentration was 434.6 mg/m3 in the tank without water hyacinths, which decreased to 285 and 119 mg/m3 respectively in the tanks with 1 and 4 water hyacinths. In the experiment with sediment, compared with the control tank without water hyacinths, a 58% reduction in chlorophyll concentration could be observed in the tank with 4 water hyacinths planted (with a coverage of 51%). The results showed that water hyacinths could inhibit alga growth notably, but there was likely a density threshold (51% coverage), and no significant eco-restoration effect was observed in the simulated eutrophic water with too few water hyacinths planted. [Conclusion] The research could provide scientific references for the ecological restoration of eutrophic water bodies.

Biogas Production Using Water Hyacinth (Eicchornia crassipes) for Electricity Generation in Kenya

Water hyacinth, E. crassipes, an invasive water weed thrives in fresh water bodies causing serious environmental problems. In Kenya the weed has invaded Lake Victoria and poses great socioeconomic and environmental challenges. Currently the weed is harvested from the Lake and left in the open to rot and decay leading to loss of aesthetics, land and air pollution. There is therefore need for development of value addition and economic exploitation strategies. The aim of the study is to assess the potential for utilization of the weed as a renewable energy resource for biogas production. Samples were collected from Lake Victoria, pulped and blend with cow dung at a ratio of 3:1 as inoculum. The resultant mixture was mixed with water at a ratio of 1:1 and fed into a 6 m3 tubular digester. The digester was recharged with 20 kg after every three days. The temperature, pH variations, gas compositions, upgrading and gas yields were studied. The temperature ranged between 22.8°C - 36.6°C and pH 7.4 - 8.5. Biogas was found to contain 49% - 53% methane (CH4 ), 30% - 33% carbon dioxide (CO2 ), 5% - 6% nitrogen (N2 ) and traces of hydrogen sulphide (H2S). The biogas was upgraded using solid adsorbents and wet scrubbers increasing the methane content by up to 70% - 76%. The upgraded gas was used to power internal combustion engines coupled with an electricity generator and direct heat applications. The study concludes that E. crassipes is a potential feedstock for biogas production especially in areas where it is abundant.

Sorption of Manganese （II） and Chromium （III） Ions from Aqueous Solution Using Water Hyacinth Biomass （Eichhornia crassipes）

The use of water hyacinth biomass as adsorbent for Cr3＋ and Mn2＋ ions from aqueous solution by means of batch-adsorption technique was investigated to determine the potential ability of the biomaterial for metal ion removal. The equilibrium isotherm study showed that the maximum monolayer coverage on the biomass surface was 0.933 mg·g-1 and 0.874 mg·g-1 for Mn2＋ and Cr3＋ ions respectively. The highest percentage of Cr3＋ and Mn2＋ ions adsorbed by the biomass was 86.4% and 82.6% at the optimum pH of 4.0 and 6.0 respectively. The results also showed that the highest percentage removal 82.5% and 78.3% was obtained at 30 and 20 minutes respectively for Cr3＋ and Mn2＋ ions. The sorption process was examined by means of the Langmuir model. The adsorption equilibrium data were found to follow the Langmuir isotherm model with high coefficients of determination （R2 = 0.990 and 0.999） for Cr＋ and Mn2＋ ions respectively. The adsorption capacity of water hyacinth showed that water hyacinth will be useful in recovering chromium （III） and manganese （II） ions from solution and their subsequent removal from industrial effluents.

Extraction and Application of Natural Mordant Dyes from Eichhornia Crassipes(Water Hyacinth)

Metallic salts are often added as extra mordant when dyeing the fabrics with natural dyes. Eichhornia crassipes,namely water hyacinth( WH),is an environmentally problematic aquatic weed with high affinity for metals. In this paper,WH was selected as the source of natural mordant dyes,and extracted by absolute ethyl alcohol using a soxhlet apparatus. The colorants in WH were extracted and separated by column chromatography and thin layer chromatography( TLC). UV-visible spectrophotometer( UV-VIS),mass spectrometry, chemical identification with chromogenic reaction,and Fourier transform infrared spetroscopy( FTIR) were used to identify the main components of each pigment band. The total metal contents before and after extracting of the WH were determined by using an inductively coupled plasma atomic emission detector. The WH extracts were then used to dye wool fabric. The dyeing properties of WH extracts with and without metal mordant were investigated and compared. The results show that the main components of WH extracts are pheophytin and phyllins. The major metallic elements identified in WH are magnesium, manganese,zinc,and iron. Samples dyed with WH extracts without metal mordant exhibits high K / S values and good dyeing properties. This study indicates that the WH extracts can be used as a natural mordant dye on wool fabrics directly.

Integrated biological control of water hyacinths, Eichhornia crassipes by a novel combination of grass carp, Ctenopharyngodon idella (Valenciennes, 1844), and the weevil, Neochetina spp.

The efficacy of grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella （Cyprinidae） and weevils Neochetina spp. （Curculionidae） to control the aquatic weed, water hyacinth, is investigated in a square net cage （happas） setting at a farm in Cuddalore District, South India. This novel combination of insects and fish is found to be superior to individual treatments for controlling the weed growth within ll0 d. The biomass of the weed, number of plants, percentage of flowered plants and chlorophyll contents were studied. The weed biomass is reduced from 5 kg （day 1） to 0.33 kg （day 110） when exposed to grass carp and weevils. The number of plants is reduced to 0.75 in grass carp and weevil exposed happas, while it is 741.5 in the control. The mean number of leaves per plant is also reduced. In addition, the chlorophyll a and b are significantly reduced in happas exposed to the combination of fish and insects when compared to the other treatments. Based on the results of this study, we consider the combined use of grass carp and weevils to be more efficient and sustainable for managing water hyacinths than the use of these organisms individually.

The Effect of Water Hyacinth (<i>Eichhornia crassipes</i>) Compost on Tomato (<i>Lycopersicon esculentum</i>) Growth Attributes, Yield Potential and Heavy Metal Levels

The potential of different water hyacinth compost application rates in influencing growth attributes, yield and heavy metal accumulation of lead (Pb), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni) and zinc (Zn) in tomato fruit was studied in Masvingo. Four treatments of water hyacinth compost rates of 0, 37, 55.6 and 74.1 t·ha-1 were each replicated three times and applied in a randomized complete block design set up. Results showed that water hyacinth compost application rates significantly affected plant height, days to maturity and yield but had no influence on the number of tomato fruits per plant. The plant height at application rate of 74.1 t·ha-1 was 25%, 56% and 63% higher than the control at week 6, 9 and 12, respectively. At application rates of 56.6 t·ha-1, plant heights were 11%, 13% and 12% higher than the control whilst marginal plant height differences of -4%, 6% and 4% were recorded between application rate of 34.7 t·ha-1 and the control at week 6, 9 and 12, respectively. Tomato plants under compost rates of 34.7, 56.6 and 74.1 t·ha-1 in comparison to the control delayed maturity by 10, 17 and 20 days, respectively. Yields of 52, 55, 60 and 68 t·ha-1 were realized from hyacinth compost rates of 0, 34.7, 56.6 and 74.1 t·ha-1, respectively. Heavy metal concentrations increased with increase in the water hyacinth compost rate but at all application rates, the average concentrations were 85%, 93% and 86% lower than the Codex Alimentarious Commission permissible levels for Pb, Cu and Zn. Water hyacinth compost at a rate of 74 t·ha-1 therefore can be used for increased tomato yield without exposing consumers to heavy metal toxicity.

A Comparative Study of ESTs Induced under Drought and Salinity Stress in Hyacinth Bean (<i>Lablab purpureus</i>)

Abiotic stressors like drought and salinity are major causes for loss of agricultural productivity. Comparison of expressed sesquence tags (ESTs) under different abiotic stresses provides insight into underlying mechanism of stress response, and candidate genes to improve tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses via breading and transgenic methods. In order to identify and compare stress-specific ESTs from drought and salinity stressed Hyacinth Bean, ten days old seedlings were subjected to respective stresses and RNA was extracted from control and stressed leaves for EST identification. 31 and 12 ESTs, respectively, were characterized from leaves of drought and salinity stressed seedlings of Hyacinth Bean, Lablab purpureus by differential display RT-PCR using identical combinations of 48 primers and validated using quantitative RT-PCR. Relative fold expression was higher under salt stress than drought stress. Whereas 19 EST overexpressed under drought, 12 EST were down regulated. Of the 12 EST under salinity, 9 EST were downregulated and 3 EST upregulated. Putative functions predicted from sequence homology indicated that 11 drought specific EST corresponded to metabolic functions, and 4 of them corresponded to transcription regulation. Under salinity, 4 and 2 EST, respectively, corresponded to metabolic and RNA associated functions. Under both stresses, there were ESTs associated with unknown functions, whose characterization may throw light on the regulatory mechanism. Differing number of ESTs differentially expressed under drought and salt stress, and their predicted functionalities, suggested distinct set of response genes involved under these two stresses, despite a good number of physiological players being common. From the predicted functions of ESTs, the paper attempts to explain the possible mechanism of response of Hyacinth Bean to these two stresses.

Field Utilization of Dried Water Hyacinth for Phosphorous Recovery from Source-Separated Human Urine

This research demonstrated the feasibility of converting source-separated human urine into a solid fertilizer by means of continuous absorption and solar thermal evaporation using dried water hyacinth as adsorbent. In a preliminary experiment, the dried petioles of water hyacinth (DWH) absorbed urine in a mean rate of 18.78 ml·g-1 within 7 d, retrieving about 3.46% urine dissolved solids (UDS). In an advanced experiment, the DWH’s capacity of urine absorption declined from an initial 2.73 L·kg-1·d-1 to 0.68 L·kg-1·d-1, with a requirement of material change in about 25 effective days and an average ratio of 25 (L) to 1 (kg). Phosphorus (P2O5) concentration in the adsorbent increased from 0.46% (material baseline) to 3.14% (end product), suggesting a satisfactory recovery of the element. In field application, the urine was discharged, not in wet weather, onto the DWH via a tube connected to a waterless urinal. There are several ways to use the UDS-DWH as P(K)-rich fertilizer, e.g., making soluble fertilizer for foliage spraying to encourage prolific flowering and fruiting. Apparently, utilization of water hyacinth waste to recover dissolved plant nutrient elements from source-separated urine will benefit the environment in a wide range of perspectives. The herein innovative use of water hyacinth is also expected to be useful in the recycling of certain dissolved hazardous materials.

Influence of pH on Water Hyacinth Ponds Treating and Recycling Wastewater

This work has examined the effects of pH on the treatment efficiency and biomass production rate of water hyacinth ponds (WHP) treating domestic wastewater. Experiments were carried out outdoor in WHP, working under batch and subtropical environmental conditions, using pre-treated sewage with pH varying from 5 to 9. It was observed that the plants regulated the pH of the medium to within 6.4 to 7.1 during the treatment processes independently of influent wastewater pH ranges. This adjustment reduced the treatment performances and the biomass production in ponds, the alkaline conditions in ponds being less favorable to the activities of the plants. The optimal removal and biomass production was achieved with influent pH of 7 lying in the above interval. So the optimum influent pH for the growth of plants and the removal of nutrients and organic matters in WHP is within pH 6.4 to pH 7.1.

Adsorption of Caffeine and Ciprofloxacin onto Pyrolitically Derived Water Hyacinth Biochar： Isothermal, Kinetic and Thermodynamic Studies

In this work, the adsorptive features of water hyacinth （Eichhornia crassipes） derived biochar for sequestration of ciprofloxacin and caffeine from aqueous solution is reported. The isothermal behaviour, adsorption kinetics, mechanisms and thermodynamic parameters were investigated in batch mode. Langmuir and Freundlich models described the equilibrium adsorption data with regression values 〉 0.9. The kineticsdata obeyed the pseudo-second-order kinetic law while intraparticle pore diffusion was not the only rate controlling step. The computed thermodynamic parameters, namely change in Gibbs free energy （AG）, change in enthalpy （AH） and change in entropy （AS） indicated that the adsorption processes were spontaneous and exothermic with less randomness, pH dependence studies depicted multi-mechanistic adsorption for both compounds and is hypothesized to involve hydrophobic interactions besides other non-coulombic interactions. The findings demonstrate that water hyacinth biochar presents an excellent low cost and environmentally benign adsorbent for mitigation of pharmaceuticals from water with a removal efficiency of above 60 % for caffeine and ciprofloxacin.

Ethanol Production Process by Lignocellulosic Material Fermentation from Water Hyacinth Biomass

In order to take advantage of the lignocellulosic material in water hyacinth （Eichhornia crassipes）, dehydration pretreatment in the first step and then sodium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide pretreatment was performed. The microorganism used for the fermentation process was Zimomonas mobilis. Batch fermentation experiments were carried out with four tests using 22 factorial design with two levels leadings to evaluate the effect of NaOH concentration, conditioning salts as independent variables and ethanol produced as a dependent variable. The optimum condition with higher amount of glucose hydrolyzed and ethanol was： substrate conditioning cellulases, it was pretreated 10% NaOH, with 92.38% conversion of glucose to ethanol and yield of 0.47 g ethanol per g of glucose and 0.018 g ethanol per g of biomass.

Effect of Growing Media on Growth and Flowering of Different Hyacinth Cultivars （Hyacinthus orientalis L.）

A pot experiment has been conducted in Faculty of Agricultural and Forestry, Lath House of Horticultural Department, School of Plant Production, Duhok University during the growing season 2010-2011. The study consisted of testing the effects of four different growth media （Clay, Loam, Clay ＋ sheep manure （1：1） and Loam ＋ sheep manure （1：1） as volumetric rates on vegetative and flowering growth characters of five different cultivars of Hyacinths plant （Blue Giant, City of Haarlem, Jon Bos, Delf Blue and Fondante）. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design （RCBD） of two factors in three replicates. Media mostly affected the parameters studied during the experiment. Early emergence （22.53 days） and flowering （73.13 days） was recorded in medium consisting of loam and sheep manure, while maximum plant height （19.75 cm）, leaves number （6.13）, leaf area （31.47 cm2） were recorded in clay medium. Maximum number of florets plant-l （31.93） and spike length （7.95 cm） were recorded in medium consist of clay and sheep manure. Maximum length of spike stem （9.61 cm） and total chlorophyll percentage （53.45%） were recorded for loam medium. Among the cultivars, some parameters showed significant variation. Early emergence （20.42 days）, maximum plant height （20.35 cm）, leaf area per plant （33.01 cm2） and length of spike stem （15.10 cm） were given by cv. Fondante. Maximum number of florets plantl （35.58） and spike lengths （8.63 cm） were recorded by cv. Blue Giant. High percentage of total chlorophyll （58.15%） was recorded in cv. Jon Bos..

Silage Feeding with Water Hyacinth in the Tropics: A Research Note

Water hyacinth has ecological significance in addition to its agricultural and energy uses. Lower quality silage is defined in this paper as requiring nitrogen supplementation and treatment to improve nutritive value (NV). Ensilage of water hyacinth as a test case centers largely around the process to optimize protein nitrogen retention in silage-based regimens. A previous hypothesis proposed earlier by the author of that of functional amino acid ratios [tyrosine (TYR): large neutral amino acids (LNAA), tyrosine (TYR): phenylalanine (PHE)] were subsequently found to be counter to what the given schemata predicts. And subsequently with another study there was no corroborative evidence for it to support the espoused hypothesis using the same schemata. The role of N status is still the most viable option among factors from studies continuing how amino acids like histidine (HIS) and arginine (ARG) and their growth-related endocrine functions play a role. There are other schemas illustrating non-homeostatic type regulation with protein intake. To focus on molecular-level mechanisms to ruminal protein digestion it is becoming clear what factors in feed and microbial cell fermentation contribute to optimizing microbial cell protein (MCP) synthesis from ATP with organic matter (OM) digestibility and preformed amino acids (PFAA) from peptides and free amino acids in addition to non-protein nitrogen (NPN), the former more efficiently assimilated in MCP than NPN in the rumen. Accordingly, it has been recommended that soluble proteins fed to dairy cows not exceed microbial requirements along with high dietary escape protein fed with a sufficient amino acid profile to meet dairy production.