Superior Au-adsorption performance of aminothiourea-modified waste cellulosic biomass

Waste cellulosic biomass obtains various applications due to low-cost and eco-benign characteristics.A general strategy is proposed for waste cellulosic biomass to be modified with dialdehyde functional groups as intermediates through periodate partial oxidation.Finally,aminothiourea-modified waste cellulosic biomass can be prepared through Schiff reaction.Waste corn stalk,cotton and paper as typical precursors,were used to prepare cellulosic biomass,abbreviated as AT-S,AT-C and AT-P,respectively,and their adsorption behaviors of Au(III)from the hydrochloric acid medium were investigated.The pseudo-second kinetics equation as well as the Langmuir isotherm equation can be used to depict the adsorption process,and the maximum adsorption capacities of Au(III)are21.4,19.0and3.28mol/kg for AT-S,AT-C and AT-P at298K,respectively.The adsorption capacities of Au(III)on aminothiourea modified corn stalk(AT-S)is almost357times greater than that of raw corn stalk.To the best of our knowledge,AT-S has the highest adsorption capacity towards Au(III).AT-S also displays a superior separation selectivity towards Au(III)in the presence of Cu(II),Ni(II),Co(II),Pt(VI),Pd(II)and Rh(III).Furthermore,the characterization analysis of XRD,TG,SEM,TEM and FTIR confirms that AuCl4– has been reduced to elemental Au nanoparticles and deposit onto the surface of the biomass.It shows a prospect for waste corn stalk to be used to adsorb Au(III)from liquid phase and the possible fabrication of gold nanoparticles by a general adsorption process without any reductant.

Plasma electrolytic liquefaction of cellulosic biomass

In this paper, the rapid liquefaction of a corncob was achieved by plasma electrolysis, providing a new method for cellulosic biomass liquefaction. The liquefaction rate of the corncob was 95% after 5 min with polyethylene glycol and glycerol as the liquefying agent. The experiments not only showed that H~+ ions catalyzed the liquefaction of the corncob, but also that using accelerated H~+ ions, which were accelerated by an electric field, could effectively improve the liquefaction efficiency. There was an obvious discharge phenomenon, in which the generated radicals efficiently heated the solution and liquefied the biomass, in the process of plasma electrolytic liquefaction. Finally, the optimum parameters of the corncob liquefaction were obtained by experimentation, and the liquefaction products were analyzed.

Potential aspect of rice husk biomass in Australia for nanocrystalline cellulose production

Nanocrystalline cellulose(NCC) was produced from rice husk biomass(Oryza sativa) by a chemical extraction process to explore the potential aspect of agro-waste biomass in Australia. In this work, the delignified rice husk pulp(D-RHP) was produced by alkaline delignification of raw rice husk biomass(R-RHB) using 4 mol·L^(-1) alkali solutions(Na OH) in a jacketed glass reactor under specific experimental conditions. D-RHP was bleached using 15% sodium hypochlorite, and the bleached rice husk pulp was coded as B-RHP. Finally,raw suspension of NCC was produced by the acid hydrolysis of B-RHP using 4 mol·L^(-1) sulphuric acid. The raw suspension of NCC was neutralized by a buffer solution and analyzed by TAPPI, FT-IR, XRD, SEM, AFM, and TEM. FT-IR spectra of NCC are different to R-RHB but similar with B-RHP and D-RHP. From XRD results, the crystallinity of NCC was found to be approximately 65%. In AFM analysis particle thicknesses have been confirmed to be in the range of(25 ± 15.14) nm or(27 ± 15.14) nm which is almost the same. From TEM analysis particle dimensions have been confirmed to be in the range of(50 ± 29.38) nm width and(550 ± 302.75) nm length with the aspect ratio ~ 11:1(length/diameter) at a 500 nm scale bar. On the other hand, at a 200 nm scale bar the particle dimensions have been confirmed to be in the range of(35 ± 17) nm width and(275 ± 151.38)nm length with the aspect ratio ~ 8:1. The aspect ratio of individual crystalline domain was determined in TEM analysis which is 10:1(100/10). Therefore the aspect ratios and dimensions of nanoparticles in NCC suspension are almost the same and in nano-meter scale, as confirmed from both AFM and TEM results. The yield of NCC from B-RHP was found to be approximately 95%, and the recovery of cellulose from R-RHB is about 90%.

Ultrasonic-Vibration-Assisted Pelleting of Switchgrass:Effects of Ultrasonic Vibration

Biofuels produced from cellulosic biomass can be used to replace petroleum-based transportation fuels. However, the manufacturing cost of cellulosic biofuels is still high, partly due to the low density of cellulosic feed-stocks. Pelleting of cellulosic feedstocks can increase their density, making their transportation and storage as well as biofuel conversion more efficient and, therefore, reducing the overall cost of biofuel manufacturing. It has been shown that ultrasonic-vibration-assisted (UV-A) pelleting, without using high-temperature steam and binder materials, can produce pellets with density comparable to that produced by conventional pelleting methods. Furthermore, the sugar yield of biomass (wheat straw) processed with UV-A pelleting is 20% higher than that of biomass pelleted without ultrasonic vibration. This paper reports an experimental investigation of UV-A pelleting of switchgrass. The influences of ultrasonic vibration on pellet density, stability, durability, and pelleting force are discussed. It is concluded that pellets processed with ultrasonic vibration had higher density and stability than those processed without ultrasonic vibration, they were more durable than those processed without ultrasonic vibration, and pelleting force with ultrasonic vibration was lower than that without ultrasonic vibration.

Conversion of Sugarcane Shoots and Leaves into Reducing Sugars by Pretreatment and Enzymatic Hydrolysis

Sugarcane shoots and leaves consist of 38% cellulose, 30.6% hemicellulose and 12.8% lignin on dry solid （DS） basis and have the potential to serve as low cost feedstocks for ethanol production. The pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis conditions include particle size, alkali （NaOH）/dilute acid （H2SO4） pretreatment, chemical and substrate concentrations, temperature, autoclaving time for pretreatment, enzyme concentration, pH and temperature for hydrolysis varied were evaluated for conversion of sugarcane shoots and leaves cellulose and hemicellulose to reducing sugar. The optimum conditions were accomplished by using 14% w/v DS of 0-10 mm sugarcane shoots and leaves in particle size, pretreated with 1.5% w/v of dilute sulfuric acid at 121℃, 15 lbs/in2 for 15 min and enzymatic saccharification using 40 FPU/g DS cellulose at 50℃ and pH 5, After incubating at 160 rpm for 12 hrs, 59 g/L or 386,38 mg/g DS of reducing sugar and 50.69% saccharification were obtained.

Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation of Alkali-Acid Pretreated Sugarcane Trash to Ethanol

The Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation （SSF） of alkali-acid pretreated sugarcane trash to ethanol was optimized using commercial cellulase and Saccharomyces cerevisiae TISTR 5596 cells. Substrate concentration （12.5% w/v, 15% w/v, 17.5% w/v and 20% w/v）, enzyme loading （25 FPU/g Dry Substrate （DS）, 50 FPU/g DS and 75 FPU/g DS）, and temperature （30 ~C, 35 ~C and 40 ~C） were evaluated. The SSF optimal conditions for alkali-acid pretreated sugarcane trash were 20% w/v of substrate concentration, enzyme loading 50 FPU/g DS, temperature 35 ~C, initial pH 5.0 and yeast inoculum 107 cells/mL. Under the above optimal conditions, ethanol concentration was possible to reach in the range between 50.14 g/L and 55.08 g/L at 96 hrs and 144 hrs, respectively. This study could establish the effective utilization of sugarcane trash for bioethanol production using optimized fermentation parameters.

Optimization on Pretreatment and Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Sugarcane Trash for Ethanol Production

The present study was conducted for the optimization of pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass （sugarcane trash）, which is a renewable resource for the production of bioethanol. The pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis conditions including alkali （NaOH）/dilute acid （H2SO4）, substrate and chemical concentration for pretreatment, enzyme dosage, pH, temperature and substrate concentration for hydrolysis were varied and evaluated for sugar and ethanol production at the end. The optimum condition was accomplished using 15% w/v DS of 0-2 mm sugarcane trash in size of particle. It was pretreated with two steps of 2% w/v NaOH autoclaving followed by 2% w/v H2SO4 autoclaving with washing step after pretreatment. An enzymatic hydrolysis was then performed using 15% w/v DS pretreated substrate, hydrolyzed with cellulase 50 filter paper unit （FPU）/g DS at 50 ℃ and pH 5. After incubating at 160 r for 48 h, 117.16 g/L reducing sugar was obtained. The achieved sugar after enzymatic hydrolysis was finally fermented to ethanol by Saccharomyces cerevisiae TISTR 5596, with concentration of 48.17 g/L ethanol or yield 0.509 g/g reducing sugars which was equal to 99.81% of theoretical yield.

Multi-objective regulation in autohydrolysis process of corn stover by liquid hot water pretreatment

Increasing reducing sugars(xylose and glucose) yield for bioethanol from corn stover depends strongly on optimization of pretreatment conditions. The optimum reaction conditions of two-stage liquid hot water(LHW) pretreatment based on total sugars yield were investigated. Under optimal conditions, the recovery of glucose of corn stover after two-stage LHW pretreatment and 72 h enzymatic digestion, reached 89.55%. In addition, acetic acid-rich spent liquor pretreatment and one-stage LHW pretreatment have been carried out to make comparisons with two-stage LHW treatment. Glucose yield 89.55% is superior to the recovery 83.38% using acetic acidrich spent liquor pretreatment or 80.58% using one-stage LHW pretreatment. The production of total sugars was increased by 7.8% when compared with one-stage pretreatment. Moreover, the structural features of the treated corn stover solid residues were also investigated by XRD and SEM technology in order to clarify the effects of the reaction on corn stover. The results indicated that the two-stage LHW pretreatment was an effective pretreatment method of corn stover to get most massive resource utilization, and it could be successfully applied to corn stover.

Hydrolysis of cellobiose catalyzed by zeolites—the role of acidity and micropore structure

The roles of acidity and micropore structure of zeolite were studied in the hydrolysis of the model oligosaccharide of cellulose–cellobiose. HZSM-5, HY, HMOR and Hβ zeolites were selected as model catalysts for the hydrolysis of cellobiose. The effect of acidity of zeolite, including the strength, type and location, on its catalytic activity was investigated. The strong Br？nsted acid sites located in micropores are the active sites for the hydrolysis of cellobiose to glucose. Meanwhile, the catalytic performance of zeolite is also dependent on the micropore size of zeolite.

An analysis of an ethanol-based, whole-crop refinery system in China

Bio-fuel can be used to help transition from a petroleum-based society to a bio-based society. Ever since the China Development and Reform Commission suspended the approval of crop processing programs, second-generation bio-ethanol research and industrialization processes have attracted significant attention. In 2020, bio-ethanol production is predicted to reach 10 million tons. Currently, there are a few domestic enterprises that have established different scaled pilot or demonstration bases for cellulosic ethanol, which reduce the cost of ethanol by continuously improving pretreatment and hydrolysis techniques. In the next three years, these enterprises will realize large-scale commercial production. Given the practical problems in cellulosic ethanol plant construction and operation(e.g., marketing price variation and difficulties in feedstock collection), this paper began with the concept of a "whole-crop refinery" and presented a solution to the integration of industry and agriculture as well as multi-crop refining. This paper then took the whole-crop refining system of corn as an example and presented an analysis of the logistics, energy flow, and economical efficiency of the system. The results demonstrated that the integrated system could properly reduce the required fixed investments in production equipment,shared utilities, and wastewater treatment facilities, as well as reduction of energy consumption. Although the proposed system has several problems, it brings the long-term goal of large-scale commercial application closer than ever.

Catalytic transformation of cellulose and its derived carbohydrates into chemicals involving C–C bond cleavage

The catalytic transformation of cellulose, the major component of abundant and renewable lignocellulosic biomass, into building-block chemicals is a key to establishing sustainable chemical processes. Cellulose is a polymer of glucose and a lot research effort has been devoted to the conversion of cellulose to six-carbon platform compounds such as glucose and glucose derivatives through C-O bond activation. There also ex- ist considerable studies on the catalytic cleavage of C-C bonds in biomass for the production of high-value chemicals, in particular polyols and organic acids such as ethylene glycol and lactic acid. This review article highlights recent advances in the development of new catalytic systems and new strategies for the selective cleavage of C-C bonds in cellulose and its derived carbohydrates under inert, reductive and oxidative atmospheres to produce Q -Cs polyols and organic acids. The key factors that influence the catalytic performance will be clarified to provide insights for the design of more efficient catalysts for the transformation of cellulose with precise cleavage of C-C bonds to high-value chemicals. The reaction mechanisms will also be discussed to understand deeply how the selective cleavage of C-C bonds can be achieved in biomass.