Chemical Composition and Nutritive Value of Agro-Industrial By-Products in Ruminant Nutrition

This study was carried out to determine the chemical composition and in situ degradability of agro-industrial by-products found in Eritrea. Three categories of by-products were evaluated and were the milling industry (wheat bran;WB, short;WS, and middling;WM), brewery (brewers’ dry grain;BDG, hops;BDH, and yeast;BDY) and sesame cakes (sesame cake machine extracted;SCM and manually extracted;SCT). The dry matter (DM) varied between 88.46% in BDY to 92.39% in SCT. The lowest (P < 0.05) crude protein (CP) content was recorded in WM at 10.11% while the highest was from the BDY at 48.20%. The metabolisable energy (ME) value of the agro-industrial by-products ranged from 8.72 to 11.18 MJ per kg DM with the BDH recording the lowest value (P The sesame cakes (SCM and SCT) recorded higher values of 11.17 and 11.18 MJ per kg DM respectively. The SCT recorded the highest ash content at 10.93% followed by BDY at 10.16% with the least being obtained from WM at 2.48%. The ether extract and acid detergent lignin contents were generally low in all cases for all the by-products. Generally, the results indicated that there was no clear pattern in terms of nutrients content amongst the by-products. The in situ DM, organic matter (OM) and CP degradability differed amongst and within the sesame cakes, milling and brewery by-products. The wide variation in chemical composition, DM, OM, CP degradability, and ME obtained from this study offer farmers huge flexibility in formulating rations according to the productive performance of target animals.

Progress in Analytical Methods of Halogenated Disinfection By-Products

Ensuring the health and safety of drinking water is crucial for both nations and their citizens.Since the 20th century,the disinfection of drinking water,effectively controlling pathogens in water sources,has become one of the significant advances in public health.However,the disinfectants used in the process,such as chlorine and chlorine dioxide,react with natural organic matter in the water to produce disinfection by-products(DBPs).Most of these DBPs contain chlorine,and if the source water contains bromine or iodine,brominated or iodinated DBPs,collectively referred to as Halogenated disinfection byproducts(X-DBPs),are formed.Numerous studies have found that X-DBPs pose potential risks to human health and the environment,leading to widespread concern.Mass spectrometry has become an important means of discovering new types of X-DBPs.This paper focuses on the study of methods for analyzing X-DBPs in drinking water using mass spectrometry.

Behavior of Heavy Metals during the Agro-Industrial Wastes Gasification

The characterization analysis of three agro-industrial wastes was performed in order to study its thermal gasification. Some analyses such as determination of Ca, K and Mg concentration and determination of three representative toxic metals concentration Cd, Cr and Pb in all its oxidation states and the fundamental state, were carried out. The heavy metals concentration was also determined in the ashes obtained during the gasification process. The mobility of these elements was studied through three leaching tests. The behavior of heavy metals, sulfur and chlorine compounds, was predicted considering the presence of water vapor, syngas, Ca, Mg, K, Si, Al and other ash components. The heavy metals are not more concentrated in the gasification ash;these pollutants are released during this process. Ca, Mg and K presence in these residues would promote the pollutants retention. The ash of the studied waste can be disposed in controlled landfills or used in road construction, according to the obtained results during the leaching test DIN-DEV S4. The obtained results in the leaching test EPA 1311 TLCP classify these gasification ashes as no toxic waste.

Agro-Industrial Waste Materials as Substrates for the Production of Poly(3-Hydroxybutyric Acid)

Accumulation of recalcitrant plastics in the environment has become a world-wide problem in today’s societies. Rapid depletion of natural resources for synthetic plastics along with environmental concerns has directed research towards finding alternatives to petroleum-based polymers. Poly(3-hydroxybutyric acid) P(3HB), as one of these alternatives, have attracted much attention in recent years due to their varied mechanical properties, biocompatibility and biodegradability. The aim of this study was to identify an agro-industrial waste resource economically suitable for large-scale production of P(3HB), to optimize the production using Response Surface Methodology in small-scale and subsequently, to test the production in a continuously stirred tank reactor. Among a range of agro-industrial waste, orange peel was selected as the most suitable for P(3HB) production. P(3HB) concentration of 1.24 g P(3HB)/L culture broth with 41% P(3HB)/dcw yield was obtained using orange peel as the sole carbon source in optimized medium with a modified strain of Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis OK2).

Design of a Hybrid Wind-Solar Energy System for an Agro-industrial Residential Area in Bota-Limbe, Cameroon

This paper proposes the most feasible technical and environmentally friendly hybrid power system configuration;a stand-alone hybrid wind-solar energy system with battery storage for a residential area of an Agro-industrial Company, Cameroon Development Cooperation (CDC), with headquarters in Bota-Limbe, south west region, Cameroon. The power network of the CDC Bota-Limbe Camp amongst other camps, which accommodates plantation workers, is plagued with challenges such as reliance on grid power which is unreliable, poor power quality which endangers home appliances and a spider webbed transmission system that poses as a threat to the lives of plantation workers. This paper addresses those concerns by designing a modular hybrid solar-wind renewable energy system for the camp. Limbe is a coastal area with proven existence of wind and solar resources. It is expected that the proposed system, if adopted and well implemented, will provide huge opportunities for the CDC in several other locations in Cameroon where there is adequate supply of renewable energy resources.

Utilization of Agro-Industrial Residues and Municipal Waste of Plant Origin for Cellulosic Ethanol Production

Today’s search for alternative sources of energy to reduce the use of fossil fuels is motivated by environmental, socioeconomic and political reasons. The use of agro-industrial and municipal wastes of plant origin for ethanol production appears to be the best option to solve the dilemma of using food sources to produce biofuels, since it adds value to these wastes in eco-efficient processes. This paper highlights the potential of agro-industrial and municipal wastes for cellulosic ethanol production.

基于by-production技术的中国绿色发展效率测度及差异化研究

在资源环境约束日益严峻的背景下,如何推动绿色发展,促进人与自然和谐共生成为中国发展道路上的关键问题。通过对中国绿色发展效率进行测度和差异化研究,能更好地把握中国绿色发展现状,进而加快实现经济可持续发展。首先,以中国30个省份为研究对象,引入了DEA框架下by-production技术测度中国绿色发展效率,该技术考虑了非期望产出只由能源投入产得的特征,更加符合实际生产过程。其次,采用Dagum基尼系数进一步探究中国绿色发展效率空间差异及其来源。通过研究发现:样本考察期内,基于by-production技术的中国绿色发展效率整体较高,绿色发展效率均值为0.84,但仍有提升空间;绿色发展效率的地区差距显著,且呈上升趋势。其中,区域间差距是最主要来源,平均贡献率为44.12%;西部地区区域内绿色发展效率差异最大;东部地区和东北地区区域间差异最大。因此,要加强区域间绿色发展交流合作,实现区域绿色协同发展。最后,针对所得结论提出了对策建议,为经济社会发展全面绿色转型提供决策参考,有助于推动实现经济效益与环境效益相统一。

Effects of molasses on the fermentation characteristics of mixed silage prepared with rice straw, local vegetable by-products and alfalfa in Southeast China

This experiment was conducted to study the effect of molasses on the fermentation characteristics of mixed silage ensiled rice straw and vegetable by-products with alfalfa.Mixture（202 g kg^-1 dry matter（DM））consisting of rice straw,broccoli residue and alfalfa at the ratio of 5：4：1 was ensiled with three experimental treatments：（1）no additives（control）;（2）molasses at 2.5%（M1）;（3）molasses at 5%（M2）on a fresh matter basis of mixture,respectively.All treatments were packed into laboratory-scale silos,and three silos per treatment were sampled on days 1,3,5,14 and 30.The result showed that the p H value of all mixed silages decreased gradually with the time of ensiling except for the control silage,in which a significant increase（P〈0.05）on day 30 occurred.The lactic acid content increased gradually with the time of ensiling and reached the highest value on day 14,and a marked decrease（P〈0.05）was found in the control silage on day 30.The changes of acetic acid content showed similar pattern with lactic acid content.A trace amount of propionic and butyric acid contents were found in the three mixed silages during the fermentation period.Comparing to the control,M1 and M2 treatments improved the fermentation quality of mixed silages as indicated by higher（P〈0.05）lactic acid contents and lower（P〈0.05）p H and ammonia-N contents.The Flieg points also showed that M1 and M2 silages were well preserved,whereas the control silage had a bad quality.Overall,the findings of this study suggested that adding molasses could improve fermentation quality of mixed silage,and M1 was more suitable for practical application.

Characterization of dissolved organic matter fractions and its relationship with the disinfection by-product formation

Dissolved organic matter （DOM） has been identified as precursor for disinfection by-products （DBPs） formation during chlorination. Recently, it has been demonstrated that the characteristics of DOM influence the DBPs formation mechanism. A study was, therefore, initiated to investigate the effects of DOM fractions on DBPs formation mechanism. In the chlorination process, organic acids are dominant precursors of total thihalomethanes （TTHM） because of the vc-o and unsaturated structures. Furthermore, the TTHM formation of organic acids was affected by pH more greatly. Based on the fluorescence spectroscopy analysis, DOM fractions contained several fluorescence substances. During chlorination, humic acid-like substances were found to exhibit high chlorine reactivity and hydrophobic organics decomposed to smaller molecules faster than hydrophilic organics even at lower chlorine dosages. Unlike hydrophobic fractions, hydrophilic organics showed no toxicity following chlorination, suggesting that the toxic structures in hydrophihc organics showed high chlorine reactivity during chlorination.

Simultaneous Control of Microorganisms and Disinfection By-products by Sequential Chlorination

Objective To introduce a new sequential chlorination disinfection process in which short-term free chlorine and chloramine are sequentially added. Methods Pilot tests of this sequential chlorination were carried out in a drinking water plant. Results The sequential chlorination disinfection process had the same or better efficiency on microbe （including virus） inactivation compared with the free chlorine disinfection process. There seemed to be some synergetic disinfection effect between free chlorine and monochloramine because they attacked different targets. The sequential chlorination disinfection process resulted in 35.7%-77.0% TTHM formation and 36.6%-54.8% THAA5 formation less than the free chlorination process. The poorer the water quality was, the more advantage the sequential chlorination disinfection had over the free chlorination. Conclusion This process takes advantages of free chlorine＇s quick inactivation of microorganisms and chloramine＇s low disinfection by-product （DBP） yield and long-term residual effect, allowing simultaneous control of microbes and DBPs in an effective and economic way.

Suppressing by-product via stratified adsorption effect to assist highly reversible zinc anode in aqueous electrolyte

The development of promising zinc anodes mainly suffers from their low plating/stripping coulombic efficiencies when using aqueous electrolyte,which are mainly associated with the interfacial formation of irreversible by-products.It is urgent to develop technologies that can solve this issue fundamentally.Herein,we report an artificial Sc_(2)O_(3) protective film to construct a new class of interface for Zn anode.The density functional theory simulation and experimental results have proven that the interfacial side reaction was inhibited via a stratified adsorption effect between this artificial layer and Zn anode.Benefiting from this novel structure,the Sc_(2)O_(3)-coated Zn anode can run for more than 100 cycles without short circuit and exhibit low voltage hysteresis,and the coulombic efficiency increases by 1.2%.Importantly,it shows a good application prospect when matched with two of popular manganese-based and vanadium-based cathodes.The excellent electrochemical performance of the Sc_(2)O_(3)-coated Zn anode highlights the importance of rational design of anode materials and demonstrates a good way for developing high-performance Zn anodes with long lifespan and high efficiency.

Neem by-products in the fight against mosquito-borne diseases:Biotoxicity of neem cake fractions towards the rural malaria vector Anopheles culicifacies(Diptera:Culicidae)

Objective: To evaluate the ovicidal, larvicidal and adulticidal potential of neem cake fractions of different polarity against the rural malaria vector Anopheles culicifacies(An.culicifacies).Methods: Neem cake fractions' total methanol extract(NTMeOH), total ethyl acetate extract(NTAc OEt), ethyl acetate fraction after repartition with NTMe OH(NRAc OEt),butanol fraction after repartition with NTMeOH(NRBuOH), and aqueous fraction after repartition of NTMeOH(NRH2O) were tested against An. culicifacies eggs, fourth instar larvae and adults.Results: In larvicidal experiments, NTMeOH, NTAcOEt, NRAcOEt, NRBuOH and NRH2O achieved LC50 values of 1.32, 1.50, 1.81, 1.95 and 2.54 mg/L, respectively. All fractions tested at 150 mg/L were able to reduce egg hatchability of more than 50%, with the exception of NTAc OEt and NRAc OEt. In adulticidal assays, NTMeOH, NTAcOEt,NRAcOEt, NRBuOH and NRH2O achieved LC50 values of 3.01, 2.95, 3.23, 3.63 and3.00 mg/L, respectively.Conclusions: Overall, this study suggests that the methanolic fractions of neem cake may be considered as a new and cheap source of highly effective compounds against the rural malaria vector An. culicifacies.

Collagen from Tendon of Yezo Sika Deer (<i>Cervus nippon yesoensis</i>) as By-Product

Collagen from tendon of Yezo sika deer was prepared by limited pepsin digestion. The yield of collagen was very high;35.7% on the basis of lyophilized dry weight. The secondary structure of this collagen was different from that of porcine skin by ATR-FTIR analysis, although it was the same characteristics, e.g. SDS-PAGE, subunit composition, ther-mal behavior, as porcine collagen. Since taking up a problem of bovine spongiform encephalopathy infection in land animals such as calf or bovine, collagen from aquatic materials has been used in various industries. However, the present study indicates that tendon of Yezo sika deer as by-product of meat industry will have potential as an important collagen source for use in the foods, cosmetics, and medical fields.

Comprehensive utilization of corn starch processing by-products:A review

Corn is a high starchy cereal crop with the highest production and provides over 85%of the starch produced worldwide.Various by-products,differentiated by technological process features such as steep liquor,corn germ,corn bran,gluten,are created largely during corn starch processing.They are inexpensive,nutrient-rich,and vary widely in chemical composition such as proteins,oils,carbohydrates,and minerals.In an increasingly resource-constrained modern world,the utilization approach of these by-products for non-starch industrial processing is attractive widely considering both nutritive value and economic aspects.In fact,at present,applications of these by-products can often be found in feed,fermentation,nutrient extraction and other industries.For example,protein-rich corn gluten can be used as a good animal feed,and corn germ can be used as a raw material for the high-quality edible oil industry.Undoubtedly,increasing utilization means that these by-products will no longer be treated as waste but will be transformed into high value-added products.In this work,the separation process and chemical composition of several main by-products of the corn starch industry is briefly described,and the application in many industrial fields of these by-products over the last ten years are discussed in particular.This review attempts to summarize all aspects of the application and research of these by-products.For the by-products of the corn starch industry,the most promising way is to be utilized in high value and used to produce high value-added products.According to the characteristics of their chemical composition,they have a better application prospect and research significance in the industries directly related to human beings,such as medicine,green food and health care products.In fact,in recent years,some researchers have recognized this and carried out the research.It is clear fromthese studies that the main issues to be faced nowand in the future are how to produce efficiently while maintaining the quality of the product and using it effectively.The retrospective discussions also provide some ideas for other grain and oilseed crops to be fully utilized.

Removal of disinfection by-products formation potential by biologically intensified process

The removal of disinfection by-products formation potential(DBPFP) in artificially intensified biological activated carbon(IBAC) process which is developed on the basis of traditional ozone granular activated carbon was evaluated. By IBAC removals of 31% and 68% for THMFP and HAAFP were obtained respectively. Under identical conditions, the removals of the same substances were 4% and 32% respectively only by the granular activated carbon(GAC) process. Compared with GAC, the high removal rates of the two formed potential substances were due to the increasing of bioactivity of the media and the synergistic capabilities of biological degradation cooperating with activated carbon adsorption of organic compounds. A clear linear correlation(R 2=0.9562 and R 2=0.9007) between DOC HAAFP removal rate and Empty Bed Contact Time(EBCT) of IBAC process was observed, while that between THMFP removal rate and EBCT of GAC was R 2=0.9782. In addition certain linear correlations between THMFP, HAAFP and UV 254 (R 2=0.855 and R 2=0.7702) were found for the treated water. For IBAC process there are also more advantages such as long backwashing cycle time, low backwashing intensity and prolonging activated carbon lifetime and so on.

Towards the Recovery of By-Product Metals from Mine Wastes:An X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy Study on the Binding State of Rhenium in Debris from a Centennial Iberian Pyrite Belt Mine

Rhenium is a very scarce element, occurring in the Earth's crust mainly carried by molybdenite (MoS2). Due to a very low availability comparative to actual industrial demand, rhenium is nowadays one of the most expensive mineral commodities and an increased interest is focused on ex- ploring residues resulting from a long-term mining, particularly of sulphide ore deposits. It is therefore noteworthy to assign the presence of rhenium (in a concentration up to 3 ppm) in the waste materials from the old sulphur factory at the abandoned mine of Sao Domingos (Iberian Pyrite Belt, Southeast Portugal), exploited since the Roman occupation of Iberia. Aiming at a potential sustainable recovery of rhenium as a by-product, X-ray near-edge absorption spectroscopy (XANES) was applied to clarify the Re-binding and mode of occurrence by comparing Re L3-edge XANES spectra obtained from mine waste samples (previously fully characterized by X-ray laboratory techniques) with similar spectra collected from Re-rich molybdenites (Mo1-xRexS2) and from Re-O model compounds configuring various valences and coordination environments of rhenium ions. Obtained results are commented, ruling out a possible Re-S binding and rather conforming with the binding of rhenium to oxygen in the analysed mine waste materials.

Reduction of Precursors of Chlorination By-products in Drinking Water Using Fluidized-bed Biofilm Reactor at Low Temperature

Objective To investigate the reduction of chlorination by-products （CBPs） precursors using the fluidized-bed biofdm reactor （FBBR）. Methods Reduction of total organic carbon （TOC）, ultraviolet absorbance （UV254）, tfihalomethane （THM） formation potential （THMFP）, haloacetic acid （HAA） formation potential （HAAFP）, and ammonia in FBBR were evaluated in detail. Results The reduction of TOC or UV254 was low, on average 12.6% and 4.7%, respectively, while the reduction of THMFP and HAAFP was significant. The reduction of ammonia was 30%-40% even below 3℃, however, it could quickly rise to over 50% above 3℃. Conclusions The FBBR effectively reduces CBPs and ammonia in drinking water even at low temperature and seems to be a very promising and competitive drinking water reactor for polluted surface source waters, especially in China.

A plant-based diet supplemented with Hermetia illucens alone or in combination with poultry by-product meal:one step closer to sustainable aquafeeds for European seabass

Background:Increasing demand for high-value fish species and pressure on forage fish is challenging aquaculture to ensure sustainable growth by replacing protein sources in aquafeeds with plant and terrestrial animal proteins,without compromising the economic value and quality of the final fish product.In the present study,the effects of a plant protein-based diet(CV),two plant-based diets in which graded amounts of plan protein mixtures were replaced with Hermetia illucens meal alone(VH10)or in combination with poultry by-product meal(PBM)(VH10P30),a fishmeal(FM)diet(CF)and an FM diet supplemented with H.illucens(FH10)on growth performance,gut health and homeostasis of farmed subadult European seabass were tested and compared.Results:Fish fed the VH10 and VH10P30 diets showed the highest specific growth rates and lowest feed conversion ratios among the tested groups.Expectedly,the best preservation of PI morphology was observed in fish fed the CF or FH10 diets,while fish fed the CV diet exhibited significant degenerative changes in the proximal and distal intestines.However,PBM supplementation mitigated these effects and significantly improved all gut morphometric parameters in the VH10P30 group.Partial substitution of the plant mixture with insect meal alone or PBM also induced most BBM genes and activated BBM enzymes,suggesting a beneficial effect on intestinal digestive/absorption functions.Regarding intestinal microbiota,fish fed diets containing H.illucens meal(FH10,VH10,VH10P30)had the highest richness of bacterial communities and abundance of beneficial genera such as Lactobacillus and Bacillus.On the other hand,fish fed CV had the highest microbial diversity but lost a significant component of fish intestinal microbiota,the phylum Bacteroidetes.Finally,skin pigmentation most similar to that of farmed or even wild seabass was also observed in the fish groups fed CF,FH10 or VH10P30.Conclusion:Plant-based diets supplemented with PBM and H.illucens pupae meal have great potential as alternative diets for European seabass,without affecting growth performance,gut homeostasis,or overall fitness.This also highlights the importance of animal proteins in diets of European seabass,as the addition of a small amount of these alternative animal protein sources significantly improved all measured parameters.

Development of Techniques for Animal Feed from Corn and Their By-Products

Research results concerned （ 1 ） quantification of pH value and contents of ammonia nitrogen, volatile fatty acids （VFAs）, and lactic acid, which were indicators of fermentative quality of corn stover silage and other crop by-product silages ; （2） introduction of methods for analyses of fiber content in feeds such as detergent and enzymatic analyses; （3） determination of digestive characteristics in the tureen by artificial digestion trials （ in vitro and in situ ） ; （ 4 ） evaluation of meat productivity and quality by feeding corn stover silage to beef cattle in feeding experiments and; （5） preparation of feed composition and feeding standards for animals in Jilin Province. These results and methods substantially contributed to stabilization of feed supply as well as an increase in the efficiency of meat production, resulting in sustainable development of livestock management in China.

Removal characteristics of disinfection by-products formation potential by bioaugmentation activated carbon process

The high-active bacteria were screened from 8 dominant bacteria obtained from the natural water body,and then the bioaugmentation activated carbon was formed by hydraulic immobilization of the high-active bacteria. Plant-scale studies on removal characteristics of disinfection by-products formation potentials (DBPFP) by bioaugmentation activated carbon process were conducted for micro-polluted raw water treatment. The results show that the bioaugmentation activated carbon process has adopted better purification efficiency to THMFP and HAAFP than traditional biological activated carbon process,and that average removal efficiencies of THMFP and HAAFP can reach 35% and 39.7% during the test period,increasing by more than 10% compared with traditional biological activated carbon process. The removal efficiencies of THMFP and HAAFP are stable because of the biodegradation of the high-active bacteria and the adsorption of active carbon. The biodegradability of CHCl3 formation potential is better as compared with that of CHCl2Br and CHClBr2 formation potentials among THMFP,and high removal efficiency of CHCl3formation potential is obtained by bioaugmentation degradation of the high-active bacteria. The biodegradability of HAAFP is better in comparison with that of THMFP,and the chemical properties of HAAFP are propitious to adsorption of activated carbon. Thus,HAAFP is on predominance during the competitive removal process with THMFP.