Effects of Controlled Atmospheres with High_O_2 or High_CO_2 Concentrations on Postharvest Physiology and Storability of "Napoleon" Sweet Cherry

Sweet cherries ( Prunus avium L. cv. Napoleon) were stored in controlled atmospheres (CA) of high O(2) (70% O(2) + 0% CO(2)) or high CO(2) (5% O(2) + 10% CO(2)), in modified atmosphere package (MAP, (13% - 18%) O(2) + (2% -4%) CO(2)) and in air (control) at 1 degreesC to investigate the effects of different O(2) and CO(2) concentrations on physiological properties, quality and storability of the fruits during storage. The results indicated that compared with other treatments, CA with high O(2) concentration decreased fruit decay and ethanol content, but increased the accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA) and stimulated browning. CA with high CO(2) concentration inhibited polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity, reduced MDA content, maintained vitamin C content and firmness, decreased fruit decay and browning. Soluble solids contents (SSC) were not significantly affected by different atmosphere treatments. 'Napoleon' fruits stored in 5% O(2) + 10% CO(2) for as long as 80 d were of good quality, but only 40, 20 and 30 d stored in MAP, 70% O(2) + 0% CO(2) and air, re-spectively.

Selection and Ultrastructural Observation of a High-CO_2-requiring Mutant of Cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC7942

A high_CO 2_requiring mutant of Synechococcus sp. PCC7942 has been isolated after chemical mutagenesis of ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS). It was able to grow at 4% CO 2, but not under ambient CO 2. The initial screening of the mutant showed that the genetic reversion rate was about 10 -7 and death occurred 2-3 days after being transferred from 4% CO 2 to the ambient air. Its photosynthetic dependence on external dissolved inorganic carbon was higher than that of the wild type cells, but its carbonic anhydrase activity was comparatively low. In the ultrastructural level, various types of aberrant carboxysomes appeared in the mutant cells: rod_shaped carboxysomes, irregular carboxysomes and the “empty_inclusion carboxysomes" with increasing number of glycogen granules surrounding the thylakoids. All these alterations indicated that the mutant was defective in utilizing the external CO 2. The induction of carboxysomes by lower levels of CO 2 and the biogenesis of carboxysomes are herein discussed.

High CO methanation activity on zirconia-supported molybdenum sulfide catalyst

In this study, different methods were used to prepare MoO3/ZrO2 catalysts for sulfur resistant methanation reaction. It was found that MoO3/ZrO2 catalyst prepared by one-step co-precipitation method achieved high methanation performance. CO conversion could reach up to 90% on 25 wt% MoO3/ZrO2 catalyst, much higher than that on the conventional 25 wt% MoO3/Al2O3 catalyst. The Mo-based catalysts were characterized by XRF, XRD, Raman, BET, TEM and H2-TPR etc. It was found that MoO3 particles were highly dispersed on ZrO2 support for 25 wt% MoO3/ZrO2 catalyst prepared at 65-85℃ because of its relatively larger pore size, which contributed to a high CO conversion. Meanwhile, when MoO3 loading exceeded the monolayer coverage, the formed crystalline MoO3 and ZrM020g might block the micropores of the catalyst and make the methanation activity declined. These results are useful for preparing highly efficient catalyst for CO methanation process.

Effect of pH, Temperature, and CO2 Concentration on Growth and Lipid Accumulation of Nannochloropsis sp. MASCC 11

This study determined growth and lipid accumulation in Nannochloropsis sp. MASCC 11 cultivated at different pH, temperatures, and CO2 concentrations in 10-day period. The suitability for biodiesel production was also evaluated based on the fatty acid profiles of microalgae lipid. Nannochloropsis sp. MASCC 11 showed an excellent tolerance to acidic pH(as low as 4.0), high temperatures(at least 40℃), and high CO2 concentrations(5%-15%), which are major stressed conditions in flue gas. The highest algal biomass was acquired at pH of 9.0(0.44 g L^-1), a temperature of 35℃(0.63 g L^-1), and a CO2 concentration of 5%(2.27 g L^-1). Maximum lipid production was obtained at p H of 6.0(108.2 mg L^-1), a temperature of 35℃(134.6 mg L^-1), and a CO2 concentration of 5%(782.7 mg L^-1). Synthesis of polyunsaturated fatty acids(PUFAs) in biomass was stimulated under high CO_2 concentrations, remaining above 80% of total fatty acids, mainly composed of C16:3, C18:2, and C18:3. This led to the algae-based biodiesel having a lower oxidation stability, better cold flow properties, and other parameters such as its kinematic viscosity, cetane number, and specific gravity complied with ASTM or EN 14214 biodiesel specifications. Therefore, the improvement of oxidative stability needs to be considered before Nannochloropsis sp. MASCC 11 lipid can be used for biodiesel production, even if this species can grow well under stressful conditions.