Optimization of butanol production from corn straw hydrolysate by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Clostridium acetobutylicum</Emphasis> using response surface method

Butanol is a new kind of very potential biofuels.Enzymatic hydrolysis of corn stalk was utilized in this study to produce butanol by Clostridium acetobutylicum CICC 8008.Plackett-Burman (P-B) design and Central Composite Design (CCD) were adopted to screen crucial factors during fermentation as well as the optimization of experimental conditions.The result demonstrated that among the seven factors,namely,Yeast extract,(NH 4) 2 SO 4,KH 2 PO 4,MgSO 4,FeSO 4,CuSO 4 and CaCO 3,only CaCO 3 was selected as the most critical factor.The optimization experiment results for CaCO 3 usage,temperature and reaction time by CCD were determined to be 5.04 g/L,35°C and 70 h,respectively.A corresponding mathematical model was established to predict the fermentation experiment and maximum butanol yield of 6.57 g/L was acquired.The result of verification experiment under the optimum conditions showed that 6.20 g/L was the maximum butanol yield.This demonstrated that statistical method was a powerful tool for the optimization of butanol production from enzymatic hydrolysis of corn stalk.     

Effects of Influencing Factors on Fenton Oxidation of Antibiotic Pharmaceutical Wastewater by a Statistical Design Approach

A series of batch-scale experiments were completed to investigate the effects of operational parameters on chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal by Fenton reagent for antibiotic pharmaceutical wastewater (APW). The significance of five operational factors including the mass ratio of H2O2/COD (g/g), the mole ratio of H2O2/Fe2+ (mol/mol), initial pH, oxidation temperature T, and reaction time t were evaluated statistically by Box-Behnken design (BBD). It was found that the five parameters were all significant to the COD removal efficiency by t-test, as well as the interactions between mass ratio/reaction time and oxidation temperature/reaction. The optimal COD removal efficiency (89.50%) was achieved when the mass ratio of H2O2/COD and the mole ratio of H2O2/Fe2+ were 3.00 and 5.00 respectively, with pH value of 3.68 at 298K for 72min reaction. A quadratic regression model with 0.9907 regression coefficient (R2) was developed which had good agreement to the experimental data.     

Modified natural zeolite as heterogeneous Fenton catalyst in treatment of recalcitrants in industrial effluent

Industrial effluents with high recalcitrants should undergo post-treatment after biological treatment. The aim of this study was to use cheap and abundantly available natural materials to develop heterogeneous Fenton catalysts for the removal of colored recalcitrants in molasses distillery wastewater(MDW). The pellets of zeolite,which is naturally available in many countries, were modified by pre-treatment with sulphuric acid, nitric acid and hydrochloric acid, before embedding on them the ferrous ions. The effects of p H and temperature on heterogeneous Fenton were studied using the modified catalysts. The sulphuric acid-ferrous modified catalysts showed the highest affectivity which achieved 90% color and 60% TOC(total organic carbon) removal at 150 g/L pellet catalyst dosage, 2 g/L H_2O_2 and 25 °C. The heterogeneous Fenton with the same catalyst caused improvement in the biodegradability of anaerobic effluent from 0.07 to 0.55. The catalyst was also applied to pre-treat the raw MDW and increased it's biodegradability by 4%. The color of the resultant anaerobic effluent was also reduced. The kinetics of total TOC removal was found to depend on operation temperature. It was best described by simultaneous first and second order kinetics model for the initial reaction and second order model for the rest of the reaction.     

Isolation and optimization of production of Astaxanthin from Antarctic yeast Rhodotorula sp. NJ298

Rhodotorula sp. NJ298 which could produce carotenoids was isolated from Antarctic sea ice. The major carotenoid was identified as astaxanthin by Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS), and its content accounted for 87.62% of total carotenoids (1,786 μg/g). High Performance Liquid Chromatogrephy (HPLC) analysis showed that the purity of the astaxanthin reached about 96.16% through a simple purification. Maximum astaxanthin production (1,908 μg/g) was obtained when the yeast was grown at 10 ℃ in seawater medium containing 5 g/L sodium acetate, 5 g/L peptone, 0.5 g/L NaCl, 0.01 g/L KH2PO4; 0.01 g/L MgSO4·7H2O and 0.001 g/L FeSO4·7H2O at pH 7.5.     

Studies on the changes of West Lake＇s zoobenthic communites after Qiantang River water was pumped into it

During Jan. 1995 to Dec. 1996, monthly investigations on the zoobenthic conummities of West Lake, samples were collected from six sampling stations. A total of 26 species of macmzoobenthes were identified. The seasonal changes in density and biomass of zoobenthos in this lake were analyzed. The annual mean densities were 980- 2751 ind/m^2 and mean biomass was 19.69 - 122.80 g/m^2. The densities in winter and early spring were higher than those in sumr~r and autunm. Comimrafive study of theprevious data ( 1982 to 1983) collected by the authors, showed that the succession of zoobenthic conammities, dominated by Procludius choreus in density and Bellamya purificata in biomass, had been occurred in Xiaonan sub-lake after Qiantang River water was drawn into it; and that the species and biomass of zoobenthes were then increased and the density was decreased. In other sub-lakes, the dominant species were Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri and Tokunag-ayusurika akamusi in density and Branchiura sowerbyi and Tokunagayusurika akamusi in biomass. The water quality was bad in these sub-lakes because these dominant species are indicators of eutrophication. According to the Margalef index and Goodnight index, West Lake is still an eutrophic lake. Only the water quality of Xiaonan sub-lake was improved after water drawn from the Qiantang River was introduced into it.     

Optimal trajectory planning based on Hamiltonian function of a spherical mobile robot

Designed for planetary exploration, a spherical mobile robot BHQ-1 was briefly introduced. The motion model of BHQ-1 was established and quasi-velocities were introduced to simplify some dynamic quantities. Based on the model, the time- and energy-based optimal trajectory of BHQ-1 was planned with Hamiltonian function. The effects of three key coefficients on the shape and direction of the planned trajectory were discussed by simulations. Experimental result of the robot ability in avoiding an obstacle was presented to validate the trajectory planning method.     

Restructuring Versus Destructuring? the Hong Kong Textile and Clothing Industry

The purpose of the study was to examine the "push" factors, which are the factors explaining the phenomena of the moving out of the textile and clothing industry in Hong Kong. The focus was put on its relationship to the time and the decision preference level. Data were collected by a questionnaire survey with 85 successful replies. A three dimensional contingency table was formulated to analyse the situation.     

The mechanism and products for co-thermal extraction of biomass and low-rank coal with NMP

The high-value utilization of low-rank coal would allow for expanding energy sources, improving energy efficiencies, and alleviating environmental issues. In order to use low-rank coal effectively, the hypercoals(HPCs) were co-extracted from two types of low-rank coal and biomass via N-methyl-2-purrolidinone(NMP) under mild conditions. The structures of the HPCs and residues were characterized by proximate and ultimate analysis, Raman spectra, and Fourier transform infrared(FT-IR) spectra. The carbon structure changes within the raw coals and HPCs were discussed. The individual thermal dissolution of Xibu(XB) coal, Guandi(GD) coal, and the biomass demonstrated that the biomass provided the lowest thermal dissolution yield Y_1 and the highest thermal soluble yield Y_2 at 280℃, and the ash content of three HPCs decreased as the extraction temperature rose. Co-thermal extractions in NMP at various coal/biomass mass ratios were performed, demonstrating a positive synergic effect for Y_2 in the whole coal/biomass mass ratios. The maximum value of Y_2 was 52.25 wt% for XB coal obtained with a XB coal/biomass of 50 wt% biomass. The maximum value of Y_2 was 50.77 wt% for GD coal obtained with a GD coal/biomass of 1:4. The difference for the optimal coal/biomass mass ratios between XB and GD coals could be attributed to the different co-extraction mechanisms for this two type coals.     

Hydrolysate of corn starch saccharified with a dual-enzyme system and the effect on the crystallization of itaconic acid when used in fermentation

An improved process of hydrolysis of corn starch was adopted in the production of itaconic acid （IA）, the aim was to decrease the unfermentable reducing sugar （RS） in the medium from the beginning of the fermentation and to increase the crystallization efficiency of IA from the fermentation broth. The glucose （GS） syrups saccharified by several combinations of glucoamylase and pullulanase were investigated and used as the carbohydrate source of the fermentation medium for the spore-initiated submerged fermentations experiments. Compared with the conventional process （with pullulanase controlled）, the improved process decreased th.e RS residue in the fermentation broth from 3.01g/L to 1.35g/L and from 4.25g/L to 3.25g/L when the original RS of the medium were 100 and 120g/L, respectively. The crystallization efficiency of IA increased from 65% to 78.8% and from 69.58% to 82.81% with the original RS being 100 and 120g/L, respectively.     

Adsorption characteristics of Cd(II) and Ni(II) from aqueous solution using succinylated hay

An environmentally friendly organic biosorbent was fabricated using hay by succinylation. Metallic cation adsorption tests were performed using synthetic nickel(Ⅱ) and cadmium(Ⅱ) solutions to simulate heavy-metal recovery from aqueous solution. The adsorption efficiency was greater than 98% for both cadmium and nickel ions when the biosorbent concentration was 5.0 g/L and the initial metal concentrations were 50 mg/L. The surface of the biosorbent was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to investigate the changes in the surface functional groups. The functional groups changed according to the surface treatment, resulting in an effective biosorbent. The kinetics of the metals adsorption revealed that the reactions are pseudo-second order, and the adsorption isotherm well followed the Langmuir model. The maximum adsorption capacities predicted by the Langmuir model were 75.19 mg/g and 57.77 mg/g for cadmium and nickel, respectively. The fabricated biosorbent was regenerated using NaCl multiple times, with 2.1% for Cd and 4.0% for Ni in adsorption capacity after three regeneration cycles. The proposed biosorbent can be a good alternative to resin or other chemical adsorbents for heavy-metal recovery in metallurgical processing or municipal water treatment.     

ATP content and biomass activity in sequential anaerobic／aerobic reactors

Specific ATP content of volatile solids was measured to characterize the sludge activity in a sequential anaerobic/aerobic wastewater treatment system, with an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor and a three-phase aerobic fluidized bed (AFB) reactor. The wastewater COD level was 2000-3000 mg/L in simulation of real textile wastewater. The ATP content and the specific ATP contents of volatile solids at different heights of the UASB reactor and those of the suspended and immobilized biomass in the AFB reactor were measured. In the UASB reactor, the maximum value of specific ATP (0.85 mg ATP/g VS) was obtained at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) 7.14 h in the blanket solution. In the AFB reactor, the specific ATP content of suspended biomass was higher than that of immobilized biomass and increased with hydraulic retention time reaching a maximum value of 1.6 mg ATP/g VS at hydraulic retention time 4.35 h. The ATP content of anaerobes in the UASB effluent declined rapidly under aerobic conditions following a 2nd-order kinetic model.     

Tentative Research of Short Process of Jute Degumming and Bleaching

The feasibility of combination process of jute degumming and bleaching with alkali-hydrogen peroxide in one-step-one-bath was discussed. The combination process basically has the similar function as the traditional two-step-two-bath method. The factors such as hydrogen peroxide concentration, CBI concentration, sodium hydroxide concentration, treatment time and temperature were studied respectively, and then an orthogonal experiment was designed to study the interactions among the hydrogen peroxide concentration, CBI concentration, sodium hydroxide concentration. After the designed experiments, the optimum treatment conditions were obtained as follows: hydrogen peroxide of 12g/L, sodium hydroxide of 4g/L, CBI of 4g/L, JFC of 1g/L, treatment time of 60min and temperature of 75℃.     

Tentative Research of Short Process of Jute Degumming and Bleaching

The feasibility of combination process of jute degumming and bleaching with alkali-hydrogen peroxide in one-step-one-bath was discussed. The combination process basically has the similar function as the traditional two-step-two-bath method. The factors such as hydrogen peroxide concentration, CBI concentration, sodium hydroxide concentration, treatment time and temperature were studied respectively, and then an orthogonal experiment was designed to study the interactions among the hydrogen peroxide concentration, CBI concentration, sodium hydroxide concentration. After the designed experiments, the optimum treatment conditions were obtained as follows： hydrogen peroxide of 12g/L, sodium hydroxide of 4g/L, CBI of 4g/L, JFC of 1g/L, treatment time of 60min and temperature of 75℃.     

Numerical simulations of nutrient transport changes in Honghu Lake Basin,Jianghan Plain

Nutrients transported from catchments are one of the most important sources for lake eutrophication. In this study, the Honghu Lake Basin, located at the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, was chosen as the study area, and the watershed hydrological distribution model SWAT （Soil Water Assessment Tool） was applied to evaluate the trajectory of watershed nutrient transportation over time. Based on the analysis of driving factors, three experiments corresponding to natural, traditional and modern agriculture processes respectively were designed to evaluate the changes of nutrient inputs from catchments under the three environments. The simulation results showed that there were variations in nutrient production and changes in the range and rate. For three periods of the experiments, TN concentrations have changed as 0.12→0.31→1.15 mg/L, and production as 420→1650→6522 T/a; while TP concentrations changed as 0.018→0.057→0.117 mg/L, and production as 78→303→665 T/a. The nutrient transportation experienced slowly long-term increases during 1840--1950, then showed a relatively rapid increase during the period of 1950-1980s and the period from 1980 to early 1990s, with increasing rate of 1.4% and 2.4% respectively. And from the later 1990s to now, an obviously increasing trend with 15% increasing rate occurred. The effect from human activities on the watershed nutrient transportation increased rapidly, and had become a dominant factor in changes of the nutrient transportation.     

Fermentation of xylose to produce ethanol by recombinant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Saccharomyces cerevisiae</Emphasis> strain containing <Emphasis Type="Italic">XYLA</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">XKS1</Emphasis>

Fermentation of the pentose sugar xylose to produce ethanol using lignocellulosic biomass would make bioethanol production economically more competitive. Saccharomyce cerevisise, an efficient ethanol producer, cannot utilize xylose because it lacks the ability to convert xylose to its isomer xylulose. In this study, XYLA gene encoding xylose isomerase (XI) from Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis MB4T and XKS1 gene encoding xylulokinase (XK) from Pichia stipitis were cloned and functionally coexpressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae EF-326 to construct a recombinant xylose-utilizing strain. The resulting strain S. cerevisiae EF 1014 not only grew on xylose as sole carbon source, but also produced ethanol under anaerobic conditions. Fermentations performed with different xylose concentrations at different temperatures demonstrated that the highest ethanol productivity was 0.11 g/g xylose when xylose concentration was provided at 50 g/L. Under this condition, 28.4% of xylose was consumed and 1.54 g/L xylitol was formed. An increasing fermentation temperature from 30℃ to 37℃ did not improve ethanol yield.     

Isolation and identification of the three rice monotelosomics

In order to obtain rice monotelosomic, the progeny of 24 telotrisomics, derived from an indica rice variety, Zhongxian 3037, were screened. The variants that differed morphologically from the diploids and the original primary trisomics as well as the telotrisomics were collected for cytological identification. The variants with 24 chromosomes were selected according to the prometaphase chromosomes. From these variants, three monotelosomies with one chromosome arm deletion in each were verified by fluorescence in situ hybridization （FISH） using a rice centromeric BAC clone of 17p22 as a marker probe. The three monotelosomics were derived from telotrisomic 1S, 4L and 11L, respectively. Further identification was conducted on the prometaphase or pachytene chromosomes of the three variants, which were probed with the same centromeric BAC clone together with the corresponding chromosome arm specific makers, a0059H02 （on the short arm of chromosome 1）, a0034E24 （on the long arm of chromosome 4）, and a0071H11 （on the long arm of chromosome 11）. The results indicated that the telocentric chromosomes in the three monotelosom. ics were derived from their respective corresponding telotrisomics. According to the telocentric chromosomes of the variants, they were monotelosomic 1S （one long arm of chromosome 1 was lost）, monotelosomic 4L （one short arm of chromosome 4 was lost） and monotelosomic 11L （one short arm of chromosome 11 was lost）, respectively.     

Rational groundwater table indicated by the ecophysiological parameters of the vegetation： A case study of ecological restoration in the lower reaches of the Tarim River

The eco-physiological response and adaptation of Populus euphratica Oliv and Tamarix ramosissima Ldb during water release period were investigated. Nine typical ＇areas and forty-five transects were selected along the lower reaches of Tarim River. The groundwater table as well as plant performance and the contents of proline, soluble sugars, and plant endogenous hormone （ABA, CTK） in leaves were monitored and analyzed. The groundwater table was raised in different areas and transects by water release program. The physiological stress to P. euphratica and T. ramosissima had been reduced after water release. Our results suggested that the groundwater table in the studied region remained at -3.15 to -4.12 m, theproline content from 9.28 to 11.06 （mmol/L）, the soluble sugar content from 224.71 to 252.16 （mmol/L）, the ABA content from 3.59 to 5.01 （ng/g FW）, and the CK content from 4.01 to 4.56 （ng/g FW）, for the optimum growth and restoration of P. euphratica indicated by the plant performance parameters and the efficiency of water application was the highest. The groundwater table in the studied region remained at -2.16 to -3.38 m, the proline content from 12.15 to 14.17 （mmol/L）, the soluble sugar content from 154.71 to 183.16 （mmol/ L）, the ABA content from 2.78 to 4.86 （ng/g FW）, and the CK content from 3.78 to 4.22 （ng/g FW）, for the optimum growth and restoration of T. ramosissima indicated by the plant performance parameters and the efficiency of water application was the highest. The rational groundwater table for the restoration of vegetation in the studied region was at -3.15 to -3.38 m.     

Failure analysis of AZ31 magnesium alloy sheets based on the extended GTN damage model

Based on the Gurson-Tvergaard-Needleman (GTN) model and Hill’s quadratic anisotropic yield criterion, a combined experimental-numerical study on fracture initiation in the process of thermal stamping of Mg alloy AZ31 sheets was carried out. The aim is to predict the formability of thermal stamping of the Mg alloy sheets at different temperatures. The presented theoretical framework was implemented into a VUMAT subroutine for ABAQUS/EXPLICIT. Internal damage evolution due to void growth and coalescence developed at different temperatures in the Mg alloy sheets was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Moreover, the thermal effects on the void growth, coalescence, and fracture behavior of the Mg alloy sheets were analyzed by the extended GTN model and forming limit diagrams (FLD). Parameters employed in the GTN model were determined from tensile tests and numerical iterative computation. The distribution of major and minor principal strains in the specimens was determined from the numerical results. Therefore, the corresponding forming limit diagrams at different stress levels and temperatures were drawn. The comparison between the predicted forming limits and the experimental data shows a good agreement.     

Utilizing Water Treatment Residuals for Phosphorus Removal: Batch Trials,Column Trials and Effects of Three Low-Molecular-Weight Organic Acids

Phosphorus（ P） has been recognized as a major limited nutrient responsible for the eutrophication of surface waters. Water treatment residuals（ WTRs） are safe by-products of water treatment plants and are cost-efficient adsorbents. In this study, batch experiments and column experiments based on WTRs were employed to study the characteristics of P adsorption and the effects of lowmolecular-weight organic acids（ LMWOAs）（ citric acid, oxalic acid,and tartaric acid） on P adsorption. Different models of adsorption were used to describe equilibrium and kinetic data. The adsorption data were fitted well by a pseudo-second order kinetic model. The adsorption process was determined to be controlled by three steps of diffusion mechanisms through the intra-particle model.The adsorption equilibrium was well described by the Langmuir,Freundlich,Redlich-Peterson,and Sips isotherm models. Batch and continuous flow experiments indicated that the LMWOAs exhibited inhibitory action,and as pH increased,the inhibitory action became weaker for all the three acids. The effect of LMWOAs concentration was not significant on inhibition. The effects of LMWOAs were closely related to reaction time.     

Analysis of the factors affecting the magnetic characteristics of nano-Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> particles

We prepared Fe3O4 nanoparticles using chemical coprecipitation and studied the factors affecting the magnetic characteristics of nano-Fe3O4 particles.We identified four factors and three levels of an orthogonal experiment and investigated these four factors that affect the magnetic characteristics of the Fe3O4 particles.We obtained important information from this investigation.The Fe3+ to Fe2+ molar ratio,the iron precursor salt,the amount of surfactant and the amount of alkali were found to be important.We also studied the influence of the order of alkali and surfactant addition,the aging time and the stirring speed on the magnetic characteristics of the nano-Fe3O4 particles.The Fe3O4 preparation process was also analyzed.