• Energy Research
• 2021-2025close
• Closed Access close
• Restricted close
• CN close
• US close
• IT close
• CA close

Schisandra Sphenanthera polysaccharides fractions (SSPs), namely SSP40, SSP60, and SSP80, were obtained by gradient precipitation with 40 %, 60 %, and 80 % (v/v) ethanol, respectively. It was found that gradient ethanol precipitation (GEP) significantly affected the physicochemical and structural characteristics of SSPs, including molecular weight, monosaccharide composition, and surface morphology. Compared to fractions SSP40 and SSP60, SSP80 was observed to have a lower molecular weight (22.58 kDa) and certain specific monosaccharide composition, such as lower glucose content and higher galactose, arabinose, rhamnose, and galacturonic acid content. Furthermore, the apparent porosity of the SSPs increased with increasing ethanol concentration in GEP. After fermentation at 37 °C for 48 h, fraction SSP80 prominently promoted the production of more short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), increasing from an initial 1.39 ± 0.08 to 26.75 ± 0.54 mmol/L. The SSP fraction types extracted by GEP greatly affected the modulation of the intestinal microflora at different levels. The SSP80 fraction with excellent structure demonstrated the best ability to modulate the intestinal microflora by increasing the relative abundance of Bacteroides, Faecalibacterium and Dialister and decreasing the relative abundance of Escherichia-Shigella. The remarkable differences in modulating the intestinal microflora confirmed the importance of carefully selecting GEP to fraction SSPs that promote health.

Abstract Fresh green asparagus is prone to lignify after harvest due to its high respiration rate and secretion of secondary metabolites regulated by enzymes generated during storage. In this work, a dense hemicellulose-based coating containing hemicellulose, cellulose nanofibers, and montmorillonite (MMT) was prepared and used as a coating to reduce the respiration rate of green asparagus, with which the shelf life of green asparagus was prolonged from 5 days to 7 days. Alkyl ketene dimer (AKD) was used as a hydrophobizer and a crosslinking agent to reduce humidity sensitivity by introducing hydrophobic fatty acid chains to nanoparticles for increased structural stability and respiratory barrier property hemicellulose-based film in high humidity conditions. Our study proved that AKD modified coating with nature-derived nanomaterials could effectively increase respiratory barrier property, slow down the secretion of lignification-involved enzymes, and regulating the conversion of phenolic compounds to the lignin monomers.

This study aims to introduce, conceptualize, and design a novel biomass/gasification-driven hybrid energy configuration. The proposed hybrid configuration has four subsystems: reformer solid oxide fuel cell (RSOFC), biomass/gasification, homogeneous charge compression ignition engine (HCCIE) plus waste heat recovery system (WHRS). RSOFC and HCCIE systems are embedded to generate electric energy. The syngas required for these two subsystems is captured from the biomass/gasification subsystem. In addition to generating electrical energy, fuel cell is responsible for providing combustible fuel to the HCCIE subsystem. The embedded engine in the system can improve the proposed configuration efficiency by increasing the rate of electrical energy production. In addition, the dissipated heat of fuel cell and engine subsystems is recovered by WHRS. The proposed energy configuration is evaluated and discussed from energetically, exergetically and exergoeconomic and environmental aspects to obtain a comprehensive feasibility study of the plant. The offered hybrid design has new component's structure and relationships that have not been reported in the publications. The analysis indicated that the proposed hybrid configuration is capable of generating approximately 1100 kW and 366.3 W of electric and thermal power, respectively, with the overall energetic and exergetic efficiencies of 69.4% and 52.1%. Exergoeconomic analysis results revealed that the specific fuel cost of the total proposed configuration was approximately 1.96 USD per GJ. In addition, compared to a coal and petroleum oil-based power generation plants, the proposed hybrid configuration can have approximately 2.75-fold and 97.7% lower CO2 emissions, sequentially. Besides, the proposed system can rival other similar biomass-driven designs.

Moss-associated N2 fixation by epiphytic microbes is a key biogeochemical process in nutrient-limited high-latitude ecosystems. Abiotic drivers, such as temperature and moisture, and the identity of host mosses are critical sources of variation in N2 fixation rates. An understanding of the potential interaction between these factors is essential for predicting N inputs as moss communities change with the climate. To further understand the drivers and results of N2 fixation rate variation, we obtained natural abundance values of C and N isotopes and an associated rate of N2 fixation with 15N2 gas incubations in 34 moss species collected in three regions across Alaska, USA. We hypothesized that δ15N values would increase toward 0‰ with higher N2 fixation to reflect the increasing contribution of fixed N2 in moss biomass. Second, we hypothesized that δ13C and N2 fixation would be positively related, as enriched δ13C signatures reflect abiotic conditions favorable to N2 fixation. We expected that the magnitude of these relationships would vary among types of host mosses, reflecting differences in anatomy and habitat. We found little support for our first hypothesis, with only a modest positive relationship between N2 fixation rates and δ15N in a structural equation model. We found a significant positive relationship between δ13C and N2 fixation only in Hypnales, where the probability of N2 fixation activity reached 95% when δ13C values exceeded - 30.4‰. We conclude that moisture and temperature interact strongly with host moss identity in determining the extent to which abiotic conditions impact associated N2 fixation rates.