• Energy Research

Important functional components from Campbell Early grape seed were extracted by ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) technology. The experiments were carried out according to a five level, three variable central composite rotatable design (CCRD). The best possible combinations of ethanol concentration, extraction temperature, and extraction time with the application of ultrasound were obtained for the maximum extraction of phenolic compounds, antioxidant activities, and anthocyanins from grape seed by using response surface methodology (RSM). Process variables had significant effect on the extraction of functional components with extraction time being highly significant for the extraction of phenolics and antioxidants. The optimal conditions obtained by RSM for UAE from grape seed include 53.15% ethanol, 56.03 degrees C temperature, and 29.03 min time for the maximum total phenolic compounds (5.44 mg GAE/100 mL); 53.06% ethanol, 60.65 degrees C temperature, and 30.58 min time for the maximum antioxidant activity (12.31 mg/mL); and 52.35% ethanol, 55.13 degrees C temperature, and 29.49 min time for the maximum total anthocyanins (2.28 mg/mL). Under the above-mentioned conditions, the experimental total phenolics were 5.41 mg GAE/100 mL, antioxidant activity was 12.28 mg/mL, and total anthocyanins were 2.29 mg/mL of the grape seed extract, which is well matched with the predicted values.

A process for the production of biogas through the anaerobic digestion (AD) of date palm tree waste (DPTW) was developed. The effects of different substrate pretreatments and operating conditions on the yield of biogas and on the chemical composition of DPTW before and after AD were studied. The best results were obtained using alkali pretreatment, with a particle size of 2 to 5 mm, a C:N ratio of 30:1, a digestion temperature of 40 °C, an initial pH of 7.0, and a volatile solids concentration of approximately 10%. The production of flammable biogas containing up to 50% methane started after about one week of operation and continued for approximately 11 weeks. The highest average biogas yield obtained was 342.2 L gas/kg of volatile solids fed to the digester. The highest maximum and average volumetric biogas production rates obtained were 674.5 and 404.4 L/m3 of digester volume per day, respectively. After digestion, there was up to a 58% reduction in the organic matter content of the substrate. Reductions in the contents of cellulose, hemicellulose, and soluble organic compounds were 68.7, 73.4, and 71.9%, respectively, while the ash and lignin contents remained mostly constant. The remaining sludge contained nutrient minerals and some organic matter which qualifies it as a potential soil fertilizer for crop production.

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) technique was applied and optimized for temperature, CO₂ pressure and ethanol (modifier) concentration using orthogonal array design and response surface methodology for the extract yield, total phenols and antioxidants from grape (Vitis labrusca B.) seeds. Effects of extraction temperature and pressure were found to be significant for all these response variables in SFE process. Optimum SFE conditions (44 ~ 46 °C temperature and 153 ~ 161 bar CO₂ pressure) along with ethanol (<7 %) as modifier, for the maximum predicted values of extract yield (12.09 %), total phenols (2.41 mg GAE/ml) and antioxidants (7.08 mg AAE/ml), were used to obtain extracts from grape seeds. The predicted values matched well with the experimental values (12.32 % extract yield, 2.45 mg GAE/ml total phenols and 7.08 mg AAE/ml antioxidants) obtained at optimum SFE conditions. The antiradical assay showed that SFE extracts of grape seeds can scavenge more than 85 % of 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals. The grape seeds extracts were also analyzed for hydroxybenzoic acids which included gallic acid (1.21 ~ 3.84 μg/ml), protocatechuic acid (3.57 ~ 11.78 μg/ml) and p-hydroxybenzoic acid (206.72 ~ 688.18 μg/ml).