Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
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Asymmetric 2D benzodithiophene and quinoxaline copolymer for photovoltaic applications
No full textTwo novel copolymer donors based on one-dimensional (1D)-two-dimensional (2D) asymmetrical benzodithiophene (BDT) units (BDTPH-H and BDTPH-OR) and 2,3-diphenyl-5,8-di(thiophen-2-yl) quinoxaline (DTQx) were synthesized and compared with one-dimensional or two-dimensional symmetric BDT unit based photovoltaic polymers. Both asymmetrical polymers exhibited promising photovoltaic performance compared with 1D and 2D symmetric BDT polymers. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of PBDTPH-DTQx based polymer solar cells is 5.6%, with balanced V-OC = 0.7 V, J(SC) = 11.89 mA cm(-2) and FF = 67.3%, which is almost the highest PCE compared with similar BDT unit and fluorine-free substituted DTQx based polymer. What is more, PBDTPH-DTQx shows better performance than PBDTPHO-DTQx due to the single phenyl making DTQx more planar and with better pi-pi stacking than alkoxy phenyl. These findings demonstrate that the 1D-2D asymmetrical BDT units are also applicable to poor planarity fluorine-free substituted quinoxaline acceptor system
Enzyme-inorganic nanoflowers/alginate microbeads: An enzyme immobilization system and its potential application
No full textIn this work, novel nanoflower/alginate microbeads were synthesized to immobilize alpha-acetolactate decarboxylase (ALDC) with a facile approach. Typically, ALDC was first coprecipitated with Ca-3(PO4)(2) to form enzyme inorganic hybrid nanoflowers (Ca-3(PO4)(2)-ALDC), and then the nanoflowers containing micrometre-sized particles and nanoscale flower-like petals were entrapped in alginate gel beads (Ca-3(PO4)(2)-ALDC)@Mg). Compared with free ALDC and Ca-3(PO4)(2)-ALDC nanoflowers, the microbeads performed greatly improved recyclability and stability, meanwhile, retained 98% of activity compared with free ALDC. Moreover, the immobilized enzyme can be used in a 300 L beer fermentation tank to prevent the formation of diacetyl, solve the problem of beer off-flavor and short the beer maturation time, thus exhibiting a great potential application in beer brewing industry
An oleaginous filamentous microalgae Tribonema minus exhibits high removing potential of industrial phenol contaminants
No full textDischarge of industrial phenol contaminants could cause great harm on natural environment. Through oleaginous microalgae cultivation in phenolic wastewater, pollutants can be phototrophically biofixed into biomass as feedstock for bioenergy production. It was firstly reported in this study that, an oleaginous filamentous microalgae Tribonema minus exhibited strong environmental phenol removal ability. T. minus filaments showed 449.46 mg g(-1) of phenol-uptake capacity, obviously higher than those strains with low phenol absorption such as Scenedesmus dimorphus. And phenols could be removed efficiently at the initial phenol concentration up to 700 mg L-1. Simultaneously, through T. minus growth, phenol concentration could be decreased from 100 mg L-1 to the range of 0.1-0.5 mg L-1, which meet industrial discharge need of phenol contaminants in most countries. So Tribonema minus is a potential algal specie to help the construction of integrated process for both oleaginous biomass production and bioremediation of phenol contaminants. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Characterization of polychlorinated biphenyl congeners in surface sediments of the Changjiang Estuary and adjacent shelf by high-resolution sampling and high-resolution mass spectrometry
No full textDue to limited samples and low-resolution analysis, conflicting findings on major polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners and their origins remain in the East China Sea (ECS). Based on high-resolution sampling and high-resolution mass spectrometry analysis, 72 surface sediment samples from the Changjiang Estuary and adjacent ECS shelf were determined to characterize 39 PCB congeners. PCBs (Sigma(39)PCBs) ranged from 0.003 to 16.18 ng/g dw, presenting a decreasing seaward trend. Tri-, tetra- and penta-CBs were the main components, accounting for > 64% of Sigma(39)PCBs in most samples. Tetra-CBs were the dominant congeners, corresponding to results of sediments from Changjiang middle reach and soils from Changjiang Delta. Comparison between PCBs and sediment properties indicated there may be a deposition boundary of 30 degrees N. In the north, the spatial distribution of PCBs is controlled by Changjiang input and hydrodynamic conditions, while in the south closely related to combination of local source and riverine input
Effect of Zr, Ca and Mn as promoters on the Co/SiC catalysts for the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis
No full textZr, Ca and Mn promoted Co/SiC catalysts have been prepared with constant loadings of 15 wt% Co and 5 wt% Zr or Ca or Mn and investigated for the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. It was revealed that the crystallite size of Co3O4 increased from 15 to 37, 22, 16 nm and the corresponding Co-0 dispersion decreased from 8.3 to 3.5, 5.8 and 7.8% with the addition of Zr, Ca or Mn promoter. The large crystallite size and outer surface location of Co species for the Co/Zr/SiC could account for the low interaction between Co and SiC support, which led to the easy reduction. Compared to the CO conversion (71%) of Co/SiC catalyst, it increased to 82 and 80% for the Co/Zr/SiC and Co/Mn/SiC catalysts, whereas it declined to 13% for the Co/Ca/SiC catalyst. Furthermore, the product distribution took a different trend: it was shifted towards the products of long chain hydrocarbons (C-5-C-22) for Co/Zr/SiC and Co/Mn/SiC catalysts, however, light products (methane and C-2-C-4) were the major products for the Co/Ca/SiC catalyst
Label-free, simultaneous quantification of starch, protein and triacylglycerol in single microalgal cells
No full textBackground: Current approaches for quantification of major energy-storage forms in microalgae, including starch, protein and lipids, generally require cell cultivation to collect biomass followed by tedious and time-consuming analytical procedures. Thus, label-free, non-destructive and simultaneous quantification of such macromolecules at single-cell resolution is highly desirable in microalgal feedstock development and bioprocess control
Antimicrobial Bamboo Materials Functionalized with ZnO and Graphene Oxide Nanocomposites
No full textBamboo materials with improved antibacterial performance based on ZnO and graphene oxide (GO) were fabricated by vacuum impregnation and hydrothermal strategies. The Zn2+ ions and GO nanosheets were firstly infiltrated into the bamboo structure, followed by dehydration and crystallization upon hydrothermal treatment, leading to the formation of ZnO/GO nanocomposites anchored in the bulk bamboo. The bamboo composites were characterized by several techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD), which confirmed the existence of GO and ZnO in the composites. Antibacterial performances of bamboo samples were evaluated by the bacteriostatic circle method. The introduction of ZnO/GO nanocomposites into bamboo yielded ZnO/GO/bamboo materials which exhibited significant antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli, Gram-negative) and Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis, Gram-positive) bacteria and high thermal stability. The antimicrobial bamboo would be expected to be a promising material for the application in the furniture, decoration, and construction industry
The influence of deposited potential on the ORR activity of Pt catalysts on glassy carbon electrode
No full textIn this study, Pt catalysts were fabricated on a glassy carbon (GC) electrode Pt/GC using a potentiostatic technique at different reduction potentials in potassium hexachloroplatinate solutions with hydrochloric acid. The compositions of the catalysts were determined using energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), the surface morphologies were observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the crystal structure was confirmed using thin-film X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results show that all the electrodeposited Pt/GC catalysts exhibit a higher electrochemical activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) when compared with a commercial Pt/C electrode. There is an optimum electrodeposited potential (-0.15 V vs. Ag/AgCl) at which the Pt/GC electrode displays the highest electrochemical activity for the ORR due to the high-index plane and shape effect of the Pt particles. At a lower electrodeposited potential, the applied current density is high enough to form large and coarse metal particles, while at a higher electrodeposited potential, the active sites of Pt particles decrease because of its equiaxed shape
Progress of microalgae biofuel's commercialization
No full textAlgae is a potent renewable source with the favorable characteristics. However, there are still many barriers in the related theory, techniques and industrialization, which lead to the high cost of the algae biofuel. This paper reviewed the process of the microalgae biofuel's commercial process. Investigated the barriers of the technologies especially the energy-extensive part and the pilot scale test which is the crucial part of the process. The policy supports of American, EU and China for microalgae biofuel industry and the effect of them was summarized at this paper. Numbers of pilot scale program has launched in the support of the government and the private investment, while there is still some distance from scale up production. Algae fundamental biology research, co-products' production to make profits in short term, and support from government are key strategies of algae commercialization
Simultaneous Downregulation of MTHFR and COMT in Switchgrass Affects Plant Performance and Induces Lesion-Mimic Cell Death
No full textSwitchgrass (Panicum virgatum) has been developed into a model lignocellulosic bioenergy crop. Downregulation of caffeic acid O-methyltransferase (COMT), a key enzyme in lignin biosynthesis, has been shown to alter lignification and increase biofuel yield in switchgrass. Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) mediates C1 metabolism and provides methyl units consumed by COMT. It was predicted that co-silencing of MTHFR and COMT would impact lignification even more than either of the single genes. However, our results showed that strong downregulation of MTHFR in a COMT-deficient background led to altered plant growth and development, but no significant change in lignin content or composition was found when compared with COMT plants. Another unexpected finding was that the double MTHFR/COMT downregulated plants showed a novel lesion-mimic leaf phenotype. Molecular analyses revealed that the lesion-mimic phenotype was caused by the synergistic effect of MTHFR and COMT genes, with MTHFR playing a predominant role. Microarray analysis showed significant induction of genes related to oxidative and defense responses. The results demonstrated the lack of additive effects of MTHFR and COMT on lignification. Furthermore, this research revealed an unexpected role of the two genes in the modulation of lesion-mimic cell death as well as their synergistic effects on agronomic performance