1,721,037 research outputs found
Offset-tolerant design of analog chips for independent component analysis
No full textAn analog neurochip for independent component analysis (ICA) is designed with on-line learning capability. Due to the limited dynamic range of analog device, the nonholonomic ICA algorithm is adopted. In order to accommodate the offsets due to device mismatches, a modified algorithm is developed with 2-quadrant multipliers and self-adjusting biases. Performance of the developed system was demonstrated by Monte-Carlo simulation
Application of a Coagulant for Recovery of Poly(3-Hydroxybutyric Acid) Synthesized in Alcaligenes eutrophus
No full textRecovery of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) from coagulated Ralstonia eutropha using a chemical digestion method
No full textFor economic recovery of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) from culture broths of Ralstonia eutropha containing PHB, Al-based and Fe-based coagulants were used in the pretreatment step. The coagulated cells were then separated by centrifugation, and PHB was extracted by chemical digestion with a sodium hypochlorite/chloroform dispersion solution. The practical upper limits of dosage were found to be 1,500 mg-Al/L and 1,000 mg-Fe/L, respectively, for Al- and Fe-based coagulants. When the harvested cells were treated with a 50% sodium hypochlorite/chloroform dispersion solution, PHB recovery and purity were 90-94% and 98-99%, respectively. The influence of the use of coagulants on the PHB recovery process was found to be insignificant. Despite the residual Al and Fe in the recovered PHB (less than 450 mg-Al/kg-PHB and 750 mg-Fe/kg-PHB, respectively), no detectable amounts of Al and Fe were leached from films made of the recovered PHB under acidic conditions. The use of Fe-based coagulants is less recommended because the Fe impurity can cause an unwanted colorization problem in the final product
Separation of Alcaligenes eutrophus cells containing poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) from fermentation broth with pretreatment using Al- and Fe-based coagulants
No full textAlcaligenes eutrophus containing intracellular poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) was recovered from fermentation broth by centrifugation and filtration after pretreatment with Aland Fe-based coagulants. Coagulation efficiency was largely affected by pH, and the optimum pH's for cell recovery were about 4.6-5.6 for the Al-based coagulants and about 5-8 for the Fe-based coagulants. Ammonium ions that combined with metals to form complex compounds increased the coagulant requirement, and the additional requirement of coagulant was found to be proportional to the ammonium concentration. In addition, various ligands in addition to ammonium lolls contained in the culture medium interfered with the coagulation reaction and increased the coagulant requirement also. The coagulant requirement increased with the cell concentration regardless of coagulant type. The polymeric coagulants such as PACS, Hi-PAX and Ferix-3 were more effective than nonpolymeric coagulants of aluminum sulfate and ferrous sulfate. The optimum dosages of the coagulants tested were determined over a broad range of cell concentration of 20.5-210 g/L. It was observed that the energy requirement for centrifugation could be greatly reduced with cell coagulation
A physiological study on growth and dibenzothiophene (DBT) desulfurization characteristics of Gordonia sp CYKS1
No full textPhysiological characteristics of DBT desulfurization and cell growth of Gordonia sp. CYKS1 were investigated. It exhibited a preference to ethanol in a medium containing two carbon sources, ethanol and one of the carbohydrates used, glucose, sucrose, maltose, and galactose although it consumed both carbon sources simultaneously. Cell growth on ethanol or glucose followed the Monod kinetics. The optimal range of pH for the desulfurization of DBT and the cell growth was 7 to 8. The desulfurization rate decreased about 30% at pH 6, and no significant desulfurization or cell growth was observed at pH 5. As the initial DBT concentration increased up to 1.5 mM, the desulfurization rate also increased while no significant changes in the growth rate were observed. The maximum desulfurization rate was 12.50 mumol L-1 h(-1) at an initial DBT concentration of 1.5 mM. Cell growth and desulfurization activity were severely inhibited by the presence of 2-hydroxybiphenyl (2-HBP). When 0.05 mM of 2-HBP was added at the beginning, both of the desulfurization rate and cell growth rate decreased about 20%. It was found that cell growth and desulfurization were completely inhibited in the presence of 2-HBP at 0.15 mM or a higher concentration. The inhibition by 2,2'-dihydroxybiphenyl (DHBP) was less severe than 2-HBP. About 80% of desulfurization activity was retained in the presence of 2,2'-DHBP at 0.4 mM
Enhancement of phase separation by the addition of de-emulsifiers to three-phase (diesel oil/biocatalyst/aqueous phase) emulsion in diesel biodesulfurization
No full textEthanol, added as a de-emulsifier to separate oil and biocatalyst (or bacterial cells) from a three-phase (oil/biocatalyst/aqueous phase) emulsion, formed in diesel biodesulfurization employing Gordonia nitida, improved oil recovery by centrifugation from about 50% in its absence to almost 100% at 3% (v/v). The biocatalyst recovered with ethanol addition showed similar specific growth rates (0.03 h(-1)) and dibenzothiophene desulfurization rates (6-7.2 mol l(-1) h(-1)) to those (0.03 h(-1) and 7.1 mol l(1,) respectively) of the biocatalyst recovered with no ethanol addition. The desulfurization activity significantly increased as the number of the repeated recovery and reuse of the biocatalyst
Development of an optimal medium for continuous ferrous iron oxidation by immobilized Acidothiobacillus ferrooxidans cells
No full textThis study was aimed at developing an immobilized bioreactor system in which long-term continuous ferrous iron oxidation can be realized with no formation of jarosite, which causes clogging of support pores and reactor lines. For this purpose, a medium with no jarosite formation was developed first by selecting optimal nitrogen and phosphate sources and their concentrations. Then with the developed medium containing ammonium phosphate instead of ammonium sulfate and potassium phosphate, repeated batch and continuous operations of ferrous iron oxidation by Acidothiobacillus ferrooxidans cells immobilized in a depth filter were successfully performed for an extended period of time. For about 510 h of operation including 450 h of continuous operation at dilution rates of 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 h(-1), no formation of jarosite and thus no clogging of the reactor system were observed. The maximum ferrous iron oxidation rate was as high as 2.6 g/(L(.)h) at a dilution rate of 0.3 h(-1)
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