Investigation of Antifungal Effect of Chlorella Protothecoides Microalgae Oil Against Botrytis cinerea and Aspergillus niger fungi

Mikroalgler antibiyotik, antiviral, antitumor ve antioksidan gibi biyolojik olarak aktif bileşiklerle doğal olarak zengin kaynaklardır. Buna ek olarak, bu mikroorganizmaların sağlığı teşvik ve dejeneratif hastalıkların gelişme riskini azaltmak için yeteneği vardır. Yeni farmasötik maddeler geliştirmek, kimyasal ve farmakolojik yenilik ve çeşitlilik sağlamak için bu biyolojik olarak aktif bileşiklerin araştırılması büyük önem taşımaktadır. Bu bağlamda, çeşitli mikroalg türlerinden elde edilen mikroalg yağlarının çeşitli mikroorganizmalara karşı in vitro antimikrobiyal ve/veya antifungal aktiviteye sahip olduğu ve fungistatik olarak ta kullanılabileceği düşünülmektedir. Bu çalışmada, dimetil sülfoksit (DMSO), etanol ve metanol çözücüleri kullanılarak 50 ve 100 mg/mL oranında çözülen Chlorella protothecoides mikroalg yağının, Botrytis cinerea ve Aspergillus niger gibi fungal mikroorganizmalara karşı, disk difüzyon yöntemi kullanılarak antifungal etkisi araştırılmıştır. Çalışmanın sonucunda, mikroalg yağının farklı çözücülerde ve farklı oranlarda hazırlanmış ekstraktlarının Botrytis cinerea ve Aspergillus niger patojenlerine karşı antifungal aktiviteye sahip olduğu görülmüştür. Bu sonuçlar, alg türlerinde antifungal bileşiklerin varlığının ve alglerin ilaç endüstrisi için özellikle araştırılması gerektiğinin önemli bir göstergesidir.Microalgae are natural rich sources of biologically active compounds such as antibiotics, antivirals, antitumorals and antioxidants. Furthermore, these microorganisms have the ability to promote health and reduce the risk of the development of degenerative diseases. In order to develop new pharmaceuticals and provide chemical and pharmacological innovations and diversity, the investigation of these biologically active compounds is very important. In this context, it is thought that microalgae oils obtained from various microalgae species have in vitro antimicrobial and/or antifungal activity against various microorganisms and can be used as fungistatic. In this this study, antifungal activities of Chlorella protothecoides microalgae oil dissolved in 50 and 100 mg/mL of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), ethanol and methanol solvents against pathogenic fungi: Botrytis cinerea and Aspergillus niger was investigated by agar disc diffusion assay method. As a result of this study, it was seen that almost all of the extracts of microalgae have antifungal activity against Botrytis cinerea and Aspergillus niger pathogens. These results are an important indication of the presence of antifungal compounds in algae and algal species should be specifically investigated for the pharmaceutical industry

Statistical evaluation of the carbonization results of hazelnut shell

Çalışmada, farklı karbonizasyon koşullarının katı ürün verimi üzerine olan etkisini belirlemek amacıyla, fındık kabuğunun (Corylus Avellana) karbonizasyonu gerçekleştirilmiş ve sıcaklık,  ısıtma hızı ve tanecik boyutunun karbonizasyon katı ürün verimi üzerine olan etkileri araştırılmıştır. Karbonizasyon deney sonuçları, iki seviyeli faktoriyel tasarım matrisine göre, istatistiksel olarak değerlendirilmiştir. Karbonizasyon deneyleri, sabit yataklı Jenkner tipi retort kullanılarak, statik gaz atmosferinde gerçekleştirilmiştir. Karbonizasyon sonucu elde edilen katı ürünün verimini en fazla etkileyen parametrenin, karbonizasyon sıcaklığı olduğu belirlenmiştir. Karbonizasyon sıcaklığından sonra sırasıyla, tanecik boyutu ve ısıtma hızı da katı ürün verimini etkilemektedir. Katı ürün verimi, artan sıcaklık ve ısıtma hızıyla azalırken, artan tanecik boyutuyla birlikte artış göstermiştir. Statik gaz atmosferinde yürütülen karbonizasyon deneyleri sonucunda, en yüksek katı ürün verimine sıcaklığın 723 K,  tanecik boyutunun 1-1.4 mm ve ısıtma hızının 5 K/dak olduğu koşullarda ulaşılmıştır. Çalışmada, faktoriyel tasarım tekniğiyle, karbonizasyon sonucu oluşan katı ürünün verimini etkileyen parametrelerin istatistiksel olarak değerlendirilmesi yanında, ayrıca, fındık kabuğu ve karbonizasyon sonucu en yüksek verimde elde edilen katı ürünün, kısa analiz ve ısıl değer sonuçları karşılaştırılmış ve katı ürünün ısıl değerinin ve sabit karbon içeriğinin fındık kabuğuna kıyasla arttığı, uçucu madde içeriğinin ise azaldığı gözlenmiştir. Sonuç olarak, karbonizasyon sonucu elde edilen katı ürünün, yüksek enerji içeriğine sahip, çevreye dost, katı bir yakıt olarak değerlendirilebileceği belirlenmiştir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Biyokütle, karbonizasyon, faktoriyel tasarım, fındık kabuğu.Carbonization experiments has been conducted on the samples of  hazelnut shell (Corylus Avellana) to determine the effect of carbonization variables such as temperature, heating rate, and particle size on the biochar yield. A statistical design technique was applied by use of a two-level factorial design matrix to interpret experimental results. Carbonization experiments were carried out at a static gaseous atmosphere in a Jenkner type fixed bed retort system which is a cylindrical stainless steel fixed bed reactor with a length of 270 mm and an inner diameter of 130 mm. The reactor was heated externally by an isolated electrical furnace where temperature was measured by a Ni-Cr-Ni thermocouple inside the bed. During the carbonization the inner and outer temperatures of the reactor were controlled continuously with a temperature control instrument. Before heating, the system was flushed with dry nitrogen for 30 minutes to remove all traces of oxygen. After carbonization at final temperature which lasted 30 minutes, the final weight of samples was determined to calculate the biochar yield. It was found that the biochar yields of samples were changed depending on the carbonization conditions. Amprical relations between the biochar yield and the carbonization conditions were developed. Biochar yield of hazelnut shell was decreased with the increasing temperature and heating rate and increased with the increasing particle size. The regression equation clearly showed that since the coefficient of temperature is the highest among all the variables, the effect of this variable on the char yield is the strongest. The decrease in the char yield at the higher temperature is connected with secondary decomposition of the char and this situation is consistent with the increase in the volatile matter. The heating rate affects the amount and rate of volatile matter evolution from the sample during carbonization. The increase in the rate of volatile matter evolution also prevents the formation of further reactions which increase the char yield. An increase in heating rate decreases the restricted effects of mass transfer and increases the decomposition of the biochar into liquid and gas product. Contrary to the effect of the temperature and heating rate, particle size variable has a positive influence on the the biochar yield values which means that biochar yield values are increased with increasing particle size and decreased with decreasing particle size. A possible reason for the observed decrease in biochar yield with decreasing particle size could be that smaller particles are heated more uniformly and thus heat and mass transfer are facilitated. This results in a higher mass loss and reduction in biochar yield. Larger particles may cause higher heat transfer resistance that results in lower interparticle temperatures and lower volatile evoluation. The higher the volatile residence time in the larger particles can result the greater possibility of secondary reactions. By taking into account the above results, the optimum carbonization conditions for maximum biochar yield were determined as T=773 K, Rt=5 K /min and Dp=1-1.4 mm. The raw material and biochar product obtained at maximum yield condition were characterized and compared according to their fuel properties. For this purpose gross calorific value and proximate analysis of samples were performed and compared. The raw material has very high volatile matter and very low ash value. Biochar obtained in this study is a carbon-rich fuel and contains 6.58% ash, 30.26% volatile matter, and 63.16% fixed carbon. In comparison with raw material, biochar sample can be characterized as carbon rich solid fuel with high content of fixed carbon and low volatile matter content. Gross calorific values of raw material and biochar samples were found as 18.33 MJ kg-1 and 29.08 MJkg-1, respectively. Biochar has a higher calorific value than the apricot stone due to its low moisture and high fixed carbon content. This study proved that experimental design methodology could efficiently be applied for evaluation of analytical parameters affecting biochar yield and that it is an economical way of obtaining the maximum amount of information in a short period of time and with the few number of experiments. Moreover, this study shows that the hazelnut shell can be a resource for biochar production. After further investigations, biochar can be used for various industrial processes. High amount of hazelnut shell can be obtained in Turkey. Not only hazelnut shell but also other shells can be used as a resource of carbonization for production of alternative fuels and activate carbon. It can be concluded from the overall results of this study that carbonization creates a different application area for hazelnut shell. Anahtar Kelimeler: Biyokütle, karbonizasyon, faktoriyel tasarım, fındık kabuğu

Bioeconomic Assessment of Microalgal Production

Today, microalgae play an important role for the worldwide biofuel demand, together with the production of high value-added products used in pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and cosmetic industries. In 2014, the European Union adopted a strategy for developing the bioeconomy, by utilizing microalgae which represent an emerging biological resource of great importance for its potential applications in different fields. Huge potential of tiny microalgae could support a microalgae-based biorefinery and microalgae-based bioeconomy opening up vast opportunities in the global algae business. Nevertheless, in spite of having been studied for over 50 years now, there are still only just a few corporations that are cultivating algae on a large or commercial scale due to operational and capital cost. Techno-economic modeling is a powerful tool for guiding research priorities and assessing the economics, environmental impact and sustainability of microalgal productions. In this chapter, microalgal productions are assessed within bioeconomical aspects and case-studies on microalgal biorefinery are discussed

Recent Advances in Health Biotechnology During Pandemic

The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which emerged in 2019, cut the epoch that will make profound fluctuates in the history of the world in social, economic, and scientific fields. Urgent needs in public health have brought with them innovative approaches, including diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. To exceed the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, various scientific authorities in the world have procreated advances in real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) based diagnostic tests, rapid diagnostic kits, the development of vaccines for immunization, and the purposing pharmaceuticals for treatment. Diagnosis, treatment, and immunization approaches put for- ward by scientific communities are cross-fed from the accrued knowledge of multidisciplinary sciences in health biotechnology. So much so that the pandemic, urgently prioritized in the world, is not only viral infections but also has been the pulsion in the development of novel approaches in many fields such as diagnosis, treatment, translational medicine, virology, mi- crobiology, immunology, functional nano- and bio-materials, bioinformatics, molecular biol- ogy, genetics, tissue engineering, biomedical devices, and artificial intelligence technologies. In this review, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the development of various scientific areas of health biotechnology are discussed

Removal of reactive dye Remazol Brilliant Blue R from aqueous solutions by using anaerobically digested sewage sludge based adsorbents

In this study, adsorbents were produced from sewage sludge via chemical and thermal activation processes. Experiments were carried out in a tubular furnace at the heating rate of 20˚C min-1 and temperature of 550 ˚C with a nitrogen flow rate of 400 mL min-1 for 1 h. Dye adsorption experiments were performed with Remazol Brilliant Blue R for its several concentrations under batch equilibrium conditions by comparing sewage sludge based adsorbents with raw material and a commercial activated carbon. Maximum adsorption capacities of carbonized sewage sludge (CSWS) and activated sewage sludge (ASWS) were found as 7.413 mg g-1 and 9.376 mg g-1 for 100 mg L-1 dye solution, whereas commercial activated carbon had a capacity of 11.561 mg g-1. Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms were used to explain the adsorption mechanism together with pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models. Langmuir isotherm, which had adsorption capacities of 34.60 mg g-1 (CSWS) and 72.99 mg g-1 (ASWS), provided better fit to the equilibrium data than that of Freundlich isotherm. Pseudo second-order, model which had adsorption capacities of 7.451 mg g-1 (CSWS) and 9.319 mg g-1 (ASWS), was very favorable to explain the adsorption kinetics of the dye with high regression coefficients