An alginate-layer technique for culture of Brassica oleracea L. protoplasts

Ten accessions belonging to the Brassica oleracea subspecies alba and rubra, and to B. oleracea var. sabauda were used in this study. Protoplasts were isolated from leaves and hypocotyls of in vitro grown plants. The influence of selected factors on the yield, viability, and mitotic activity of protoplasts immobilized in calcium alginate layers was investigated. The efficiency of protoplast isolation from hypocotyls was lower (0.7 ± 0.1 × 106 ml−1) than for protoplasts isolated from leaf mesophyll tissue (2 ± 0.1 × 106 ml−1). High (70–90%) viabilities of immobilized protoplasts were recorded, independent of the explant sources. The highest proportion of protoplasts undergoing divisions was noted for cv. Reball F1, both from mesophyll (29.8 ± 2.2%) and hypocotyl (17.5 ± 0.3%) tissues. Developed colonies of callus tissue were subjected to regeneration and as a result plants from six accessions were obtained

Method of utilization of the spent vanadium catalyst

A spent vanadium catalyst, from the plant of metallurgical type, was leached in a potassium hydroxide solution to recover vanadium. The effect of time, temperature, concentration of basic, catalyst particle size and phase ratio was studied. The results showed that for a 160–750 μm catalyst leached for 4 h at 313.15 K in the presence of 10% potassium hydroxide solution at a liquid: solid ratio of 20:1, the extent of leaching of V was about 87%. Additionally, separation of vanadium from such a solution was investigated by the ion exchange method. Two types of polymer strongly basic ion exchangers were used. The ion exchange tests indicate that vanadium were loaded from the post-leaching solution with high efficiency. On this basis a flowsheet for the proposed process of a complex utilization of the spent vanadium catalyst is presented