Optimisation of Second-Generation Biodiesel Production from Australian Native Stone Fruit Oil Using Response Surface Method

© 2018 by the authors. In this study, the production process of second-generation biodiesel from Australian native stone fruit have been optimised using response surface methodology via an alkali catalysed transesterification process. This process optimisation was performed varying three factors, each at three different levels. Methanol: oil molar ratio, catalyst concentration (wt %) and reaction temperature were the input factors in the optimisation process, while biodiesel yield was the key model output. Both 3D surface plots and 2D contour plots were developed using MINITAB 18 to predict optimum biodiesel yield. Gas chromatography (GC) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis of the resulting biodiesel was also done for biodiesel characterisation. To predict biodiesel yield a quadratic model was created and it showed an R2 of 0.98 indicating the satisfactory performance of the model. Maximum biodiesel yield of 95.8% was obtained at a methanol: oil molar ratio of 6:1, KOH catalyst concentration of 0.5 wt % and a reaction temperature of 5 ◦C. At these reaction conditions, the predicted biodiesel yield was 95.9%. These results demonstrate reliable prediction of the transesterification process by Response surface methodology (RSM). The results also show that the properties of the synthesised Australian native stone fruit biodiesel satisfactorily meet the ASTM D6751 and EN14214 standards. In addition, the fuel properties of Australian native stone fruit biodiesel were found to be similar to those of conventional diesel fuel. Thus, it can be said that Australian native stone fruit seed oil could be used as a potential second-generation biodiesel source as well as an alternative fuel in diesel engines

Geographic and Within Tree Variation for Wood Properties in Acrocarpus fraxinifolius Wight and Arn. Populations

1049-1055The study was conducted to compare the wood parameters among nine populations of Acrocarpus fraxinifolius from Southern Karnataka. To understand the variation, three trees from each population were selected and different wood properties, viz., bark-thickness, wood density, specific gravity, fibre parameters and vessel parameters, were analysed. The basic wood density of species was ranged between 0.370 g∙cc−1 to 0.580 g∙cc−1. There was a significant difference in fibre length across the populations, with an average fibre length of 1225.49 μm. There was not much difference in fibre width, fibre lumen width and fibre wall thickness. Vessel parameters, except vessel wall thickness varied among the populations. The vessel length varied from 104.78 μm to 124.71 μm. The wood traits varied among the radial portion i.e., from pith to periphery region. Considering the important wood traits, Shreemangala and Balehonnuru populations were found to be better compared to other populations

Green revolution to genome revolution: driving better resilient crops against environmental instability

Crop improvement programmes began with traditional breeding practices since the inception of agriculture. Farmers and plant breeders continue to use these strategies for crop improvement due to their broad application in modifying crop genetic compositions. Nonetheless, conventional breeding has significant downsides in regard to effort and time. Crop productivity seems to be hitting a plateau as a consequence of environmental issues and the scarcity of agricultural land. Therefore, continuous pursuit of advancement in crop improvement is essential. Recent technical innovations have resulted in a revolutionary shift in the pattern of breeding methods, leaning further towards molecular approaches. Among the promising approaches, marker-assisted selection, QTL mapping, omics-assisted breeding, genome-wide association studies and genome editing have lately gained prominence. Several governments have progressively relaxed their restrictions relating to genome editing. The present review highlights the evolutionary and revolutionary approaches that have been utilized for crop improvement in a bid to produce climate-resilient crops observing the consequence of climate change. Additionally, it will contribute to the comprehension of plant breeding succession so far. Investing in advanced sequencing technologies and bioinformatics will deepen our understanding of genetic variations and their functional implications, contributing to breakthroughs in crop improvement and biodiversity conservation

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

Production optimization and quality assessment of papaya (Carica papaya) biodiesel with response surface methodology

Ashwath, N ORCiD: 0000-0002-4032-4507; Rasul, M ORCiD: 0000-0001-8159-1321© 2017 Elsevier Ltd Optimization of biodiesel production from non-edible papaya seed oil was investigated in this study. Biodiesel production process parameters such as catalyst concentration, methanol:oil molar ratio and reaction temperature were optimized by using the Response Surface methodology based on the Box-Behnken experimental design. Optimization of the transesterification process was conducted by varying three factors each at three different levels and this required a total of fifteen runs. A quadratic model was created to predict the biodiesel yield where the R2value was found to be 0.99 which indicates the satisfactory accuracy of the model. Based on the results, the optimum process parameters for transesterification of the papaya seed oil mixture at an agitation speed of 600 rpm over a period of 60 min were found to be a methanol:oil molar ratio 10:1, KOH catalyst concentration of 1 wt% and reaction temperature of 45 °C. At these reaction conditions, the predicted and experimental biodiesel yield were 96.12% and 96.48% respectively which shows less than 0.5% variation. The biodiesel properties were characterized and the results obtained were found to satisfy both ASTM D6751 and EN14214 standards. The statistical tool MINITAB 17 was used to draw both 3D surface plots and 2D contour plots to predict the optimum biodiesel yield

Optimization of biodiesel production process from papaya (Carica papaya) seed oil

Ashwath, N ORCiD: 0000-0002-4032-4507; Rasul, M ORCiD: 0000-0001-8159-1321© 2017 IEEE. Optimization of biodiesel production from non-edible Carica papaya seed oil was experimentally investigated in this study. Biodiesel production process parameters such as methanol: oil molar ratio, catalyst type and their concentrations, reaction temperature and reaction time were evaluated. It was found that the optimum process parameters for transesterification of the Carica papaya seed oil at an agitation speed of 600 rpm were: methanol: oil molar ratio 10.0:1; KOH catalyst concentration 1% (of oil weight); reaction temperature of 45°C and reaction time of 60 min. At these reaction conditions, the experimental biodiesel yield was found to be 96.5%. The biodiesel properties were characterized and the results obtained were found to satisfy ASTM D6751 standards. It was therefore concluded that the papaya seed oil biodiesel could be used as an alternative biofuel for diesel engines without any major engine modification

Performance and emission characteristics of binary mixture of poppy and waste cooking biodiesel

An experimental study was conducted on a compression ignition (CI) engine using neat diesel and binary mixture of poppy and waste cooking (PWC) biodiesel-diesel blends. Biodiesel-diesel blends of B5, B10 and B20 for PWC were used in this investigation. The experiment was conducted for different engine speed (1200 rpm-2400 rpm) and load (25%, 50%, 75% and 100%). The speed of the engine was varied from 1200 rpm to 2400 rpm with 200 rpm interval. The performance of the engine output is presented in terms of brake power (BP), torque, brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) and brake thermal efficiency (BTE). The emission characteristics, such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbon (HC) and particulate matter (PM) are also presented in this study. The results indicate that BP increases with increase in speed up to the maximum speed of 2400 rpm, whereas, BSFC decreases initially up to 1400 rpm and then increases up to the maximum speed of 2400 rpm at full load condition. On the other hand, torque and BTE initially increases up to 1400 rpm, and then, decreases with increase in speed up to the maximum speed of 2400 rpm. The results revealed that BP, torque, BSFC and BTE are lower in biodiesel blends in comparison to diesel. The engine performance and emission characteristics are compared with diesel. The results revealed that the use of biodiesel-diesel blends led to the significant reduction in carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbon (HC) and particulate matter (PM) emissions in comparison to conventional diesel at full load condition. On the other hand, increase in nitrogen oxides (NOx) is observed in using biodiesel blends over the diesel