Viability of Au/La2O3/HAP catalysts for the CO preferential oxidation reaction under reformate gas conditions

The viability of gold supported on lanthanum-modified HAP catalysts is investigated for CO preferential oxidation (PROX) in H-2-rich stream. All samples comprise small nanoparticles (NPs) of Au (< 4 nm). Addition of La enhances the chemisorption of CO, whereas it lowers that of H-2 and H2O. Moreover, lanthanum improves the reducibility of the catalysts and the mobility of oxygen. FTIR studies show that under CO oxidation conditions Au exists in two distinct forms on La-promoted samples, namely Au sigma+ and Au+ species. The catalytic tests under different PROX conditions show an improvement of the performance with lanthanum addition. The observed improvement is linked to suitable chemical properties, whereas efficiency dependence on Au NP sizes is rather secondary. At 80 degrees C, La-rich catalysts completely eliminate CO and prove to be selective (66%) under realistic PROX conditions (in the presence of H2O and CO2). Moreover, they are exceptionally stable during an extended period (240 h).The financial support from the Basque Government (IT1509-22) is acknowledged. The authors also acknowledge the technical support provided by SGIker (UPV/EHU Advanced Research Facilities/ERDF, EU)

Exceptional performance of gold supported on fluoridated hydroxyapatite catalysts in CO-cleanup of H2-rich stream: High activity and resistance under PEMFC operation conditions

Proton-exchange-membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) appear to be the most promising solution for future automotive applications. Facing the lack of efficient hydrogen storage and transportation solutions, current research is focused on the development of on-board catalytic reformers. In this strategy, the purity of hydrogen stream is still an unresolved issue that needs to be addressed in order to avoid poisoning of the Pt electrodes of PEMFC. Here we report the extraordinary performance of gold supported on fluorine-substituted hydroxyapatite (HAP) catalysts in the CO preferential oxidation (COPROX) process. At 80 ◦C, the optimized catalyst (Au/F-(1)) proves to be highly active, selective (showing a CO conversion (XCO) of 100 % and selectivity towards CO2 production (SCO2) close to 62 %) and very resistant to deactivation, even in the presence of H2O (15 %) and CO2 (20 %). In addition, these results were obtained at relatively high weight hourly space velocity (WHSV: 60,000 cm3 g-1 h-1). It should be highlighted that our catalysts clearly outperform state-of-the-art gold catalysts. Our discovery introduces Au/F(x)-HAP catalysts as a viable solution for an effective elimination of CO to feed PEMFCs with CO-free hydrogen streams.The financial support for this work provided by Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (CTQ2015-73219-JIN (AEI/FEDER/UE) and ENE2016-74850-R) and Basque Government (GIC IT-1297-19) is gratefully acknowledged

Genetic correlations between measures of beef quality traits and their predictions by near-infrared spectroscopy in the Piemontese cattle breed.

The aims of this study were to predict beef quality traits (BQ: colour, shear force, drip and cooking losses) of Piemontese cattle using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and to estimate genetic parameters for measured BQ and their predictions by NIRS. Heritabilities and genetic correlations for measured BQ and their predictions based on NIRS were estimated through bivariate Bayesian analyses. Heritability estimates for measured BQ were of intermediate magnitude (from 0.10 to 0.63) and similar to those for NIRS predictions. The genetic correlations between BQ measures and their predictions by NIRS were very high for colour traits, high for drip loss, and nil for shear force and cooking loss. NIRS predictions can be proposed as indicator traits in breeding programs for enhancement of colour traits and drip loss

Use of near infrared spectroscopy for assessment of beef quality traits

Chemical and physical traits and fatty acid composition of meat samples from 148 Piemontese beef samples were predicted by near infrared spectroscopy. Coefficients of determination in calibration (R2) ranged between 0.44 and 0.99 for chemical composition and between 0.02 and 0.98 for fatty acid (FA) profile, being in general more accurate for the major FA. The calibration results gave inaccurate prediction for cholesterol and collagen content and for most physical traits, such as Warner-Bratzler shear force, cooking loss, drip loss, colour (L, a, b) and pH

Effects of pen floor and class of live weight on behavioural and clinical parameters of beef cattle

The study compared behaviour and clinical parameters of beef cattle housed on two different types of floor (fully slatted vs. deep litter) considering animals belonging to 2 live weight classes (less vs. more than 350 kg). The assessment of behavioural and clinical parameters was carried out in 20 intensive farms, all rearing imported bulls. Floor type had no effect on cattle behaviour except for the duration of the lying down sequence, which lasted more for bulls kept on slats. Slatted floor increased also the likelihood of occurrence of hair and skin lesions and lameness. On the other hand, bulls cleanliness was more likely to be impaired on bedded floor. Regarding the class of live weight, behavioural observation showed lighter animals performing more antagonistic interactions, while horning resulted more frequent in heavier bulls. Avoidance distance test indicated that bulls >350 kg were more fearful of humans. About health status, light animals were more affected by respiratory disease and hairless patches, likely because they are more sensitive to the stressful situations imposed by their transfer and adaptation to the new housing environment of the fattening unit. The risk of skin lesions and dirtiness increased instead in heavier bulls

Comparison of two feeding finishing treatments on production and quality of organic beef

The study compared growth and slaughter performance and meat quality of organic beef cattle finished with or without pasture grazing. One group of 10 Limousin heifers was finished under confined conditions and fed ad libitum a total mixed ration based on maize silage, hay and cereals grains. A second group of 10 Limousin heifers rotationally grazed two contiguous pasture plots of 1.5 ha each with a daily supplementation of a concentrate mix based on cereal grains and roasted soybeans. Heifers were slaughtered at commercial finishing and meat quality traits were assessed on Longissimus thoracis muscle. The grazing group, due to a lower average daily gain (0.74 vs 0.95 kg/day; P<0.05), required a prolonged finishing period (172 vs 155 days; P<0.05) than the confined animals. Meat samples from grazing cattle were less tender (shear force: 3.92 vs 3.24 kg/cm2; P<0.05) and showed a lower lightness (L*: 33.0 vs 35.8; P<0.001) and a higher redness (15.4 vs 13.7; P<0.01) and yellowness (15.6 vs 14.6; P<0.05). Fatty acid composition of the intramuscular fat was significantly affected by the finishing system. Grazing heifers had a higher content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (4.06 vs 3.66 % of total fatty acids; P<0.05), conjugated linoleic acids (0.16 vs 0.10 % of total fatty acids; P<0.01) and ω-3 (0.44 vs 0.30 % of total fatty acids; P<0.001) than confined animals. The detrimental effects of pasture grazing on growth performance and on some important meat quality traits explain the limited adoption of this finishing system in organic beef production

Study on the promotional effect of lanthana addition on the performance of hydroxyapatite-supported Ni catalysts for the CO2 methanation reaction

[EN] The performance of nickel supported on lanthana-modified hydroxyapatite (HAP) catalysts is investigated in the CO2 methanation. The addition of La (1-6.6 wt%) leads to a surface enrichment following a sequential multilayer deposition model. Moreover, La addition systematically improves the dispersion of Ni particles and their reducibility, which in turn increases spectacularly the amounts of basic sites and their thermal stability. Such physicochemical changes impact positively on the activity of the catalysts in CO2 methanation. The estimated turnover frequency (TOF) suggest that the small Ni particles are the most efficient. The latter seem to provide a large density of very active defects on Ni-La2O3 interface. The optimized catalyst proves to be highly resistant to deactivation during 100 h time-on-stream (TOS). The samples were also assayed as dual function materials (DFMs) for CO2 adsorption and methanation. A scheme is proposed to describe the different steps involved in a CO2 adsorption/hydrogenation cycle.The financial support from the Science and Innovation Spanish Ministry (PID2019-105960RB-C21) and the Basque Government (IT1297-19) is acknowledged. The authors also acknowledge the technical support provided by SGIker (UPV/EHU Advanced Research Facilities/ERDF, EU)

Genetic parameters of beef quality traits for Piemontese cattle

The aim of this study was to estimate heritability of beef quality traits in Piemontese cattle. A total of 804 young bulls, progeny of 109 AI sires, were sampled from 124 fattening farms (FF) and slaughtered in different days at the same commercial abattoir. At slaughter, bulls were 523±73 d old and average carcasses weight (CW) was 417±45 kg. Carcasses were scored for fleshiness (EUS) and fatness. An individual beef sample was collected from Longissimus Thoracis 24 h after slaughter and held refrigerated at 4 °C for 8 d. Measured traits were pH at ageing (pH8d), beef colour (L*, a*, b*, Hue and Chroma), shear force (SF), drip (DL) and cooking loss (CL). A REML linear animal model including the fixed effects of FF, slaughter age and CW class and the random effect of the bull was used. The estimated heritability for EUS, SF, DL, Hue, L* and a* was of intermediate magnitude (from 0.22 to 0.49) whereas heritabilities for all other traits were low (from 0.04 to 0.16)

Comparative Study of the Efficiency of Different Noble Metals Supported on Hydroxyapatite in the Catalytic Lean Methane Oxidation under Realistic Conditions

The combustion of lean methane was studied over palladium, rhodium, platinum, and ruthenium catalysts supported on hydroxyapatite (HAP). The samples were prepared by wetness impregnation and thoroughly characterized by BET, XRD, UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy, H2-TPR, OSC, CO chemisorption, and TEM techniques. It was found that the Pd/HAP and Rh/HAP catalysts exhibited a higher activity compared with Pt/HAP and Ru/HAP samples. Thus, the degree of oxidation of the supported metal under the reaction mixture notably influenced its catalytic performance. Although Pd and Rh catalysts could be easily re-oxidized, the re-oxidation of Pt and Ru samples appeared to be a slow process, resulting in small amounts of metal oxide active sites. Feeding water and CO2 was found to have a negative effect, which was more pronounced in the presence of water, on the activity of Pd and Rh catalysts. However, the inhibiting effect of CO2 and H2O decreased by increasing the reaction temperature.This research was funded by Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (CTQ2015-73219-JIN (AEI/FEDER/UE)), Spanish ministry of Science and Innovation (PID2019-107105RB-I00 AEI/FEDER, UE) and Basque Government (GIC IT-1297-19)

Extruded pea (Pisum sativum ) as alternative to soybean protein for dairy cows feeding in organic Alpine farms

The study evaluated the use of extruded pea as an alternative to soybean in the protein feeding of dairy cattle raised in organic Alpine farms. The research was carried out in a commercial organic dairy farm located in the Province of Trento (Northern Italy) and it considered two separate periods of cows' lactation: early and late lactation. According to the traditional management practice of alpine dairy herds with the seasonal calving of the cows in early winter, the former period was carried out during the cold season when cows were housed indoors, while the latter period started after the transfer of the entire herd to an alpine pasture for the summer grazing. In both periods, 16 cows of Rendena breed were equally assigned to 2 experimental groups. The dietary forage (meadow hay in early lactation or pasture in late lactation) was supplemented to one group of cows with a Control concentrate in which soybean expeller, sunflower expeller and wheat bran were the main protein feeds. Soybean proteins were replaced by extruded peas in the Soy-free concentrate given to the other group of cows. The daily amount of concentrate was adjusted to the individual milk yield on a weekly basis adopting ratios of 0.360 and 0.125 kg of DM per kg of milk in early and late lactation periods, respectively. Cows receiving Soy-free concentrate showed a higher milk yield than the Control cows in both lactation periods (18.7 vs 17.5 kg/d in early lactation and 9.3 vs 8.6 kg/d on pasture, respectively). Milk fat and protein were not affected by the diet at any stage of lactation, while a higher concentration of milk urea was observed in milk samples taken from Soy-free cows in both periods of the study. This result could have been promoted by the higher soluble fraction of extruded pea proteins in comparison to that of soybean expeller. Cows feeding behaviour was monitored only in the early lactation period and despite of the different amount of concentrate consumed by the two groups of cows (7.0 vs 6.6 kg/cow/d for Soy-free and Control, respectively), their total time spent eating and ruminating was not affected by the diet. Based on these findings, extruded peas can be considered a valuable alternative to soybean in the protein feeding of cattle raised for organic milk production in the Alpine region