Biovalorization of technical lignins for added-value products and applications

Lignin is an abundant non-toxic amorphous natural polymer. Nowadays it is available a great variety and large amounts of technical lignins as by-products from the pulp and paper industries. Some successful biotechnological applications of enzymatically modified lignins are described in the literature, namely for the production of lignin based copolymers, binders for wood composites, chelating agents, compositions for treating porous materials, coatings, paintings and others. From a new species from Bjerkandera genus which exhibits high decolourisation activity on Poly R-478 and Remazol Brilliant Blue R (RBBR) dyes, was isolated, purified and identified the main enzyme responsible for Remazol Brilliant Blue R dye decolourisation. Such an enzyme is able to oxidise manganese, as well as VA and DMP in manganese-independent reactions; the enzyme substrate range for oxidation of several phenolic and non-phenolic aromatic compounds was determined. This enzyme was tested for transformation of a lignin fraction obtained from straw pulping. Characterisation by gel filtration chromatography of the evolution of the molecular mass distribution of the lignin fragments generated by said enzyme indicated that this enzyme is able to interact directly with lignin in the absence of other mediators

Decolourisation of Remazol Brilliant Blue R via a novel Bjerkandera sp. strain

A novel strain of Bjerkandera sp. (B33/3), with particularly high decolourisation activities upon Poly R-478 and Remazol Brilliant Blue R (RBBR) dyes, was isolated. The role of the ligninolytic extracellular enzymes produced by this strain on decolourisation of RBBR was studied in some depth. The basis of decolourisation is an enzyme-mediated process, in which the main enzyme responsible is a recently described peroxidase with capacity for oxidation of manganese, as well as veratryl alcohol and 2,6-dimethoxyphenol in a manganese-independent reaction

Protocolo de avaliação agronômica de rochas e produtos derivados como fontes de nutrientes às plantas ou condicionadores de solo.

A dependência de importações de fertilizantes para garantir a reposição dos nutrientes retirados do solo com as colheitas dos produtos vegetais representa uma das principais fragilidades da agricultura brasileira. Assim, disponibilizar opções de diversificação de fontes de nutrientes, com base em matérias-primas locais, é uma meta para a pesquisa no País. São necessários esforços no sentido de viabilizar formas de exploração de ocorrências minerais pouco atrativas para a indústria tradicional de fertilizantes. Noutra vertente, em sintonia com os padrões de desenvolvimento reclamados pela sociedade moderna, a destinação de uma gama de resíduos de mineração, metalurgia e agroindústria pode ter a utilização agrícola como saída mais apropriada. Em todos os casos, essas potenciais novas fontes de nutrientes para a agricultura precisam ter sua eficiência agronômica e segurança de uso avaliadas segundo procedimentos e critérios embasados cientificamente. Nesta publicação propõe-se uma sequência metodológica a ser seguida em etapas de experimentação em ambiente controlado e em campo, de forma a se comprovar a possibilidade de uso agrícola de produtos derivados de rochas. O protocolo sugerido também pode servir de referência e ser adaptado ao estudo de outras fontes de nutrientes ou condicionadores de solo de naturezas diversasbitstream/item/70059/1/doc-143.pd

Surface circulation in the eastern North Atlantic, from drifters and altimetry

A description of the near-surface circulation and its properties is the result of the analysis of a drifting buoy data set in the eastern North Atlantic between the Iberian Peninsula, the Azores, and the Canary Islands. World Ocean Circulation Experiment-Tropical Ocean-Global Atmosphere experiment drifters equipped with holey sock drogues centered at 15 m depth collected a total of 14.4 years of data. The drifters sampled a rather inhomogeneous velocity field with a weak mean flow regime and eddies of different scales. They meandered southward everywhere in the study region, except in the Iberian coastal transition zone north of 41degreesN where they headed northward. The near-surface mean velocity field obtained from the drifter data set shows all important mean currents, including the poleward Portugal Coastal Countercurrent during the fall, winter, and early spring off western and northern Iberia, the southward Portugal Coastal Current, the slow offshore southward flow of the Portugal Current during the whole year, the southwestward Canary Current, and the eastward Azores Current, which extends to the vicinity of the African coast near the Gulf of Cadiz. Maps of the eddy kinetic energy field were obtained from the drifters and from satellite altimetry. It provides the largest part of the total kinetic energy. The rate of dispersion is estimated from the Lagrangian statistics of the drifting buoys. The dispersion of the drifters in the study region is well modeled by a simple description of eddy diffusion assuming homogeneous turbulence. Ensemble mean diffusivities K and the Langrangian integral length scales and timescales (L and T) were obtained for the zonal and meridional directions. The sea surface temperature measured along the drifter trajectories is used to produce estimates of the eddy diffusivity, which is compared with the diffusivity estimates obtained from the theory of Taylor. The eddy diffusivity is found to be approximately proportional to the eddy kinetic energy. Discrete eddies and meanders were observed using drifters and altimetry in order to map and describe their geographical distribution and characteristics in the eastern North Atlantic

Co-inoculation of two symbiotically efcient Bradyrhizobium strains improves cowpea development better than a single bacterium application.

The co-inoculation of Bradyrhizobium with other non-bradyrhizobial strains was already assessed on cowpea, but the co-inoculation of two Bradyrhizobium strains was not tested up to now. This study aimed to evaluate the cowpea growth, N accumulation, and Bradyrhizobium competitiveness of the elite strain B. pachyrhizi BR 3262 when co-inoculated with other efcient Bradyrhizobium from the Brazilian semiarid region. Three potted-plant experiments were carried out. In the frst assay, 35 efcient Bradyrhizobium isolates obtained from the semiarid region of Brazil were co-inoculated with the elite strains B. pachyrhizi BR 3262. The experiment was conducted in gnotobiotic conditions. The plant growth, nodulation, N nutritional variables, and nodular occupation were assessed. Under gnotobiotic and non-sterile soil conditions, ten selected bacteria plus the elite strain B. yuanmingense BR 3267 were used at the second and third experiments, respectively. The cowpea was inoculated with the 11 bacteria individually or co-inoculated with BR 3262. The plant growth and N nutritional variables were assessed. A double-layer medium spot method experiment was conducted to evaluate the interaction among the co-inoculated strains in standard and diluted YMA media. The co-inoculation treatments showed the best efciency when compared to the treatments inoculated solely with BR 3262. This strain occupied a low amount of cowpea nodules ranging from 5 to 67.5%. The treatments with lower BR 3262 nodule occupancy showed the best results for the shoot nitrogen accumulation. The culture experiment showed that four bacteria inhibited the growth of BR 3262. In contrast, seven strains from the soils of Brazilian semiarid region were benefted by the previous inoculation of this strain. In the second and third experiments, the results indicated that all 11 co-inoculated treatments were more efcient than the single inoculation, proofng the best performance of the dual inoculation of Bradyrhizobium on cowpea.Article: 4

The physiological responses of cacao to the environment and the implications for climate change resilience. A review

Cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) is a tropical perennial crop which is of great economic importance to the confectionary industry and to the economies of many countries of the humid tropics where it is grown. Some recent studies have suggested climate change could severely impact cacao production in West Africa. It is essential to incorporate our understanding of the physiology and genetic variation within cacao germplasm when discussing the implications of climate change on cacao productivity and developing strategies for climate resilience in cacao production. Here we review the current research on the physiological responses of cacao to various climate factors. Our main findings are 1) water limitation causes significant yield reduction in cacao but genotypic variation in sensitivity is evident, 2) in the field cacao experiences higher temperatures than is often reported in the literature, 3) the complexity of the cacao/ shade tree interaction can lead to contradictory results, 4) elevated CO2 may alleviate some negative effects of climate change 5) implementation of mitigation strategies can help reduce environmental stress, 6) significant gaps in the research need addressing to accelerate the development of climate resilience. Harnessing the significant genetic variation apparent within cacao germplasm is essential to develop modern varieties capable of high yields in non-optimal conditions. Mitigation strategies will also be essential but to use shading to best effect shade tree selection is crucial to avoid resource competition. Cacao is often described as being sensitive to climate change but genetic variation, adaptive responses, appropriate mitigation strategies and interactive climate effects should all be considered when predicting the future of cacao production. Incorporating these physiological responses to various environmental conditions and developing a deeper understanding of the processes underlying these responses will help to accelerate the development of a more resource use efficient tree ensuring sustainable production into the future