Pre-Extraction of Wood Components Mild hydrothermal methods for a future materials biorefinery

Today there is an increasing urgency in discovering new, and more sustainable, replacements for fossil-based materials and chemicals. The biorefinery concept is promising in this context in that it relies on transforming biomass into a spectrum of commercial products. Wood is the primary bioresource in Scandinavia. It is mostly processed in the kraft pulping process used in the huge and important pulp and paper industry, thereby providing a suitable platform for future material biorefineries. This process allows for the efficient separation of lignin and cellulose, along with the option of adding a pretreatment step for the recovery of hemicelluloses. Among existing pretreatments, mild hydrothermal methods, such as hot water extraction and steam explosion, are promising since they allow recovery of hemicelluloses with minimal degradation. They are based on the acidic hydrolysis (autohydrolysis) of wood components and diffusive transport through the wood tissue. In steam explosion, the latter is enhanced by the advective transport in the pore system of the wood caused by the rapid release of the pressure. The focus of this work was to explore the possibility of using steam explosion and hot water extraction on different types of forest biomass, as well as to improve understanding of the underlying mechanisms. Performed in different experimental set ups, the work included determining the local composition of wood chips pretreated in different ways, continuous extraction of spruce and birch wood meal and a stepwise treatment of forest residues. The influence of autohydrolysis on the wood components, hemicelluloses (decreasing molar weight, deacetylation, cleavage of side groups, extraction and degradation), lignin (partial degradation and extraction) and cellulose (introduction of chain scissions) was analyzed. Moreover, the mechanism of acidification and the contribution of acetic acid were also investigated. The variations in the local composition of the wood chips obtained by steam explosion and hot water extraction were determined and related to the differences in mass transport and severity of the treatment. Finally, it was shown that the impact of steam explosion had a limited effect on refined wood residues, likely due to the relatively small size of the material

The inhibitory influence of adiponectin on the growth of the murine endothelial cell line HECa 10 in vitro

Wstęp: Adiponektyna jest hormonem peptydowym produkowanym przez tkankę tłuszczową wykazującym działanie przeciwcukrzycowe, przeciwmiażdżycowe i przeciwzapalne. Sugerowany jest również jej udział w regulacji procesów angiogenezy. Część autorów uważa, że adiponektyna stymuluje powstawanie nowych naczyń krwionośnych, podczas gdy inni postrzegają ją jako negatywny regulator angiogenezy. Celem niniejszej pracy była ocena bezpośredniego wpływu różnych stężeń adiponektyny zastosowanej osobno lub łącznie z talidomidem na wzrost mysiej linii komórek śródbłonka HECa 10 w hodowli komórkowej 24- i 72-godzinnej. Materiał i metody: Hodowle prowadzono na mysiej linii komórek śródbłonka HECa 10 otrzymanej w wyniku unieśmiertelnienia pierwotnej hodowli komórek HEC pochodzących z pozakapilarnych naczyń żylnych obwodowych węzłów chłonnych myszy. Wpływ adiponektyny badano w stężeniach od 10-5 do 10-12M. Talidomid zastosowano w stężeniu 10-3M. Wzrost komórek śródbłonka oceniano za pomocą metody kolorymetrycznej Mosmanna. Wyniki: Adiponektyna hamowała wzrost linii HECa 10 we wszystkich badanych stężeniach w hodowli 24-godzinnej. Jej hamujące działanie było umiarkowane. Nie obserwowano zależności dawka-efekt i czas-efekt. W hodowli 72-godzinnej jej hamujące działanie było podobnie nasilone lub słabsze i nie obserwowano jej hamującego działania w stężeniu 10-12M. Nie wykazano korzystnego współdziałania adiponektyny z talidomidem, który sam również nie hamował wzrostu badanej linii w porównaniu z grupą kontrolną. Wnioski: Wykazany hamujący wpływ adiponektyny na wzrost komórek śródbłonka sugeruje udział tego hormonu w regulacji procesów angiogenezy, jako endogennego czynnika antyangiogennegoBackground: Adiponectin, a peptide hormone secreted from the adipose tissue, has anti-diabetic, anti-atherogenic, and anti-inflammatory properties and is also involved in the regulation of angiogenesis. However, there are discrepancies among the results of the published data regarding its pro- or anti-angiogenic properties. The aim of our study was to examine the direct effect of various adiponectin concentrations applied separately or in combination with thalidomide on the growth of the murine endothelial cell line HECa 10 in 24- and 72-hour cell cultures. Material and methods: We used immortalized murine endothelial cell line received from endothelial cells of the mouse peripheral lymph node. The effect of adiponectin was examined at concentrations from 10-5 to 10-12M. Thalidomide was used at 10-3M concentration. The growth of HECa10 cells was assessed by the colorimetric Mosmann method. Results: We found that adiponectin inhibited the growth of HECa 10 line at all examined concentrations in the 24-hour culture, with moderate potency. There were no dose- or time-response effects. In the 72-hour cell culture, adiponectin inhibited the growth with the same or weaker potency and we did not observe its inhibitory effect at 10-12M concentration. There was no beneficial interaction between adiponectin and thalidomide. In this study, however, thalidomide alone did not cause any inhibitory effect on this cell line. Conclusions: The obtained data show that adiponectin inhibits endothelial cell growth and may participate in angiogenesis regulation as an endogenous antiangiogenic factor

Sprawozdanie z VI Konferencji Szkoleniowej i IX Poznańskiego Salonu Mediacji „Rola sądu w mediacji”, Poznań, 4 listopada 2021 roku

Sprawozdanie z VI Konferencji Szkoleniowej i IX Poznańskiego Salonu Mediacji „Rola sądu w mediacji”, Poznań, 4 listopada 2021 rok

Legitymacja procesowa w sprawach o zaprzestanie tzw. nieekologicznej reklamy w świetle przepisów ustawy - Prawo ochrony środowiska

The Act of 27 April 2001 – Environmental Protection Law by forbidding so-called non-ecological publicity provides for civil action to enforce the execution of the law, and at the same time equips an environmental organization with the right to institute the civil suit. The content of the Act, however, does not settle the question whether the environmental organization is the only entity authorized to initiate proceedings in this case, or if other entities are not excluded from the initiation to stop publicity, including, in particular, the prosecutor. There are reasons to adopt the other of the expressed positions. Since the legislature has put the matter to cease publicity which contains in content or in form the elements in conflict with the law to be heard and determined by civil courts, it has made them civil cases in the meaning of statute1 of the civil law code. According to the general principle, the prosecutor may institute proceedings in any case; and specific provisions provided for in exemptions do not include cases of cessation of publicity prohibited by law – Environmental Protection Law. As for the passive capacity, in light of existing rules one should opt for granting it to the entity issuing the advertisement. This will allow to eliminate situations in which a final judgment prohibiting publicity in content or in form that is contrary to the provisions will in fact not be executed due to the execution of the law on the manufacturer only, while it has no real impact on the actions of the issuer remaining outside enforcement proceedings.Ustawa z dnia 27 kwietnia 2001 roku - Prawo ochrony środowiska, wprowadzając zakaz tzw. nieekologicznej reklamy, przewiduje jako środek jego egzekwowania powództwo cywilne i równocześnie wyposaża w uprawnienie do jego wytoczenia organizację ekologiczną. Treść przepisów ustawy nie rozstrzyga jednak kwestii, czy organizacja ekologiczna jest jedynym podmiotem uprawnionym do wszczynania postępowania sądowego w tej sprawie, czy też nie jest wyłączone występowanie z powództwem o zaprzestanie reklamy również przez inne podmioty, w tym w szczególności prokuratora. Za słuszne należy przyjąć drugie z wyrażonych stanowisk. Skoro ustawodawca poddał sprawy o zaprzestanie reklamy zawierającej w treści lub w formie elementy sprzeczne z ustawą pod rozpoznanie i rozstrzygnięcie sądu cywilnego, to uczynił je sprawami cywilnymi w znaczeniu przyjętym w art. 1 k.p.c. Zgodnie zaś z ogólnymi zasadami prokurator może wszczynać postępowania w każdej sprawie, przewidziane zaś w przepisach szczególnych wyłączenia nie obejmują spraw o zaprzestanie reklamy zakazanej w ustawie – Prawo ochrony środowiska. Zaś co do legitymacji biernej, to w świetle obowiązujących przepisów należy opowiedzieć się za przyznaniem jej podmiotowi emitującemu reklamę. Pozwoli to wyeliminować sytuacje, w których prawomocny wyrok zakazujący reklamy o treści lub formie sprzecznych z przepisami w rzeczywistości nie zostanie wykonany na skutek objęcia egzekucją wyłącznie producenta wówczas, gdy nie będzie miał on realnego wpływu na zachowania pozostającego poza postępowaniem egzekucyjnym emitenta

Sprawozdanie z IV Konferencji Szkoleniowej i VII Poznańskiego Salonu Mediacji „Ugoda mediacyjna i koszty mediacji”, Poznań, 21 października 2020 r.

Sprawozdanie z IV Konferencji Szkoleniowej i VII Poznańskiego Salonu Mediacji „Ugoda mediacyjna i koszty mediacji”, Poznań, 21 października 2020 r. (opr. Joanna Mucha

Dissolution of wood components during hot water extraction of birch

Autohydrolysis-based pretreatments enable extraction of hemicellulose from wood tissue prior to the paper pulp cooking processes enabling their further use as platform chemicals and in material applications. In this study, hot water extraction of birch meal was conducted in a small flow-through system. The combination of high surface area of the milled material with increased driving force induced by constant flow of freshwater, together with fast evacuation of extract, enabled a detailed study of the dissolution process. Based on the findings, deeper insight into acidification and autohydrolysis progress was obtained

Mild Steam Explosion of Wood and Forest Residues in the Perspective of a Materials Biorefinery

The main objective of this work was to explore the prospects of using mild steam explosion as a pretreatment step in a forest based material biorefinery. During the steam explosion saturated steam is applied to the biomass at elevated pressure leading to an autohydrolysis of the lignocellulosic tissue, which is followed by a rapid pressure discharge, disintegrating and opening up the structure. As a consequence, the pretreatment enables the extraction of the most sensitive hemicelluloses and facilitates further processing, e.g. enzymatic treatment and chemical pulping. To investigate the effects rendered by the pretreatment, it was performed on two different types of forest biomass: Norway spruce wood chips and forest residues of mixed origin. The focus was on investigating the effects on the chemical structure of the material. In order to gain improved understanding of the fundamental mechanisms behind the pretreatment, the local effects on the composition of the wood tissue pretreated using steam explosion were investigated and compared with those accomplished by hot water extraction. Furthermore, cooking experiments were performed on pretreated forest residues to evaluate how the changes rendered by the pretreatment affect further processing of the material. The effects of the steam explosion were evaluated in terms of compositional analysis, molecular weight distribution and structural changes of extracted material (lignin and hemicelluloses). The results show that, due to the advective mass transport during the explosion step, steam explosion accomplishes a more even removal of hemicelluloses from the pretreated wood chips compared to the hot water extraction. Moreover, the impact of the steam explosion was found to be limited when material of a smaller size, namely refined forest residues, was pretreated

IR action spectroscopy of glycosaminoglycan oligosaccharides

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are a physio- and pharmacologically highly relevant class of complex saccharides, possessing a linear sequence and strongly acidic character. Their repetitive linear core makes them seem structurally simple at first glance, yet differences in sulfation and epimerization lead to an enormous structural diversity with only a few GAGs having been successfully characterized to date. Recent infrared action spectroscopic experiments on sulfated mono- and disaccharide ions show great promise. Here, we assess the potential of two types of gas-phase action spectroscopy approaches in the range from 1000 to 1800 cm−1 for the structural analysis of complex GAG oligosaccharides. Synthetic tetra- and pentasaccharides were chosen as model compounds for this benchmark study. Utilizing infrared multiple photon dissociation action spectroscopy at room temperature, diagnostic bands are largely unresolved. In contrast, cryogenic infrared action spectroscopy of ions trapped in helium nanodroplets yields resolved infrared spectra with diagnostic features for monosaccharide composition and sulfation pattern. The analysis of GAGs could therefore significantly benefit from expanding the conventional MS-based toolkit with gas-phase cryogenic IR spectroscopy

Effluents and residues from industrial sites for carbon dioxide capture: a review

The adverse effects of climate change calls for the rapid transformation of manufacturing processes to decrease the emissions of carbon dioxide. In particular, a lower carbon footprint can be achieved by capturing carbon dioxide at the site of emission. Here we review the use of industrial effluents, waste and residues to capture carbon dioxide. Waste include steelmaking slag, municipal solid waste incinerator ashes, combustion fly ash, black liquor, paper mill waste, mining waste, cement waste, construction and demolition waste, waste from the organic industry, and flue gas desulfurization gypsum waste. Capture capacities range from 2 to 800\ua0kg of carbon dioxide per ton of waste, depending on processes, waste type and conditions. Cement waste and flue gas desulfurization gypsum\ua0waste show the highest capture capacity per ton of waste

Gymnosperms Demonstrate Patterns of Fine-root Trait Coordination Consistent with the Global Root Economics Space

Gymnosperms encompass a diverse group of mostly woody plants with high ecological and economic value, yet little is known about the scope and organization of fine-root trait diversity among gymnosperms due to the undersampling of most gymnosperm families and the dominance of angiosperm groups in recent syntheses. New and existing data were compiled for morphological traits (root diameter, length, tissue density, specific root length [SRL] and specific root area [SRA]), the architectural trait branching ratio, root nitrogen content [N] and mycorrhizal colonization. We used phylogenetic least squares regression and principal component analysis to determine trait-trait relationships and coordination across 66 species, representing 11 of the 12 extant gymnosperm families from boreal, temperate, subtropical and tropical biomes. Finally, we compared the relationship between family divergence time and mean trait values to determine whether evolutionary history structured variation in fine-root traits within the gymnosperm phylogeny. Wide variation in gymnosperm root traits could be largely captured by two primary axes of variation defined by SRL and diameter, and root tissue density and root nitrogen, respectively. However, individual root length and SRA each had significant correlations with traits defining both main axes of variation. Neither mycorrhizal colonization nor root branching ratio were closely related to other traits. We did not observe a directional evolution of mean trait values from older to more recently diverged gymnosperm families. Synthesis. Despite their unique evolutionary history, gymnosperms display a root economic space similar to that identified in angiosperms, likely reflecting common constraints on plants adapting to diverse environments in both groups. These findings provide greater confidence that patterns observed in broad syntheses justly capture patterns of trait diversity among multiple, distinct lineages. Additionally, independence between root architecture and other traits may support greater diversity in below-ground resource acquisition strategies. Unlike angiosperms, there were no clear trends towards increasingly thin roots over evolutionary time, possibly because of lower diversification rates or unique biogeographic history among gymnosperms, though additional observations are needed to more richly test evolutionary trends among gymnosperms