Experimental and Theoretical Substantiation of Device Performance in Soy Milk Production for Animal Feed

The article presents a device to obtain soybean milk, Tofu soybean curd, a soy protein base for feed preparation for farm animals and poultry as a product of soybean grain processing. The device combines a number of technological operations, such as grinding the grain of legumes to obtain fine grinding, the extraction of soy protein into the emulsion and the separation of the protein emulsion into two homogeneous fractions: a liquid protein base (soy milk) and undissolved residue – Okara. The kinematics of the movement of soybean grain in a soaked form over the abrasive surface of a cone with curved grooves applied is considered, a final formula for the speed of movement of the grain is obtained. The volumetric and mass productivity of the grain chopper is determined theoretically and experimentally depending on the main factors affecting the process

Superhydrophobic paper in the development of disposable labware and lab-on-paper devices

Traditionally in superhydrophobic surfaces history, the focus has frequently settled on the use of complex processing methodologies using nonbiodegradable and costly materials. In light of recent events on lab-on-paper emergence, there are now some efforts for the production of superhydrophobic paper but still with little development and confined to the fabrication of flat devices. This work gives a new look at the range of possible applications of bioinspired superhydrophobic paper-based substrates, obtained using a straightforward surface modification with poly(hydroxybutyrate). As an end-of-proof of the possibility to create lab-on-chip portable devices, the patterning of superhydrophobic paper with different wettable shapes is shown with low-cost approaches. Furthermore, we suggest the use of superhydrophobic paper as an extremely low-cost material to design essential nonplanar lab apparatus, including reservoirs for liquid storage and manipulation, funnels, tips for pipettes, or accordion-shaped substrates for liquid transport or mixing. Such devices take the advantage of the self-cleaning and extremely water resistance properties of the surfaces as well as the actions that may be done with paper such as cut, glue, write, fold, warp, or burn. The obtained substrates showed lower propensity to adsorb proteins than the original paper, kept superhydrophobic character upon ethylene oxide sterilization and are disposable, suggesting that the developing devices could be especially adequate for use in contact with biological and hazardous materials