New Natural Injection-Moldable Composite Material from Sunflower Oil Cake

Through a twin-screw extrusion process the native structure of sunflower oil cake was completely transformed (globular protein denaturation/texturization and husk fiber defibration) into a simpler matrix-fiber structure, as could be seen on SEM micrographs. Further chemical reduction of protein disulfide bridges greatly reduced the melt viscosity of the moistened composite that it could be injection-molded. The molded specimens were tested and their tensile and flexural properties and water absorption calculated. Their water resistance appeared to be particularly high, and could be enhanced further after a thermal treatment (N2, 200°C). The proteic matrix seemed to behave like a natural thermoset resin. Sunflower oil cake could be used without any additives to make biodegradable, water resistant and exceptionally cheap material

Film extrusion of sunflower protein isolate

Film extrusion of sunflower protein isolate (SFPI) was studied. The influence of die temperature (85 to 160°C), water and glycerol contents were investigated through appearance, mechanical and thermo-mechanical properties and swelling behavior in water of films. It was demonstrated that highest temperature, well above SFPI denaturation temperature in the compound, highest glycerol content (70 parts for 100 parts of SFPI) and medium water content (20 parts for 100 parts of SFPI) gave the most regular and smoothest film (as seen on SEM micrographs). Its ultimate tensile strength, Young’s modulus and strain at break were respectively: 3.2 MPa, 17.7 MPa and 73%. Soaked in water, its swelling was about 186% w/w but the film was quiet insoluble. Effect of temperature and plasticizer content were discussed in relation to the kinetic of SFPI denaturation. These first results are very promising for the development of biodegradable protein-based films

Relationships between diffusion parameters and phosphorus precipitation during the POCl3 diffusion process

The POCl3 diffusion process is still a common way to create the pn-junction of Si solar cells. Concerning the screen-printing process, it is necessary to find a compromise between low emitter recombination, low contact resistance and high lateral conductivity. The formation of a homogeneous emitter during the POCl3 diffusion process depends on several diffusion parameters, including duration, temperature and gas flow. This primarily controls the growth of the highly doped phosphosilicate glass (PSG) layer, which acts as a dopant source during the diffusion process. Detailed investigations of the PSG layer have shown a distinct correlation between the process gas flows and the composition of the PSG layer. Specifically, in this research we examine the influence of phosphorus precipitation at the PSG/Si interface. Furthermore, we show the influence of phosphorus precipitation during the pre-deposition phase on the passivation quality of the corresponding emitter. In a second step, we use the results to create emitters with a reduced density of phosphorus precipitates. In a last step, the optimized emitter structure was transferred to screen-printed solar cell processes, whereby efficiencies up to 19.4% abs. were achieved on monocrystalline p-type Cz material with full area Al-BSF rear side

Pulses for Sustainability: Breaking Agriculture and Food Sectors Out of Lock-In

Crop diversification can improve the sustainability of Western agriculture. In particular, pulses are crops that can help both agriculture and the food industry become more ecological, as they reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help reduce animal-based consumption. Today, however, the development of these crops in Europe has been hindered due to lock-in, since major crops have been co-developed to a greater extent in farming and food systems. After briefly reviewing the major mechanisms that lead to this lock-in, this article adopts a co-evolution framework to address the interconnected transition of agriculture and food systems. We explore how current societal trends in the agrifood system offer new opportunities for pulses, and how simultaneous changes both in production and consumption can facilitate this dual transition. Drawing on insights from the literature and interviews with stakeholders in France—taken here as examples—we argue that to develop pulses, strong support is required from public institutions to coordinate and guide the multiple actors involved in the same direction

Lime pretreatment of sugar beet pulp and evaluation of synergy between ArfA, ManA and XynA from Clostridium cellulovorans on the pretreated substrate

Sugar beet pulp (SBP) is a waste product from the sugar beet industry and could be used as a potential biomass feedstock for second generation biofuel technology. Pretreatment of SBP with ‘slake lime’ (calcium hydroxide) was investigated using a 23 factorial design and the factors examined included lime loading, temperature and time. The pretreatment was evaluated for its ability to enhance enzymatic degradation using a combination of three hemicellulases, namely ArfA (an arabinofuranosidase), ManA (an endo-mannanase) and XynA (an endo-xylanase) from C. cellulovorans to determine the conditions under which optimal activity was facilitated. Optimal pretreatment conditions were found to be 0.4 g lime/g SBP, with 36 h digestion at 40 °C. The synergistic interactions between ArfA, ManA and XynA from C. cellulovorans were subsequently investigated on the pretreated SBP. The highest degree of synergy was observed at a protein ratio of 75% ArfA to 25% ManA, with a specific activity of 2.9 U/g protein. However, the highest activity was observed at 4.2 U/g protein at 100% ArfA. This study demonstrated that lime treatment enhanced enzymatic hydrolysis of SBP. The ArfA was the most effective hemicellulase for release of sugars from pretreated SBP, but the synergy with the ManA indicated that low levels of mannan in SBP were probably masking the access of the ArfA to its substrate. XynA displayed no synergy with the other two hemicellulases, indicating that the xylan in the SBP was not hampering the access of ArfA or ManA to their substrates and was not closely associated with the mannan and arabinan in the SBP

The use of electric fields for edible coatings and films development and production: A review

Edible films and coatings can provide additional protection for food, while being a fully biodegradable, environmentally friendly packaging system. A diversity of raw materials used to produce edible coatings and films are extracted from marine and agricultural sources, including animals and plants. Electric fields processing holds advantage in producing safe, wholesome and nutritious food. Recently, the presence of a moderate electric field during the preparation of edible coatings and films was shown to influence their main properties, demonstrating its usefulness to tailor edible films and coatings for specific applications. This manuscript reviews the main aspects of the use of electric fields in the production of edible films and coatings, including the effect in their transport and mechanical properties, solubility and microstructure.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal.Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), Brasil

Centrifugal partition chromatography in a biorefinery context: Separation of monosaccharides from hydrolysed sugar beet pulp

A critical step in the bioprocessing of sustainable biomass feedstocks, such as sugar beet pulp (SBP), is the isolation of the component sugars from the hydrolysed polysaccharides. This facilitates their subsequent conversion into higher value chemicals and pharmaceutical intermediates. Separation methodologies such as centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC) offer an alternative to traditional resin-based chromatographic techniques for multicomponent sugar separations. Highly polar two-phase systems containing ethanol and aqueous ammonium sulphate are examined here for the separation of monosaccharides present in hydrolysed SBP pectin: l-rhamnose, l-arabinose, d-galactose and d-galacturonic acid. Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was selected as an effective phase system modifier improving monosaccharide separation. The best phase system identified was ethanol:DMSO:aqueous ammonium sulphate (300 g L−1) (0.8:0.1:1.8, v:v:v) which enabled separation of the SBP monosaccharides by CPC (200 mL column) in ascending mode (upper phase as mobile phase) with a mobile phase flow rate of 8 mL min−1. A mixture containing all four monosaccharides (1.08 g total sugars) in the proportions found in hydrolysed SBP was separated into three main fractions; a pure l-rhamnose fraction (>90%), a mixed l-arabinose/d-galactose fraction and a pure d-galacturonic acid fraction (>90%). The separation took less than 2 h demonstrating that CPC is a promising technique for the separation of these sugars with potential for application within an integrated, whole crop biorefinery

An Integrated Biorefinery Concept for Conversion of Sugar Beet Pulp into Value-added Chemicals and Pharmaceutical Intermediates

Over 8 million tonnes of sugar beet are grown annually in the UK. Sugar beet pulp (SBP) is the main by-product of sugar beet processing which is currently dried and sold as a low value animal feed. SBP is a rich source of carbohydrates, mainly in the form of cellulose and pectin, including D-glucose (Glu), L-arabinose (Ara) and D-galacturonic acid (GalAc). This work describes the technical feasibility of an integrated biorefinery concept for fractionation of SBP and conversion of these monosaccharides into value-added products. SBP fractionation is initially carried out by steam explosion under mild conditions to yield soluble pectin and insoluble cellulose fractions. The cellulose is readily hydrolysed by cellulases to release Glu that can then be fermented by a commercial Yeast strain to produce bioethanol with a high yield. The pectin fraction can be either fully hydrolysed, using physico-chemical methods, or selectively hydrolysed, using cloned arabinases and galacturonases, to yield Ara-rich and GalAc-rich streams. These monomers can be separated using either Centrifugal Partition Chromatography (CPC) or ultrafiltration into streams suitable for subsequent enzymatic upgrading. Building on our previous experience with transketolase (TK) and transaminase (TAm) enzymes, the conversion of Ara and GalAc into higher value products was explored. In particular the conversion of Ara into L-gluco-heptulose (GluHep), that has potential therapeutic applications in hypoglycaemia and cancer, using a mutant TK is described. Preliminary studies with TAm also suggest GluHep can be selectively aminated to the corresponding chiral aminopolyol. Current work is addressing upgrading of the remaining SBP monomer, GalAc, and modelling of the biorefinery concept to enable economic and Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)