In Situ

Post weaning diarrhea (PWD) in pigs is a leading cause of economic loss in pork production worldwide. The current practice of using antibiotics and zinc to treat PWD is unsustainable due to the potential of antibiotic resistance and ecological disturbance, and novel methods are required. In this study, an in vitro model was used to test the possibility of producing prebiotic fiber in situ in the gastro-intestinal tract (GI-tract) of the piglet and the prebiotic activity of the resulting fiber in the terminal ileum. Soluble fiber were successfully produced from potato pulp, an industrial waste product, with a minimal enzyme dose in a simulated upper GI-model extracting 26.9 % of initial dry matter. The fiber was rich in galactose and galacturonic acid and was fermented at 2.5, 5 or 10 g/L in a glucose-free media inoculated with the gut contents of piglet terminal ileum. Fermentations of 5 g/L inulin or 5 g/L of a purified potato fiber were used as controls. The fibers showed high fermentability, evident by a dose-dependent drop in pH and increase in organic acids, with lactate in particularly being increased. Deep sequencing showed a significant increase in Lactobacillus and Veillonella and an insignificant increase in Clostridium as well as a decrease in Streptococcus. Multivariate analysis showed clustering of the treatment groups, with the purified potato fiber being clearly separated from the other groups as the microbiota composition was 60 % Lactobacillus and almost free of Clostridium. For animal studies, a dosage corresponding to the 5 g/L treatment is suggested

Carbon dioxide removal could result in the use of lower-grade iron ore in a decarbonized net-negative emission steel industry

Reducing the emissions from steel production is essential in meeting climate targets while maintaining economic prosperity. Here we show that applying deep emissions mitigation to the steel industry together with the reaction of by-product slag with atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) could result in a carbon negative industry on the order of up to a GtCO2 yr-1 by mid-century. We used a bespoke technoeconomic assessment model that simulates a base-case scenarios in which steel is produced using a blast furnace and basic oxygen furnace. This system was augmented with a range of climate change intervention technologies including biomass based reducant, directly reduced iron, carbon capture and storage, and slag carbonation. Surprisingly, strong incentivisation ($200 – 500 tCO2-1) for emissions reduction and CO2 removal from the atmosphere may create conditions under which lower grade ores are commercially viable and also achieve deep emissions mitigation. The additional costs for emissions reduction could be wholly offset by value generated through carbon removal from biomass energy carbon capture and storage together with slag carbonation