Valorisation of lignin – Achievements of the LignoValue project

Lignocellulosic biorefinery for production of biofuels, materials and chemicals requires valorization of all fractions including lignin. As a consequence of its poly-aromatic structure, lignin potentially serves as a source for aromatic chemicals. The developed biorefinery concept of the LignoValue project comprises two major steps: (1) Organosolv fractionation of wheat straw and willow into (hemi)cellulose and high purity lignin. (2) Further conversion of the isolated lignin via catalytic pyrolysis, supercritical depolymerization and partial hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) into different components like low molecular phenolic compounds, wood adhesives and fuel additives. The cellulose fraction resulting after organosolv fractionation is effectively hydrolysed by enzymes for biofuel production. Quality assessment of the liberated lignins shows interesting characteristics for follow-up chemistry such as high purity, relatively low molar mass and polydispersity. Catalytic pyrolysis in a fluidised bed at 400-500°C was found to convert organosolv lignin in 35-55% phenolic oil, 10% identified monomeric phenolic compounds, 10-20% water, 5-20% gas and 35-55% char. Supercritical depolymerisation of lignin in carbon dioxide based solvents resulted in a similar spectrum of products, however, at a lower temperature (ca 300°C) but at higher pressures. In both thermochemical processes the use of promotors or catalysts lead to an improved yield of the target monomeric aromatic products. Also the residual char fraction shows interesting properties for use in bio-char applications. Catalytic semi-continuous HDO of lignin in hydrogen atmosphere can be manipulated to yield both light oils or heavy oils as potential additives to fuels. Suitable catalysts were found to convert depolymerised lignin to phenolic oils in high yields. In this process no char formation is observed. The lignin oils were successfully tested on lab scale as partial substitution of phenol in resins for gluing wood panels. The LignoValue concept is critically reviewed in a techno-economic analysis demonstrating the potential for further commercial development and adoptation of this innovative biorefinery process in Europe

The management of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia in the acute general medical hospital: A longitudinal cohort study

yesBackground: The acute hospital is a challenging place for a person with dementia. Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are common and may be exacerbated by the hospital environment. Concerns have been raised about how BPSD are managed in this setting and about over reliance on neuroleptic medication. This study aimed to investigate how BPSD are managed in UK acute hospitals. Method(s): A longitudinal cohort of 230 patients with dementia admitted to two acute NHS hospitals. BPSD were measured every four days (Behave-AD scale), as well as documentation of pharmacological prescriptions and non-pharmacological management. Results: The overall prevalence of BPSD was 75%, with aggression and activity disturbance being the most common. Antipsychotics were prescribed for 28 (12%) patients; 70% of these prescriptions were new on admission. Benzodiazepines were prescribed for 27 (12%) patients, antidepressants were prescribed for 37 (16%) patients, and sedatives were prescribed for 14 (3%) patients. Patients who were prescribed antipsychotics, after adjusting for end of life medication, age and dementia severity, were significantly more likely to die (adjusted hazard ratio 5.78, 95% CI 1.57, 21.26, p= 0.008). Nonpharmacological management was used in 55% of participants, most commonly psychosocial interventions (36%) with little evidence of monitoring their effectiveness. A form of restraint was used during 50 (22%) patients’ admissions. Conclusions: Antipsychotic medications and psychosocial interventions were the main methods used to manage BPSD; however, these were not implemented or monitored in a systematic fashion.Alzheimer's Society; BUPA Foundatio

Microplastics Detected in Groundwater

Low concentrations of microplastics are present in Illinois’ karst groundwater, according to a preliminary study completed in spring 2018. This is the first time that microplastics have been detected in groundwater. The study was conducted in collaboration with scientists at the Illinois State Geological Survey, Illinois State Water Survey, Loyola University Chicago, and ISTC. Full study results published in Panno, S.V., Kelly, W.R., Scott, J., Zheng, W., McNeish, R.E., Holm, N., Hoellein, T.J. and Baranski, E.L. (2019), Microplastic Contamination in Karst Groundwater Systems. Groundwater, 57: 189-196. doi:10.1111/gwat.12862.League of Women Voters of Jo Daviess County; Illinois State Geological Survey; Illinois State Water Survey; Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (Hazardous Waste Research Fund);. Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ; 074483-15907); National Science Foundation (CAREER 1553835).Ope

Biorefinery, the bridge between agriculture and chemistry

The depletion in fossil feedstocks, increasing oil prices and the ecological problems associated with CO2 emissions are forcing the development of alternative resources for energy (heat and electricity), transport fuels and chemicals: the replacement of fossil resources with CO2 neutral biomass. When used in combination with environmentally sound production and processing techniques, the use of biomass can be seen as a sustainable alternative to conventional feedstocks. The production of chemicals utilises more effectively the intrinsic biomass (chemical) structure than the production of fuels or electricity from biomass does. The production of chemicals from biomass also saves more fossil energy than producing just energy. For example, some amino acids obtained from grass are very suitable starting materials for highly functionalized chemicals that are traditionally prepared from petrochemistry. Economical production routes of chemicals from biomass require large scale substitution of (bulk) chemicals which connects to current approaches and facilities (process integration) of the petrochemical industries to convert crude oil into chemical building blocks. Genetic modification of plants will increase the potential of biomass in the chemical industry because it allows an increase in the concentrations of the required (bio-)chemical pre-cursors e.g. amino acids, present. It will also be discussed how small scale (pre)processing of the biomass can be advantageous over large scale processing. This is because of lower transportation costs but also the opportunity to use process-integrations that can not be used on large scale. These integrations yield high efficiencies of energy utilization but require improvement on social or organisational level

Biomassa in de Nederlandse energiehuishouding in 2030

Om beter zicht te krijgen op wat er nodig is om bovenstaande ambitieuze visie te realiseren, heeft het Platform Groene Grondstoffen aan het Energoeonderzoek Centrum Nederland (ECN) en Wageningen University and Research Centre (WUR) de opdracht verstrekt om een analyse te maken van het huidige grondstoffengebruik voor onze energievoorziening en de verwachte energievoorziening in 2030, de inpasbaarheid van groene grondstoffen in die energievoorziening en inzicht in de beschikbaarheid van biomassa voor het realiseren van die visie

Investigating knitwear product development in small and medium enterprises: A report of practices related to environmental sustainability

There is rising interest into the inner workings of the fashion supply chain due to increasing concern surrounding environmental impact, social responsibility, and economic growth. Studies designed to understand the fashion industry often presume the knitwear sector to follow the linear product development process of the woven garment sector. However, knitwear practitioners are profoundly aware of many complex distinctions, one example being the ability to seamlessly create three dimensional garments with minimal finishing. In spite of these differences, there is little known research which specifically identifies the current knitwear design and manufacture system, or how often such seamless production methods are utilised. To bridge the gap in knowledge, a quantitative questionnaire was designed for a holistic overview of the key product development processes within knitwear small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The questionnaire had three focuses, design, manufacture, and retail, reflecting the sectors dynamism. 31 companies of varying sizes completed the survey, of these, 26 designed knitwear, 25 manufactured it, and 21 companies retailed directly to consumers. Results showed that the sampled SMEs have a keen interest in developing sustainable products, albeit at surface level, with most choosing to reduce impact through their material and fibre choices, with less importance placed on manufacturing processes. Other revelations included the low uptake of 3D garment simulation software, designed to reduce the need for multiple prototypes and the reliance on cut and sew processes. This study revealed several areas where environmental impact can be reduced and aims to inform future studies within the knitwear industry focused on material use, product life-cycle analysis, waste reduction and digital technology adoption

Constraining the period of the ringed secondary companion to the young star J1407 with photographic plates

Context. The 16 Myr old star 1SWASP J140747.93-394542.6 (V1400 Cen) underwent a series of complex eclipses in May 2007, interpreted as the transit of a giant Hill sphere filling debris ring system around a secondary companion, J1407b. No other eclipses have since been detected, although other measurements have constrained but not uniquely determined the orbital period of J1407b. Finding another eclipse towards J1407 will help determine the orbital period of the system, the geometry of the proposed ring system and enable planning of further observations to characterize the material within these putative rings. Aims. We carry out a search for other eclipses in photometric data of J1407 with the aim of constraining the orbital period of J1407b. Methods. We present photometry from archival photographic plates from the Harvard DASCH survey, and Bamberg and Sonneberg Observatories, in order to place additional constraints on the orbital period of J1407b by searching for other dimming and eclipse events. Using a visual inspection of all 387 plates and a period-folding algorithm we performed a search for other eclipses in these data sets. Results. We find no other deep eclipses in the data spanning from 1890 to 1990, nor in recent time-series photometry from 2012-2018. Conclusions. We rule out a large fraction of putative orbital periods for J1407b from 5 to 20 years. These limits are still marginally consistent with a large Hill sphere filling ring system surrounding a brown dwarf companion in a bound elliptical orbit about J1407. Issues with the stability of any rings combined with the lack of detection of another eclipse, suggests that J1407b may not be bound to J1407.Comment: 8 pages, 3 tables, 4 figures, accepted for publication in A&A. LaTeX files of the paper, scripts for the figures, and a minimal working FPA can be found under https://github.com/robinmentel/Constraining-Period

Pain location and widespread pain in youth with orthopaedic conditions: Exploration of the reliability and validity of a body map

BackgroundPain location and widespread pain are important but underexamined dimensions of paediatric pain. Body map tools to assess pain location in youth have been used for several decades, but few studies have established reliability and validity of these measures. The purpose of this study was to explore the reliability and validity of a pain body map among youth with orthopaedic conditions before surgery.MethodYouth ages 10â 17 years completed the body map and other selfâ reported outcomes at their preoperative clinic visit and at their day of surgery.ResultsMost (91.7%) youth had small discrepancy between body map scores at preoperative clinic visit (baseline) and day of surgery (second assessment), and siteâ toâ site agreement ranged from 78% to 98%. Those with back and lower extremity diagnoses had high correspondence between body map sites and diagnostic sites. Body map scores and widespread pain were associated with other dimensions of pain, as well as other patientâ reported outcomes. Higher pain intensity and widespread pain predicted greater discrepancy between body map scores.ConclusionsThese results support the use of body map tools in further research examining widespread pain among youth by demonstrating adequate reliability, descriptive validity and associative validity.SignificanceThese results contribute to the limited information regarding psychometric properties of paediatric pain body maps, provide novel information about widespread pain among youth undergoing orthopaedic surgeries, and pave the way for improved assessment and treatment of paediatric pain.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147159/1/ejp1282.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147159/2/ejp1282_am.pd

Succesfactoren kleine schaal

Onze maatschappij ondergaat momenteel de transitie van een op aardolie gebaseerde economie naar een biobased economy. Hiervoor worden vele nieuwe bioraffinage processen ontwikkeld. Kleine schaal bioraffinage kan voordelen hebben, niet alleen vanuit een sociaal een duurzaam oogpunt, maar ook puur economisch. Succesvolle voorbeelden zijn in dit rapport geanalyseerd en de drijfveren voor kleinschalige bioraffinage zijn verder uitgewerkt. Daarnaast is er gezocht naar een eenduidige definitie voor kleinschalige bioraffinage. Hier zijn specifieke getallen uitgekomen, maar nog geen generieke beschrijving

Immobilised enzymes in biorenewable production

Oils, fats, carbohydrates, lignin, and amino acids are all important raw materials for the production of biorenewables. These compounds already play an important role in everyday life in the form of wood, fabrics, starch, paper and rubber. Enzymatic reactions do, in principle, allow the transformation of these raw materials into biorenewables under mild and sustainable conditions. There are a few examples of processes using immobilised enzymes that are already applied on an industrial scale, such as the production of High-Fructose Corn Syrup, but these are still rather rare. Fortunately, there is a rapid expansion in the research efforts that try to improve this, driven by a combination of economic and ecological reasons. This review focusses on those efforts, by looking at attempts to use fatty acids, carbohydrates, proteins and lignin (and their building blocks), as substrates in the synthesis of biorenewables using immobilised enzymes. Therefore, many examples (390 references) from the recent literature are discussed, in which we look both at the specific reactions as well as to the methods of immobilisation of the enzymes, as the latter are shown to be a crucial factor with respect to stability and reuse. The applications of the renewables produced in this way range from building blocks for the pharmaceutical and polymer industry, transport fuels, to additives for the food industry. A critical evaluation of the relevant factors that need to be improved for large-scale use of these examples is presented in the outlook of this review