Biobased binding material for plant growth substrates

Ornamental flower producers call for a more sustainable solution for growing small plants, where fossil based ‘glued plugs’ are currently used. We produced biobased and biodegradable plugs of similar strength as current fossil based ‘glued plugs’. The intention was to use these plugs for growing ornamental plants, such as geraniums and pansies, in greenhouses for later transplanting to larger pots. Strong or so called glued plugs are a prerequisite for successful transplanting of some plants since these species do not grow strong roots. Unfortunately, our strong biobased and biodegradable plugs negatively influenced the root growth of the ornamental plants, and thus are not yet an alternative for ornamental flower production. More work is needed before a commercially interesting sustainable plug is available with enough strength that allows plant root growth for the ornamental flower production industry

Green Chemistry to Modify Functional Properties of Crambe Protein Isolate-Based Thermally Formed Films

Proteins are promising precursors to be used in productionof sustainablematerials with properties resembling plastics, although protein modificationor functionalization is often required to obtain suitable productcharacteristics. Here, effects of protein modification were evaluatedby crosslinking behavior using high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC), secondary structure using infrared spectroscopy (IR), liquidimbibition and uptake, and tensile properties of six crambe proteinisolates modified in solution before thermal pressing. The resultsshowed that a basic pH (10), especially when combined with the commonlyused, although moderately toxic, crosslinking agent glutaraldehyde(GA), resulted in a decrease in crosslinking in unpressed samples,as compared to acidic pH (4) samples. After pressing, a more crosslinkedprotein matrix with an increase in beta-sheets was obtained inbasic samples compared to acidic samples, mainly due to the formationof disulfide bonds, which led to an increase in tensile strength,and liquid uptake with less material resolved. A treatment of pH 10+ GA, combined either with a heat or citric acid treatment, did notincrease crosslinking or improve the properties in pressed samples,as compared to pH 4 samples. Fenton treatment at pH 7.5 resulted ina similar amount of crosslinking as the pH 10 + GA treatment, althoughwith a higher degree of peptide/irreversible bonds. The strong bondformation resulted in lack of opportunities to disintegrate the proteinnetwork by all extraction solutions tested (even for 6 M urea + 1%sodium dodecyl sulfate + 1% dithiothreitol). Thus, the highest crosslinkingand best properties of the material produced from crambe protein isolateswere obtained by pH 10 + GA and pH 7.5 + Fenton, where Fenton is agreener and more sustainable solution than GA. Therefore, chemicalmodification of crambe protein isolates is effecting both sustainabilityand crosslinking behavior, which might have an effect on product suitability

Economic viability of protein concentrate production from green biomass of intermediate crops: A pre-feasibility study

Green biomass is a major potential source of proteins for food and feed. This pre-feasibility study evaluates the use of green biomass of buckwheat, phacelia, hemp and oilseed radish grown as intermediate crops (IC) as a feedstock for production of protein concentrates to produce protein-rich food and feed products. We investigated the biomass yield, protein concentration and protein recovery potential of non-fertilized IC, nitrogen-fertilized IC and IC intercropped with legumes, harvested in late summer to autumn during 2017 and 2018 in southern Sweden. In addition, economic assessment of potential protein and fibre feed and food products were evaluated. The results showed that IC fertilized with 40 kg ha1 N and intercropping with legumes contributed to a higher biomass dry matter (DM) yield of 4.9e5.8 t ha1 as compared to between 2.2 and 3.1 t ha1 for non-fertilized IC. Intercropping with legumes also resulted in higher protein yield of 154 g kg1 vs. 103 g kg1 for non-fertilized IC. Among IC, hemp, phacelia and oilseed radish showed up to ca. 25% higher DM yield and up to ca. 70% higher protein concentration as compared to buckwheat. Higher DM yield was obtained when IC were harvested in October and November than in August and September. Economic assessment was made on two feasible protein production pathways; (A) Green and white proteins and (B) total recoverable combined protein fraction (CPF). For all IC, cost per t DM was higher in August due to lower biomass yield as compared to other harvesting months. Nitrogen concentration was the main factor determining the size of revenues. Nitrogen concentration was 34% higher in 2018 compared to 2017 and therefore resulted in higher revenues in that year. Intercropping resulted in higher protein content and therefore contributed to lower breakeven prices of recovered green proteins for all IC. Breakeven price analyses showed that green protein and CPF were economically feasible to market as both bulk and premium products depending on lower (2 V kg1 ) or higher (2e10 V kg1 ) price ranges, respectively. The results demonstrate that use of IC biomass could be a feasible option to produce high value protein-rich products, which can contribute extra income from IC for farmers

Managing conflict between bats and humans: The response of soprano pipistrelles (pipistrellus pygmaeus) to exclusion from roosts in houses

Copyright: © 2015 Stone et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Conflict can arise when bats roost in human dwellings and householders are affected adversely by their presence. In the United Kingdom, the exclusion of bats from roosts can be licensed under exceptional circumstances to alleviate conflict, but the fate of excluded bats and the impact on their survival and reproduction is not well understood. Using radiotracking, we investigated the effects of exclusion on the soprano pipistrelle Pipistrellus pygmaeus, a species that commonly roosts in buildings in Europe. Exclusions were performed under licence at five roosts in England in spring, when females were in the early stages of pregnancy. Following exclusion, all bats found alternative roosts and colonies congregated in nearby known roosts that had been used by radio-tagged bats prior to exclusion. We found no difference in roosting behaviour before and after exclusion. Both the frequency of roost switching and the type of roosts used by bats remained unchanged. We also found no change in foraging behaviour. Bats foraged in the same areas, travelled similar distances to reach foraging areas and showed similar patterns of habitat selection before and after exclusion. Population modelling suggested that any reduction in survival following exclusion could have a negative impact on population growth, whereas a reduction in productivity would have less effect. While the number of soprano pipistrelle exclusions currently licensed each year is likely to have little effect on local populations, the cumulative impacts of licensing the destruction of large numbers of roosts may be of concern

Economically Viable Components from Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) in a Biorefinery Concept

Biorefinery applications are receiving growing interest due to climatic and waste disposal issues and lack of petroleum resources. Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) is suitable for biorefinery applications due to high biomass production and limited cultivation requirements. This paper focuses on the potential of Jerusalem artichoke as a biorefinery crop and the most viable products in such a case. The carbohydrates in the tubers were found to have potential for production of platform chemicals, e.g., succinic acid. However, economic analysis showed that production of platform chemicals as a single product was too expensive to be competitive with petrochemically produced sugars. Therefore, production of several products from the same crop is a must. Additional products are protein based ones from tubers and leaves and biogas from residues, although both are of low value and amount. High bioactive activity was found in the young leaves of the crop, and the sesquiterpene lactones are of specific interest, as other compounds from this group have shown inhibitory effects on several human diseases. Thus, future focus should be on understanding the usefulness of small molecules, to develop methods for their extraction and purification and to further develop sustainable and viable methods for the production of platform chemicals

Greenhouse gas emissions of bio-based diapers containing chemically modified protein superabsorbents

Replacing the current mainly fossil-based, disposable, and non-biodegradable sanitary products with sustainable, functional alternatives is an industry priority. Suggested biobased alternatives require evaluation of their actual impact on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We evaluated GHG emissions of biobased baby diapers as the most consumed sanitary product, using a biodegradable functionalized protein superabsorbent polymer (bioSAP) and compared them with currently used fossil-based counterparts. Assessment of the diapers also included estimated GHG emissions from the production of the biobased components, transport, and end-of-life combustion of these items. It was shown that only a few of the biobased diaper alternatives resulted in lower GHG emissions than commercial diapers containing fossil-based materials. At the same time, it was demonstrated that the production of the bioSAP via chemical modification of a protein raw material is the primary GHG contributor, with 78% of the total emissions. Reduction of the GHG contribution of the bioSAP production was achieved via a proposed recycling route of the functionalization agent, reducing the GHG emissions by 13% than if no recycling was carried out. Overall, we demonstrated that reduced and competitive GHG emissions could be achieved in sanitary articles using biobased materials, thereby contributing to a sanitary industry producing disposable products with less environmental pollution while allowing customers to keep their current consumption patterns

High Capacity Functionalized Protein Superabsorbents from an Agricultural Co-Product: A Cradle-to-Cradle Approach

Synthesis of superabsorbent particles from nontoxic wheat gluten (WG) protein, as an industrial co-product, is presented. A natural molecular cross-linker named genipin (a hydrogenated glycoside) is used together with a dianhydride (ethylenediaminetetraacetic EDTAD), to enable the preparation of a material with a network structure capable of swelling up to approximate to 4000% in water and approximate to 600% in saline solution. This represents an increase in swelling by over 10 times compared to the already highly absorbing gluten reference material. The carboxylation (using EDTAD) and the cross-linking of the protein result in a hydrogel with liquid retention capacity as high as 80% of the absorbed water remaining in the WG network on extensive centrifugation, which is higher than that of commercial fossil-based superabsorbents. The results also show that more polar forms of the reacted genipin are more effectively grafted onto the protein, contributing to the swelling and liquid retention. Microscopy of the materials reveals extensive nanoporosity (300 nm), contributing to rapid capillarity-driven absorption. The use of proteins from agricultural industries for the fabrication of sustainable protein superabsorbents is herein described as an emerging avenue for the development of the next generation daily-care products with a minimal environmental impact

Biobaserad utsädespelletering

Kan biobaserade polymerer ersätta petroleumoljebaserade polymerer vid utsädespelletering av sockerbetsfrön? Och hur påverkas i sådana fall utveckling och tillväxt hos den unga sockerbetsplantan? Detta är några av de frågeställningar som vi vill öka förståelsen runt. En ersättning av petroleumbaserade polymerer med biobaserade sådana bidrar givetvis till en bättre miljö samt till ett minskat beroende av råolja. Inverkan på den utvecklingen och tillväxten hos den unga sockerbetsplantan är viktig då dessa faktorer påverkar avkastningen hos sockerbetan. Sockerbetsplantornas utveckling och tillväxt visade sig påverkas positivt av användandet av proteinbaserade utsädespelleteringar, eller om proteinbaserade formuleringar användes i kombination med sådana formuleringar som används standardmässigt vid utsädespelletering av sockerbetan. Den positiva utvecklingen och tillväxten av den unga sockerbetsplantan skedde både i form av utvecklande av en tidigare och större pålrot, i form av en högre rot/skott kvot och i form av en större förgrening av roten beroende på vilka proteinbaserade formuleringar som användes. För att uppnå tillräcklig styrka hos pelleten visade det sig mest gynnsamt att använda en pellet som kombinerade en standard formulering för utsädespelletering med proteiner av olika slag

How the unuseful can be turned into sustainable and useful: novel potato protein bioplastics with unusual strength

In Southern Sweden the way potato starch is produced creates large amounts of by-product. This by-product consists of potato protein and non-edible compounds, which limits its use as food today. Improved uses of industrial by-product is of high interest for the future, and therefore finding a better use of the potato proteins from potato starch production is needed.Through this collaboration project between the researchers at SLU Alnarp and Lyckeby Starch AB it has been shown that potato proteins are suitable for making potato protein bioplastics. Also, the bioplastics made from these potato proteins have shown unusual strenght and stretchiness, properties that could be suitable for a multi-layered packaging bag for potato chips