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Dicarboxylic organic acids have properties that differ from those of sulfuric acid during hydrolysis of lignocellulose. To investigate the effects of different acid catalysts on the hydrolysis and degradation of biomass compounds over a range of thermochemical pretreatments, maleic, oxalic and sulfuric acids were each used at the same combined severity factor (CSF) values during hydrolysis. Xylose and glucose concentrations in hydrolysates were highest with maleic acid. Oxalic acid gave the next highest followed by sulfuric acid. This ranking was particularly true at low CSF values. The...

This research examined cellulolytic effects of fungi and other microbes present in cured sausages on the strength and stability of regenerated cellulose casings (RCC) used in the sausage industry. Occasionally during the curing process, RCC would split or fail, thereby leading to loss of product. The fungus Penicillium sp. BT-F-1, which was isolated from fermented sausages, and other fungi, which were introduced to enable the curing process, produced small amounts of cellulases on RCC in both liquid and solid cultivations. During continued incubation for 15-60 days in solid substrate...

Cellulosic biomass is an abundant and underused substrate for biofuel production. The inability of many microbes to metabolize the pentose sugars abundant within hemicellulose creates specific challenges for microbial biofuel production from cellulosic material. Although engineered strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae can use the pentose xylose, the fermentative capacity pales in comparison with glucose, limiting the economic feasibility of industrial fermentations. To better understand xylose utilization for subsequent microbial engineering, we sequenced the genomes of two xylose fermenting...

The peroxidation of C18 unsaturated fatty acids by fungal manganese peroxidase (MnP)/Mn(II) and by chelated Mn(III) was studied with application of three different methods: by monitoring oxygen consumption, by measuring conjugated dienes and by thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) formation. All tested polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) were oxidized by MnP in the presence of Mn(II) ions but the rate of their oxidation was not directly related to degree of their unsaturation. As it has been shown by monitoring oxygen consumption and conjugated dienes formation the linoleic acid...

This study aimed to evaluate borate:amine:copper derivatives in wood for fungal decay protection as well as the permanence of copper and boron in wood. Each of four derivatives of borate:amine:copper prevented fungal decay in wood. Disodium tetraborate decahydrate (borax):amine:copper derivatives with 0.61-0.63% retention after water leaching prevented decay by Gloeophyllum trabeum (Gt) and with 0.64% retention prevented decay by Trametes versicolor (Tv). Leaching did not decrease decay resistance for either Gt or Tv. Disodium octaborate tetrahydrate (DOT):amine:copper derivatives with...

Lignocellulose biodegradation, an essential step in terrestrial carbon cycling, generally involves removal of the recalcitrant lignin barrier that otherwise prevents infiltration by microbial polysaccharide hydrolases. However, fungi that cause brown rot of wood, a major route for biomass recycling in coniferous forests, utilize wood polysaccharides efficiently while removing little of the lignin. The mechanism by which these basidiomycetes breach the lignin remains unclear. We used recently developed methods for solubilization and multidimensional 1H–13C solution-state NMR spectroscopy of...

Nanoreinforced hydrogels with a unique network structure were prepared from wood cellulose whiskers coated with chemically modified wood hemicelluloses. The hemicelluloses were modified with 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate prior to adsorption onto the cellulose whiskers in aqueous medium. Synthesis of the hydrogels was accomplished by in situ radical polymerization of the methacrylic groups of the adsorbed coating to form a network of poly(2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate) (PHEMA) matrix reinforced with cellulose whiskers. The mechanical, swelling and viscoelastic properties, of water-swollen...

Litter decay rates are often correlated with the initial lignin:N or lignin:cellulose content of litter, suggesting that interactions between lignin and more labile compounds are important controls over litter decomposition. The chemical composition of lignin may influence these interactions, if lignin physically or chemically protects labile components from microbial attack. We tested the effect of lignin chemical composition on litter decay in the field during a year-long litterbag study using the model system Arabidopsis thaliana. Three Arabidopsis plant types were used, including one...

Thin films of hafnium oxide (HfO2) were deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD). The structural properties of the deposited films were characterised by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). We investigated the effect of phase transformations induced by thermal treatments on the mechanical properties of ALD HfO2 using nanoindentation. The elastic modulus of the amorphous low temperature deposited ALD HfO2 films was measured to be 370 ± 20 GPa. Subsequent to crystallisation by annealing in a rapid thermal annealing (RTA) chamber, the elastic modulus dropped...

Proteins were the main wood bonding adhesives for centuries, but they were displaced by fossil fuel-based adhesives in the 20th century because synthetic adhesives offered better water resistance, ease of use, and lower cost. Recently, studies using a polyamidoamine– epichlorohydrin (PAE) curing agent have led to soybean-based adhesives that are being used commercially for interior plywood, engineered wood flooring, and particleboard. Commercial products typically use the less expensive soy flour, while the majority of the published research has been on the soy protein isolate and purified...