Article
Chemistry, Applied
Hailong Lu, Lili Zhang, Ming Yan, Kui Wang, Jianchun Jiang
Summary: This research develops a facile and low-cost process to produce high-yield lignocellulose nanofibrils (LCNF) directly from wood and non-wood biomass. The LCNFs obtained from different raw materials exhibit excellent morphological, thermochemical, and mechanical properties. The LCNFs show high thermal stability and tensile strength, making them suitable for industrial production of bio-based nanofilms.
CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS
(2022)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Jikai Zhao, Yang Yang, Meng Zhang, Charles W. Rice, Donghai Wang
Summary: The effects of switchgrass particle sizes on the effectiveness of H2SO4 and NaOH pretreatments were investigated. Increasing particle size led to higher contents of glucan, xylan, and lignin in raw switchgrass. SEM images and FTIR spectra showed no visible variations in microstructures and chemical bonds among different particle sizes under the same pretreatment conditions. The optimal ethanol conversion performance depends on the interaction between the pretreatment method and biomass particle size.
BIOMASS & BIOENERGY
(2022)
Review
Energy & Fuels
Delon Konan, Ekoun Koffi, Adama Ndao, Eric Charles Peterson, Denis Rodrigue, Kokou Adjalle
Summary: Lignocellulosic biomass is a cost-effective and abundant resource that can be used as raw material in biorefineries. Extrusion, a flexible and promising technology, has been explored as a pretreatment method for lignocellulosic biomass. This paper provides a concise overview of lignocellulosic biomass extrusion by reviewing key parameters and design components.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Michaela Braun, Haley Wecker, Kara Dunmire, Caitlin Evans, Michael W. Sodak, Maks Kapetanovich, Jerry Shepherd, Randy Fisher, Kyle Coble, Charles Stark, Chad Paulk
Summary: This study evaluated the impact of hammermill tip speed, assistive airflow, and screen hole diameter on hammermill throughput and characteristics of ground corn. Results showed that changes in hammer tip speed and screen size affected the particle size and flowability of corn. Air flow rate did not significantly influence the particle size of corn.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Michaela Braun, Kara Dunmire, Caitlin Evans, Charles Stark, Jason Woodworth, Chad Paulk
Summary: This study found that decreasing hammermill screen size resulted in increased moisture loss, decreased corn particle size, and poorer flowability. Compared to corn with 16.7% moisture, corn with 14.5% moisture had smaller particle size and poorer flowability.
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Isik Semerci, Gulsah Ersan
Summary: This study evaluated the use of protic ionic liquids for biomass valorization, with promising results in increasing cellulose content and biomass crystallinity. The reuse of PILs, particularly HBIMHSO4, for pretreatment of hornbeam biomass showed stable performance, highlighting its potential in larger-scale biomass-PIL interactions.
INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS
(2021)
Review
Agricultural Engineering
Maria Gallego-Garcia, Antonio D. Moreno, Paloma Manzanares, Maria Jose Negro, Aleta Duque
Summary: The effective conversion of food waste and lignocellulosic residues to industrially attractive products is a crucial step towards achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. However, the recalcitrance of these raw materials to bioprocessing poses challenges and requires pretreatment to enhance accessibility to their structural components. Physical methods, such as milling, extrusion, ultrasound, and microwave pretreatments, show promising potential for transforming food waste and lignocellulosic residues. This review critically discusses recent advances in these pretreatment methods, analyzing their mechanisms, applications, and limitations for industrial use.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Yang Yang, Meng Zhang, Jikai Zhao, Donghai Wang
Summary: The size of biomass particles affects biomass preprocessing, pretreatment, and enzymatic hydrolysis. Smaller particles experience more severe pretreatment and structural composition removal, leading to slightly higher enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency. However, the low sugar recovery neutralizes this advantage, suggesting that reducing particle size further may not be beneficial.
BIOMASS CONVERSION AND BIOREFINERY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Shawn Martey, Bennett Addison, Nolan Wilson, Bin Tan, Jianger Yu, John R. Dorgan, Margaret J. Sobkowicz
Summary: A study investigates a hybrid chemomechanical approach involving reactive twin-screw extrusion (TSE) to tailor the molecular weight and chain structure of reclaimed LDPE, evaluating two types of zeolite catalysts at various loading levels over a range of processing conditions. Results show that using different zeolite catalysts can alter specific properties of LDPE, potentially providing a low-cost, simple method for repurposing LDPE-based flexible packaging.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Yongsheng Ling, Hongxiao Wang, Xionghui Fei, Qi Yue, Tian Huang, Qing Shan, Daqian Hei, Ting Chen, Xiaojun Zhang, Wenbao Jia
Summary: Food waste has high moisture content, making it challenging for storage and transportation. Ionizing radiation pretreatment was found to significantly enhance the dehydration performance of tofu protein waste, improving supernatant volume and reducing drying time.
JOURNAL OF RADIOANALYTICAL AND NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Daniel Trejo-Zamudio, Claudia Gutierrez-Antonio, Juan Fernando Garcia-Trejo, Ana Angelica Feregrino-Perez, Manuel Toledano-Ayala
Summary: The study proposed the production of fuel pellets from bean residues, with control factors including particle size and moisture content. The optimal quality fuel pellets were obtained with specific parameters and met standards, showing potential to replace solid fossil fuels for energy production.
IET RENEWABLE POWER GENERATION
(2022)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Yu Zhang, Tie Jin, Gihyung Ryu, Yuxuan Gao
Summary: This study investigated the effects of screw configuration on extruded ginseng, finding that screw configuration 6 is most suitable for developing ginseng extract products and screw configuration 9 has the highest total saponin content and significantly increases rare ginsenoside Rg3 content. Twin-screw extrusion process enables mutual conversion between ginsenosides and rare ginsenoside Rg3.
FOOD SCIENCE & NUTRITION
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Zhengyang Sun, Zhiyong Yang, Yusheng Jiang, Hongji Gao, Kuanda Fang, Minglun Yin
Summary: The research focused on the impact of particle size distribution, test time, and moisture content on the Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussees (LCPC) abrasivity coefficient (LAC). An optimized effective size (ESop) index was established as a more accurate indicator for determining the LAC of soil samples. The study found that soil samples with moisture content lower than saturation had a higher LAC than dry soil samples, while samples with moisture content higher than saturation had a similar LAC to dry samples.
BULLETIN OF ENGINEERING GEOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Ryan H. Dean, Aaron P. Turner, Ali B. Koc, Raghupathy Karthikeyan
Summary: The study aims to evaluate the influence of moisture content and fine levels on the angle of repose (AoR) of hardwood, pine bedding, and feed pellets. Multiple methods were used to measure the AoR, and it was found that increasing moisture and fine levels generally resulted in an increase in AoR.
APPLIED ENGINEERING IN AGRICULTURE
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Chen Gao, Min Xu, Wei Zhou
Summary: Tidal flats are under threat from climate change and human activities. This study introduces a physically-based model (MRTM) to estimate sediment moisture content (SMC) using remote sensing. The model demonstrates good performance in estimating SMC and outperforms traditional soil moisture indices in terms of accuracy.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Jingmo Zhou, Shubin Wu, Ying Liu
Summary: Expenditure isolation of lignin and the understanding of its structural variations during different isolation processes are crucial for the high-value utilization of lignin. This study proposed a green deep eutectic solvent (DES) consisting of choline chloride, ethylene glycol, and 4-chlorobenzene sulfonic acid for rapid lignin separation from poplar. The structural variations of DES lignin and its relationship with alkali pre-extraction of hemicellulose were investigated. The results showed that alkali pretreatment enhanced the DES separation of lignin and promoted the cleavage of specific linkages, resulting in reduced molecular weight and thermal stability of isolated DES lignin. Moreover, DES lignin obtained from integrated utilization displayed higher purity and S/G ratio compared to lignin obtained from direct DES treatment.
INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS
(2024)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Yuping Li, Ziyan Xie, Yun Huang, Jiangyi Zeng, Chao Yang, Ling Yuan, Ying Wang, Yongqing Li
Summary: In this study, the characteristic flavonoids (CFs) of three licorice species were identified through integrated metabolic and transcriptomic analysis. The key regulators of CF biosynthesis were also identified. These findings provide valuable information for understanding the biosynthesis of CFs and future breeding of Glycyrrhiza varieties.
INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS
(2024)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Xianjie Pan, Zhaoyi Luo, Fanqi Liu, Quanqian Yi, Yanning Zeng
Summary: This study presents a novel strategy for fabricating fully bio-based epoxy vitrimers using peach gum and itaconic acid, which exhibit superior mechanical properties and thermostability. The materials were characterized and the self-healing and recycling capabilities were evaluated. The results demonstrate the potential of using these materials for sustainable industrial applications.
INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS
(2024)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Mohsen Sabzi-Nojadeh, Mohammad Pouresmaeil, Mina Amani, Mehdi Younessi-Hamzekhanlu, Filippo Maggi
Summary: This study shows that inoculating Summer savory plants with endophytic fungus Trichoderma harzianum can improve plant growth and increase salt tolerance. The fungus enhances growth, restores chlorophyll and antioxidant levels, reduces harmful substances, and increases proline and soluble sugar levels, thereby increasing crop productivity in saline conditions.
INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS
(2024)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Yu Liu, Lei Li, Aichen Zhao, Xiuming Song, Lulu Wei, Mengdi Fang, Chuchu Zheng, Xiaodong Zhu
Summary: This study investigates the impact of peppermint essential oil microcapsules on the unpleasant odor emissions from wax oil coated wood products. The results show that microcapsules can improve the time and stability of odor release.
INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS
(2024)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Mesut Budak, Mirac Kilic, Hikmet Guenal, Ismail Velik, Mesut Sirri
Summary: This study assessed land suitability for rapeseed production using topography, climate, and soil data by analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and the Mamdani Fuzzy Inference System (MFIS). The study area covered land in the Diyarbakir province of southeastern Turkiye. The results indicated the proportions of different land suitability classes and showed the compatibility of AHP and MFIS methods in assessing suitability.
INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS
(2024)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Rui Tian, Yue Liu, Chao Wang, Weikun Jiang, Srinivas Janaswamy, Guihua Yang, Xingxiang Ji, Gaojin Lyu
Summary: In this study, hollow and solid lignin nanoparticles were synthesized through self-assembly and their application in PVA nanocomposite films was investigated. The results showed that the presence of hollow lignin nanoparticles in the films resulted in a room-like network structure, while the solid lignin nanoparticles induced different structural changes. The inclusion of LNPs improved the mechanical properties of the films, and both types of LNPs exhibited good hydrophobicity.
INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS
(2024)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Marcos Vinicius Silva de Andrade, Simone Ribeiro Lucho, Renato Delmondez de Castro, Paulo Roberto Ribeiro
Summary: Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, commonly known as stevia, is a widely cultivated shrub with highly sweetening metabolites. It has gained significant interest in the food and beverage industries due to its extremely sweet taste and various health benefits. Researchers are currently focused on studying biotechnological strategies to enhance the biosynthesis of stevia plant metabolites for improved cultivation and production.
INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS
(2024)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Eleonora Cintura, Paulina Faria, Luisa Molari, Luca Barbaresi, Dario D'Orazio, Lina Nunes
Summary: This study investigated the properties of Arundo donax as a building material and found that it has strong adaptability, high hygroscopicity, and unique sound absorption behavior. The mechanical tests also demonstrated the applicability of the Arundo donax-based composite. This opens up new possibilities for the further application of Arundo donax-based materials.
INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS
(2024)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Stiina Kotiranta, Juha-Matti Pihlava, Titta Kotilainen, Pauliina Palonen
Summary: The effect of light spectra, particularly far-red and short wavelength radiation, on the growth and secondary metabolites of cannabis is significant. Altering the R:FR ratio can increase the concentration and yield of secondary metabolites, while short wavelength radiation does not significantly affect plant morphology and secondary metabolite concentrations.
INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS
(2024)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Xuze Liu, Fangmin Liang, Jinyuan Cheng, Xuelian Zhou, Jia Wang, Guigan Fang, Kuizhong Shen, Xianzhi Meng, Chen Huang, Arthur J. Ragauskas
Summary: A novel Na2S-facilitated DES pretreatment method was proposed to fractionate moso bamboo, which achieved high lignin removal and preserved most cellulose and hemicellulose with excellent enzymatic digestibility.
INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS
(2024)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Zechun Ren, Xinyuan Zhou, Kejiao Ding, Tong Ji, Hao Sun, Xiang Chi, Yunzhao Wei, Min Xu
Summary: This study prepared a thermal/magnetic/light-triggered multi-stimuli responsive shape memory polymer composite with excellent properties by adding magnetic nanoparticles into a polyurethane composite. The composite showed high shape recovery rate, fast response behavior, and suitability for 3D printing. Controllable external stimuli allowed for dynamic, remote, and precise control of 4D transformations. This work is significant for the design of smart materials and devices.
INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS
(2024)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Yurany Camacho Ardila, Jaiver Efren Jaimes Figueroa, Maria Regina Wolf Maciel
Summary: The higher heating value (HHV) and elemental composition are important properties of biomass, and their prediction using proximate and ultimate analysis is accurate.
INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS
(2024)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Xiaohan Chen, Xianke Wang, Lili Shang, Xinxin Ma, Changhua Fang, Benhua Fei, Huanrong Liu, Shuqin Zhang
Summary: This study focuses on the comprehensive characterization of the three-dimensional (3D) structure of bamboo parenchyma and the evaluation of its tensile and compressive properties, as well as the analysis of its failure mechanisms. The study found that the measured tensile strength and elastic modulus of the parenchyma tissue are 48.81 MPa and 706.48 MPa, respectively. Compression failure modes in parenchyma tissue encompass compression bending and cell fracture, shear failure of the middle lamella, and detachment and debonding of the cell wall.
INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS
(2024)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Tianfeng Liu, Yuxin Liu, Yunlin Fu, Mengji Qiao, Penglian Wei, Zhigao Liu, Yingjian Li
Summary: This study explored the formation mechanism of agarwood induced by fungus and its potential application in high-quality and high-yielding agarwood production. The results showed that the transition layer played a critical role in the continuous accumulation of agarwood, and the parenchyma cells of the xylem rays and interxylary phloem were the main action site of fungus. The accumulation and distribution of chemical composition in different layers were also investigated. The study identified the drivers of specific compounds and provided a theoretical foundation for future agarwood production.
INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS
(2024)