High-energy ball milling treatment of soybean for Bacillus thuringiensis culture media

Soybean meal has been intensively used as a substrate in culture media for several microorganisms. However, the fermentable sugar containing the soybean needs to be released from the solid matrix through different processes. Against this backdrop, the present study explores the use of high-energy ball milling as a one-step treatment method for expedited production of fermentable sugars of textured soybean. The best result is observed after only 5 min of milling, obtaining 34.1 times more fermentable sugars than untreated textured soybean, and 2.5 times more than commercially used soybean meal. Notably, the textured soybean ball-milled has been used as a substrate for Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki HD-73 fermentation. The cell and spore production is also compared with a standard Rowe media. The maximum cell concentration obtained in the entire fermentation process using ball-milled textured soybean media is found to be higher than the concentration obtained using the standard Rowe media. In addition, it is observed that there is a direct correlation between maximum cell production and reducing sugar concentration generated by the high-energy ball milling treatment. No fermentation inhibitors or by-products are generated during the physical treatment.

Closed cycle of recycling of waste activated sludge

The recycling of waste activated sludge (WAS) formed in the process of biological purification of sewage is an urgent ecological problem. In the present work, two ways of recycling of WAS containing from 8 to 30% free water, namely, the synthesis of a carbon-containing component and synthesis of porous building ceramics (bricks) with the use of WAS and waste carbonizate, have been considered. For the preparation of a carbon adsorbent, the carbonization of WAS has been carried out in an argon atmosphere. For the synthesis of ceramics, clay-cullet-tezontle-WAS mixtures with different contents of the components have been used. Sintering has been performed in air. It has been established that, in treatment of WAS at 600 °C for 30 min, better adsorption properties are obtained due to the presence of free carbon bonds. The efficiency of water purification from dyes (methylene blue) depends on the standard conditions: the methylene blue concentration, cabonizate-to-solution ratio, and exposure time of the carbonizate in solution. The use of wet WAS makes it possible to exclude the addition of water from the traditional scheme of preparation of a plastic semiproduct, i.e., realize a water-saving technology. The introduction of low-melting cullet, basalt, and WAS powders into red clay makes enables us to reduce substantially the sintering time of porous bricks (down to 8 h) and vary their strength properties.

Formation of carbon nanodots with different spin states in mechanically processed mixtures of ZnO with carbon nanoparticles: an electron paramagnetic resonance study

Mixtures of zinc oxide with carbon nanoparticles, ZnO + xC (x = 0.1%, 1% and 3% by weight), were subjected to mechanical processing (MP) in a hermetically sealed grinding chamber.

Defect states and morphological evolution in mechanically processed ZnO + xC nanosystems as studied by EPR and photoluminescence spectroscopy

Evolution of the EPR and photoluminescence spectra of various active states in mixtures of ZnO + xC nanoparticles was observed during prolonged high-energy mechanical processing.