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Copyright of Wood Industry / Drvna Industrija is the property of Drvna Industrija and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

As the rapid increasing demand for electrical energy in the world, the research on electrical energy storage becomes urgent and crucial, especially for these ones with the features of cost-effectiveness, high safety and outstanding performance. Aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) are regarded as environmentally friendly, safe, reliable, and promising devices for electrochemical energy storage systems. However, a variety of challenges such as zinc dendrite formation, corrosion and hydrogen evolution must be addressed for the practical, widespread application of AZIBs. Recently, there has been notable interest in utilizing renewable, biodegradable, and cost-effective lignocellulosic materials to address these challenges, as they have the potential to significantly improve the electrochemical performance of AZIBs. However, there is a lack of comprehensive and systematic summary, as well as a gap in theoretical analysis, on the role of lignocellulosic materials in improving AZIBs performance. The present review covers the development, concept, advantages, and challenges of AZIBs. The most recent advancements and progress on the lignocellulosic materials (including cellulose, lignin, and hemicelluloses) as electrodes, electrolytes and separators for AZIBs applications are summarized. A perspective on existing challenges, potential solutions, and promising prospects of lignocellulosic materials is outlined, aiming to provide the research community with essential technical insights that could drive the commercialization of green and sustainable lignocellulosic materials in high-performance AZIBs. [Display omitted] • The advantages and current challenges of AZIBs have been systematically discussed. • The recent progress of developing lignocellulosic materials for AZIBs has been reviewed. • The strategies for improving the performance of AZIBs via incorporating lignocellulosic materials have been summarized. • The challenges and perspectives in developing lignocellulosic materials for advanced AZIBs have been addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bio-based natural macromolecules are primarily composed of complex polysaccharides that strengthen microbial growth for the production of industrially relevant enzymes. In this study, an initial range of natural materials was used as fungal growth and solid substrates for the support of enzyme production. After the stipulated fermentation time (72 h), a large quantity of pectinolytic cocktail complex, composed of polygalacturonase (PG), pectin lyase (PL), and pectin methylesterase (PME), was obtained. Following the initial solid substrate screening, the effects of the different parameters were optimized through response surface methodology (RSM) by adopting a central composite design (CCD) using the best-yielded material. The crude pectinolytic cocktail complex showed commendable results in the de-bittering of the investigated fruit juices. A considerable color and turbidity reduction from 100% to 45.0% and 32.5%, respectively, was recorded for apple juice. For orange juice, the color and turbidity significantly decreased by up to 38.2% and 31.6%, respectively. In conclusion, the maximum production of the pectinolytic cocktail complex in the presence of a cheaper substrate at a low concentration makes the enzyme useful for industrial sectors, especially in the juice industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the capacity a cellulolytic complex produced by Rhizopus oryzae has to provide functional compounds from lignocellulosic material. Its characterization upon soybean meal (SBM) and corn husk (CH) was carried out. The effect was estimated in terms of cellulose reduction and protein and starch digestibility, besides the content of phenolic compounds (PC) and their profiles. Enzymatic hydrolysis caused 34% cellulose reduction in SBM whereas, in CH, it was 55%. In CH, the reduction promoted PC release (21%). The greatest change in the antioxidant activity after hydrolysis was found in phenolic compounds soluble in methanol (PCSM), a fact that could be attributed to concomitant reduction in ferulic acid and increase in hydroxybenzoic acid. In SBM, the activity of the cellulolytic complex caused increases in protein (74%) and starch (95%) digestibility. Therefore, available protein in SBM can be used as food supplement and thickener whereas PC derived from CH may be applied as food additive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of mercury pollution in environmental remediation has garnered significant attention due to its severe health hazards to humans. Various strategies have been devised to mitigate the impact of toxic mercury ions, including coagulation, ion exchange, adsorption, membrane technology, and electrochemical treatment. Among these approaches, adsorption has emerged as an efficient and widely employed method for the uptake of low concentrations of mercury ions. It offers convenient operation, high removal efficiency, and facile regeneration of the adsorbent. Wood, being the most abundant renewable and sustainable bioresource, has garnered attention as a promising material for treating heavy metal wastewater. This is attributed to its unique physical and chemical characteristics, encompassing hierarchical pores, aligned channels, active functional groups, biodegradability, and cost-effectiveness. However, a comprehensive examination of the cutting-edge applications of wood and wood-derived biopolymers in the detection and removal of mercury ions from wastewater has yet to be undertaken. Consequently, this article presents a chronological overview of recent advancements in materials and structures derived from bulk wood and its constituents, including cellulose, lignin, hemicellulose, and tannin, with a specific focus on their utility in detecting and eliminating mercury from water sources. Subsequently, the most promising techniques and strategies involving wood and wood-derived biopolymers in addressing the predicament of mercury pollution are explored. Furthermore, this piece offers insights into the existing challenges and future prospects concerning environmentally friendly materials derived from wood, aiming to foster the development of cost-effective mercury adsorbents and detection devices. [Display omitted] • Mercury pollution is a serious threat to ecology and human health. • The inherent components and structures of wood are discussed. • Wood-derived materials used to tackle mercury pollution problems are summarized. • Current problems and future perspectives are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ciência Florestal (01039954) is the property of Ciencia Florestal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The utilization of white rot fungi (WRF) as degrader agents in extreme environments is still limited by their specific growth requirements. This study examined the ability of Bjerkandera adusta SM46 (GenBank accession number: KU055648 ), a recently isolated WRF from Saragamine mountain, Japan, to treat sea sand and sea water contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) for potential applications in the bioremediation processes. Several PAHs (2–5 rings) were used as pollutants under saline-alkaline stress conditions. Among four lignocellulosic materials, i.e., wood meal, kapok fibre, rice straw, and pulp waste, rice straw was a lignocellulosic material selected as the most suitable support based on the fungal growth, ligninolytic enzymes production, and degradation rates of PAHs after inoculation with B. adusta SM46. Rice straw-immobilized B. adusta (RSIB) showed faster growth and colonization, and increased laccase (Lac), manganese peroxidase (MnP), and lignin peroxidase (LiP) activity. The optimum granule size of rice straw as an immobilizing agent for B. adusta was 840 µm. Lac, MnP, and LiP activities were monitored for 15 and 30 d. Low-molecular-weight PAHs (LMW-PAHs, 2–3 rings) were the most extensively degraded by RSIB. When grown on high-molecular-weight PAHs (HMW-PAHS, 4–5 rings), degradation rates varied between 16% and 63% on contaminated sea sand and between 22% and 61% on contaminated sea water. RSIB may also be used as an alternative method to more effectively and efficiently produce ligninolytic enzymes than the submerged culture method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modification of lignin is recognized as an important aspect of the successful refining of lignocellulosic biomass. Schizophyllum commune , a white rot basidiomycete was studied for ligninolytic enzymes (manganese peroxidase, lignin peroxidase and laccase) production in solid-state fermentation (SSF) of rice straw. Various physiological factors such as incubation time, culture pH, incubation temperature, C:N ratio and addition of mediators were optimized to enhance enzymes productivity. Maximum enzyme recoveries were obtained at pH, 5.0; temperature, 35 °C; C:N ratio, 20:1; mediator, MnSO 4 ; inoculum size, 4 mL after incubation time of 144 h. The crude ligninolytic extract thus produced was used for delignification of various agro-industrial residues. The enzyme extract caused 61.7%, 47.5%, 72.3% and 67.2% lignin removal from banana stalk, corn cobs, sugarcane bagasse, and wheat straw, respectively. The optimally delignified substrate was enzymatically digested by crude cellulase extract from Trichoderma harzaianum that resulted 47.3% and 69.4% cellulose hydrolysis from the native and pre-treated bagasse, respectively. The results suggested that lignocellulosic waste could be utilized as low-cost substrate for the production of enzymes which play significant role in many industrial and biotechnological sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electro-assisted organosolv pretreatment (EAOP) is a biomass pretreatment method which is viable at room temperature. Previously, it was shown that the electrochemically generated hydroxyl radical (OH*) during EAOP is key to the delignification efficiency when 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate and gamma-valerolactone (10 wt% [Bmim]OAc/GVL) are used as the solvent. However, the effect of additives and biomass loading on this novel pretreatment process have not previously been investigated. In this study, inorganic salts of NaOH, NaCl, FeCl 3 , with and without added water, were used as additives into [Bmim]OAc/GVL, to determine their effect on OH* formation during EAOP. These inorganic salts were selected as they have been proven effective in the electrochemical conversion of either lignin or cellulose. It was found that [Bmim]OAc/GVL with NaCl/water showed the most rapid and largest amount of OH* formation, being 45% higher than [Bmim]OAc/GVL without additives. The 240-min EAOP with NaCl/water delignified 70.8 wt% of Eucalyptus sawdust and the residual biomass showed 204.4 mg/g total reducing sugar yield. In addition, EAOP with NaCl/water present can be done rapidly (in 30 min) and at high biomass loading (25%). The total reducing sugar (TRS) yield of sawdust from the high-loading rapid EAOP is up to 194.0 mg/g, which is around 10-fold higher than untreated sawdust. The spent solvent from EAOP could be regenerated, with only minor TRS yield decrease (10%) observed after recycling the solvent four times. NaCl and water were added into the electro-assisted organosolv pretreatment as inorganic additives, which enabled EAOP to be completed in 30 min at 25% biomass loading. The residual biomass from EAOP can produce up to 204.4 mg/g reducing sugar (approximately 10-folds higher than untreated biomass) and the regenerated solvent showed only minor decreases (10%) in total reducing sugar yield after four cycles. [Display omitted] • Electro-assisted organosolv pretreatment (EAOP) and different inorganic additives. • Addition of NaCl/water increased the OH* generation by 45% during EAOP • Optimum EAOP fractionation with NaCl/water for 30 min at 25% biomass loading. • RB after EAOP produced reducing sugar 10-folds higher than untreated biomass. • Only 10% decrease in the TRS yield using regenerated solvent after four cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macaúba husks are inedible lignocellulosic wastes obtained after extracting oil from the fruit for biodiesel production. The objective of this study was to valorize macaúba husks through subcritical water hydrolysis (SWH) pretreatment followed by anaerobic digestion (PT+AD) in comparison to a control reactor (CR). The semi-continuous parameters were: 10 g of dried husk; flow rate of 10 mL/min at 200 °C and 14 MPa and for a total reaction time of 40 min. For AD, mesophilic conditions (35 °C) were kept for both experimental trials. For the PT+AD experiment, digestion was performed for 38 days and for 39 days for the CR experiment. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal for the PT+AD reactor was 48% and 43% for CR, indicating the pretreatment improved digestibility of the organic feed. Similarly, the CH 4 yield per unit of COD for 590 mL CH 4 /g COD for the PT+AD experiment compared with 57 mL CH 4 /g COD for the CR experiment. The corresponding biogas yield was 161% greater than in the PT+AD experiment compared with the CR. Energy analysis revealed a corresponding benefit from SWH for production of heat and power, and several recommendations were made for decreasing the heat required by SWH to make the process self-sufficient. Macaúba cultivation has promise as an energy crop that can be grown locally in Brazil and similar tropical locations for co-production of biodiesel from the extracted oil and biogas from the husks, thereby avoiding greenhouse gas emissions by replacement of traditional fossil sources. [Display omitted] • Valorization of macaúba by-products through subcritical water hydrolysis and anaerobic digestion for biogas. • Subcritical water hydrolysis is adequate as a pretreatment for lignocellulosic. • Macaúba by-products are suitable for biogas production after pretreatment of the lignocellulosic material. • The energy assessment of macaúba husks was favorable to obtain electricity and thermal energy in a combined heat and power system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]