There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality.

Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

I and i

On robust estimation of the location parameter

Lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) is the most abundantly available bioresource amounting to about a global yield of up to 1.3 billion tons per year. The hydrolysis of LCB results in the release of various reducing sugars which are highly valued in the production of biofuels such as bioethanol and biogas, various organic acids, phenols, and aldehydes. The majority of LCB is composed of biological polymers such as cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, which are strongly associated with each other by covalent and hydrogen bonds thus forming a highly recalcitrant structure. The presence of lignin renders the bio-polymeric structure highly resistant to solubilization thereby inhibiting the hydrolysis of cellulose and hemicellulose which presents a significant challenge for the isolation of the respective bio-polymeric components. This has led to extensive research in the development of various pretreatment techniques utilizing various physical, chemical, physicochemical and biological approaches which are specifically tailored towards the source biomaterial and its application. The objective of this review is to discuss the various pretreatment strategies currently in use and provide an overview of their utilization for the isolation of high-value bio-polymeric components. The article further discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the various pretreatment methodologies as well as addresses the role of various key factors that are likely to have a significant impact on the pretreatment and digestibility of LCB.

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Recent Trends in the Pretreatment of Lignocellulosic Biomass for Value-Added Products

Computer Controlled Systems: Theory and Design

https://arrow.tudublin.ie/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1214&context=tfschafart

Emerging technologies for the pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass.

Biofuel production from lignocellulose has recently been gaining much more attention as a result. One major problem of using lignocellulosic materials for the production of biofuel is the low accessibility of cellulose to enzymes and microorganisms. Therefore, pretreatment of lignocellulose is a critical step in biofuel production from such materials. Of the pretreatments, fungal treatment has become an important process due to its low energy demands and selective degradation of lignin and hemicellulose. This capability comes from the unique enzymatic systems, cellulolytic and ligninolytic enzymes, especially in white rot fungi. The low energy demand of fungal pretreatment has generated interest in studying the applicability of fungal pretreatment for biofuel production from woody materials. The most significant drawback of fungal pretreatment is the lengthy time required for the process. Combining fungal pretreatment with other pretreatment methods might reduce the time necessary for the whole process to operate. It can also introduce cost-effectiveness. Thus combining fungal pretreatment with other physical and chemical methods has been recently contemplated. This paper provides a comprehensive review of current fungal pretreatments and feasibility for biofuel production, with a focus on combining fungal pretreatment with other methods. The advantages and disadvantages of all physical and chemical methods were also briefly reviewed. The applicability of the combination of fungal with other pretreatment methods has been considered in a number of recent publications. To be commercially attractive, both energy demand and processing time should be reduced. In terms of energy demand reduction, combined fungal physico-chemical pretreatment has been effective. However, the lengthy time taken for the whole process has not been significantly improved upon. A great deal of work is still required to be done regarding time reduction for the process (combined fungal-physico chemical pretreatment). Therefore, it seems to remain an open field for research and process development.

Combination of fungal and physicochemical processes for lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment -- A review

Phosphorous recovery through struvite crystallization: Challenges for future design.

Background Subcritical water (SWE) and supercritical carbon dioxide extraction (SCCO2) are novel extraction techniques for recovering compounds with food-enhancement and health promoting properties, from various plants and biomaterials. These extraction techniques are efficient, economical and promising routes for resource recovery without compromising the quality of the extracted products. Scope and approach Here, the theoretical background, practical application and recent trends associated with the use of SWE and SCCO2 in the recovery of bioactive compounds from plant sources are presented. The paper is organised to allow a refreshed understanding of the main features, benefits, challenges, and possible solutions involving SCCO2 and SWE based on the enormous number of scientific publications and the very few industrial applications in the public domain. The utilisation of these methods are advantageous in selective extraction of better-quality compounds at lowest potential environmental impact. Furthermore, two research publication databases were queried using specific criteria to show the progress and growth in interest on SWE and SCCO2. Key findings and conclusions Subcritical water and supercritical carbon dioxide are viable extraction techniques for recovery of bioactive compounds. These techniques, standalone or combined sequentially or with other extraction methods, enhance yield and quality of thermally liable compounds. Mathematical models having a strong correlation with experimental data can also be used to predict and monitor the process kinetics. Our findings should be beneficial for professionals concerned with the application of technology in the development of new and existing food products, their storage and marketability.

Brent R. Young

Papers

Combination of fungal and physicochemical processes for lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment -- A review

Phosphorous recovery through struvite crystallization: Challenges for future design.

Recent advances in subcritical water and supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of bioactive compounds from plant materials

Application of PCM energy storage in combination with night ventilation for space cooling

Recognizing the challenges of anaerobic digestion: Critical steps toward improving biogas generation