SAXS Reveals the Stabilization Effects of Modified Sugars on Model Proteins

Many proteins are usually not stable under different stresses, such as temperature and pH variations, mechanical stresses, high concentrations, and high saline contents, and their transport is always difficult, because they need to be maintained in a cold regime, which is costly and very challenging to achieve in remote areas of the world. For this reason, it is extremely important to find stabilizing agents that are able to preserve and protect proteins against denaturation. In the present work, we investigate, by extensively using synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering experiments, the stabilization effect of five different sugar-derived compounds developed at ExtremoChem on two model proteins: myoglobin and insulin. The data analysis, based on a novel method that combines structural and thermodynamic features, has provided details about the physical-chemical processes that regulate the stability of these proteins in the presence of stabilizing compounds. The results clearly show that some modified sugars exert a greater stabilizing effect than others, being able to maintain the active forms of proteins at temperatures higher than those in which proteins, in the absence of stabilizers, reach denatured states.

The effect of anaerobic co-fermentation on acidification performance of food waste and cardboard waste

The fermentation system with high solid materials for food waste (FW) is uneven in nutrition and easy to produce volatile acid accumulation, which causes the reaction system to acidify and affects the normal operation of fermentation. This study evaluated the effect of the co-substrate percentages (FW:CB = 9:1, FW:CB = 8:2, FW:CB = 7:3) and the initial total solid contents (12%, 15%, 18%) on the co-fermentation acidification performance of FW and cardboard waste (CB). The maximum methane production was obtained when mono-fermenting FW had high solids contents(1.4 L/kg). The methane production increased and then decreased with the increasing percentages of CB. Under the conditions of FW:CB = 8:2, the maximum methane production could reach 3.4 L/kg. The lower methane production (1.8 ∼ 2.5 L/kg) with high percentages of CB (FW:CB = 7:3) was translated into higher yields of caproic acid (up to 26%), which indicated lower percentages of CB had a stabilization effect due to the higher buffering capacities in co-fermentation. As a result, this study demonstrated new possibilities for using CB percentages to control the production of high added-value biogas in dry co-fermentation of FW.

Study on the leaching toxicity and performance of manganese slag-based cementitious materials

With the rapid development of electrolytic manganese industry, the environmental problems caused by the storage of electrolytic manganese slag are particularly prominent. It not only occupies land resources, but also easily causes heavy metal pollution in soil, surface water and groundwater. Therefore, it is necessary to treat electrolytic manganese slag safely and effectively. The paper mainly studies the solidification / stabilization of electrolytic manganese slag and its environmental safety for road filling, in order to open up a new way of harmless and resource utilization of electrolytic manganese slag. In this paper, lime and fly ash were used as stabilizers and cement was used as curing agent to stabilize manganese slag, and the stabilization effect of Mn and Pb in manganese slag was studied. The stabilization effect of manganese (Mn) and lead (Pb) in manganese slag was studied. The results show that the dosage of stabilizer quicklime is 2.5%, fly ash is 3%, and the dosage of solidifying agent cement is 12%, the solidification/stabilization effect is the best compared with other ratios, then the leaching concentrations of Mn and Pb meets the requirements of China's surface water environmental quality standards for category III water sources, which can be used as domestic water after treatment. Under the optimal ratio of stabilization effect, the compressive strength and slump are 13.8MPa and 50mm, respectively. The research results of the paper can provide a new way for the harmless treatment of manganese slag and the resource utilization of new materials.

High Efficiency Stabilization of Lead in Contaminated Soil by Thermal-organic Acid Activated Phosphate Rock

Phosphate rock powder (PR) has been shown to possess the potential to stabilize lead (Pb) in soil. Most of the phosphorus (P) minerals in the world are low-grade ores, which makes it difficult to achieve the expected stabilization effect on heavy metals. This study compared the changes in the phase composition and structure of PR and three kinds of activated phosphate rock powder (APR) (organic acid activated PR, thermal activated PR, and thermal-acid activated PR), and used APR for the stabilization of Pb-contaminated soil. PR/APR was characterized by different methods. The stabilization effectiveness of APR on Pb-contaminated soil was evaluated by toxicity leaching procedure, the Pb products adsorbed on APR and stabilization mechanism of APR on Pb were analyzed. The results showed that the crystallinity of fluorapatite phase decreased after all the activation treatments. The APR showed decreased crystallinity and 3.4-fold increase in specific surface area, and a 53.07% and 49.32% increase in soluble P content in oxalic acid activated PR and citric acid activated PR, respectively, when compared with those of PR. These changes improved the stabilization effect of APR on Pb-contaminated soil, and the stabilization effectiveness was as follows: thermal-acid activated PR > organic acid activated PR > thermal activated PR. In particular, oxalic acid-600℃ activated PR showed the best effect, presenting 94.0%-99.8% reduction in Pb leaching concentration following addition of 2%-10% modifier. Product characterization after Pb adsorption on APR showed that Pb was adsorbed onto APR by forming pyromorphite precipitation with APR.

Synthesis, characterization and Stydy thermal stabilization effect of calcium complex of anthocyanin on the poly (vinyl chloride)

In this study, calcium complex of anthocyanin was synthesized from anthocyanin, a flavonoid type natural phenolic product, which was extracted from eggplant peel. The structure of Ca-anthocyanin was characterized by FTIR spectroscopy. Its efficiency as bio-based thermal stabilizer to stabilize poly (vinyl chloride) was investigated and compared to that of Reapak B-NT/7060, a Ca/Zn-based commercial stabilizer. The influence of Ca-anthocyanin complex on the thermal degradation reaction of PVC was monitored by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results indicated that the Ca-anthocyanin complex is an efficient thermal stabilizer and it reduces the rate of dehydrochlorination reaction of PVC already at a concentration as small as 2 phr, part per hundred of PVC resin. The thermal degradation reaction of PVC through the first degradation stage is clearly limited by the addition of Ca-anthocyanin complex as single (primary) stabilizer. Its efficiency is similar to that of Reapak B-NT/7060 used as reference stabilizer and it can enhance the performance of commercial stabilizer when used as co-stabilizer at mixing ratio (1:1). This study has allowed verifying and validating the usefulness of environmental friendly thermal stabilizer for PVC with very evident stabilization effect.