Effectiveness of Green Chemical Solvent-based on Triethylammonium Methanesulfonate Ion Liquid for the OPEFB Pretreatment Process.

Many studies have explored the pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass based on oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) which is categorized as potential biomass waste for bioethanol production. Before proceeding further to obtain bioethanol, several steps such as pretreatment to increase organic constituents are needed. The ionic liquids (ILs) were commonly investigated by many researchers for lignocellulosic pretreatment because it is easy solubilization property, non-toxic, and not harmful impacts on the environment. Therefore in this study, the hypothesis and main objective were to observe the effectiveness of triethylammonium methanesulfonate ion liquid (TMS IL) in the OPEFB lignocellulose pretreatment process. Three variations were studied to obtain optimization of the pretreatment process, such as times duration, IL composition, and temperature. Based on these results, we observed the effectiveness of the time duration for OPEFB pretreatment of 20 hours. Furthermore, it was applied to determine the optimization of IL composition and temperature showing that using 91% (1:1:10) at 120°C for 20 hours has provided good performance for the OPEFB lignocellulose pretreatment process. TMS IL has exhibited the ability to reduce hemicellulose and lignin contents to 7.35% and 17.80%, whereas cellulose was increased by 54.24%. This has the opportunity to be projected to a larger scale for bioethanol production based on OPEFB lignocellulose.

Pyrolysis of cajuput (Melaleuca leucadendron) twigs and rice (Oryza sativa) husks to produce liquid smoke-containing fine chemicals for antibacterial agent application.

Pyrolysis of cajuput (Melaleuca leucadendron) twigs and rice (Oryza sativa) husks to produce liquid smoke and antibacterial activities of the liquid smoke fractions were investigated. The liquid smoke was produced by pyrolysis at 500 °C for 8 h and contained fine chemicals, such as acetic acid, carbonyl, cyclic ketones, and phenolic compounds with pH 2.1-2.9. The liquid smoke was separated by vacuum evaporation under vacuum conditions at low temperatures (40 °C, 50 °C, and 60 °C) to recover three fractions. The composition of each fraction influenced its antibacterial activities. Antibacterial activities of the liquid smoke fractions were tested against Gram-positive bacteria (Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria (Salmonella typhimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli). Whole fractions of the liquid smoke inhibited the six pathogenic bacteria, with the inhibition zone larger or smaller than the positive control. Among the liquid smoke fractions, the liquid recovered at 60 °C for the cajuput twigs and rice husks demonstrated a stronger inhibitory effect on bacterial growth than the other fractions.

Potential of Distilled Liquid Smoke Derived from Coconut (Cocos nucifera L) Shell for Traumatic Ulcer Healing in Diabetic Rats.

OBJECTIVE: Distilled liquid smoke (DLS) is a result of coconut processing by-product that not only serves as a natural food preservative but also has a promising therapeutic effect. The healing potential of DLS derived from coconut (Cocos nucifera L) shell was investigated on a traumatic ulcer with the diabetic rat. MATERIALS AND METHODS: DLS was analyzed the component by gas chromatograph mass spectrometry. Diabetic condition was induced by alloxan in 55 male Wistar rats. Ten mm of traumatic ulcer was made along the labial fornix incisive inferior after the diabetic condition was confirmed. Then DLS coconut shell, benzydamine hydrochloride, and sterile distilled water were applied topically for 3, 5, and 7 days. The potential healing was evaluated based on the expression of nuclear factor kappa beta (NFκB) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) on macrophages using immunohistochemical staining and the amount of collagen using Masson Trichome staining. The difference between each group was analyzed using one-way analysis of variance. The least significant difference test is used to determine the significant difference (p < 0.05). RESULTS: The major compounds found were phenol (36.6%), 2-methoxyphenol (guaiacol) (25.2%), furfural (17.8%), and 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (3.5%) with 28 other minor constituents. The lowest NFκB and TNF-α expression on macrophage was observed by topical application of DLS derived from coconut shell for 3, 5, and 7 days of treatment. The amount of collagen was increased and indicated by the highest result of DLS compared to others. CONCLUSION: The DLS derived from coconut (Cocos nucifera L) shell was able to improve traumatic ulcer healing in a person with diabetes.