Ethanol production from potato peel waste (PPW).

Considerable concern is caused by the problem of potato peel waste (PPW) to potato industries in Europe. An integrated, environmentally-friendly solution is yet to be found and is currently undergoing investigation. Potato peel is a zero value waste produced by potato processing plants. However, bio-ethanol produced from potato wastes has a large potential market. If Federal Government regulations are adopted in light of the Kyoto agreement, the mandatory blending of bio-ethanol with traditional gasoline in amounts up to 10% will result in a demand for large quantities of bio-ethanol. PPW contain sufficient quantities of starch, cellulose, hemicellulose and fermentable sugars to warrant use as an ethanol feedstock. In the present study, a number of batches of PPW were hydrolyzed with various enzymes and/or acid, and fermented by Saccharomyces cerevisae var. bayanus to determine fermentability and ethanol production. Enzymatic hydrolysis with a combination of three enzymes, released 18.5 g L(-1) reducing sugar and produced 7.6 g L(-1) of ethanol after fermentation. The results demonstrate that PPW, a by-product of the potato industry features a high potential for ethanol production.

In vitro cytostatic and immunomodulatory properties of the medicinal mushroom Lentinula edodes.

Lentinula edodes, known as "shiitake" is one of the widely used medicinal mushrooms in the Orient. Antitumour activity of extracts of this mushroom has been widely demonstrated in animals and humans. However, this activity was shown to be host mediated and not by direct cytotoxic activity to cancer cells. This study demonstrates cytotoxic and cell growth inhibitory (cytostatic) effect of aqueous extracts of the mushroom on MCF-7 human breast adenocarcinoma cell line using an MTT cytotoxicity assay. Such effect was demonstrated with fruit body and mycelial extracts, the difference being that there was no significant suppression on normal cells with the latter. Furthermore mycelial extracts did not induce any cytostatic effect in both cancer and normal cell lines based on a DNA synthesis assay. The significant suppression of the proliferation of cancer cells was reflected by the comparatively low IC(50) values and the simultaneous higher respective values on normal fibroblast cells. The immunostimulatory activity of both fruit body and mycelial extracts was tested by the lymphocyte transformation test (LTT), which is based on the capacity of active immunomodulators to augment the proliferative response of rat thymocytes to T mitogens in vitro. Both fruit body and mycelial preparations were able to enhance the proliferation of rat thymocytes directly and act as co-stimulators in the presence of the T-mitogen PHA. Interestingly both extracts, similarly to zymosan showed SI(comit)/SI(mit) ratios of about 2, indicating adjuvant properties. Overall L. edodes aqueous extracts have demonstrated direct inhibition of the proliferation of human breast cancer cells in vitro and immunostimulatory properties in terms of mitogenic and co-mitogenic activity in vitro.

RETRACTED: Assessment of compost from vinasse and olive stone residue.

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Detoxification of methyl-parathion pesticide in aqueous solutions by electrochemical oxidation.

Commercial methyl-parathion (MeP) was detoxified using an electrochemical method that employed a Ti/Pt anode and stainless steel 304 as cathode. Sodium chloride was added as electrolyte and the mixture was passed through an electrolytic cell for 2 h. Due to the strong oxidizing potential of the produced chemicals, the organic pollutants were wet oxidized to carbon dioxide and water. A number of experiments were run at laboratory scale. Reductions of COD and BOD(5) were both over 80% and the mean energy consumption was 18-8 kWh per kg(-1) COD reduced (COD(r)). The degradation of MeP was more effective when the pH of the brine solution was in the acid range than when it was in the alkaline range. From the results it can be concluded that electrolysis could be used as an oxidation pre-treatment stage for detoxification of toxic wastes with MeP.

Impact of thermal treatment on metal in sewage sludge from the Psittalias wastewater treatment plant, Athens, Greece.

This paper describes a laboratory study that examined the effect of thermal treatment at four different temperatures on the behavior of heavy metals in the anaerobically treated primary sludge from the Psittalias wastewater treatment plant. The sewage sludge was found to contain significant amounts of heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn). The metal form distribution in the sludge samples which was determining by the application of a sequential extraction procedure revealed that a significant portion of metals was embodied in the organic and reducible fractions. Treatment at 105, 250, 650 and 900 degrees C demonstrated significant conversions of the metals to a less mobile form as well as removal by vaporization. By applying sequential analysis, it was found that most of the metals were removed from the initial mobile phases to more stable ones. Also, significant amounts were transformed to the gaseous phase.

Treatment of leachate from a domestic solid waste sanitary landfill by an electrolysis system.

This study deals with the characteristisation and the treatability of leachates from the new municipal domestic waste (DW) landfill site in Athens, Greece, using an electrolysis system. This site has been in operation since July 1998. The leachate from this site has mean COD and BOD5 values of 53300 and 30300 mg l(-1), respectively, and constitutes a major environmental problem that must be taken into serious consideration. An electrolysis system, using Ti/Pt electrode in alkaline conditions was used to treat the leachate. The study showed, that the COD was reduced by 84%, and that VSS, N-NH4 and Total Phosphorus were reduced by 100% within one hour of electolysis and at pH 9. The efficiency of electrolysis went up to 32 g COD removed (CODr)/h-A-m2 and the energy consumption was 12.6 kWh kg(-1)CODr.