Lignocellulosic biomass-based glycoconjugates for diverse biotechnological applications.

Glycoconjugates are the ubiquitous components of mammalian cells, mainly synthesized by covalent bonds of carbohydrates to other biomolecules such as proteins and lipids, with a wide range of potential applications in novel vaccines, therapeutic peptides and antibodies (Ab). Considering the emerging developments in glycoscience, renewable production of glycoconjugates is of importance and lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) is a potential source of carbohydrates to produce synthetic glycoconjugates in a sustainable pathway. In this review, recent advances in glycobiology aiming on glycoconjugates production is presented together with the recent and cutting-edge advances in the therapeutic properties and application of glycoconjugates, including therapeutic glycoproteins, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), and nutraceuticals, emphasizing the integral role of glycosylation in their function and efficacy. Special emphasis is given towards the potential exploration of carbon neutral feedstocks, in which LCB has an emerging role. Techniques for extraction and recovery of mono- and oligosaccharides from LCB are critically discussed and influence of the heterogeneous nature of the feedstocks and different methods for recovery of these sugars in the development of the customized glycoconjugates is explored. Although reports on the use of LCB for the production of glycoconjugates are scarce, this review sets clear that the potential of LCB as a source for the production of valuable glycoconjugates cannot be underestimated and encourages that future research should focus on refining the existing methodologies and exploring new approaches to fully realize the potential of LCB in glycoconjugate production.

Agricultural Residues as Raw Materials for Pulp and Paper Production: Overview and Applications on Membrane Fabrication.

The need for pulp and paper has risen significantly due to exponential population growth, industrialization, and urbanization. Most paper manufacturing industries use wood fibers to meet pulp and paper requirements. The shortage of fibrous wood resources and increased deforestation are linked to the excessive dependence on wood for pulp and paper production. Therefore, non-wood substitutes, including corn stalks, sugarcane bagasse, wheat, and rice straw, cotton stalks, and others, may greatly alleviate the shortage of raw materials used to make pulp and paper. Non-woody raw materials can be pulped easily using soda/soda-AQ (anthraquinone), organosolv, and bio-pulping. The use of agricultural residues can also play a pivotal role in the development of polymeric membranes separating different molecular weight cut-off molecules from a variety of feedstocks in industries. These membranes range in applications from water purification to medicinal uses. Considering that some farmers still burn agricultural residues on the fields, resulting in significant air pollution and health issues, the use of agricultural residues in paper manufacturing can eventually help these producers to get better financial outcomes from the grown crop. This paper reviews the current trends in the technological pitch of pulp and paper production from agricultural residues using different pulping methods, with an insight into the application of membranes developed from lignocellulosic materials.

Volumetric Scale-Up of a Packed-Bed Ion-Exchange System to Extract Phytate from Thin Stillage.

Phytate is the main form of phosphorus in corn ethanol coproducts and poses digestion issues in monogastric-animal feed. Extracting phytate as a commodity chemical will bring extra revenue to the corn ethanol industry and reduces potential phosphorus pollution from livestock waste management. We assessed a simplified scale-up approach of an ion-exchange separation system applied to extract phytate from thin stillage using volumetric parameters and simplifications of the van Deemter model. Thin stillage is one of the main byproducts generated on dry-grind corn-to-ethanol plants and accounts for the liquid portion of the bottom product generated in the ethanol distillation process. Thin stillage is rich in dissolved phytate, which served as the basis for an ion-exchange extraction system developed with a scalability factor of 50. Under the evaluated conditions, similar breakthrough profiles were obtained when similar Péclet and Stanton numbers were maintained for the scales studied, demonstrating that a simple and straightforward scale-up can be attained if special attention is given to maintaining both parameters as the basis of calculations of the plate numbers of ion-exchange columns.

Lowering the Toxicity of Cd to Theobroma cacao Using Soil Amendments Based on Commercial Charcoal and Lime.

Carbonaceous and calcareous materials are commonly used as amendments to decrease the Cd mobility in contaminated soils. This study evaluated the effect of amendments applied to cocoa seedlings in the greenhouse, considering the mobilization of soil cadmium toward the seedlings as the main response. The experimental conditions considered soil artificially contaminated with Cd at a concentration of 50 mg Cd kg-1 and applications of amendments in different treatments with the presence of charcoal dust and calcium carbonate. The charcoal was characterized by microscopy and by adsorption tests, and it proved to be a material with macropores, with a maximum capacity of 8.06 mg Cd g-1 and favorable kinetic behavior according to the adjustment of the data obtained to the pseudo-second-order model. The results also showed that the application of liming decreased the mobility of Cd toward the seedlings, with the liming combined with charcoal leading to the absence of Cd in the cocoa seedlings, considering a residual concentration of Cd in the soil of 35 mg Cd kg-1. The results, although limited to a small scale, demonstrated the possibility of applying low-cost and easy-to-handle amendments for the control of Cd in cocoa plantations.

Critical applications of Mucor circinelloides within a biorefinery context.

The establishment of an efficient and feasible biorefinery model depends on, among other factors, particularly the selection of the most appropriate microorganism. Mucor circinelloides is a dimorphic fungus species able to produce a wide variety of hydrolytic enzymes, lipids prone to biodiesel production, carotenoids, ethanol, and biomass with significant nutritional value. M. circinelloides also has been selected as a model species for genetic modification by being the first filamentous oleaginous species to have its genome fully characterized, as well as being a species characterized as a potential bioremediation agent. Considering the potential of replacing several nonrenewable feedstocks is widely dependent on fossil fuels, the exploitation of microbial processes and products is a desirable solution for promoting a green and sustainable future. Here, we introduce and thoroughly describe the recent and critical applications of this remarkable fungus within the context of developing a fungal-based biorefinery.