Two pretreatment methods, microwave irradiation and steam explosion, were investigated in this work. The aim of the study was to investigate whether these methods would improve the biodegradability of wheat straw as a lignocellulosic feedstock. Microwave pretreatment was carried out on milled straw with an irradiation time of 15 minutes, at a temperature of either 200 or 300 °C in the oven. The...

Crab waste preserved with .2% NaOCl was mixed with wheat straw, liquid molasses, and water (32:32:16:20, wet basis) and ensiled for a minimum of 8 wk with microbial inoculant. A reduction in pH and water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) and a higher concentration of lactic acid (4.9%, DM basis) were achieved. The trimethylamine (TMA) concentration in the silage was 11.2 mg N/100 g. In a digestion tr...

The effects of exogenous fibrolytic enzymes (EFE; a mixture of two preparations from Trichoderma spp., with predominant xylanase and β-glucanase activities, respectively) on colonization and digestion of ground barley straw and alfalfa hay by Fibrobacter succinogenes S85 and Ruminococcus flavefaciens FD1 were studied in vitro. The two levels (28 and 280 μg/ml) of EFE tested and both bacteria we...

Straw mulching is an effective measure to improve soil properties, crop growth, and yield. To further understand the advantage mechanisms of straw mulching, a field experiment with seven straw mulching levels (0 to 18 000 kg ha-1) was conducted to study the effects of straw mulching on maize (Zea mays L.) photosynthesis and rhizosphere soil microecological environment. Results showed that maize...

The production of organic acids and changes during decomposition of rice straw amended with tricalcium phosphate (TCP) and Udaipur rock phosphate (URP) were studied under laboratory conditions. The organic C content of rice straw decreased and total N increased with time, resulting in a decrease in C:N ratio as the decomposition progressed. The pH decreased to acidic range in all the treatments...

The present study examined Cromer's (1983) claim that children with language impairments have a hierarchical planning deficit that affects language as well as performance on complex construction tasks. Subjects were 30 boys (ages 5-7 years), 15 with specific language impairments (SLI) and 15 with normally developing language. Children were asked to build four hierarchical structures: a block co...

In the EU, pigs must have permanent access to manipulable materials such as straw, rope, wood, etc. Long straw can fulfil this function, but can increase labour requirements for cleaning pens, and result in problems with blocked slatted floors and slurry systems. Chopped straw might be more practical, but what is the effect on pigs' behaviour of using chopped straw instead of long straw? Commer...

This experiment was performed to investigate the effect of Azolla and rice straw mixed compost in peat substitution on Dieffenbachia amoena. Factorial experiment based on a completely randomized design with two factors of nutrient solution in 2 levels (1- without solution, 2- with 130 mg N/ l, 32 mg P /l and 117 mg K/ l) and 5 levels of Azolla and rice straw mixed compost (zero, 15, 30, 45 and ...

544 The scientists at Engineering College of Lorena, Brazil and Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Colombia reported the effect of fungal pretreatment of sugarcane straw in the performance of the treated pulps. Fermentation time, fungal mycelium load and pretreatment scale were studied in the fungal treatment, and the best conditions were 15 days with Fungal treatment of sugarcane straw for organ...

13 The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of torrefaction on the grindability of wheat straw. 14 Straw samples were torrefied at temperatures between 200 ̊C to 300 ̊C and with residence times between 0.5 to 15 3 hours. Spectroscopic information obtained from ATR-FTIR indicated that below 200 ̊C there was no obvious 16 structural change of the wheat straw. At 200-250 ̊C hemice...