• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.823-832
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• 2021

Mushroom cultivation along with the palm oil industry in Malaysia have contributed to large volumes of accumulated lignocellulosic residues that cause serious environmental pollution when these agroresidues are burned. In this study, we illustrated the utilization of lignocellulolytic enzymes from the spent mushroom substrate of Pleurotus pulmonarius for the hydrolysis of palm oil mill effluent (POME). The hydrolysate was used for the production of biohydrogen gas and enzyme assays were carried out to determine the productivities/activities of lignin peroxidase, laccase, xylanase, endoglucanase and β-glucosidase in spent mushroom substrate. Further, the enzyme cocktails were concentrated for the hydrolysis of POME. Central composite design of response surface methodology was performed to examine the effects of enzyme loading, incubation time and pH on the reducing sugar yield. Productivities of the enzymes for xylanase, laccase, endoglucanase, lignin peroxidase and β-glucosidase were 2.3, 4.1, 14.6, 214.1, and 915.4 U g^-1, respectively. A maximum of 3.75 g/lof reducing sugar was obtained under optimized conditions of 15 h incubation time with 10% enzyme loading (v/v) at a pH of 4.8, which was consistent with the predicted reducing sugar concentration (3.76 g/l). The biohydrogen cumulative volume (302.78 ml H₂.L^-1 POME) and 83.52% biohydrogen gas were recorded using batch fermentation which indicated that the enzymes of spent mushroom substrate can be utilized for hydrolysis of POME.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.793-807
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• 2020

The policy for Green New Deal will promote the shift of the application to coal as feedstock from coal as fuel. Coal can be used as fuel for production of hydrogen and as feedstock materials such as synthetic graphite or activated carbon. Hydrogen is obtained from syngas produced through Steam carbon(SC), Water-Gas Shift(WGS), and Carbonation reactions, and these processes should be used in conjunction with CO2 sequestration technology. Anthracite has a potential in terms of cost advantage as a feedstock compared to a petroleum pitch, because Synthetic graphite is prepared by heat treating an anthracite with high rank to a graphitization temperature which is in the range of 2400~2800℃, in the presence of inorganic catalyst such as silicon or iron. From several studies, it has been confirmed that coal-based activated carbon(AC) is manufactured with quality similar to the large specific surface area and much micropore volume of lignin-based AC, can be prepared. Therefore it is expected that lignin-based AC is replaced to coal-based AC.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.44-49
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• 2003

This study was carried out to evaluate the weathering durability of waterborne preservative (AAC, ACQ, CCA, CuAz) treated Japanese red pine (Pinus densiflora S. et Z.) sapwood samples by accelerated weathering, and to find out the factor of stability. When considered the color changes, weight losses, surface degradation, and microstructure changes due to weathering, ACQ-, CCA-, and CuAz-treated samples were durable against weathering; the weathering durability of AAC-treated samples was poor and similar to untreated controls. The lignin content in aqueous extracts collected from ACQ-, CCA-, and CuAz-treated samples during weathering was lower than that from untreated and AAC-treated ones. From these findings, we might concluded that weathering durability of ACQ-, CCA-, and CuAz-treated samples was enhanced by the fixation of preservative component(s) onto the lignin structure, which is very susceptible to weathering.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.68-77
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• 2006

The heartwood of cengal (Neobalanocarpus heimii) is known to have a high degree of decay resistance by virtue of its high extractive content. After 30 years in ground contact an utility pole of this tropical hardwood was found to be degraded only in the surface layers by cavity-forming soft rot fungi. The present work was undertaken 1) to characterize the degradation of cengal heartwood from the aspect of ultrastructure and chemistry and 2) to investigate the correlation between soft rot decay and its extractive microdistribution in wood tissues. The chemical analysis of cengal heartwood revealed the presence of a high amount of extractives as well as lignin. The wood contained a relatively high amount of condensed lignin and the guaiacyl units. Microscopic observations revealed that vessels, fibers and parenchyma cells (both ray and axial parenchyma) all contained extractives in their lumina, but in variable amounts. The lumina of fibers and most axial parenchyma were completely or almost completely filled with the extractives. TEM micrographs showed that cell walls were also impregnated with extractives and that pit membranes connecting parenchyma cells were well coated and impregnated with extractives. However, fungal hyphae were present in the extractive masses localized in cell lumina, and indications were that the extractives did not completely inhibit fungal growth. The extent of cell wall degradation varied with tissue types. The fibers appeared to be more susceptible to decay than vessels and parenchyma. Middle lamella was the only cell wall region which remained intact in all cell types which were severely degraded. The microscopic observations suggested a close correlation between extractive microdistribution and the pattern and extent of cell wall degradation. In addition to the toxicity to fungi, the physical constraint of the extractive material present in cengal heartwood cells is likely to have a profound effect on the growth and path of invasion of colonizing fungi, thus conferring protection to wood by restricting fungal entry into cell walls. The presence of relatively high amount of condensed lignin is also likely to be a factor in the resistance of cengal heartwood to soft rot decay.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.54-60
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• 1995

This paper reports on the changes of equilibrium moisture contents and specific surface areas of Poplar wood(Populus euramericana) for various steam explosion treatments. Equilibrium moisture contents(EMC) and specific surfaces of steam exploded woods were measured under the moisture adsorption course at 25$^{\circ}C$, and compared with those of other materials and wood meals. The EMCs of steam exploded wood meal were 1~5% less in comparison with that of wood meal. In the case of delignified steam exploded wood meal and delignified wood meal, the same tendency was appeared too. But absolute values of EMCs for delignified wood meals were larger than those of the wood meal. For the changes of EMC by the steam exploded conditions, the EMC decreased with the increase of the steam explosion pressure. On the other hand, specific surface areas were calculated from BET plots based on amounts of monomolecular vapor adsorption of various wood meals. Specific surface areas of the wood meal and delignified wood meal were 90~145, 34~90($m^2/g$) respectively, and which were greater in comparison with those of steam exploded wood meals and delignified steam exploded wood meals. From these results, it is considered that the amount of water vapor adsorption was decreased by the increase of the crystallinity, effect of heat treatment, and coating by melted lignin in during the steam explosion.

• Journal of Korea Technical Association of The Pulp and Paper Industry
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.36-42
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• 2012

The empty fruit bunch fibers(EFB) of oil palm were examined for optimal utilization of the EFB fibers. The EFB fibers were obtained by shredding EFB, followe by removal of fines. The surface properties of the fibers were modified with various pre-treatments, such as hot water extraction, the soaking treatments with NaOH, $ClO_2$ and n-hexane. The changes in the fiber surface were examined with FT-IR method, which showed the changes in chemical compositions such as pectin, lignin, and etc. according to the pre-treatment methods. And the z-directional tensile testing of the fiber mold made of the treated EFB fibers showed the changes in the bonding strength by the pre-treatments. The fiber mold made of EFB fibers treated with $ClO_2$ showed the greater increase in the tensile energy absorption although the NaOH treatment resulted in the severer impact on the EFB fibers.

• Journal of Korea Technical Association of The Pulp and Paper Industry
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.67-73
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• 2010

Pine (Pinus densiflora) and aspen (Populus euramericana) wood meals were treated with ozone at various time schedule in acidic condition. The lignin contents and surface area of the ozone treated wood meals were determined and the enzymatic hydrolysis rate of ozonated wood meals was evaluated. The feasibility of enzymatic hydrolysis of the ozone treated wood meal was obviously influenced with the degree of delignification. After ozone treatment of wood meal for 10min, total pore volume were slightly increased in the surface of wood meal. When wood meals were treated with ozone longer than 10min, few change in the pore volume was observed. However, the area of over $50{\AA}$ of pore size is increased with ozonation time. As a conclusion, the rate of enzymatic hydrolysis of wood is more effective with the pore size distribution than the total pore volume.

• Journal of Korea Technical Association of The Pulp and Paper Industry
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.61-71
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• 1999

The study aimed at the theoretical analysis of vapor sorption properties of, pp.rmaking fibers. Water vapor affinity and sorption thermodynamic properties of fiber constituents were evaluated based on Henry's law and Hildebrand's solubility theory. Theoretical equilibrium moisture content(ThEMC) on fiber surface was estimated using functional group contribution. Crystallinity of cellulose in fiber significantly controlled the water vapor solubility. Comparisons of the measured equilibrium moisture content data and the estimated ThEMC data coincidently suggested the fact that crystallinity of cellulose in fibers was around 60% to 70%. Carbohydrates constituents including amorphous cellulose and hemicellulose in fibers showed higher vapor solubility than lignin molecules. High correlation existed between ThEMC and vapor solubility as well as between ThEMC and solubility parameter. In the thermodynamic analysis on water-vapor sorption process in fibers, the sorption enthalpy increased as RH increased, whereas sorption entropy and free energy decreased with increasing RH.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.390-396
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• 2018

This study investigated the transformation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in a free-water surface flow constructed wetland. Pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) coupled with preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (prep-HPLC) was used to analyze the compositions of biopolymers (polysaccharides, amino sugars, proteins, polyhydroxy aromatics, lipids and lignin) in DOM according to the molecular size at three sampling points of the water flow: inflow, midflow, and outflow. The prep-HPLC results verified the decomposition of DOM through the decrease in the number of peaks from three to one in the chromatograms of the sampling points. The Py-GC/MS results for the degradable peaks indicated that biopolymers relating to polysaccharides and proteins gradually biodegraded with the water flow. On the other hand, the recalcitrant organic fraction (the remaining peak) in the outflow showed a relatively high concentration of aromatic compounds. Therefore, the ecological processes in the constructed wetland caused DOM to become more aromatic and homogeneous. This indicated that the constructed wetland can be an effective buffer area for releasing biochemically stable DOM, which has less influence on biological water quality indicators, e.g., biochemical oxygen demand, into an aquatic ecosystem.

• BMB Reports
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• v.51 no.7
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• pp.317-318
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• 2018

Plants are unable to relocate themselves to a more favorable location and thus have to deal with developmental programs and environmental cues wherever they happen to be. It is yet largely unknown how plant cells coordinate cellular activities and architectures to accomplish developmental processes and respond to environmental changes. By identifying and establishing a new cellular model system, we have discovered that two neighboring cell types in the abscission zone (AZ) of Arabidopsis flowers coordinate their activities to ensure a precise "cut" through a highly restricted area of plant tissue to bring about organ separation. From this perspective, we further discuss the essence of cellular coordination in AZ, the key molecules controlling the organ separation, and relevant implications.