Biorefining and Biological Properties of Natural Compounds from Agricultural and Forestry Waste Biomass

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Biosystem and Biological Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2020) | Viewed by 8736

Special Issue Editors

Department of Natural and Synthetic Polymers, Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Protection,”Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University from Iasi, RomaniaBlvd. Mangeron No.71, 700050 Iasi, Romania
Interests: main and secondary compounds of biomass; separation and characterization; biorefining; biological properties; antioxidants; antifungals; plant bioregulators; bioremediation; biotechnology
Department of Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy “George Emil Palade” University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences and Technology of Târgu Mureș, 38 Gheorghe Marinescu Street, Târgu Mureș, 540139 Mureș, Romania
Interests: natural compounds; wood byproducts; nanomaterials; bioactivity; antimicrobial; antioxidant
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biorefining is the conversion of agricultural and forestry biomass into bioproducts, such as chemicals, fuels, animal feeds, nutraceuticals, and pharmaceuticals. The interest in biomass conversion continues to grow. Recent advances in biotechnology are offering new and interesting insights into the characterization and biological activity of bioactive compounds from waste biomass. Contributions to this Special Issue may cover all research aspects related to the biorefining and biological properties of natural compounds from agricultural and forestry waste biomass, including (but not limited to): (1) chemical composition of biomass with reference to extraction, purification, characterization and quantification of biological compounds; (2) biomass valorization using the biorefinery concept with reference to in vitro and in vivo biological properties; and (3) the elucidation of bioactive compounds action mechanisms.

Dr. Valentin Popa
Dr. Corneliu Tanase
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • Natural compounds
  • Phytochemicals
  • Plant bioproducts
  • Agrobiomass
  • Added-value products
  • Waste biomass
  • Biorefining
  • Bioactivity

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 1177 KiB  
Article
Energy Potential of Agri Residual Biomass in Southeast Asia with the Focus on Vietnam
by Denisa Beňová, Kryštof Mareš, Petr Hutla, Tatiana Ivanova, Jan Banout and Michel Kolaříková
Agronomy 2021, 11(1), 169; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11010169 - 18 Jan 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4299
Abstract
Southeast Asia currently faces a huge increase in energy consumption and serious environmental issues. A widely underutilized and still unexplored potential of these countries lies in residual biomass. In the present research, the production quantities and energy yields of the most abundant agricultural [...] Read more.
Southeast Asia currently faces a huge increase in energy consumption and serious environmental issues. A widely underutilized and still unexplored potential of these countries lies in residual biomass. In the present research, the production quantities and energy yields of the most abundant agricultural byproducts in Vietnam, i.e., rice straw, rice husks, sugarcane bagasse and sugarcane trash, were calculated. Total crop yield, residues ratio and net calorific values of the wet basis biomass served as input parameters for the calculations. Moreover, the results were found for individual regions and provinces of the country. The findings show that the production of paddy rice straw is an enormous 97 million tons per year with an energy potential of over 380 TWh, as well as another 9 million tons yearly and 35 TWh in the case of rice husks. More than half of rice biomass production is concentrated in the Mekong River Delta region. Harvesting and processing of sugarcane annually generates about 5 million tons of bagasse and over 3.5 million tons of sugarcane trash with the total energy potential of about 27 TWh, which is primarily available in the central regions of Vietnam. The detailed laboratory determination of fuel-energy properties of studied materials, such as gross and net calorific value, volatile matter, ash and moisture content and contents of chemical elements was also carried out. Based on the research results and literature analysis, the possibilities of biofuel production and energy utilization of the above-mentioned residues are discussed. Full article
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14 pages, 4474 KiB  
Article
The Rheological Behavior of Polysaccharides from Mulberry Leaves (Morus alba L.)
by Bu-Yan Liao, Ling Li, Corneliu Tanase, Kiran Thakur, Dan-Ye Zhu, Jian-Guo Zhang and Zhao-Jun Wei
Agronomy 2020, 10(9), 1267; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10091267 - 27 Aug 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1936
Abstract
In this study, mulberry leaves polysaccharides (MLPs) namely HBSS (extracted with hot buffer soluble solids), CHSS (extracted with chelating agent soluble solids), DASS (extracted with diluted alkali soluble solids), and CASS (extracted with concentrated alkali soluble solids) were obtained using four different solvents [...] Read more.
In this study, mulberry leaves polysaccharides (MLPs) namely HBSS (extracted with hot buffer soluble solids), CHSS (extracted with chelating agent soluble solids), DASS (extracted with diluted alkali soluble solids), and CASS (extracted with concentrated alkali soluble solids) were obtained using four different solvents and examined for their rheological potential. Different MLPs solutions harbored obvious disparity for viscosity and displayed a shear-thinning behavior at the tested range. Among all the fractions, DASS possessed the highest apparent viscosity at 0.5–2.5%. The apparent viscosity of MLPs solutions declined at acidic pH, alkaline pH, and higher temperature (90 °C). The HBSS fraction showed the best heat stability of all the fractions. All the fractions displayed noticeable differences in apparent viscosity in response to Na+ and Ca2+ at 20 °C. Both the modules such as G′ (storage modulus) and G” (loss modulus) showed augmentation with oscillation frequency. Initially, the value of G” was higher than G′ of MLPs at lower frequency and lower concentration, and the MLPS displayed stronger viscous nature; whereas, G′ was consistently higher at higher frequency and higher concentration, and the MLPS displayed stronger elastic characteristic. From our data, it was indicated that these MLPs can be used as promising natural materials (thickeners, gelling agents, binding agents, stabilizers) for their direct application to the food industry. Full article
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12 pages, 2101 KiB  
Article
Effects of Beech Bark Extract in the Sage (Salvia Officinalis L.) Plant Growth and Volatile Oil Profile
by Corneliu Tanase, Ruxandra Ștefănescu, Diana Gabriela Gheorghieș, Loredana Dandu, Adrian Nisca, Béla Darkó and Sonia Ancuța Socaci
Agronomy 2020, 10(5), 676; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10050676 - 11 May 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1987
Abstract
The use of bioactive compounds can act in growth stimulation and also influence the biosynthesis of the metabolites in plants. The aim of this paper is to assess the influence of the beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) bark crude extract (BBCE) on the [...] Read more.
The use of bioactive compounds can act in growth stimulation and also influence the biosynthesis of the metabolites in plants. The aim of this paper is to assess the influence of the beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) bark crude extract (BBCE) on the growth and development of sage (Salvia officinalis L.) plants. Special attention was given to the analysis of volatile oil obtained from the sage treated plant. Thus, the biological activity of BBCE was assessed by determining the germination capacity, biomass accumulation, histo-anatomical aspects, and photoassimilatory pigment accumulation, quantitative, and qualitative sage volatile oil analysis. The results show stimulation of the biomass and photoassimilatory pigment accumulation. The mesophyll thickness and the vascular tissue surface are smaller in the treated variants, compared to the control. On the other hand, the amount of volatile oil was significantly higher in the treated plants. In the experimental variants, an increase in the quantity of eucalyptol, camphor, camphene, and α-caryophyllene is observed. The amount of eucalyptol increased in the experimental variant, with about 82%, compared to the control. BBCE could be properly used as natural bioregulators because according to our results seems to improve the yield of the sage crop. The results of this research have the potential to contribute greatly to ecological agricultural production. Full article
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