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This study aimed to investigate the compostability of wastewater treatment sludge and evaluate the effects on compost quality of adding cotton gin waste and peanut shell. For this purpose, treatment sludge was mixed with cotton gin waste in the ratios of 60:40 in M1 reactor and 80:20 in M2 reactor, while in M3 and M4 reactors, treatment sludge was mixed with peanut shell in the same proportions. The highest temperatures were reached in reactors M2 (65.2 °C) and M4 (68.7 °C) where 80% treatment sludge was added. These reactors also experienced the highest organic matter losses of 42.2% and 31.5%, respectively. It can be stated that a faster microbial decomposition and stabilization occurred in these reactors. It can be said that the composting process may be a preferable method for the management of treatment sludge and agricultural wastes. Furthermore, the outcomes of the study can serve the food industry and agriculture sector through effective bioconversion of organic waste.

Laccases are very interesting biocatalysts of recognized importance for several industrial applications. Its production by Trametes versicolor, a white-rot fungus, was induced by a combination of cotton gin wastes (1%), a lignocellulosic waste, and vinasse (15%), an industrial by-product from sugarcane industry. The use of these agro-industrial wastes are interesting, since it helps in reducing the enzyme production costs, due to their low cost and wide availability, as well as the environmental contamination issues, due to their improper disposal. Thus, laccase production was studied in submerged fermentation of T. versicolor using these agro-industrial wastes (cotton gin waste and vinasse) as carbon source and an additional nitrogen source (0.1% peptone). Three different bioreactors were evaluated for laccase production, such as BioFlo 310 bioreactor, aluminium tray and Erlenmeyer flasks to achieve high levels of laccase production. The highest specific production of laccase was found in BioFlo 310 bioreactor with 12 days of fermentation (55.24 U/mg prot.), which has been shown to be closely related to the oxygen supply to the microorganism through aeration of the fermentation medium. This study brings new insights into green biotechnology regarding vinasse utilization, which is frequently discharged in soils, rivers, and lakes causing adverse effects on agricultural soils and biota, as well as the cotton gin waste recovery.

The purpose of this paper is to increase the service life of the brushes in the interaction of the puller brushes and the drum when cleaning cotton from large debris during the cotton removal process. The authors conducted an experimental study to determine the actual value of the number of impacts (touches) of the puller brushes on the surface of the saw drum. The angle of rotation of the serrated drum around its axis during the period of influence of the puller brushes on it was determined. The paper also describes determination of the average number of blows (touches) of the puller brushes on the saw drum.

The use of agricultural waste and residues in composite materials is a potential high-value commercial application for underutilized renewable resources and provides alternative commercial markets to the agricultural industry. Cotton gin trash (CGT) and cotton gin motes (CGM) are underutilized low-value commodities that are attractive targets due to their high cellulose content; however, each contains various amounts of lignin, hemicellulose and other components that impede their utilization as commercial products. In this work, lignin-containing cellulose nanofibers (LCNFs) with gradient degrees of lignin content were prepared from CGT and CGM. Analyses showed the lignin content and other components affected the physical properties of LCNFs, modestly altering their thermal stability and crystallinity. The degree of polymerization (DP) was smaller after successive rounds of processing and was also dependent upon the source (CGT or CGM) with CGT providing nanofibers with a smaller DP than CGM. This translated into slightly different suspension viscoelastic behavior as determined by rheological measurements.Graphic abstract