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More than a thousand tonnes of fish bone wastes can be transformed into biomedical products annually. Alkaline hydrolysis and thermal calcification were used to create nanosized hydroxyapatite (HAp) crystals from Silver carp bone wastes. Biophysical tests were used to determine the nano size and chemical composition of synthesised hydroxyapatite. Alkaline hydrolysis hydroxyapatite (AH-HAp) was 58.3 nm, while Thermal calcination hydroxyapatite (TC-HAp) was 64.3 nm in size, confirmed by Atomic Force Microscopy. Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis studies showed Ca/P (Calcium phosphate) ratio of AH-HAp to be 1.65, whereas TC-HAp as 1.45, confirming AH-HAp to be organically rich along with a similar Ca/P ratio as natural HAp. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy spectra indicated HAp formation from both procedures, however AH-HAp had superior crystallinity than TC-HAp confirmed from X-Ray Diffraction spectra. MG63 osteoblast cell lines showed 91% cell viability in cytotoxicity studies and 70.1% proliferation efficiency in Alkaline Phosphatase assay, which was higher than TC-HAp. The present study shows that HAp produced via alkaline hydrolysis has better biocompatibility which enhances its applicability as a biomaterial, than HAp synthesized through thermal calcination, which tends to incinerate organic moieties.

The composition and antioxidant activity of bound phenolics in three legumes (soybean, vicia faba, and kidney bean), and their metabolism and bioaccessibility in the gastrointestinal tract were investigated in this study. The total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, and antioxidant activities (ABTS and FRAP) were evaluated. The phytochemical compositions of the three legumes after acid/alkaline hydrolysis, simulated gastrointestinal digestion, and colonic fermentation were identified and quantified by UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS and HPLC-ESI-QqQ-MS/MS. The results showed that the three legumes were rich in bound phenolic compounds, and possessed a strong antioxidant activity; among which kidney bean showed a higher bound flavonoid content and antioxidant activity than the other two legumes. Alkaline hydrolysis allowed a more thorough extraction of the bound phenolics of the three legumes than acid hydrolysis. The released contents of bound phenolics were extremely low in in vitro digestion, whereas colonic fermentation favored the release of more phenolic compounds. Kidney bean, which presented the highest bound flavonoid content and antioxidant activity, had the lowest bioaccessibility. Our study provides a wider insight into the constituents and bioavailability of bound phenolic compounds in the three legumes.

This study reported two-phase electrochemical processes, including struvite electrochemical precipitation and ammonia electrooxidation, for the treatment of supernatant from the hydrolysis sludge. The results showed that in phase I, the removal efficiencies of 92.3% PO 4 3− -P and 50.1% NH 4 + -N could be achieved in electrochemical precipitation with magnesium sacrificial anode at pH 9.0 and 40 mA after 120-min electrolysis, and slightly increased to 95.1% and 57.3%, respectively, when current further increased to 120 mA, while the energy consumption (ECS, from 0.6 to 6.7 kWh m −3 ) and specific energy consumption [SECS, from 2.7 to 29.9 Wh g (PO 4 3− -P) −1 ] sharply increased. In phase II, the residual NH 4 + -N is further indirectly electrooxidized to nitrogen with modified Ti anode (Ti/SnO 2 -Sb-Pd). With the generation of active chloride, about 83.2% NH 4 + -N was removed with the molar ratio of Cl/N 5:1 at 50 mA after 120-min treatment, and slightly increased to 92.2%, when current increased to 125 mA, while SECS significantly increased [from 0.027 to 0.117 kWh g (NH 4 + -N) −1 ]. The results indicated that current were the crucial factors; meanwhile, lower current and longer reaction time may be the optimal options in electrochemical process with higher efficiency and lower energy consumption. Finally, the integrated process was conducted at the optimal conditions (pH = 9.0, I  = 40 mA in phase I; Cl/N = 5, I  = 50 mA in phase II) with the supernatant of the alkaline hydrolysis sludge. Removal of ammonia nitrogen (79.3%) and removal of phosphorus (94.3%) were achieved, confirming the feasibility of practical application for the simultaneous phosphorus recovery and ammonia removal.

The presented research concerned the compatibility of cosolvents with in situ alkaline hydrolysis (ISAH) for treatment of organophosphorous (OPP) pesticide contaminated sites. In addition, the influence of moderate temperature heat increments was studied as a possible enhancement method. A complex dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) of primarily parathion (~50 %) and methyl parathion (~15 %) obtained from the Danish Groyne 42 site was used as a contaminant source, and ethanol and propan-2-ol (0, 25, and 50  v / v %) was used as cosolvents in tap water and 0.34 M NaOH. Both cosolvents showed OPP solubility enhancement at 50  v / v % cosolvent content, with slightly higher OPP concentrations reached with propan-2-ol. Data on hydrolysis products did not show a clear trend with respect to alkaline hydrolysis reactivity in the presence of cosolvents. Results indicated that the hydrolysis rate of methyl-parathion (MP3) decreased with addition of cosolvent, whereas the hydrolysis rate of ethyl-parathion (EP3) remained constant, and overall indications were that the hydrolysis reactions were limited by the rate of hydrolysis rather than NAPL dissolution. In addition to cosolvents, the influence of low-temperature heating on ISAH was studied. Increasing reaction temperature from 10 to 30 °C provided an average rate of hydrolysis enhancement by a factor of 1.4–4.8 dependent on the base of calculation. When combining 50  v / v % cosolvent addition and heating to 30 °C, EP3 solubility was significantly enhanced and results for O , O -diethyl-thiophosphoric acid (EP2 acid) showed a significant enhancement of hydrolysis as well. However, this could not be supported by para-nitrophenol (PNP) data indicating the instability of this product in the presence of cosolvent.

Stable adducts to serum albumin (SA) from electrophilic and genotoxic compounds/metabolites can be used as biomarkers for quantification of the corresponding in vivo dose. In the present study, conditions for specific analysis of stable adducts to SA formed from carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were evaluated in order to achieve a sensitive and reproducible quantitative method. Bulky adducts from diolepoxides (DE) of PAH, primarily DE of benzo[ a ]pyrene (BPDE) and also DE of dibenzo[ a , l ]pyrene (DBPDE) and dibenzo[ a , h ]anthracene (DBADE), were used as model compounds. The alkylated peptides obtained after enzymatic hydrolysis of human SA modified with the different PAHDE were principally PAHDE-His-Pro, PAHDE-His-Pro-Tyr and PAHDE-Lys. Alkaline hydrolysis under optimised conditions gave the BPDE-His as the single analyte of alkylated His, but also indicated degradation of this adduct. It was not possible to obtain the BPDE-His as one analyte from BPDE-alkylated SA through modifications of the enzymatic hydrolysis. The BPDE-His adduct was shown to be stable during the weak acidic conditions used in the isolation of SA. Enrichment by HPLC or SPE, but not butanol extraction, gave good recovery, using Protein LoBind tubes. A simple internal standard (IS) approach using SA modified with other PAHDE as IS was shown to be applicable. A robust analytical procedure based on digestion with pronase, enrichment by HPLC or SPE, and analysis with HPLC/MS-MS electrospray ionisation was achieved. A good reproducibility (coefficient of variation (CV) 11 %) was obtained, and the achieved limit of detection for the studied PAHDE, using standard instrumentation, was approximately 1 fmol adduct/mg SA analysing extract from 5 mg SA. Figure An outline of the method for analysis of bulky SA-adducts. All steps/conditions were evaluated.

The development and production of fossil fuel alternatives have become one of the main focal points in recent investigations. Lignocellulosic biomass is a renewable source of fermentable sugars for second-generation biofuels and chemicals via biotechnological pathways. However, the presence of lignin and hemicellulose in lignocellulosic biomass makes it difficult for the biomass to be hydrolyzed or digested during fermentation. Thus, effective biomass pretreatment is vital. The present review shows that chemical pretreatment is the current preferred method to obtain high sugar yields at low cost, with dilute acid and alkaline hydrolysis as the two most reported technologies. Dilute acid favours hydrolysis of the hemicelluloses whereas alkaline hydrolysis targets the lignin fraction. Both methods have merits and demerits, and have been combined with other treatments such as hydrothermal and enzymatic hydrolysis. Further investigation is required to improve the pretreatment processes and to ensure the economic viability of bioconversion.

Cuticular lipids were isolated via enzymolysis and acid and alkaline hydrolysis of defatted skin of ripe tomatoes Lycopersicon esculentum. Their composition and that of fatty acids from acyl-containing constituents were established. Sterylglycosides and their fatty-acid (FA) esters, lysophosphatidylethanolamines, and lysophosphatidylinositols were identified in skin cuticular lipids that were isolated by enzymolysis. Not only C16 and C18 FA but also 10:0, 12:0, 14:0, 15:0, 17:0, 20:0, 20:1, 22:0, and 24:0 acids were found in the enzymolysis and acid-hydrolysis products.

High crystallinity leads to low hydrophilicity of fabric made of (poly(ethylene terephthalate)) fibers (PET) causing problems in finishing, washing, and dyeing processes. To improve these properties, the surface of PET fibers is usually modified by hydrolysis. Alkaline hydrolysis is a conventional process usually performed at a temperature higher than 100 °C for more than 1 h. However, the use of strong alkali and high processing temperatures (>100 °C) can lead to fabric damage and a negative impact on the environment. Therefore, in this paper, the possibility of hydrolysis of the PET fibers in the fabric in a sustainable, energy-efficient process was researched. The influence of low temperature (60–100 °C) and an accelerator (a cationic surfactant HDTMAC) to PET alkaline hydrolysis was studied through weight loss, the loss in breaking force, and fiber morphology. The kinetics of PET dissolution in 1.5 mol cm−3 NaOH at low temperature with and without the addition of HDTMAC was determined and the activation energy was calculated according to the theoretical model. It has been confirmed that PET hydrolysis can be carried out in 1.5 mol cm−3 NaOH with the addition of HDTMAC as an accelerator at 80 °C for 10 min. This process is more economically and energetically acceptable than the conventional process, and is therefore more sustainable.

Polyphenols, including extractable polyphenols (EPP) and non-extractable polyphenols (NEPP), are natural and secondary metabolic substances in plants that have beneficial properties to human health. However, NEPP associated with dietary fiber and protein are not taken into account in most literature data. In this paper, NEPP were released from blueberries with acid or alkaline hydrolysis methods, and the related extraction conditions were determined and optimised by response surface methodology (RSM). The results showed that NEPP yield obtained with alkaline hydrolysis was much higher than that obtained with acid treatment. The NEPP yield in alkaline hydrolysis process was significantly affected by the NaOH concentration and liquid/solid ratio, while in the acid hydrolysis process, the NEPP yield was significantly affected by the temperature, time and liquid/solid ratio. The second order polynomial models were developed for predicting NEPP content in blueberries. The optimisation of the extraction process of NEPP in blueberries would provide a good idea and basis for the application of non-extractable fractions.

• Renewed interests in the development of bioenergy, biochemicals, and biomaterials have elicited new strategies for engineering the lignin of biomass feedstock plants. This study shows, for the first time, that 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate (DHB) is compatible with the radical coupling reactions that assemble polymeric lignin in plants. • We introduced a bacterial 3-dehydroshikimate dehydratase into hybrid poplar (Populus alba × grandidentata) to divert carbon flux away from the shikimate pathway, which lies upstream of lignin biosynthesis. • Transgenic poplar wood had up to 33% less lignin with p-hydroxyphenyl units comprising as much as 10% of the lignin. Mild alkaline hydrolysis of transgenic wood released fewer ester-linked p-hydroxybenzoate groups than control trees, and revealed the novel incorporation of cell-wall-bound DHB, as well as glycosides of 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHBA). Two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (2D-NMR) analysis uncovered DHBA-derived benzodioxane structures suggesting that DHB moieties were integrated into the lignin polymer backbone. In addition, up to 40% more glucose was released from transgenic wood following ionic liquid pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis. • This work highlights the potential of diverting carbon flux from the shikimate pathway for lignin engineering and describes a new type of ‘zip-lignin’ derived from the incorporation of DHB into poplar lignin.