The removal of microalgae represents a problematic part of the water decontamination process, in which most techniques are expensive and non-ecological. In the paper, we focus on the synergistic relationship between microscopic filamentous fungi and algal culture. In the process of decontamination of a model sample containing ammonium ions, efficient biocoagulation, resp. co-pelletization of dried algae Chlorella sp. and Aspergillus niger sensu stricto are shown. The microscopic filamentous fungus species A. niger was added to a culture of an algal suspension of Chlorella sp., where the adhesion of the algal cells to the fungi subsequently occurred due to the electrostatic effect of the interaction, while the flocculation activity was approximately 70 to 80%. The algal cells adhered to the surface of the A. niger pellets, making them easily removable from the solution. The ability of filamentous fungi to capture organisms represents a great potential for the biological isolation of microalgae (biocoagulation) from production solutions because microalgae are considered to be a promising renewable source of oil and fermentables for bioenergy. This form of algae removal, or its harvesting, also represents a great low-cost method for collecting algae not only as a way of removing unnecessary material but also for the purpose of producing biofuels. Algae are a robust bioabsorbent for absorbing lipids from the environment, which after treatment can be used as a component of biodiesel. Chemical analyses also presented potential ecological innovation in the area of biofuel production. Energy-efficient and eco-friendly harvesting techniques are crucial to improving the economic viability of algal biofuel production.
The traditional papermaking process uses petroleum-based additives, which raise environmental concerns. As a result, these concerns have attracted the scientific community to explore green additives by introducing environmentally friendly cellulose modifications as additives to the papermaking process. A promising way to process pulp is the application of deep eutectic solvent-like mixtures, which expand new possibilities for delignification processes. This article aims to characterize the physical properties of pulps modified with deep eutectic solvent-like mixtures and to compare these properties to untreated softwood kraft pulp and pulp obtained after oxygen delignification (commercially available pulp; obtained from Mondi Štětí a.s.). The physical properties (mechanical and optical) of the original pulp and delignified pulps were evaluated based on the degree of beating (Schopper–Riegler degree), zeta potential, water retention value, tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, and whiteness. Technology employing deep eutectic solvent-like mixtures shows great promise for sustainable pulp production; however, its full-scale adoption will require further research focused on process optimization, solvent recovery, and economic cost reduction.
Waste dendromass is one of the least used types of biomass and together with waste from the harvesting and processing of agricultural crops, belongs to the wastes that have a high potential for the second-generation ethanol production. Mass concentration of biofuel added to fossil fuels is established by law and this concentration is determined within the reference values for each year. For example, for 2021 it was 8.0 % and for years from 2022 to 2030 the value will increase to 8.2 %. Biofuels in the so-called reference value in the total fuel content have been mandatory since 2017, while the specific reference value is calculated from the energy content of the total amount of fuels placed on the market. This paper provides initial considerations and pilot results based on experimental data obtained in our workplace concerning the application potential of selected type of dendromass – beech particles from the point of view of their pretreatment by steam explosion and steam extrusion for potential production of liquid biofuels based on lignocellulosic biomass. We compared temperature courses of the mentioned pretreatment methods and pretreated samples were tested by enzymatic hydrolysis. Enzymatic hydrolysis results showed that steam explosion and steam extrusion led to concentration enhancement of fermentable monosaccharides compared to original samples depending on used pretreatment method.