Lithium refinery residue (LRR), generated during the sulfuric acid processing of spodumene, is dominated by aluminosilicate phases and contains residual lithium (Li). Although bioleaching has been applied to primary Li ores and spent lithium-ion batteries, its applicability to aluminosilicate-dominated LRR remains poorly understood. Here, Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans, Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, and a mixed culture of the two species were evaluated for Li bioleaching from LRR. Among the conditions tested, the A. thiooxidans system achieved a Li leaching efficiency of 26.7
Low solids loading is commonly applied in various pretreatment operations of lignocellulose biomass, especially for acid-catalyzed pretreatment. However, low solids loading condition inevitably leads to the generation of liquid streams containing considerable sugars and inhibitors. This study calculated the mass and energy balances for sulfuric acid-catalyzed pretreatment of sugarcane bagasse at a typical solids loading corresponding to a solid-to-liquid ratio of 1:20. A large volume of pretreatment liquor (18.5 g/g dry matter), which contained 27.4
This study presents an innovative biophotovoltaic (BPV) process with three components: a cyanobacteria reservoir that serves as the biological engine; an electron-capture reactor that redirects transmembrane electrons; and a radiation-harvesting tower designed to maximize energy input and enhance system scalability. For the indoor (LED) and outdoor (solar radiation) tests, the most suitable resistances to yield the maximum current density were 164 Ω and 220 Ω, respectively. Indoor electricity generation peaked at 227 mW m− 2, with an average of 175 ± 47 mW m− 2, while outdoor tests peaked at 215 mW m− 2, with an average of 166 ± 26 mW m− 2, indicating similar efficiency under both conditions. To explain these efficiencies, the 5
Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are the workhorse of biopharmaceutical manufacturing, yet lactate and ammonia accumulation remain persistent bottlenecks that compromise cell viability, productivity, and product quality. To address this, we present an integrated feeding strategy systematically combining Ala-Gln, TCA intermediates, and glucose-galactose dual carbon feed evaluated head-to-head across four defined fed-batch conditions for CHO cultures producing an IgG1 monoclonal antibody (mAb). Conventional L-glutamine was replaced with L-alanyl-glutamine (Ala-Gln) to curb spontaneous ammonia release, while a customized “efficient feed mix” enriched with 2× TCA cycle intermediates and branched-chain amino acids combined with a glucose-galactose co-feed (2 mM glucose + 30 mM galactose) was introduced upon glucose depletion. Four fed-batch conditions were evaluated: a glutamine control (FB-01), Ala-Gln alone (FB-02), Ala-Gln with TCA intermediates (FB-03), and the complete integrated strategy (FB-04). FB-04 delivered an > 83
Protein glutaminase (PG), a specific deaminase derived from C. proteolyticum, has been shown to hold significant potential for improving plant protein functionality. However, its industrial application is hindered by low expression level, inefficient activation from its proenzyme form (pro-PG), and high production costs in native or common heterologous hosts. To develop an effective industrial host for active expression of PG based on food-grade strain, the Bacillus licheniformis BL-LKT strain originated from enterprises was systematically modified and engineered. First, the extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) gene cluster was knocked out to alleviate cell aggregation, thereby enhancing cell growth and fermentation performance. Subsequently, a series of single and double knockout mutants of key extracellular protease genes (aprE, bpr, epr, vpr, wpr) were constructed to reduce the risk of PG hydrolysis by these proteases, while retaining sufficient proteolytic activity for pro-PG activation. The PG was then expressed in these engineered hosts using the shuttle vector pLY-3-PG. Among the constructed strains, the mutant EPE, which lacks eps, aprE, and epr, exhibited the highest PG activity of 0.537 U/mL, representing a 5.33-fold increase compared with the original strain. Fed-batch fermentation in a 5-L bioreactor ultimately yielded a PG activity of 2.35 U/mL, a 337.6
