To validate the de-icing effectiveness in static icing conditions, we measured the tensile ice adhesion on durable, hydrophobic (flat) and superhydrophobic (microstructured by hot embossing, D > 35 mu m) polyurethane (PU) films, coated with thin fluorocarbon or silicone-like plasma polymers, in comparison to conventional metal and polymer reference surfaces. Bulk water ice cylinders (4 mm in diameter) were removed from the samples at -20 degrees C, and the influence of material elasticity, microcracks resulting from local stress, surface chemistry, micro- and nano-roughness was investigated. The tensile ice adhesion was lowest on flat, hydrophobic PU films, due to high material elasticity and the presence of microcracks, whereas it was highest on superhydrophobic surfaces, because of mechanical interlocking from mixed wetting states. The impact of nanoscale roughness on ice adhesion is negligible on flat surfaces, whereas it significantly enhances adhesion on microstructured surfaces due to the hierarchical roughness. Condition-adapted surface design is of crucial importance for effective de-icing.

Der in 2 Teilen veröffentliche Artikel behandelt die physiologischen Vorgänge der sechs Abwehrreaktionen Freeze, Flight, Fight, Fright, Flag und Faint. Anhand der Funktion der Abwehrreaktion soll die Bedeutung zentralnervöser Steuerungsebenen für die viszerale Osteopathie erläutert werden. Denn neben dem peripheren autonomen Nervensystem, bestehend aus dem enterischen Nervensystem, Sympathikus und Parasympathikus, sind auch zentrale Gehirnbereiche an der Regulation der Organfunktionen beteiligt. Diese zentralnervösen Steuerungsebenen und die dort repräsentierten Funktionen werden in der osteopathischen Literatur und in den viszeralen Konzepten kaum berücksichtigt. Eine dieser Funktionen ist die Abwehrreaktion, die im oberen Hirnstamm und Hypothalamus repräsentiert ist. Sobald eine Situation als bedrohlich wahrgenommen wird, werden dort reflexartig fest angelegte neuronale Programme stereotyper unwillkürlicher Abwehrreaktionen aktiviert. Diese gehen mit jeweils unterschiedlichen koordinierten viszeromotorischen, somatomotorischen und hormonellen Reaktionen sowie mit sensorischen Veränderungen einher. Teil 1 des Artikels beschäftigte sich mit der Physiologie der sechs Abwehrreaktionen Freeze, Flight, Fight, Fright, Flag und Faint [54]. In Teil 2 werden nun mögliche Implikationen für die viszerale Osteopathie diskutiert.

Der in 2 Teilen veröffentliche Artikel behandelt die physiologischen Vorgänge der sechs Abwehrreaktionen Freeze, Flight, Fight, Fright, Flag und Faint. Anhand der Funktion der Abwehrreaktion soll die Bedeutung zentralnervöser Steuerungsebenen für die viszerale Osteopathie erläutert werden. Denn neben dem peripheren autonomen Nervensystem, bestehend aus dem enterischen Nervensystem, Sympathikus und Parasympathikus, sind auch zentrale Gehirnbereiche an der Regulation der Organfunktionen beteiligt. Diese zentralnervösen Steuerungsebenen und die dort repräsentierten Funktionen werden in der osteopathischen Literatur und in den viszeralen Konzepten kaum berücksichtigt. Eine dieser Funktionen ist die Abwehrreaktion, die im oberen Hirnstamm und Hypothalamus repräsentiert ist. Sobald eine Situation als bedrohlich wahrgenommen wird, werden dort reflexartig fest angelegte neuronale Programme stereotyper unwillkürlicher Abwehrreaktionen aktiviert. Diese gehen mit jeweils unterschiedlichen koordinierten viszeromotorischen, somatomotorischen und hormonellen Reaktionen sowie mit sensorischen Veränderungen einher. In Teil 2 des Artikels werden mögliche Implikationen für die viszerale Osteopathie diskutiert [1].

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and fucoxanthin, a carotenoid, provide a broad variety of health benefits in human nutrition. In this study, an up- and downstream process for the coproduction of EPA and fucoxanthin using the diatomPhaeodactylum tricornutumin flat-panel airlift photobioreactors is proposed. The approach represents a promising alternative to conventional sources for both compounds, viz. marine fish and macroalgae. The productivity as well as the biomass-specific product content were optimized during cultivation. Subsequently, both compounds were extracted, separated and purified using pressurized liquids.

Fermentative lactic acid production is currently impeded by low pH tolerance of the production organisms, the successive substrate consumption of the strains and/or the requirement to apply purified substrate streams. We identified Lactobacillus brevis IGB 1.29 in compost, which is capable of producing lactic acid at low pH values from lignocellulose hydrolysates, simultaneously consuming glucose and xylose. In this study, we compared Lactobacillus brevis IGB 1.29 with the reference strains Lactobacillus brevis ATCC 367, Lactobacillus plantarum NCIMB 8826 and Lactococcus lactis JCM 7638 with regard to the consumption of C5- and C6-sugars. Simultaneous conversion of C5- and C6-monosaccharides was confirmed for L. brevis IGB 1.29 with consumption rates of 1.6 g/(L h) for glucose and 1.0 g/(L h) for xylose. Consumption rates were lower for L. brevis ATCC 367 with 0.6 g/(L h) for glucose and 0.2 g/(L h) for xylose. Further trials were carried out to determine the sensitivity towards common toxic degradation products in lignocellulose hydrolysates: acetate, hydroxymethylfurfural, furfural, formate, levulinic acid and phenolic compounds from hemicellulose fraction. L. lactis was the least tolerant strain towards the inhibitors, whereas L. brevis IGB 1.29 showed the highest tolerance. L. brevis IGB 1.29 exhibited only 10% growth reduction at concentrations of 26.0 g/L acetate, 1.2 g/L furfural, 5.0 g/L formate, 6.6 g/L hydroxymethylfurfural, 9.2 g/L levulinic acid or 2.2 g/L phenolic compounds. This study describes a new strain L. brevis IGB 1.29, that enables efficient lactic acid production with a lignocellulose-derived C5- and C6-sugar fraction.

This study presents an economic assessment of an up- and downstream process for the co-production of fucoxanthin and eicosapentaenoic acid using the diatom P. tricornutum in commercial flat-panel airlift photobioreactors with artificial illumination. For the first time, comprehensive experimental data on the cultivation of P. tricornutum and the extraction and separation of both target compounds were used to evaluate production costs in three scenarios, from pilot to industrial scale. Biomass-specific production costs of 882 to 228 € kg−1 were determined, depending on the scale of the production plant. This results in minimum production costs of 32,042 € kg−1 for purified fucoxanthin (>90%w/w) and 7343 € kg−1 for highly concentrated eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Operating costs - in particular energy requirements for the artificial illumination and cooling of the reactors - were found to be the main overall cost drivers. Furthermore, the results show that a sizable cost reduction by upscaling is only possible to a limited extent. The assessment revealed that the overall profitability of the entire process is much more dependent on fucoxanthin than on EPA, and thus the prevailing market price of fucoxanthin is crucial for an investment decision.

An efficient microalgae outdoor cultivation is hindered by the fluctuation of the photon flux density (PFD) during one day and the natural day-night-rhythm. As the light intensity is not directly adjustable, the adjustment of biomass concentration is often used for the indirect distribution of available photons to an appropriate number of cells. For this study, repeated fed batch cultivations were conducted in 28 L flat panel airlift reactors in Stuttgart, Germany between August and October 2015. The influence of the initial biomass concentration (1.5-9 g L-1) on the productivity of Chlorella sorokiniana was investigated. Two models (basing on different underlying assumptions) were developed, which used the results of a previous laboratory study to explain the effects of different PFD courses on the productivity outdoors. Both models were validated by using the results of the outdoor cultivation. With the model based on the light yield, an adequate prediction of the productivity was achieved. This leads to an assessment of the outdoor process with paradigmatic courses of the PFD. The application of the model on recorded outdoor PFD courses proved that not only the amount of photons has an impact on the productivity, but also their distribution during the day. Longer photoperiods with lower maximum PFD values (summer) lead to a higher productivity compared to shorter photoperiods with higher maximum PFD values (spring/fall). Additionally, the biomass concentration should be at least as low as 1.5 g L-1; this leads on the one hand to an improved light yield, as there is less self-shading of the algae culture, on the other hand, there is less night biomass loss at lower biomass concentrations.

The surface characteristics, the stability against erosion, and the water wetting behavior of superhydrophobic polyurethane (PU) films are described. Hot embossing is used to imprint conical microstructures in PU films. Afterwards, about 200-nm thick hydrophobic plasma polymers are deposited by PECVD, using different fluorocarbons (CHF3, C3F6, or C4F8) or hexamethyldisiloxane as precursors. Ar or O-2 plasma etching is used to increase the surface nanoroughness. The plasma coatings show stability against sand abrasion and in a long-term outdoor test but are completely degraded by an industrial UV/water weathering test. Superhydrophobicity is achieved on the coated microstructures with base diameters between 35 mu m and 50 mu m, top diameters between 14 mu m and 20 mu m, and distances between 50 mu m and 70 mu m.

This special issue covers three important fields of the bioeconomy: sustainable biogas value chains, bio-based products from lignocellulose, and the use of microalgae as a biomass resource and for the production of food and feed. In order to develop sustainable products and processes, an interdisciplinary systemic approach to the analysis of entire value chains is necessary. For this reason, the contributions cover aspects of the complete biobased value chain from biomass production, pretreatment, and conversion, through to the manufacture and marketing of biobased products, and in addition, include socio-economic and ecological assessments. According to the Global Bioeconomy Summit 2018 (GBS2018), the “bioeconomy” is defined as “the production, utilization and conservation of biological resources, including related knowledge, science, technology and innovation, to provide information, products, processes and services across all economic sectors aiming towards a sustainable economy” (http://gbs2018.com/fileadmin/gbs2018/Downloads/GBS_2018_Communique.pdf). The future bioeconomy is expected to drive the transition towards a more sustainable economy by addressing some of the major global challenges of our time, including food security, climate change, and resource scarcity. Up to 50 countries have already developed or are in the course of developing political strategies to support the growth of a sustainable bioeconomy. The bioeconomy is seen as an approach to the operationalization of sustainability. In this context, the development and provision of biobased products and services clearly requires an emphasis on economic, ecological and social impact assessment. This can only be dealt with in a cooperation between experts representing the different perspectives of sustainability. The supply of biobased products and energy can only be sustainable if all steps in the production process, from biomass supply to use, adhere to the major sustainability criteria. This requires thinking in complete value chains. In addition, resource use efficiency can best be achieved when the various process steps in a value chain are harmonized. To give an example: the better biomass quality can be tailored to the needs of the conversion technology, the less energy and material inputs are required and the higher the yields. This approach is also taken up by biorefinery concepts. These strive to make optimal use of the biomass feedstock by exploiting all components in the best possible way to deliver functional and at the same time environmentally benign products and by making maximal use of recycling options. It was against this backdrop that the theme of this special issue entitled “Biobased value chains for a growing bioeconomy” was designated. Here, we publish 24 papers, most of which were either drawn up as part of the Bioeconomy Research Program Baden-Württemberg or presented by international research partners at the 2nd International Bioeconomy Congress, held at the University of Hohenheim in September 2017. Both the research program and the congress are supported and financed by the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts Baden-Württemberg. The research program evolved from the Bioeconomy Research Strategy developed in cooperation with all universities in the German federal state of Baden-Württemberg. As a result, this federal state has progressed to become one of the leading bioeconomy regions in the EU. The program comprises three Research Networks, reflecting Baden-Württemberg's regional strengths and relevancies in the following fields of the bioeconomy: Biogas, Lignocellulose, and Microalgae. Each Research Network is multidisciplinary, covers the complete biobased value chain from biomass production, pretreatment, and conversion, through to the manufacture and marketing of biobased products, and also includes socioeconomic and ecological assessments. Additionally, each of the research networks collaborates with the Competence Network “Modelling of Bioeconomic Systems. Many of the contributions to this special issue stem from young scientists on the Bioeconomy BBW ForWerts Graduate Program affiliated with the Baden-Württemberg Bioeconomy Research Program. This special issue is divided into three parts: biogas production, lignocellulose-based products, and algae. Each section covers the entire value chain of the respective bioeconomic field and begins with an opinion article on perspectives for that field. In Europe, biogas has become a serious alternative to fossil fuels, complementing other renewable energies from wind and sun. Biogas has the advantage that it can be produced decentrally and at locations with a range of site conditions. In a renewable energy mix, biogas can provide energy reliably, especially at times when energy from wind and sun is low. In their opinion paper, Bahrs and Angenendt (2019) discuss the future perspectives of biogas production. Despite the technical innovations and developments of recent decades, production costs of energy from biogas are still too high to be economically viable. For this reason, several options are currently under discussion for the extension of the biogas value chain by integrating the production of materials, such as building blocks for the chemical industry. This would provide an opportunity to improve the economic performance of existing biogas plants. Another shortcoming of the sustainability of biogas production is the high proportion of feed crops from agricultural land, notably maize, in biogas feedstocks. This is particularly the case in Germany, which has the highest number of on-farm biogas plants in Europe. Mangold, et al. (2019a) discuss alternative biogas crops, taking the perennial C4 grass miscanthus as an example. They conclude that miscanthus delivers similar amounts of biomass per hectare as maize but, due to its perennial character and low input demand, its biomass supply is more environmentally benign. The challenge is dealing with the ensiling and the lower specific methane yield of the lignocellulosic miscanthus biomass. Mangold, Lewandowski, Hartung and Kiesel (2019b) show that ensiling miscanthus biomass is possible and that the specific methane yield can be improved by green harvesting in October. Another advantage of miscanthus over maize is its ability to grow on land with biophysical constraints to food crop production. This is shown in the contribution of Wagner et al. (2019), who performed a Life-Cycle Cost Assessment (LCCA) of biogas production from miscanthus grown on marginal land. The results clearly show that the use of marginal land for the cultivation of miscanthus as a substrate for biogas production can be reasonable from an economic and environmental perspective. However, the economic competitiveness is limited by the biomass yield and the decision to use marginal land needs to be taken on a case-by-case basis considering site-specific conditions such as local biodiversity. Biogas substrate optimization has led to considerable improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of biogas production. However, progress in biogas technology can also make a significant contribution to the effectiveness and economic competitiveness of biogas plants. Biological hydrogen methanation is discussed as one option for technological progress (Ullrich & Lemmer, 2019). In this process, the CO2 fraction of biogas serves as a C source for CH4 formation. Another opportunity for additional higher value products that can improve the economic competitiveness of biogas plants is described in the contribution of Tampio, Blasco, Vainio, Kahala and Rasi (2019) using the example of the production of volatile fatty acids (VFA) as potential platform chemicals. However, the efficiency of VFA extraction needs to be improved before the biogas value chain can be enriched by this type of product extraction. Another approach to improving the economic competitiveness of biogas plants is analyzed by Güsewell, Haerdtlein, and Eltrop (2019) in their assessment of “repowering options” for existing biogas plants. Repowering options refers to the modification and optimization of existing biogas plants. This can be done by replacing individual parts (e.g., with more efficient combined heat and power units), by adapting them to new legal regulations (e.g., expansion of fermentation residue storage facilities), by modifying process conditions (e.g., improved feed management), or by revising the entire plant concept (e.g., from electricity generation to be used on-site to the feeding of biomethane into the grid). Lignocellulose is the most abundant biomass on Earth. Due to this abundancy, and also its potentially sustainable supply, there has recently been increased interest in lignocellulosic biomass as a promising renewable resource in a growing bioeconomy. In the introductory opinion article to the lignocellulose section, Dahmen, Lewandowski, Zibek, and Weidtmann (2019) discuss future perspectives for integrated lignocellulosic value chains. They present a modular biorefinery concept as one possible prototype for the future, which can be designed for a range of biomass feedstocks and products and at different scales, from on-farm to industrial. It focuses on the production of chemicals and materials as main products and considers bioenergy as a side product of residue streams. The various components of potential lignocellulosic biorefineries are at very different phases of development. Flagship plants exist only for 2nd generation bioethanol production. A few processes currently under development are at pilot scale (TRL 6), for example, the organosolv process; many others are still close to the proof-of-principle level. Dahmen et al. (2019) discuss the results of research performed within the framework of the “Lignocellulose Research Network” and their contribution to the development of potential biorefinery modules. With regard to feedstocks, Dahmen et al. (2019) conclude that perennial biomass crops (PBC) will most likely play an important role in the future regional biomass supply to European biorefineries. The major PBC in Europe are species of the genera Miscanthus (miscanthus), Panicum virgatum (switchgrass), Salix (willow), and Populus (poplar). Breeding programs are in place for the most relevant PBC. These exploit the genetic variability and have delivered genotypes at varying levels of advancement (Clifton-Brown et al., 2019; Fabbrini et al., 2019). The optimal integration of biomass production and conversion requires advanced breeding (see e.g., Clifton-Brown et al., 2019) that tailors the biomass to user needs, resulting in improved pretreatment and conversion efficiencies. For lignocellulosic biorefineries, the main requirement is the reduction of pretreatment efforts. Using miscanthus as an example, Schäfer, Sattler, Iqbal, Lewandowski, and Bunzel (2019) show that this can be achieved by selecting genotypes with suitable cell wall composition. This selection helps reduce the recalcitrance of the lignocellulosic biomass and facilitates the desired separation into the components lignin, cellulose, and hemicelluloses. A study by Seibert-Ludwig, Hahn, Hirth, and Zibek (2019) systematically compared and evaluated different separation methods for miscanthus and poplar wood. It showed that acid-catalyzed organosolv processing resulted in the highest delignification grade and, after enzymatic saccharification, the highest glucose yield for microbial conversion. Rohde et al. (2019) also applied the organosolv process to optimize lignin separation from miscanthus and poplar with bark to obtain different lignin fractions suitable for chemical industry. Primary conversion of lignocellulosic biomass results in various intermediate products, mainly lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose. Several contributions to this issue describe how these intermediates can be further processed into final products. Schuler, Hornung, Dahmen, and Sauer (2019) illustrate the use of lignin from bark for the production of aromatics by hydrothermal liquefaction. Wang et al. (2019) have developed recombinant Pseudomonas putida strains that use hemicellulose-derived pentoses or wheat straw hydrolysate as their sole carbon source. Horlamus et al. (2019) have developed a Cellvibrio japonicus strain that can produce rhamnolipids directly from hemicelluloses in a one-step bioconversion process. Hoffmann, Rodriguez Correa, Sautter, Maringolo, and Kruse (2019) have produced carbonaceous powder materials from lignocellulosic biomass and investigated their electrical conductivity for application as electrode materials in energy storage technologies. It is also possible to feed side streams of other lignocellulosic biomass processing units into biorefineries. In this context, Arnold, Moss, Dahmen, Henkel, and Hausmann (2019) evaluated an approach for microbial valorization of bio-oil fractions produced by fast pyrolysis of ash-rich lignocellulosic biomass. The lignocellulose section concludes with an economic and ecological analysis, Lask, Wagner, Trindade, and Lewandowski (2019) performed a life-cycle assessment (LCA) to determine the environmental impacts of ethanol production from miscanthus. The type of pretreatment applied has a strong influence on the environmental performance. Three case studies were performed for the federal state of Baden-Württemberg that assess the potential biomass supply and impact of introducing PBC on agricultural production. Gillich, Narjes, Krimly, and Lippert (2019) investigated the potential regional supply of the PBC miscanthus and poplar. For this purpose, they assessed farmers' willingness to engage in PBC production and developed related regional supply functions. Petig, Rudi, Angenendt, Schultmann, and Bahrs (2019) present the linkage of an agricultural sector model and an agricultural farm model for the evaluation of the straw-to-energy and the innovative straw-to-chemicals value chains in Baden-Württemberg that takes the spatial distribution and price-sensitive nature of straw supply into account. The results reveal the trade-off between economies of scale in the energy production plants and biorefineries on the one hand and the feedstock supply costs on the other hand. Additionally, farm-modelling scenarios illustrate the effect of farm specialization and regional differences on straw supply for biomass value chains as well as the effect of high straw prices on crop rotations. Microalgae are a diverse group of single-celled photosynthetic organisms, which can grow rapidly in a wide range of habitats under photoautotrophic conditions and have protein contents of up to 71%. For this reason, they are regarded as a promising vegan source of protein. They also produce other high-value compounds such as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), carotenoids, pigments, vitamins, and bioactive compounds. The production of oil and protein using microalgae is considered a promising alternative to the cultivation of traditional oil and protein crops. The main reason is that microalgae can be cultivated in technical systems without the use of arable land. Ideally, these systems work with closed water and nutrient cycles, and make use of waste streams (Rösch, Rossmann, & Weickert, 2019). Although manifold application opportunities are anticipated, current algae production is unfortunately lagging far behind expectations. This is due to high capital and operational costs combined with low productivity. Another key to the success of microalgae products is public perception. In the first contribution to the algae section, Rösch et al. (2019) discuss these and other bottlenecks to the use of microalgae. They present the concept of an integrated production process, similar to a microalgae biorefinery, as an approach to increasing the competitiveness of algae production through their conversion into a variety of materials rather than a single product. On the one hand, the extraction of valuable products from microalgae is a cost- and energy-intensive step in the process chain. On the other hand, it has been shown that cell disruption and fractionation can increase the bioavailability of microalgae nutrients. Derwenskus et al. (2019) demonstrate the efficient extraction of mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and carotenoids (76%–86%) from wet microalgae (e.g., Chlorella vulgaris and Phaeodactylum tricornutum) using pressurized subcritical extraction solvents (ethanol or ethyl acetate at 150°C). This process design would meet the requirements of food and feed applications and is less energy intensive than other processes involving drying of biomass. Wild, Steingaß, and Rodehutscord (2019) analyze options for processing microalgae into protein feed. They show that mechanical cell disruption may not be necessary to make microalgae protein bioavailable to ruminants. However, they do not regard microalgae as a suitable protein source for ruminants as the proportion of protein that is digested in the intestine is low. In addition, for the introduction of new microalgae products on the food market proper evaluation and pre-market authorization processes are required due to the current food regulation. This issue provides insights into the perspectives of future biogas-, lignocellulose- and algae-based value chains for a growing bioeconomy. It presents options for shaping the production processes and value chains of biobased products and energy. However, it also demonstrates the large research effort still required to achieve a future postfossil economy.

Microalgae contain a multitude of nutrients and can be grown sustainably. Fucoxanthin, a carotenoid from Phaeodactylum tricornutum, could have beneficial health effects. Therefore, we investigated the anti-inflammatory, antioxidative and antiproliferative effects of fucoxanthin derived from this diatom in vitro. The effects of purified fucoxanthin on metabolic activity were assessed in blood mononuclear cells and different cell lines. In cell lines, caspase 3/7 activity was also analyzed. Nitrogen monoxide release and mRNA-expression of proinflammatory cytokines were measured. For antioxidant assays, cell free assays were conducted. Additionally, the antioxidant effect in neutrophils was quantified and glutathione was determined in HeLa cells. The results show that neither did fucoxanthin have anti-inflammatory properties nor did it exert cytotoxic effects on mononuclear cells. However, the metabolic activity of cell lines was decreased up to 58% and fucoxanthin increased the caspase 3/7 activity up to 4.6-fold. Additionally, dose-dependent antioxidant effects were detected, resulting in a 63% decrease in chemiluminescence in blood neutrophils and a 3.3-fold increase in the ratio of reduced to oxidized glutathione. Our studies show that fucoxanthin possesses antiproliferative and antioxidant activities in vitro. Hence, this carotenoid or the whole microalgae P. tricornutum could be considered as a food or nutraceutical in human nutrition, showcasing beneficial health effects.

Miscanthus and poplar are very promising second-generation feedstocks due to the high growth rates and low nutrient demand. The aim of the study was to develop a systematic approach for choosing suitable pretreatment methods evaluated with the modified severity factor (log R0 ''). Optimal pretreatment results in a high delignification grade, low cellulose solubilization and increased accessibility for enzymatic hydrolysis while revealing minimal log R0 '' values. In order to do so, several reaction approaches were compared. Acid-catalyzed organosolv processing carried out for miscanthus and poplar revealed the highest delignification grade leading to a relatively high glucose yield after enzymatic saccharification. In both cases, a design of experiments approach was used to study the influence of relevant parameters. Modeling the data resulted in the identification of optimum pretreatment conditions for miscanthus with concentrations of 0.16% H2SO4 and 50% EtOH at 185 degrees C for a retention time of 60 min. Experimental validation of these conditions revealed an even higher delignification degree (88%) and glucose yield (85%) than predicted. 0.19% H2SO4 and 50% EtOH were determined as optimum concentrations, 182 degrees C and 48 min identified as optimum pretreatment conditions for poplar; the delignification degree was 84% and the resulting glucose yield 70%.

ABSTRACT Reactive inkjet printing offers a direct way to create polymeric structures in situ on a substrate. Therefore, two component polyurethane formulations can be utilized to be used in multicomponent inkjet printing. In this contribution, the use of polyethylene glycol ( M = 200 g mol −1 ), glycerol ethoxylate ( M = 1,000 g mol −1 ), and water (blowing agent) in combination with aliphatic 1,6‐hexamethylene diisocyanate or aromatic methylene diphenyl diisocyanate for reactive inkjet printing is evaluated. The inks are jettable on a Dimatix DMP‐3000 inkjet printer using a 10 pL piezo driven drop‐on‐demand printhead showing stable droplet formation. Solid films on glass are formed using a drop‐by‐drop printing strategy. Layer‐by‐Layer strategy gives best results on polycarbonate substrates forming porous polyurethane structures. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136 , 46977.

The objective of this study was to investigate the extraction of lipids, for example, mono‐ and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) as well as carotenoids, from wet microalgae biomass using pressurized subcritical extraction solvents, which meet the requirements of food and feed applications. To demonstrate the effect of the solvent and temperature on the lipid yield, we chose two microalgae species, viz. Chlorella vulgaris and Phaeodactylum tricornutum, differing in their biochemical composition fundamentally. In case of P. tricornutum, ethanol showed the highest fatty acid yield of 85.9% w/w. In addition to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), the ethanolic extracts contained exceptional amounts of fucoxanthin (up to 26.1 mg/g d. w.), which can be beneficial to protect unsaturated fatty acids from oxidation processes and in terms of human nutrition. For C. vulgaris, a fatty acid yield of 76.5% w/w was achieved from wet biomass using ethyl acetate at 150°C. In general, an increase in the extraction temperature up to 150°C was found to be important in terms of fatty acid yield when extracting wet microalgae biomass. The results suggest that it is possible to efficiently extract both fatty acids and carotenoids from wet microalgae by selecting suitable solvents and thus circumvent energy‐intensive drying of the biomass.

The application of inulin as a drug carrier system for dexpanthenol in particles prepared by spray-drying was investigated in this research. First, inulin was chemically modified by esterification of free hydroxyl groups with acetic anhydride and propionic anhydride. The obtained polymers were purified by precipitation and analyzed via NMR, FT-IR, SEC and DSC. In the next step, the spray-drying and particle formation of native inulin, acetylated and propionylated inulin were investigated in order to optimize the parameters. Each material delivered smooth and spherical particles with a size range from 0.7 mm to 10 mu m. Subsequently, 1% dexpanthenol was encapsulated in each material and the release behavior with respect to chemical modification was compared. The release behavior of dexpanthenol was determined using a flow through cell (USP4) with dialysis adapter for microparticles. Inulin particles released 100% dexpanthenol after 6 h, while the use of chemically modified inulin derivatives presented a prolonged drug release. After 24 h, 60% had been released from particles with acetylated inulin and only 10% from those with propionylated inulin.

The causative agent of Grapevine Downy Mildew, the oomycete Plasmopara viticola, poses a serious threat to viticulture. In the current work, the contractile vacuole of the zoospore is analysed as potential target for novel plant protection strategies. Using a combination of electron microscopy, spinning disc confocal microscopy, and video differential interference contrast microscopy, we have followed the genesis and dynamics of this vacuole required during the search for the stomata, when the non-walled zoospore is exposed to hypotonic conditions. This subcellular description was combined with a pharmacological study, where the functionality of the contractile vacuole was blocked by manipulation of actin, by Na, Cu, and Al ions or by inhibition of the NADPH oxidase. We further observe that RGD peptides (mimicking binding sites for integrins at the extracellular matrix) can inhibit the function of the contractile vacuole as well. Finally, we show that an extract from Chinese liquorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis) proposed as biocontrol for Downy Mildews can efficiently induce zoospore burst and that this activity depends on the activity of NADPH oxidase. The effect of the extract can be phenocopied by its major compound, glycyrrhizin, suggesting a mode of action for this biologically safe alternative to copper products.

ABSTRACTCoating processes have become an important fabrication step in membrane production, either to form a separation layer on a porous substrate or to tune specific properties. The coating procedure depends to a large extent on the membrane properties which substantially impedes a prediction of the coating thickness. To give an insight into the coating properties of various hollow fiber membranes, a selection of membranes with different pore sizes was coated with aqueous poly(vinyl alcohol) solutions at various coating velocities. It was found that material properties and pore sizes of the membranes have great influence on coating thicknesses. An intrusion of coating material into the membrane structure was determined with increasing pore size. Pure intrusion without formation of a dense surface layer took place when using a membrane with a mean pore size of ca. 500 nm. Coating results were correlated with the theoretical LLD law and for some membranes the coating thickness can be predicted quite well by the LLD law and its enhancements. When a significant amount of coating material penetrated into the membrane structure the LLD law loses its validity. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 46163.

Reactive inkjet printing (RIJ) was used as an additive manufacturing (AM) tool. Combined with polyurethane (PU) chemistry, it is shown that RIJ can be used to build micro-scale foams. Waterblown polyurethane foams (PUF) based on polyethylene glycol 200 (PEG200), glycerol ethoxylate (Star-PEG) and 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) were used to prepare the foams. The system was catalyzed using iron(III) chloride, dibutyltin dilaurate (DBTL), diazabicyclo octane (DABCO) and bis(2-dimethylaminoethyl) ether. The influence of iron(III) chloride and DBTL were investigated by means of temperature profile measurements. The stability of the catalyst system was tested for 32 hours within the ink formulation. The ink formulations were then printed with a Dimatix DMP3000 (Fujifilm, USA) printer using a 16 nozzle printhead with a nominal 10 pL drop volume. The reaction of the inks and the building of PUF after printing were investigated by light microscopy and SEM. It seems favorable to use high amounts of catalyst in order to obtain a more porous structure.