Search

Juncus maritimus contains (41.5 ± 0.3)% cellulose and (31.34 ± 0.2)% hemicellulose on dry solid (DS) basis and has the potential to serve as a low cost feedstock for ethanol production. Dilute acid or freezing/thawing pretreatments and enzymatic saccharification were evaluated for conversion of halophyte plant from J. maritimus cellulose and hemicelluloses to monomeric sugars. The maximum concentration of released glucose from J. maritimus (53.78 ± 3.24) g L−1) by Freezing/thawing pretreatment and enzymatic saccharification (55 °C, pH 5.0 and 48 h) using CellicCTec2 from Novozymes and (49.14 ± 5.24) g L−1 obtained by dilute acid pretreatment. The maximum yield of ethanol from acid pretreated enzyme saccharified J. maritimus hydrolyzate by Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain was (84.28 ± 5.11)% of the theoretical yield with a productivity of (0.88 ± 0.16)g L−1 h−1. It was (90.87 ± 1.94)% of the theoretical yield with a productivity of (1.04 ± 0.10) g L−1h−1 for freezing/thawing pretreated plant and enzymatic hydrolysis by CellicCTec2.

The effect of multinutrient block supply and polyethylene glycol 4000 (PEG) on intake, digestion and rumen fermentation was studied in sheep fed with air-dried Acacia cyanophylla foliage (acacia)-based diet. In Experiment I, six Noire de Thibar breed sheep ( BW =46 kg ) were used in double 3×3 Latin square design. All diets included about 360 g of dry matter (DM) of oat–vetch hay and acacia ad libitum. Diet D0 was without a block supplement. Diet D1 included a urea–molasses–mineral block (B1). While D2 included another type of block (B2) that differed from B1 essentially by adding polyethylene glycol 4000. Each experimental period lasted 33 days (21 days for adaptation and two periods of 5 days for measurement separated by 2 days for rest). Feed intake, apparent digestibility of organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP) and crude fibre (CF) and retained nitrogen (Nr) were measured by total faecal collection. In Experiment II, four Noire de Thibar sheep ( BW =53 kg ) fitted with rumen cannulae were fed sequentially D0, D1 and D2, respectively, to 90% of intake levels as measured in Experiment I on metabolic weight (MW) base. Fermentation parameters in rumen liquid (pH, NH3-N, volatile fatty acid (VFA)) were measured at 0, 2, 5, 8, 10, 13, 16 and 21 h after the morning meal. Protozoal number and composition in rumen fluid were determined at 2 h sampling time. Solid digesta kinetics through the rumen was measured using chromium (Cr) mordanced acacia. The DM and CP degradation of acacia was determined using the nylon bag technique. Acacia had a relatively high content of condensed tannins (41 g kg−1 of DM) and acid detergent lignin (176 g kg−1 of DM). B1 and B2 were high in CP (381 and 369 g kg−1 of DM, respectively) compared to acacia (127 g kg−1 of DM, 20% bound to fibre) and hay (75 g kg−1 of DM). The two kinds of blocks improved similarly (P Both B1 and B2 increased (P