John Korstad

High Yield and Conversion of Biodiesel from a Nonedible Feedstock (Pongamia pinnata)

An efficient approach has been adopted for the synthesis of biodiesel developed from karanja, a nonedible oil feedstock. A two-step reaction was followed for synthesis of biodiesel. Karanja oil possessing a high free fatty acid content was esterified with sulfuric acid, and the product obtained was further converted to fatty acid alkyl esters (biodiesel) by transesterification reactions. A moderate molar ratio of 6:1 (methanol/oil) was efficient for acid esterification with 1.5% v/v H2SO4 and 1 h of reaction time at 60+/-0.5 degrees C, which resulted in reduction of FFA from 19.88 to 1.86 mg of KOH/g. During alkaline transesterification, 8:1 molar ratio (methanol/oil), 0.8 wt % sodium hydroxide (NaOH), 1.0 wt % sodium methoxide (CH3ONa), or 1.0 wt % potassium hydroxide (KOH) as catalyst at 60+/-0.5 degrees C gave optimized yield (90-95%) and high conversion (96-100%). Optimum times for alkaline transesterification were 45 min for CH3ONa and 1 h for NaOH and KOH. Conversion of karanja oil feedstock to its respective fatty acid methyl esters was identified on a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer and determined by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance and gas chromatography. The fuel properties, such as cetane number of the methyl ester synthesized, were studied and found to be within the limits and specification of ASTM D 6751 and EN 14112 except for oxidation stability.

Life history characteristics of Brachionus plicatilis (rotifera) fed different algae

A detailed study of the life history of the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis was done at 20 °C, 20 ppt salinity, and 90 mg C 1−1 food concentration. Rotifers were grown individually in culture plate wells (150 µl culture volume) and fed Isochrysis galbana Tahiti, Tetraselmis sp., Nannochloris atomus, or a l : 1 mixture (weight) of two of the algae. Observations were made every 2–8 hr and rotifers were sized and transferred to new food daily. A total of 19 different parameters were compared. Rotifers fed Isochrysis averaged 21 offspring per female, a 6.7 day reproductive period, a lifespan of 10.5 days and a mean length of 234 µm. After Isochrysis, the foods giving the highest growth, survival, and reproduction in decreasing order were Isochrysis + Nannochloris, Nannochloris, Isochrysis + Tetraselmis, Tetraselmis + Nannochloris, and Tetraselmis. Although the small volume culture system used in this study seems appropriate for studying life history of B. plicatilis, the results cannot always be directly applied to larger cultures.

Use of swimming speed and egg ratio as predictors of the status of rotifer cultures in aquaculture

This study evaluated the use of egg ratio (eggs rotifer−1) and swimming speed (mm min−1) as prediction criteria for production and culture quality in mass cultures of the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis. Egg ratio was determined to be a suitable predictor of rotifer growth and production in the cultures. Low egg ratios (i.e., 0–0.17 eggs rotifer−1) indicate reduced rotifer population over time (i.e., negative net population growth rates). However, at this time egg ratio dynamics are not suitably understood to predict in advance a sudden population collapse.Swimming speed of reproductive, egg-carrying females in the exponential growth phase was 40–45 mm min−1. During exponential growth swimming speed was independent of the food used. Lower swimming speeds were obtained in late stationary phase (10–25 mm min−1) when yeast was used as a food source. Both environmental factors (e.g., accumulating metabolites) and changes in nutritional state of the rotifers may have affected the swimming speed, but environmental factors appear to be the most important. We believe that swimming speed has the potential of becoming an accurate predictor of culture quality in mass cultures of rotifers.

Feeding kinetics of Brachionus plicatilis fed Isochrysis galbana

Clearance and ingestion rates of Brachionus plicatilis were measured using 14C-labeled Isochrysis galbana Tahiti. Experiments were conducted at 20–22 °C, 20 ppt salinity, and algal concentrations ranging from 0.13–64 mg Cl−1. Clearance rates were constant and maximal at concentrations <2 mg Cl−1 with maximum rates ranging from 3.4–6.9 µl ind. hr−l. The ingestion rate varied with food concentration, and was described by a rectilinear model. The maximum ingestion rate varied considerably, and was dependent on the growth rate of the rotifers. Depending on the pre-conditions, B. plicatilis ingested about 0.5 to 2 times its body carbon per day at saturating food concentrations.

Nutrient Regeneration by Zooplankton in Southern Lake Huron

Rates of nutrient regeneration by zooplankton (μmol/mg dry wt/hr) in southern Lake Huron from April to August 1975 ranged from undetectable to 2.6 for total phosphorus (TP), undetectable to 0.8 for total soluble phosphorus (TSP), undetectable to 0.12 for soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), undetectable to 0.97 for ammonia (NH3), undetectable to 3.8 for nitrate plus nitrite (NO3 + NO2), and undetectable to 2.9 for silica (SiO2). Two diel experiments were conducted. Times of highest rates of regeneration varied for the different nutrients on these dates. Using the average concentration of zooplankton in the surface waters during this study, the calculated average concentration of nutrients regenerated by zooplankton was 0.012 μmol P/L/ hr for TP, 0.0046 μmol P/L/ hr for TSP, 0.0016 μmol P/L/ hr for SRP, 0.0146 μmol N/L/ hr for NH3, 0.043 μmol N/L/ hr for NO3 + NO2, and 0.058 μmol Si/L/ hr for SiO2. The contribution of nutrient regeneration by zooplankton to the turnover time of the various nutrients in the surface waters was calculated to be 212 hr for TP, 239 hr for TSP, 69 hr for SRP, 62 hr for NH3, 505 hr for NO3 + NO2, and 531 hr for SiO2. Although the turnover time for most of these nutrients is fairly slow, the nutrient pools for SRP and NH3 are replenished in less than 70 hr by nutrient regeneration. Zooplankton therefore appear to play a significant role in the cycling of SRP and NH3 in southern Lake Huron.

Do, but don’t tell: The search for social responsibility and sustainability in the websites of the top-100 US MBA programs

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the degree to which business schools, in particular MBA programs, have developed academic programs and centers specifically focused on corporate social responsibility and sustainability (CSRS) and, for those that have, promote them on their Web sites. The instruction of CSRS in institutions of higher education is increasing worldwide. The extent to which US MBA programs have developed academic programs and centers focused on CSRS could potentially be a way for business schools to distinguish themselves from other schools. Design/methodology/approach – The authors use a Web-based search of the Web sites of the top-100 US MBA programs to ascertain the extent to which they have developed CSRS-related academic programs and centers. They then look specifically at the full-time MBA main Web page to ascertain to what extent these programs promote CSRS material. Findings – The results suggest that schools in the top quarter and bottom quarter, as well as priva...

Life Cycle Assessment of Algal Biofuels

First- and second-generation biofuels are widely recognized as unsustainable in the long run due to associated challenges and are incapable to completely displace petroleum-based transportation fuels. Biofuel from algae (third generation of biofuels) is an emerging area of research and offers several potential benefits over first and second generation of biofuels. To achieve the goals of sustainable development needed today requires moving beyond the general compliance to specified norms for environmental protection and a cradle-to-grave-approach-based analysis of products and processes. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is an analytical tool to assess the environmental, social, and economic performance of alternative products and processes throughout its life cycle. Since fossil fuels have created environmental concerns, any alterative should perform better on environmental concerns than fossil fuels before it is promoted. Therefore, LCA of algal biofuels is imperative in order to assess its suitability over fossil fuels.

Phytoremediation Potential of Bioenergy Plants

Chapter 1. Phytoremediation: A multidimensional and ecologically viable practice for the cleanup of environmental contaminants (Poulomi Chakravarty) -- Chapter 2. Bioenergy: A sustainable approach for cleaner environment (Abhishek Guldhe) -- Chapter 3. Phytoremediation of Heavy Metal Contaminated Soil using Bioenergy Crops (Ambuj Bhushan Jha) -- Chapter 4. PHYTOREMEDIATION OF SOIL CONTAMINANTS BY BIODIESEL PLANT Jatropha curcas (Abioye OP) -- Chapter 5. Ricinus Communis: An ecological engineer and a biofuel resource (Dhananjay Kumar) -- Chapter 6. Bioenergy and Phytoremediation Potential of Millettia pinnata (Dipesh kumar) -- Chapter 7. PHYTOREMEDIATION POTENTIAL OF Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit. FOR HEAVY METAL POLLUTED AND DEGRADED ENVIRONMENTS (Jamilu Edrisa Ssenku) -- Chapter 8. Phytoremediation potential of industrially important and biofuel plants: Azadirachta indica and Acacia nilotica (Jaya Tiwari) -- Chapter 9. Efficiency of an industrially important crop Hibiscus cannabinus for phytoremediation and bioenergy production (Neha Vishnoi) -- Chapter 10. Canabis sativa: A plant suitable for Phytoremediation and Bioenergy production (Sanjeev Kumar) -- Chapter 11. Phytoremediation and bioenergy production efficiency of medicinal and aromatic plants (Jisha C.K.) -- Chapter 12. A sustainable approach to clean contaminated land using terrestrial grasses (Anju Patel) -- Chapter 13. Macrophytes for the reclamation of degraded water bodies with potential for bio-energy production (Sangeeta Anand) -- Chapter 14. Efficiency of bioenergy plant in phytoremediation of saline and sodic soil (Priyanka Bharti) -- Chapter 15. Managing waste dumpsites through energy plantations (Vimal Chandra Pandey) -- Chapter 16. Biotechnological intervention to enhance the potential ability of bioenergy plants for phytoremediation (Gulshan Singh) -- Chapter 17. Sustainability of three (Jatropha, Karanja and Castor) oil seed bearing bio-energy plants for phytoremediation: A meta-analysis based case study of India (Dipesh Kumar) -- Chapter 18. Phycoremediation: An ecofriendly algal technology for bioremediation and bioenergy production (Sanjay Kumar Gupta) -- Chapter 19. Coupling phytoremediation appositeness with bioenergy plants: A socio-legal perspective (Rashwet Shrinkhal).

Bio-oil and Biodiesel as Biofuels Derived from Microalgal Oil and Their Characterization by Using Instrumental Techniques

Microalgal oil has been a source for production of biofuels such as bio-oil and biodiesel. These two biofuels can be characterized quantitatively using advanced instrumentation techniques. Nile red fluorescence method, PAM fluorometry, NMR, GC/GC-MS, and FTIR are among the major techniques available for characterization and quantification of algal oil. NMR is a rapid and nondestructive analytical technique as it requires minimal sample preparation, and even one intact algal cell can be analyzed. It can also be used for continuous monitoring of cellular composition of algal culture. NMR can be used to monitor transesterification reaction and oxidation of lipids and biodiesel components. GC has remained the most widely used analytical technique for fatty acid profile analysis. GC-MS is a destructive analytical technique as derivatization of algal oil is required owing to its poor volatility and hence involves lengthy sample preparation procedure. FTIR is a relatively inexpensive technique and, like NMR, can analyze intact cells with scanning time of the order of seconds. FTIR may offer high signal-to-noise ratio and can also be used to monitor transesterification.

Efficiency of Bioenergy Plant in Phytoremediation of Saline and Sodic Soil

Saline and sodic soils are distributed all over the world and are continuously increasing with a rapid rate and hence considered as one of the serious problems of land degradation. Land degradation is directly affecting the agricultural production. Due to limited availability of agricultural land/soil and poor soil physical and chemical characteristics, there is scarcity of food supply for the increasing population. Hence, the sodic and saline soil can be considered as an important land resource and can be utilized for economic development of the country. Several methods have been applied to restore the saline and sodic land. Chemical methods, such as using gypsum cause dissolution of calcium ion by replacing Na+ ion through cation exchange processes. This process works efficiently but is cost intensive and not feasible for farmers as well as natural ecosystems. There is a need of sustainable and cost-effective process/technology that can help in reclamation of saline and sodic soil. In this respect, phytoremediation has emerged as a versatile technology towards the reclamation of degraded land. The purpose of phytoremediation using bioenergy crops is to obtain resources that can sustain the increasing population and simultaneously can be used for oil production. Adopting phytoremediation using energy crops also sequesters carbon, fixes atmospheric nitrogen in the soil, and produces oil and biomass that can be utilized as feedstock for biofuels.