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Thursday, November 21, 2024

YOU ARE WHAT YOU READ

Poor mental health linked to browsing negative content online

University College London

People with poorer mental health are more prone to browsing negative content online, which further exacerbates their symptoms, finds a study led by UCL researchers.

The relationship between mental health and web-browsing is causal and bi-directional, according to the Wellcome-funded study published in Nature Human Behaviour.

The researchers have developed a plug-in tool* that adds ‘content labels’ to webpages—similar to nutrition labels on food—designed to help users make healthier and more informed decisions about the content they consume. These labels emphasise the emotional impact of webpage content, along with its practicality and informativeness.

Co-lead author Professor Tali Sharot (UCL Psychology & Language Sciences, Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology) said: “Our results show that browsing negatively valenced content not only mirrors a person’s mood but can also actively worsen it. This creates a feedback loop that can perpetuate mental health challenges over time.”

Over 1,000 study participants answered questions about their mental health and shared their web browsing history with the researchers. Using natural language processing methods, the researchers analysed the emotional tone of the webpages participants visited. They found that participants with worse moods and mental health symptoms were inclined to browse more negative content online, and after browsing, those who browsed more negative content felt worse.

In an additional study, the researchers manipulated the websites people visited, exposing some participants to negative content and others to neutral content. They found that those exposed to negative websites reported worse moods afterward, demonstrating a causal effect of browsing negative content on mood. When these participants were then asked to browse the internet freely, those who had previously viewed negative websites—and consequently experienced a worse mood—chose to view more negative content. This finding highlights that the relationship is bi-directional: negative content affects mood, and a worsened mood drives the consumption of more negative content.

Co-lead author, PhD student Christopher Kelly (UCL Psychology & Language Sciences, Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology), said: "The results contribute to the ongoing debate regarding the relationship between mental health and online behaviour.

“Most research addressing this relationship has focused on the quantity of use, such as screen time or frequency of social media use, which has led to mixed conclusions. Here, instead, we focus on the type of content browsed and find that its emotional tone is causally and bidirectionally related to mental health and mood."

To check whether an intervention could be used to change web-browsing choices and improve mood, the researchers conducted a further study. They added content labels to the results of a Google search, which informed participants whether each search result would likely improve their mood, make it worse, or have no impact. Participants were then more likely to choose the positively-labelled sites deemed likely to improve their mood—and when asked about their mood after, those who had looked at the positive websites were indeed in better moods than other participants.

In response, the researchers have developed a free browser plug-in that adds labels to Google search results, providing three different ratings of how practical a website’s content is, how informative it is, and how it impacts mood.

Professor Sharot said: “We are accustomed to seeing content labels on our groceries, providing nutritional information such as sugar, calories, protein, and vitamins to help us make informed decisions about what we eat. A similar approach could be applied to the content we consume online, empowering people to make healthier choices online.”

* Digital Diet browser extension

Journal

Nature Human Behaviour

DOI

10.1038/s41562-024-02065-6

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Web-browsing patterns reflect and shape mood and mental health

Article Publication Date

21-Nov-2024

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

New study investigates how jetlag can disrupt our metabolism

University of Surrey

Have you ever felt sluggish and out of sorts after a long-haul flight or a late-night shift? A new study from the University of Surrey and the University of Aberdeen has found that disruptions to our body clock, such as those experienced during jetlag, impact our metabolism – but to a lesser extent than sleepiness and the primary clock in the brain.

Led by Professor Jonathan Johnston at the University of Surrey and Professor Alexandra Johnstone at the University of Aberdeen, the research involved a controlled experiment where participants experienced a 5-hour delay in their bedtime and mealtimes.

The study, published on iScience, highlights that the time shifts lead to:

Reduced energy spent processing meals.

Changes in blood sugar and fat levels.

Slower release of breakfast contents from the stomach.

These metabolic effects were temporary, however, and mostly recovered within 2-3 days of the 5-hour time delay. This was in marked contrast to the main clock in the brain, plus feelings of sleepiness and alertness, which had not recovered within 5 days of the 5-hour time delay.

Professor Jonathan Johnston, Professor of Chronobiology and Integrative Physiology at the University of Surrey, said:

“Our research underscores the importance of maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, particularly in our fast-paced world in which long trips and shift work are ever so common. Even a small time shift can impact many aspects of metabolism, but it now seems that metabolic consequences of jetlag recover far more quickly than impairment of sleep and alertness. Understanding the impact of circadian rhythms on our health can help us make informed choices about our lifestyle. By optimising our sleep and eating patterns, we can improve our overall wellbeing.”

[ENDS]

Journal

iScience

DOI

10.1016/j.isci.2024.111161

Method of Research

Randomized controlled/clinical trial

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Short-term changes in human metabolism following a 5-h delay of the light-dark and behavioral cycle

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

Suriname’s Debt Crisis Shows Us How Global Capitalism Works

With rich Amazon forests and fewer than a million people, Suriname is one of the few countries that absorbs more carbon than it produces. But the former Dutch colony is now being forced to implement destructive austerity by global financial interests.

By Sharda Ganga, Jerome Phelps

November 18, 2024

Source: Jacobin

A meeting of civil society group, Projekta Suriname. Image Credit: Projekta Suriname

Suriname is a former Dutch colony in South America, best known for the pristine Amazon forests that cover 93 percent of the country and make it one of only three countries that absorb more carbon emissions than they produce. It has recently become more interesting to the rest of the world for two main reasons: the fact that it is experiencing one of the world’s worst debt crises, and the discovery of offshore oil and gas in immense quantities.

The people of Suriname find themselves living in a dual reality. In the present, there is a brutal austerity program imposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), wreaking the usual havoc on people’s lives. At the same time, politicians assure them that the country has a bright future ahead in which abundant oil revenues will solve all problems and benefit everyone.

Suriname is an important case study in the way financialized neocolonialism works in the twenty-first century. A feminist perspective on debt can supply us with invaluable tools for thinking about the destructive impact of debt and finding ways to combat it.
Debt and Neocolonialism

Suriname’s fertile land and navigable rivers have for centuries been profitable for powerful foreigners. Dutch settlers took over coffee, sugar, and cotton plantations from the British in 1667 and established what was arguably the most brutal slave economy in the region. However, the Dutch colonizers did not stray very far into the forested interior, where indigenous people and Maroon communities of people who escaped slavery defended their autonomy.

Yet even before the country gained its independence from the Netherlands, US commercial interests were transforming the landscape. Vast tracts of forest were flooded, forcing the Maroon Saamaka community from its lands in order to build the Afobaka Dam, which would generate hydroelectric power for the bauxite factory of the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa).

When Suriname was no longer sufficiently profitable to Alcoa, the company packed up and left, having managed to sell the dam back to Suriname. Thanks to unfair deals that doubled electricity prices and left Suriname exposed to swings in commodity markets, the country even owed Alcoa more than $100 million for electricity that was produced using its own natural resources.

This debt reached crisis proportions in the 2010s with the spending spree of the Dési Bouterse administration. Private lenders and international financial institutions queued up to make loans, often at high interest, amid the deep crash of global commodity prices. Although Bouterse is currently on the run from a twenty-year sentence for murdering political opponents, the Surinamese people still remain liable for the debts and at the mercy of anyone willing to lend money.

Having said no to the conditions set by the IMF in 2018, the government was forced to borrow from a variety of capital market instruments and multilateral creditors such as the Inter-American Development Bank and the Chinese state, again at high interest rates. After the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Suriname defaulted in November 2020.

States are not able to declare bankruptcy in the way that individuals or companies can. Suriname is considered too wealthy to access the Common Framework, the limited and inadequate process for debt relief and restructuring set up by the G20 in the wake of the pandemic. The result, for Suriname and countries across the Global South, is that precious resources needed for health and education drain away to pay the interest on loans.

When countries default, they have to negotiate with their creditors to reduce their debts. Private creditors receive 46 percent of external debt payments from the Global South and own 38 percent of Suriname’s debts. These actors are not used to taking losses when their risky loans go wrong. Private creditors held out in debt-restructuring negotiations with Suriname for an amazingly sweet deal that amounted to canceling just 2 percent of the debt owed. When interest is taken into account, Debt Justice estimates that bondholders will make profits of 80 percent.

Even worse, the bondholders have laid claim to Suriname’s future oil revenues through a value-recovery instrument. If all goes according to plan, this will line their pockets with a staggering windfall of 30 percent of future oil revenues, up to a total of £689 million. Meanwhile, Suriname will continue to spend 27 percent of its government revenues on external debt payments over the next five years.

In order to safeguard this windfall, the agreement with the bondholders is dependent on Suriname changing the legislation of its sovereign wealth fund by December 2024. Fifty years after Suriname’s official independence from the Netherlands, foreign bodies are once again dictating how Suriname uses its resources and what legislation it should pass. This is the new form of colonialism, using debt to gain access to resources.
Debt-Fueled Austerity

The result, for the people of Suriname, is austerity. The IMF demanded savage cuts, based on a flawed methodology that prioritizes capital flows over human rights and the sustainability of life.

These cuts have had a deep impact on people’s lives, plunging the country into political, economic, and social chaos, with strikes and uprisings. Health care has collapsed, medicines are scarce, and operating rooms are empty for lack of materials and qualified personnel. Essential workers such as teachers and health care workers have left the country in droves, poached by institutions in the Netherlands, the former colonizer.

These austerity policies have had a particularly harsh impact on Surinamese women and LGBTQ people, who must pick up the burden of care as the state withdraws. Such feminized care work, disavowed and unpaid, has always been an essential precondition for capitalist profits, even though it is ignored in economic models or deemed “unproductive” in contrast with “productive” paid labor. Debt crises bring this to the fore, as carers have to find money to pay for privatized health services, the skyrocketing prices of essentials, or taxis for children to attend school after school buses and wider networks of public transport have been cut.

Susan Doorson of Women’s Way Foundation highlights the situation of LGBTQ women who face the prospect of going into debt to pay for mental and sexual health services: “How many people in Suriname die because they don’t have access to services? They have to think, am I going to feed the family today or am I going to get this checked out?”

Historic neglect of rural indigenous areas means that health care services are concentrated in the capital, Paramaribo, which is a fifteen-hour boat journey from some communities. According to Audrey Christiaan, ambassador of indigenous cultural group Juku Jume Maro, indigenous communities that “don’t have the luxury of public transport” because of spending cuts and lose access to vital services. In the event of a medical emergency, they face the dramatic expense of hiring a plane to bring people for treatment, which in some cases can be too late.

Austerity forces carers to work longer hours, in more precarious conditions, for lower salaries. Women are disproportionately employed in the public services that face redundancies due to IMF demands to balance the books. The informal sector jobs in which women and LGBTQ people often work also shrink as people cut back on discretionary spending. Inflation in Suriname has meant an 11 percent reduction in purchasing power over the space of a year.

As a result, carers are less able than ever to bear the sudden costs that fall upon them and have to go into debt themselves, as the cycle of debt moves from the state to the household level. At the same time, they have less and less time and resources to provide the unpaid care that service cuts increasingly load onto them, and that society depends on.

A Global Phenomenon

This scenario is not confined to countries like Suriname. We have also seen it play out for communities in the Global North, especially since the 2008 crash, as the governments of rich countries inflict austerity policies with similar narratives to justify them. The crisis of care is now a global phenomenon. As Nancy Fraser has argued, by pushing the unpaid carers on which it depends to the edge of survival while destroying the natural environment it pillages for free resources, global financial capitalism is increasingly cannibalizing the conditions of its own profiteering.

Debt-driven austerity is destabilizing countries across the world. In Suriname, unprecedented protests filled the main square of Paramaribo. But they had limited impact: the Surinamese government has little power in an unfair global system, and it has continued to implement the diktats of creditors and the IMF, despite their deep domestic unpopularity.

As Lucí Cavallero and Verónica Gago have explained, drawing on the experiences of the Ni Una Menos feminist movement in Argentina, debt-driven exploitation enforces obedience at the same time as it generates profits. In contrast to the expense of maintaining a colonial army, debt generates profits even as it controls and coerces.

The same tool that drains resources from communities simultaneously works to make that process of extraction invisible, individual, and shameful, in stark contrast to the collective exploitation of workers on the factory floor. Whereas unionized workers have strength in numbers for their collective struggle against identifiable exploitative employers, the individual stands alone with their debts before the invisible ranks of banks and creditors, while society tells them that it is their own fault.

States also stand alone against their creditors and the IMF, fearing the judgments of credit-rating agencies and stigmatized by a moralizing narrative that debts are the result of irresponsible borrowing, wastefulness, and corruption. When Burkina Faso’s president Thomas Sankara attempted to organize African states to stand in solidarity against neocolonial debt, he was swiftly deposed in a coup and murdered, allegedly with the support of the French state.

A Feminist Issue

We need a feminist perspective to understand and resist the new wave of debt-based expropriation. Feminism has always worked to make the private sphere politically visible and to build forms of collective solidarity against individualized stigma and exploitation. Financialized capitalism is enveloped in mystification: its workings seem opaque even to specialists, and incomprehensible to the people at the sharp end. Movements like Ni Una Menos have focused on demystifying this process, taking debt “out of the closet” and “challenging its power to shame,” in Cavallero and Gago’s powerful words.

We need an internationalist feminism of the 99 percent that can make connections between the impact of the debt and care crises on communities, women, and LGBTQ people in the Global South and North alike. The overlapping crises we face — debt, climate, and care — can only be addressed through international coordination by governments held accountable to and by their people.

Protests against austerity and irresponsible borrowing in the Global South must be combined with demands for solidarity and justice in the Global North. Examples include new laws in the UK and New York that would prevent private creditors from using the courts to demand payment in full from countries in default.

2025 will be a jubilee year, part of a long tradition of periodic debt amnesties that led to large-scale debt cancelation following the global Jubilee 2000 campaign. Twenty-five years on, we need internationalist feminist solidarity to drive the wave of civil society mobilizations that are demanding debt cancellation and a just international debt system.

Sharda Ganga is the director of Projekta Suriname, a civil society organization focusing on the interlinkage between human rights, democracy, and governance, with a specific focus on women's rights and gender equality. She is also a playwright and newspaper columnist.

Quirks of Right-Wing Populism

Far-right populists do share some things with the left. But boss rule Trumps them all.

Looking for some dim silver linings, some progressives have made the accurate observation that some right-wing populists have criticisms of capitalism that mirror the left’s. They may be, if not useful idiots, occasional allies.

For instance, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has criticized Big Food and Big Pharma. If he can just drop some of his more lunatic views, as secretary of HHS he might shine a useful spotlight and revise some bad industry practices.

Dr. Deborah Birx, COVID response coordinator during Trump’s first term, said Sunday she expects that Kennedy’s nomination will lead to illuminating discussions about public health. Speaking on CBS’s Face the Nation, she said, "I’m actually excited that in a Senate hearing he would bring forward his data and the questions that come from the senators would bring forth their data."

CBS showed a clip of Kennedy saying, "I’m just going to tell the cereal companies to take all the dyes out of their food. I’ll get processed food out of school lunch immediately. Ten percent of food stamps go to sugar drinks to, you know, sodas. We’re creating diabetes problem, and our kids are giving them food that’s poison, and I’m going to stop that."

Birx is actually a serious person. She served as Obama’s global AIDS coordinator. Could she be onto something?

The populist right also has mixed feelings about tech billionaire monopolies (Elon Musk and Peter Thiel excepted) because of their fundraising for Democrats and their socially liberal views. Our friend Matt Stoller published a startling item on the admiration of Matt Gaetz for FTC Chair Lina Khan, charmingly describing Gaetz as a "Khanservative."

As Stoller wrote, "Gaetz proudly calls himself a Lina Khan fan, and filed a brief with the conservative Fifth Circuit asserting that the Federal Trade Commission has the authority to ban non-compete agreements, and personally hosted her as a guest on a show on Newsmax to discuss how to get rid of ‘creepy’ commercial surveillance. He has praised the Biden Antitrust Division’s Jonathan Kanter’s work on Google."

Stoller also quoted Gaetz: "It is my belief that the number one threat to our liberty is big government. It is also my belief that the number two big threat to our liberty is big business, when big business is able to use the apparatus of government to wrap around its objectives."

This sounds hopeful, but Gaetz may well not get confirmed as attorney general. And if he does, he still has to answer to Trump, who could easily find antitrust officials with his own highly selective views of which monopoly abuses to go after and which to give a pass.

And while Kennedy does have some views that are critical of Big Food and Big Pharma, consider what happened on the food front over the weekend.

In the past, RFK Jr. has been highly critical of Trump’s diet. "The stuff that he eats is really, like, bad," he said. "Campaign food is always bad, but the food that goes onto that airplane is, like, just poison. You have a choice between—you don’t have the choice, you’re either given KFC or Big Macs. That’s, like, when you’re lucky, and then the rest of the stuff I consider kind of inedible."

Well, on Sunday, all the talk shows showed images of Trump forcing Kennedy to choke down a burger, fries, and a Coke.

The deeper problem with far-right populism is that the boss is the boss of bosses. Because far fringe appointees like Gaetz and Kennedy, if confirmed, will be entirely creatures of Trump’s whims, they will do what he says.

E.E. Cummings wrote in a poem, celebrating a brave conscientious objector named Olaf who was brutalized by his captors, declaring, "There is some shit I will not eat." That evidently does not describe RFK Jr.

~ ROBERT KUTTNER

The American Prospect.

Monday, November 18, 2024

Why substitute sugar with maple syrup?

First human clinical trial explores how replacing refined sugars with pure maple syrup can help in preventing metabolic disease

Ellen LaNicca Fearless PR

image:
Dr. Andre Marette, PhD, was the lead scientist for first human trial substituting refined sugars with pure maple syrup. The study found significant improvement in multiple cardiometabolic risk factors.
view more
Credit: Maple From Canada

Quebec, CA, November 18, 2024 – A new study published in the The Journal of Nutrition, found that substituting two tablespoons of pure maple syrup for refined sugars reduced several cardiometabolic risk factors in humans. It was the first placebo-controlled clinical trial exploring potential health benefits of maple syrup in humans.

“We know from decades of research that maple syrup is more than just sugar. It contains over 100 natural compounds, including polyphenols, that are known to prevent disease in part through their anti-inflammatory effects,” remarked Dr. André Marette, PhD, and lead scientist on the study. “Because the fundamental chemistry of maple syrup is unique, I wondered if ingesting maple syrup instead of an equivalent amount of refined sugar would differently impact the cardiometabolic health and the intestinal microbiota in humans. The results were extremely encouraging. I did not expect to see so many improvements of risk factors within a relatively short treatment period.”

The study was conducted by a Laval University team led by Dr. André Marette, PhD, at the Quebec Heart and Lung Institute and Dr. Marie-Claude Vohl, PhD, at the Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods.

Study Protocol

Forty-two volunteers from the greater Québec city area, between the ages of 18-75 in good health, and with a BMI of 23-40, participated in the study. Participants substituted 5% of their daily caloric intake (corresponding to 2 tablespoons) from refined sugars with either Canadian maple syrup or an artificially flavored sucrose syrup. Each phase lasted 8 weeks with participants switching between maple syrup and sucrose syrup groups after a four-week washout period. The cross-over design ensured that the same test subject was his or her own control, consuming both placebo and maple syrup. Primary outcomes focused on the oral glucose tolerance test, the OGTT. Secondary outcomes included changes in blood lipid profile, blood pressure, body fat composition (measured by DEXA scan) and changes in gut microbiota composition.

Maple, the Smarter Sweetener, Improves Multiple Cardiometabolic Risk Factors

Blood Sugar Lowered

Study participants who consumed pure maple syrup had an improved response to the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) than those who received a flavored syrup of refined sugar. Their bodies managed blood sugar levels better after eating (-50.59 vs. +29.93).

Blood Pressure Lowered

Blood pressure was also lowered in the subjects who consumed maple syrup during the trial. Systolic blood pressure decreased significantly in the maple syrup group (-2.72 mm Hg) while it increased slightly in the sucrose group (+0.87 mm Hg). “Lowering blood pressure continues to be an important factor in lessening the risk of cardiovascular disease,” Dr. Marette commented. “Natural sweeteners, such as pure maple syrup, when substituted for refined sugars, can be part of an overall solution in helping to prevent metabolic diseases.”

Abdominal Fat Reduced

Visceral fat is the deep fat that wraps around the internal organs in your belly. It can increase an individual’s risk of serious health problems such as heart disease, diabetes and stroke. The maple syrup trial showed that android fat mass, the fat in the abdominal region, significantly decreased in the maple syrup group as compared to an increase in the group consuming the sucrose solution (-7.83 g vs. +67.61 g).

Healthier Gut

An unexpected discovery was the improved levels of potentially beneficial gut bacteria and a decrease in levels of potentially harmful gut bacteria in the maple syrup participants. The study showed a reduction in Klebsiella species and Bacteroides pectinophilus, which are linked to inflammation and metabolic disorders, and the increased growth of beneficial bacteria like Lactocaseibacillus casei and Clostridium beijerinckii.

“Both individually and collectively, the study findings are quite significant,” Dr. Marette noted. “The combined decrease of such key risk factors may help to reduce the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Making a commitment to lifestyle changes and small adjustments to our everyday diets is important and can be a powerful tool in preventing future diseases.”

According to one participant: “Before the study, I would consume pure maple products regularly but not consistently. I have always enjoyed it. Today my routine is to replace refined sugars with 2 tablespoons of pure Canadian maple syrup daily.”

First Human Trial Builds Upon American Researcher’s Cellular and Animal Studies

Dr. Marette’s clinical study builds upon his own work in animal models of diabetes and previous work on maple syrup and its bioactives by American scientist Navindra P. Seeram, PhD, of the University of Rhode Island, College of Pharmacy. Dr. Seeram’s extensive foundational work with maple syrup set the stage for this first human clinical trial. “With each new study, we learn more benefits that natural products from medicinal plants and functional foods, like maple syrup, provide.” noted Dr. Seeram. “The significant promising results of this first human trial provide more reasons for us to educate consumers about maple syrup’s many health benefits. It is truly a ‘smarter sweetener’ and a healthier alternative to refined sugar.”

“While this study was limited to a relatively small sample size (42 men and women) and took place during a relatively short duration of time, the results are still significant,” Dr. Marette remarked. “We now have human evidence to support replacing refined sugars with maple syrup, a natural sweetener, for preventing metabolic diseases. Our next goal is to conduct larger studies with other populations to explore how replacing refined sugars with maple syrup might impact their unique health conditions.”

General nutrition claims for 2 tablespoons of maple syrup:

Excellent source of manganese (35%).
Good source of riboflavin (15%).
Source of calcium (2%), thiamin (2%), potassium (2%) and copper (8%).
It contains 12% fewer calories than in light corn syrup.
By comparison, refined sugar requires a large amount of processing and therefore lacks any real nutritional value.

The study was jointly funded by Québec Maple Syrup Producers and the Québec Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPAQ) through its healthy food production initiative, the Programme Alimentation santé.

To find out more about this and other clinical studies about maple syrup, please visit ppaq.ca/en/medias/clinical-study.

The Québec Maple Syrup Producers (QMSP) represent over 13,500 maple producers and 8,400 maple enterprises. Québec produces 72% of the world’s maple syrup and exports it to over 70 countries.

In the first ever human clinical study, replacing refined sugars with the same amount of pure maple syrup for 5% of daily energy intake resulted in improved glycemic response, lower systolic blood pressure and reduced abdominal fat.

Maple syrup provides functional food benefits for cardiometabolic health, when replacing refined sugars.

Maple Syrup from Canada (IMAGE)

Ellen LaNicca Fearless PR

Maple syrup from Canada is an excellent source of manganese (35%), a good source of riboflavin (15%), calcium (2%), thiamin (2%) potassium (2%) and copper (8%)
Credit
Maple from Canada

Journal

Journal of Nutrition

DOI

10.1016/j.tjnut.2024.08.014

Method of Research

Randomized controlled/clinical trial

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Substituting Refined Sugars With Maple Syrup Decreases Key Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Individuals With Mild Metabolic Alterations: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Crossover Trial

COI Statement

The study was jointly funded by Quebec Maple Syrup Producers and the Quebec Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPAQ) through its healthy food production initiative, the Programme Alimentation sante.

Friday, November 15, 2024

Eco-friendly biomass pretreatment method yields efficient biofuels and adsorbents

A new biomass densification technique promises cost-effective bioethanol production and dye wastewater treatment

Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts

As global demand for sustainable energy solutions increases, bioethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass is gaining traction. However, traditional methods face limitations due to high processing costs and waste issues. A recent study led by Xinchuan Yuan, published in the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts, presents an innovative biomass pretreatment method that not only improves bioethanol production efficiency but also utilizes biomass residues as bio-adsorbents for wastewater treatment, potentially transforming the industry.

Producing bioethanol from lignocellulosic biomass is essential for developing sustainable fuels. However, existing pretreatment methods often involve high sugar loss and require intensive solid-liquid separation, adding to production costs. This study introduces a densification pretreatment approach that uses sulfuric acid and metal salts under mild autoclave conditions, which reduces energy requirements and operational costs.

The researchers employed a combination of sulfuric acid and metal salts, specifically FeCl₃ and ZnCl₂, for pretreatment at 121°C. This process, called densified lignocellulosic biomass with sulfuric acid and metal salts (DLCA(SA-MS)), allows biomass loading as high as 400 kg/m³, a substantial increase over typical levels. The DLCA(SA-MS) biomass achieved over 95% sugar retention and 90% enzymatic sugar conversion, reaching a high fermentable sugar concentration of 212.3 g/L. This advancement could increase bioethanol yields, meeting growing energy needs sustainably.

Beyond bioethanol, the study also addresses the environmental impact of lignocellulosic residue. After bioethanol extraction, DLCA(SA-MS) residues were processed into bio-adsorbents. These bio-adsorbents exhibited strong adsorption properties for dyes like methyl orange and methylene blue, which are common pollutants in textile wastewater. The bio-adsorbents achieved removal rates of over 90% for methyl orange and 80% for methylene blue, offering an effective and eco-friendly solution for industrial wastewater treatment.

The DLCA(SA-MS) pretreatment method demonstrates significant potential in industrial applications by increasing bioethanol production efficiency and providing a sustainable approach to managing biomass residues. With its dual benefits—enhanced biofuel yields and dye wastewater treatment—this method aligns well with current environmental goals and economic pressures for sustainable biorefinery operations.

This new approach marks an important step toward full-component utilization of lignocellulosic biomass, reducing production costs, and improving environmental outcomes. Future research will focus on scaling up the process and further refining pretreatment conditions to maximize benefits.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobab.2024.09.004

Funding:

This research received support from the School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, and other institutional sponsors.

Citation:

Yuan, X., Shen, G., Huo, J., Chen, S., Shen, W., Zhang, C., & Jin, M. (2024). Enhanced biomass densification pretreatment using binary chemicals for efficient lignocellulosic valorization. Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts, 9, 548–564. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobab.2024.09.004

Journal

Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts

DOI

10.1016/j.jobab.2024.09.004

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Enhanced biomass densification pretreatment using binary chemicals for efficient lignocellulosic

valorization

Enhancing compatibility and biodegradability of PLA/biomass composites via forest residue torrefaction

New torrefaction approach improves mechanical properties and decomposition rate of PLA composites

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts

Enhancing Compatibility and Biodegradability of PLA/Biomass Composites via Forest Residue Torrefaction — image:
New Torrefaction Approach Improves Mechanical Properties and Decomposition Rate of PLA Composites
view more
Credit: Center for Bio-based Chemistry, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), Ulsan 44429, South Korea

With an increasing focus on environmental sustainability, researchers are seeking ways to improve the biodegradability and mechanical properties of bioplastics, particularly polylactic acid (PLA). A recent study by June-Ho Choi and colleagues, published in the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts, presents a promising approach that enhances the compatibility and decomposition of PLA when combined with biomass through a process called torrefaction. This innovation offers practical improvements for sustainable material applications, positioning PLA as a viable, eco-friendly alternative in various industries.

PLA, a biopolymer derived from renewable resources like corn starch, has gained popularity for its biodegradability and use in disposable products. However, its relatively low compatibility with other natural materials and slow decomposition under certain conditions present challenges for broader application. To address this, Choi’s team focused on improving the integration of PLA with biomass, specifically forest residue, through torrefaction—a thermal treatment that modifies the material properties by heating biomass in an oxygen-free environment. The team hypothesized that this method could enhance the mechanical strength and biodegradability of PLA/biomass composites.

The researchers employed torrefaction on forest residues, modifying their chemical structure to improve compatibility with PLA. This treatment involved heating the forest residue biomass at controlled temperatures, which increased its hydrophobicity and carbon content while reducing water absorption. By blending the torrefied biomass with PLA, the team created a composite with improved material compatibility and analyzed its physical, chemical, and mechanical properties.

The study found that torrefaction of forest residue enhanced the tensile strength of PLA/biomass composites without compromising biodegradability. When exposed to environmental conditions, the composite decomposed faster than pure PLA, largely due to reduced crystallinity and increased water permeability resulting from torrefaction. These modifications allowed the PLA/biomass composite to achieve quicker breakdown in natural settings, reducing environmental impact and making it a more sustainable option for disposable products.

This research demonstrates how torrefaction can significantly improve both the durability and decomposition rate of PLA/biomass composites, expanding their potential for sustainable product development. The new PLA composite offers a practical solution to balance strength and environmental impact, opening avenues for various applications, from packaging to agricultural films. Choi and his team’s work marks a substantial advancement in sustainable bioplastic technology, paving the way for eco-friendly and biodegradable materials that align with the global push toward reduced plastic pollution.

Journal

Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts

DOI

10.1016/j.jobab.2024.10.003

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Enhancing Compatibility and Biodegradability of Polylactic Acid/Biomass Composites Through Torrefaction of Forest Residue