A production line of functional components from Cistanche deserticola has been developed by analyzing its nutrients, characteristic active components and extraction and separation processes, which has significantly improved the economic income of farmers. By using the technology of "precipitation-depolymerization-precipitation", a pectin-ε-PL complex was obtained. 

Effects of the chemical composition and porosity of herbaceous and woody biomass on the steam explosion intensity was invested. Results indicated that the porous properties of lignocellulosic biomass characterized its rehydration performance and mechanical properties, which affected the steam explosion intensity. It was more effective for herbaceous biomass in response to a 6%-11% higher porosity than woody biomass (Fig. 1). The porous properties of lignocellulosic biomass were conducive to the effective penetration of steam during steam explosion to improve the mass and heat transfer performance and reduce the resistance to physical tearing force compared with the chemical composition. A simple, effective and low-cost biomass grading equipment was developed (Fig. 2) to promote the development of biomass refining industry.

 

Fig. 1 Pore size distribution of wheat straw, rice straw, corn straw and poplar chips before and after steam explosion

Fig. 2 Long and short fiber classification device of biomass

Development and application of marine microorganisms

Salt tolerance of the microorganisms in the marine sediments collected from marine fish farms were investigated. The microbial communities were analyzed by high-throughput sequencing. The inoculum from the wastewater plant (IWTP) was taken as a control. The inoculum from the marine sediment (IMS) exerted excellent capacity for anaerobic digestion at salinities of 0.3% - 9%. The bacterial taxonomic richness of IMS was about half of that in IWTP. The animal parasites or symbionts in IMS were much fewer than in IWTP. This could help to understand the microorganisms in marine sediments and the application in waste treatment.

Demonstration production line of functional components of Cistanche deserticola

We have developed a set of innovative key technologies by analyzing the nutrients, characteristic active components, and extraction and separation processes in Cistanche deserticola. It has significantly improved the economic income of farmers and herdsmen, stimulated their enthusiasm for planting sandy plants, and contributed to the ecological management of desertified land.

Fig. 3 Production line of functional components (treated raw materials ≥ 30t/a)

Establish a new production process of ε- Polylysine

Using the negative charge property of pectin to replace the cation exchange resin in the traditional process, the purpose of separating and purifying ε-PL from ε-PL fermentation broth was achieved by cleverly designing the steps of "precipitation-depolymerization-precipitation", and obtained A pectin-ε-PL complex with better antibacterial performance. 

Fig. 4 Traditional separation process and the new process used in this study for ε-PL