Abstract: Lactic acid is obtained by a method including (A) a step of continuous fermentation wherein a fermentation culture medium of a microorganism having an ability of lactic acid fermentation is filtered through a porous membrane having an average pore size of not less than 0.01 ?m and less than 1 ?m with a transmembrane pressure difference within the range of 0.1 to 20 kPa, and the permeate is collected, while retaining the non-permeated liquid in or returning the non-permeated liquid to the culture, and adding a fermentation feedstock to the culture; (B) a step of filtering the permeate obtained in Step (A) through a nanofiltration membrane; and (C) a step of distilling the permeate obtained in Step (B) under a pressure of not less than 1 Pa and not more than atmospheric pressure, at 25° C. to 200° C. to recover lactic acid.

Abstract: A method of producing a chemical product includes cultivating microorganisms or culture cells in a fermentation tank; transferring a culture liquid from the fermentation tank to a membrane separation tank to filter the culture liquid through a separation membrane; and collecting a fermentation product from a filtration liquid as the chemical product while refluxing an unfiltered culture liquid that has not been filtered to be joined to the culture liquid on an upstream side of the membrane separation tank, wherein one portion of the culture liquid to be transferred from the fermentation tank is allowed to bypass the membrane separation tank depending on a pressure at a culture liquid flow-in side of the membrane separation tank.

Abstract: A method produces a chemical product by continuous fermentation including filtering a culture liquid of a microorganism(s) through a separation membrane, retaining unfiltered liquid in, or refluxing unfiltered liquid to, the culture liquid, adding a fermentation feedstock to the culture liquid, and recovering a product in the filtrate, wherein the microorganism(s) is/are a microorganism(s) that undergo(es) catabolite repression, and the fermentation feedstock comprises hexose and pentose.

Abstract: A method of producing a chemical product includes culturing a microorganism with a fermentation feedstock containing cane molasses as a main component; filtering the resulting culture liquid through a separation membrane to recover a filtrate which contains the chemical product and from which the microorganism has been separated; retaining or returning an unfiltered liquid containing the microorganism, in or to the culture liquid; and adding an additional fermentation feedstock to the culture liquid to carry out continuous fermentation; in which the microorganism cultured causes a centrifugal supernatant of the culture liquid to contain particles having an average particle diameter of 100 nm or more.

Abstract: A method of producing alcohol from cellulose-containing biomass includes steps (1) to (8): step (1): pretreating a cellulose-containing biomass; step (2): saccharifying the pretreated cellulose-containing biomass obtained in step (1) with a saccharification enzyme; step (3): removing a saccharification residual solid from a saccharification treated product obtained in step (2); step (4): culturing an alcohol fermentation microorganism with an aqueous sugar solution obtained in step (3) as a fermentation raw material; step (5): removing the alcohol fermentation microorganism from a culture liquid containing the alcohol fermentation microorganism obtained in step (4); step (6): distilling the alcohol fermentation liquid obtained in step (5) to recover alcohol; step (7): passing and filtering a distillation residual liquid obtained in step (6) through a reverse osmosis membrane; and step (8): performing treatment of discharging a retentate obtained in step (7).

Abstract: A method of producing 2,3-butanediol includes the steps of: culturing a microorganism belonging to the genus Zymobacter in a fermentation feedstock containing a carbon source (Step A); and purifying 2,3-butanediol from culture liquid obtained in this step (Step B). In this method, the carbon source contains pentose, and the microorganism belonging to the genus Zymobacter has a capacity to metabolize pentose.

Abstract: A method of producing alcohol includes culturing a microorganism capable of producing alcohol as a major product from a material containing pentose, wherein the microorganism is a microorganism having an enhanced Entner-Doudoroff (ED) pathway, and alcohol yield from xylose or arabinose based on sugar consumption is improved compared to alcohol yield based on sugar consumption before enhancement of the ED pathway.

Abstract: The invention provides a method of producing a chemical product through continuous fermentation which includes filtering a culture of a microorganism or cultured cells with a separation membrane to recover a product from a filtrate and simultaneously retaining a nonfiltered fluid in, or refluxing it to, the culture, and adding fermentation materials to the culture, wherein a porous membrane having an average pore size of 0.01 ?m or more to less than 1 ?m is used as the separation membrane and the filtration is conducted with a transmembrane pressure difference in the range of 0.1 to 20 kPa. According to this method, the fermentation productivity of the chemical product can be largely elevated at high stability and a low cost.

Abstract: A method of producing a chemical product by continuous fermentation utilizes a separation membrane under conditions at a pH of not more than 3.5, wherein yeast having vanillin resistance is used to enable efficient production of a chemical product without leaving a large amount of fermentation feedstock unused, is provided.

Abstract: A method of producing 2,3-butanediol includes the steps of: culturing a microorganism belonging to the genus Zymobacter in a fermentation feedstock containing a carbon source (Step A); and purifying 2,3-butanediol from culture liquid obtained in this step (Step B). In this method, the carbon source contains pentose, and the microorganism belonging to the genus Zymobacter has a capacity to metabolize pentose.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a forming unit that forms a toner image with a substantially flat toner containing a substantially flat metal pigment on a movable body; a transfer unit that forms a nip with the movable body and transfers the toner image on a medium transported to the nip; and a controller that, if at least one of first and second conditions, the first condition in which an image width from data for allowing the forming unit to form the toner image is larger than a predetermined width, the second condition in which an area coverage from the data is higher than a predetermined area coverage, is satisfied, causes the forming unit to form a toner image with a corrected area coverage lower than the area coverage from the data.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a forming unit that forms a toner image with a substantially flat toner containing a substantially flat metal pigment on a movable body; a transfer unit that forms a nip with the movable body and transfers the toner image on a medium transported to the nip; and a controller that, if at least one of first and second conditions, the first condition in which an image width from data for allowing the forming unit to form the toner image is larger than a predetermined width, the second condition in which an area coverage from the data is higher than a predetermined area coverage, is satisfied, causes the forming unit to form a toner image with a corrected area coverage lower than the area coverage from the data.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first forming unit that forms a first image by using a toner that contains a pigment other than a flat pigment; a second forming unit that forms a second image by using a toner that contains a flat pigment; a transfer body that transports the first image and the second image transferred thereon and transfers the first image and the second image onto a recording medium; a first transfer member that nips the transfer body in cooperation with the first forming unit with a first load and transfers the first image from the first forming unit onto the transfer body; and a second transfer member that nips the transfer body in cooperation with the second forming unit with a second load, which is larger than the first load, and transfers the second image from the second forming unit onto the transfer body.

Abstract: A method of producing a chemical product includes cultivating microorganisms or culture cells in a fermentation tank; transferring a culture liquid from the fermentation tank to a membrane separation tank to filter the culture liquid through a separation membrane; and collecting a fermentation product from a filtration liquid as the chemical product while refluxing an unfiltered culture liquid that has not been filtered to be joined to the culture liquid on an upstream side of the membrane separation tank, wherein one portion of the culture liquid to be transferred from the fermentation tank is allowed to bypass the membrane separation tank depending on a pressure at a culture liquid flow-in side of the membrane separation tank.

Abstract: A method of producing alcohol from cellulose-containing biomass includes steps (1) to (8): step (1): pretreating a cellulose-containing biomass; step (2): saccharifying the pretreated cellulose-containing biomass obtained in step (1) with a saccharification enzyme; step (3): removing a saccharification residual solid from a saccharification treated product obtained in step (2); step (4): culturing an alcohol fermentation microorganism with an aqueous sugar solution obtained in step (3) as a fermentation raw material; step (5): removing the alcohol fermentation microorganism from a culture liquid containing the alcohol fermentation microorganism obtained in step (4); step (6): distilling the alcohol fermentation liquid obtained in step (5) to recover alcohol; step (7): passing and filtering a distillation residual liquid obtained in step (6) through a reverse osmosis membrane; and step (8): performing treatment of discharging a retentate obtained in step (7).

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotating fixing unit, a switching unit, and a control unit. The rotating fixing unit has a surface, the surface fixing a toner image on a recording medium by contacting the recording medium. The switching unit switches between transportation directions in which the recording sheet is transported such that an orientation of a predetermined side of the recording medium with respect to the fixing unit matches either an orientation corresponding to a first direction in which the central axis of the fixing unit extends or an orientation corresponding to a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction. The control unit controls the switching unit such that the recording medium is transported in a direction corresponding to a smaller one of integration values obtained along the first direction and the second direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a transfer body that transfers an image formed with toner containing a flat pigment to a recording medium; and a fixing unit that, when the image having an area coverage that is greater than or equal to a predetermined area coverage occupies a width that is less than a predetermined width of the recording medium, fixes the image to the recording medium with fixing energy having a first value, and that, when the image having the area coverage that is greater than or equal to the predetermined area coverage occupies a width that is greater than or equal to the predetermined width of the recording medium, fixes the image to the recording medium with fixing energy having a second value, the second value being greater than the first value.

Abstract: A method produces cadaverine more efficiently and at a higher yield than production methods by the conventional fermentation methods. The method includes culturing coryneform bacterium/bacteria having an ability to produce cadaverine and having a resistance to 2,2?-thiobis(ethylamine). Preferably, the coryneform bacterium/bacteria has/have lysine decarboxylase activity and, preferably, the coryneform bacterium/bacteria has/have homoserine auxotrophy and/or a resistance to S-(2-aminoethyl)-L-cysteine.

Abstract: A method of producing cadaverine is more efficient and at a higher yield than production methods by the conventional fermentation methods. The method includes culturing coryneform bacterium/bacteria having a resistance to a pH of 5.5 or less. Preferably, the coryneform bacterium/bacteria has/have lysine decarboxylase activity and, preferably, the coryneform bacterium/bacteria has/have homoserine auxotrophy and/or a resistance to S-(2-aminoethyl)-L-cysteine.

Abstract: A fixing device includes an endless belt that fixes toner onto a recording medium by heat, a heating member in the form of substantially a sheet that has flexibility and that heats the belt from inside a space enclosed by the belt, and a stationary member including a curved surface that is in contact with the heating member, a fixed area in the curved surface in which the heating member is fixed to the stationary member, and a non-fixed area in the curved surface in which the heating member is not fixed to the stationary member, the stationary member having a coefficient of linear expansion different from that of the heating member. The belt is wound around the stationary member via a layer that includes the heating member, and rigidities of the belt and the heating member are lower than a rigidity of the stationary member.