Abstract: An object is to provide (I) a PHA powder which has (i) good redispersibility when the PHA powder is formed into a slurry and (ii) good film forming properties when the PHA powder is applied to slurry coating and (II) a method for producing the PHA powder. The object is attained by providing a PHA powder in which a composition ratio of a 3-hydroxybutyrate unit to a 3-hydroxyhexanoate unit is 80/20 to 91/9 (mol/mol), a moisture content is not more than 20%, and a circularity of a primary particle present at a surface of the PHA powder is not less than 0.92.

Abstract: An object is to provide a PHA production method which enables efficient filtration. The above problem is solved by providing a PHA production method including a filtration step of subjecting, to dead-end filtration, an aqueous PHA suspension having a pH of 2.5 to 5.5 with use of a filter medium having an air permeability of 0.01 cc/cm2/sec to 5.0 cc/cm2/sec, the aqueous PHA suspension containing PHA surface adhesion protein in an amount of not more than 2,000 ppm, the aqueous PHA suspension having a liquid density of 0.50 g/mL to 1.08 g/mL in the filtration step.

Abstract: An object is to provide a PHA production method which enables efficient filtration. A PHA production method is provided, the PHA production method including: a heating step of heating an aqueous PHA suspension containing a specific additive and having a pH of 2.5 to 5.5 such that the aqueous PHA suspension has a temperature of 60° C. to 95° C.; a cooling step of cooling the aqueous PHA suspension obtained in the heating step to a specific temperature; and a filtration step of subjecting, to dead-end filtration, the aqueous PHA suspension obtained in the cooling step, with use of a filter medium having an air permeability of 0.01 cc/cm2/sec to 5.0 cc/cm2/sec, so that the above problem is solved.

Abstract: It is an object of an embodiment of the present invention to provide an industrially easily applicable technology for reducing a viscosity of a culture solution, in order to collect a polyhydroxyalkanoate from a polyhydroxyalkanoate-producing microorganism. The object is attained by providing a method for producing a polyhydroxyalkanoate, including the following steps (a) and (b): (a) maintaining a culture solution at 40° C. to 80° C., the culture solution including microbial cells containing the polyhydroxyalkanoate; and (b) adding an oxidizer to the culture solution obtained in the step (a), adjusting a pH of the culture solution to 10.5 to 13.0, and maintaining the culture solution at 30° C. to 75° C.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing recycled water, according to which when recycled water is prepared from waste water, chemical cleaning of a membrane can be significantly reduced and fouling of the membrane can be eliminated by substantially only washing with water. The above object is achieved by providing a method for producing recycled water, the method including the following steps (A) to (D) of: (A) subjecting waste water to an anaerobic treatment and an aerobic treatment which are carried out by microorganisms, the waste water having been discharged during a production process of a PHA; (B) subjecting treated water obtained in step (A) to pretreatment filtration performed by a membrane bioreactor method; (C) subjecting the treated water obtained in step (B) to an alkali treatment; and (D) filtering, through an ion removal membrane, the treated water obtained in step (C).

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a culture device capable of accurately detecting the gas-liquid interface of a culture solution in a fermenter. The above problem is solved by provided a culture device that includes: a liquid surface sensor for detecting a foam layer height from the bottom of the fermenter to the top of a foam layer; and a pressure sensor for detecting a liquid surface height from the bottom of the fermenter to a gas-liquid interface, the culture device having installed at least two pressure sensors below the gas-liquid interface, the at least two pressure sensors each being the pressure sensor.

Abstract: An electrical device body connectable to a battery pack, includes a drive part, and a terminal part. The terminal part having a positive input terminal electrically connected to the drive part, a negative input terminal electrically connected to the drive part, and a short circuit element having a first terminal part, a second terminal part, and a connection part connecting the first terminal part and the second terminal part, wherein the positive input terminal and the negative input terminal are disposed on an upper side of the terminal part and the short circuit element is disposed on a lower side of the terminal part in an upper-lower direction, the positive input terminal and the negative input terminal being apart from each other in a left-right direction crossing the upper-lower direction.

Abstract: A battery pack houses first and second cell units that are composed of a plurality of cells, and has a positive electrode power source terminal and a negative electrode power source terminal. This battery pack is provided with a series connector capable of connecting, in series, the first and second cell units and a parallel connector capable of connecting, in parallel, the first and second cell units, and is capable of switching between a parallel connection voltage and a series connection voltage. In the case of attachment to the high voltage electrical device body, the series connector becomes conductive and the parallel connector pair is cut off by the action of the series/parallel switching terminal. In the case of attachment to a low voltage electrical device body, the state is returned to an initial state, the series connector is cut off, and the parallel connector pair becomes conductive.

Abstract: In order that the output voltage of a battery pack can be switched and the battery pack can be shared among different voltage electric appliances, this battery pack has a switching mechanism that switches outputting a low voltage by parallel connection of two cell units or outputting a high voltage by series connection of the two cell units, said two cell units each being composed of a plurality of cells connected in series, wherein the switching mechanism is configured from a change-over switch having an operation lever (452). The change-over switch is embedded in a battery pack (400), and an operator is able to manually switch outputting 18 V by setting the operation lever (452) at a first position or outputting 36 V by setting the operation lever (452) at a second position.

Abstract: A method for producing a polyhydroxyalkanoate, the method including: (a) preparing an aqueous polyhydroxyalkanoate suspension having a pH of not more than 5; (b) mixing the aqueous suspension obtained in (a) with a water-insoluble organic solvent having a specific gravity of more than 1.0 g/mL; (c) separating a mixed solution obtained in (b) into a water-insoluble organic solvent phase and an aqueous phase by centrifugal separation, and then removing the aqueous phase; and (d) heating the water-insoluble organic solvent phase obtained in (c), and then cooling the water-insoluble organic solvent phase to obtain a gelatinous polyhydroxyalkanoate.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a production method which makes it possible to obtain a PHA with a simple operation. The object can be attained by providing a method for producing a polyhydroxyalkanoate, the method including the steps of: (a) preparing an aqueous polyhydroxyalkanoate suspension having a pH of not more than 7; and (b) heating the aqueous polyhydroxyalkanoate suspension, prepared in the step (a), at a temperature set at 80° C. to 300° C. in a twin screw extruder so as to aggregate a polyhydroxyalkanoate.

Abstract: The object of an aspect of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a long-chain fatty acid, the method making it possible to prevent a coloring component from being contained in the long-chain fatty acid and recover the long-chain fatty acid at a high yield. The above problem is solved by providing a method for producing a long-chain fatty acid, the method including the steps of: (a) with use of an enzyme, decomposing, into fatty acids, triglyceride contained in a raw vegetable oil which is derived from a vegetable-derived oil-containing waste; (b) removing, by distillation, a short-chain fatty acid contained in the raw vegetable oil which has been subjected to the step (a); and (c) recovering, by short-path distillation, a long-chain fatty acid contained in the raw vegetable oil which has been subjected to the step (b).

Abstract: Provided is an electric device capable of suppressing vibration of a battery pack. Included are: a first housing 21 accommodating a load portion that consumes electric power; a second housing 22 having one end portion connected to the first housing 21 and another end portion to which a battery pack 9 is connectable; and an elastic member 40 interposed between the first housing and the second housing. The first housing includes a first restricting portion 42 positioned away from the elastic member, and the second housing includes a second restricting portion 44 positioned away from the elastic member and engageable with the first restricting portion. In a case where the second housing is urged to be separated from the first housing, the elastic member is deformed and the first restricting portion and the second restricting portion are engaged with each other to prevent separation.

Abstract: In one or more embodiments, the present invention relates to a method for producing a polyhydroxybutyrate-based resin. The method includes (a) disrupting or solubilizing microbial cells containing a polyhydroxybutyrate-based resin, and (b) separating the polyhydroxybutyrate-based resin from a composition obtained by the process (a). The process (a) and the process (b) use water with a calcium ion concentration (14.5 mg/L or less. The water used in the process (a) and the process (b) is preferably obtained by subjecting wastewater that is discharged from the production process of the polyhydroxybutyrate-based resin to microbial anaerobic and aerobic treatments, subsequently pre-filtration by a membrane bioreactor process, and further filtration with a calcium ion removal membrane This method provides the polyhydroxybutyrate-based resin with good color tone and high thermal stability.

Abstract: An objective of the present invention is to provide a production method that enables PHA (e.g. PHA powder) to be produced with high productivity. The above is achieved by providing: a method for producing a polyhydroxyalkanoate, including the steps of (a) preparing an aqueous suspension that contains a polyhydroxyalkanoate and an alkylene oxide-based dispersing agent and has a pH of not more than 7 and (b) spray-drying the aqueous suspension prepared in the step (a); and the like.

Abstract: A method for producing lipid particles, including: injecting molten lipids directly into a liquid at a temperature lower than a melting point of the lipids through a liquid supply port of a two-fluid nozzle while injecting a gas directly into the liquid through a gas supply port of the two-fluid nozzle, so that the molten lipids are dispersed and atomized into particles in the liquid due to the gas and the particles are solidified to form lipid particles. The lipids have a water solubility of 10 g/L or less at 25° C. and are solid at 25° C. The two-fluid nozzle is heated to a temperature at least 10° C. higher than the melting point of the lipids. A ratio D50/Nd of a volume median diameter D50 of the lipid particles to an orifice diameter Nd of the liquid supply port of the two-fluid nozzle is 0.0017 or more and 0.17 or less.

Abstract: In an upper cell unit (2146) and a lower cell unit (2147) comprising five battery cells, positive electrode terminals (2162, 2172) are set apart and aligned vertically, and negative electrode terminals (2167, 2177) are set apart and aligned vertically. When an electrical device body is rated at 36V, device-side terminals are in contact only at the upper terminals (2162, 2167), and short circuiting of the lower terminals (2172, 2177) is effected using a short bar 2059. When the electrical device body is rated at 18V, the upper and lower terminals (2162 and 2172, 2167 and 2177) are simultaneously made to contact the device-side terminals, and the upper cell unit (2146) and the lower cell unit (2147) assume a parallel connected state. Thus, it is possible to automatically switch the output voltage when a battery pack is mounted according to the difference in terminal shape on the electrical device body side.

Abstract: Provided is an electric device capable of suppressing vibration of a battery pack. Included are: a first housing 21 accommodating a load portion that consumes electric power; a second housing 22 having one end portion connected to the first housing 21 and another end portion to which a battery pack 9 is connectable; and an elastic member 40 interposed between the first housing and the second housing. The first housing includes a first restricting portion 42 positioned away from the elastic member, and the second housing includes a second restricting portion 44 positioned away from the elastic member and engageable with the first restricting portion. In a case where the second housing is urged to be separated from the first housing, the elastic member is deformed and the first restricting portion and the second restricting portion are engaged with each other to prevent separation.

Abstract: A carrier for ligand immobilization obtained by shrinking polysaccharide porous beads not less than 10% by a shrinkage rate defined by the following formula, and crosslinking the polysaccharide porous beads: Shrinkage rate (%)=(1?V2/V1)×100 (wherein, V1 indicates the gel volume of polysaccharide porous beads before shrinkage, and V2 indicates the gel volume of polysaccharide porous beads after shrinkage).

Abstract: In order that the output voltage of a battery pack can be switched and the battery pack can be shared among different voltage electric appliances, this battery pack has a switching mechanism that switches outputting a low voltage by parallel connection of two cell units or outputting a high voltage by series connection of the two cell units, said two cell units each being composed of a plurality of cells connected in series, wherein the switching mechanism is configured from a change-over switch having an operation lever (452). The change-over switch is embedded in a battery pack (400), and an operator is able to manually switch outputting 18 V by setting the operation lever (452) at a first position or outputting 36 V by setting the operation lever (452) at a second position.