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    <title>Transport Research International Documentation (TRID)</title>
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    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
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    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
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      <title>Transport Research International Documentation (TRID)</title>
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    <item>
      <title>Durability of Enzyme Stabilized Expansive Soil in Road Pavements Subjected to Moisture Degradation</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1640126</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Expansive soils are problematic and susceptible to ground movements, causing significant damage to overlying structures and reduction of bearing capacity. Geotechnical engineering has long recognized that the moisture variation triggers the expansive nature of soils resulting in its swell and shrinkage. Numerous stabilizing additives have been used to treat expansive soils such as lime, cement and fly ash. However, the use of bio-enzymes as a soil stabilizing agent is not currently fully understood. This study examines the durability performance of the enzymatic stabilization of expansive soils in road pavements subjected to moisture fluctuation. Number of experiments was performed under controlled conditions to investigate the mechanical and hydraulic response of stabilized soils subjected to cyclic moisture degradation at various initial moisture contents covering practical moisture ranges in applicable with road pavements. Results showed that strength of stabilized soils was considerably increased with the addition of enzyme based stabilizer, revealing its ability to maintain the material stiffness over moisture fluctuation. While wetting and drying tests had damaging effects on the UCS, enzyme based stabilization served to preserve soil strength effectively throughout the loading cycles. Results obtained from the mechanical/hydraulics tests were further elaborated using imaging analysis which provides an insight into the mechanism of enzyme based stabilization and the influence of moisture when using this novel stabilization approach. This research will substantially benefit geotechnical applications including cost-effective and sustainable road constructions.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 21 Aug 2019 09:36:41 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1640126</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Access roads impact enzyme activities in boreal forested peatlands</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1550504</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The authors investigated the impacts of resource access roads on soil enzyme activities in contrasting forested boreal peatlands (bog and fen). In August 2016, a total of 72 peat samples were collected from twelve 20 m long transects perpendicular to access roads, with a further six samples collected from undisturbed reference areas. Sampling locations represent a range in three variables associated with roads: 1) side of the road (upstream/downstream), 2) distance to a culvert (longitudinal; <2 and >20 m), and 3) distance from the road (lateral; 2, 6, and 20 m). Phenol oxidase and hydrolase (glucosidase, sulfatase, xylosidase, glucosaminidase, and phosphatase) enzyme activities were determined for each sample, in addition to water table depth, phenolic concentration, pH, and peat temperature. The average hydrolase activities in the fen were ~four times higher than in the bog. At the bog, the water table depth, phenolic concentration, pH and the activities of phenol oxidase, sulfatase, glucosidase, xylosidase and glucosaminidase were all significantly influenced by one or more road associated factors. The highest enzyme activities in the bog occurred on the downstream side of the road at plots located far from the culvert. In contrast, the flow of water in the fen was not perpendicular to the road. Consequently, no significant variations in water table depth, phenolic concentration, pH or enzyme activity were found with respect to road associated factors. Results indicate that road crossings in boreal peatlands can indirectly alter enzyme activities, likely as part of a causal chain following changes to hydrology and redox conditions. Two of six investigated enzymes had significantly higher activities in the road disturbed areas compared to undisturbed areas, suggesting ultimately that roads may enhance organic matter decomposition rates. However, adequate hydrologic connections through culverts and road construction parallel to the water flow can minimize the road-induced impacts.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 20 Nov 2018 10:24:05 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1550504</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Bio-Enzymatic Stabilization of a Soil Having Poor Engineering Properties</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1465630</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Soils with poor engineering properties have been a concern to construction engineers because of the need to strike a balance between safety and economy during earthworks construction. This research work investigates the effects of treating a soil having poor geotechnical properties with a bio-enzyme to determine its suitability for use as road pavement layer material. The elemental composition and microstructure of the soil was determined using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The specific gravity, Atterberg limits, compaction, strength and permeability characteristics of the soil was determined for various dosages of the bio-enzyme. The mountain soil is classified as clayey sand and A-2–4, according to unified soil classification and AASHTO classification systems, respectively. With increasing dosage of the bio-enzyme, the plasticity index, maximum dry unit weight and permeability of the soil decreased, while its 28-day California bearing ratio value, unconfined compressive strength and shear strength increased. Consequently, the application of bio-enzyme to the soil improved its plasticity and strength, and reduced its permeability. It, therefore, became more workable and its subgrade quality was improved for use as a road pavement layer material. The stabilized soil can be suitably used for constructing pavement layers of light-trafficked rural (earth) roads, pedestrian walkways and bicycle tracks.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 30 May 2017 08:24:20 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1465630</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Improving Woody Biomass Separation by Enzymatic Means</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1363889</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Breaking down the complex microscopic plant cell structures into sugars is an important and complex step in making ethanol from lignocellulosic plant materials. The project examines enzymatic methods to break bonds between the lignin and hemicellulose components of wood. No enzymes had been known that specifically target the ether bonds between lignin and hemicellulose. With the aid of a unique artificial hemicellulose-lignin molecule that lights up when a potentially useful enzyme acts on it, the laboratory has discovered a new enzyme that targets these bonds, along with the novel microorganism that makes it. The laboratory has characterized the expression of the enzyme and has isolated and sequenced a recombinant version of the enzyme's active site. The recombinant version of the enzyme is being isolated and will be used for tests on natural wood substrates.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 04 Aug 2015 01:02:27 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1363889</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Novel Recoverable Enzyme Nanoparticles for Cellulose Hydrolysis</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1363843</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This research project developed a method to capture and reuse cellulose enzymes to improve ethanol conversion efficiency. Protein nanoparticles with bovine serum albumin were successfully fabricated.  Through variation in concentrations and time, control was demonstrated over nanoparticles size in range of 80 - 500 nm. Initial results show glucose oxidase-manganese peroxidase (MNP) constructs are stable for up to 40 days. Magnetic nanoparticles have begun to synthesize to test size dependence on activity and recoverability.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 04 Aug 2015 01:01:10 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1363843</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Mechanisms of Surfactant Effects on Biomass Conversion</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1363839</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The objective of this research project is to develop a comprehensive understanding (set of parameters) of the mechanisms by which surfactants enhance the enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 04 Aug 2015 01:01:06 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1363839</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Comparison of Species-Specific β-Glucuronidase Hydrolysis of Cannabinoid Metabolites in Human Urine</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1353409</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Toxicological investigations of fatal aviation accidents include testing for ∆⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active component of marijuana, and its major metabolite, 11-nor-9-carboxy-∆⁹-THC (THCCOOH) in postmortem fluids and tissues from deceased pilots. These cannabinoids, as well as others, exist in human urine as their glucuronide conjugates, formed during Phase II metabolism to increase their solubility for excretion. Prior to the analysis of cannabinoids in urine by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS), it is desirable to cleave (hydrolyze) the glucuronic acid to enhance the detection of the unconjugated compounds. In the current study, β-glucuronidases from 3 mollusk species (Helix pomatia, Patella vulgate, and Haliotis rufescens), 1 bacteria (Escherichia coli), and bovine liver were compared for their quantitative efficiency in hydrolyzing the glucuronide bond in spiked, blank urine. THC and THCCOOH were selected for this project to study the hydrolysis efficiency of the various enzymes on the ester-linked THCCOOH-glucuronide and the ether-bonded THC-glucuronide. An unconjugated metabolite, 11-hydroxy-THC (11-OH-THC), was included to evaluate the effect of the various hydrolysis conditions on its recovery. The hydrolysis variables evaluated were pH, time, and temperature of incubation. Peak area ratio of analyte/deuterated internal standard was used to quantify cannabinoid recovery. All of the enzymes were able to hydrolyze both the THC and THCCOOH glucuronides, but there were significant species-specific differences. The β-glucuronidases from Haliotis rufescens, Escherichia coli, and Patella vulgata produced the greatest recovery of THC and THCOOH during the pH experiments. While recovery of THCCOOH was acceptable using Helix pomatia and bovine liver enzymes, these glucuronidases did not hydrolyze the ether-bonded THC conjugate as efficiently as the other three. Further recovery experiments with Haliotis rufescens, Escherichia coli, and Patella vulgata investigated the effect of incubation time and temperature on the cannabinoid recoveries. Experimental incubation times (hours) were 0.25, 1.0, 4.0, 8.0, and 16 at optimum pH for each enzyme and 37ºC incubation temperature. Experimental temperatures (ºC) were 25, 37, 50, 60, and 90 at optimum pH for each enzyme and a 16 h incubation time. The results demonstrated that β-glucuronidases from Haliotis rufescens, Escherichia coli, and Patella vulgata would provide the best recovery of both ester-linked and ether-linked cannabinoid metabolites with GC-MS analysis. Further research will now analyze actual postmortem urine from THC-positive pilots involved in aviation accidents to identify a more complete metabolic profile of cannabinoids.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2015 13:47:10 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1353409</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Plant Pathogens of Feedstock Crops as a Source of Useful Enzymes for Conversion</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1229917</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Plant pathogenic fungi are a rich and untapped source of cell wall degrading enzymes for feedstock conversion. Switchgrass pathogens are ideal candidates to prospect for enzymes useable in conversion of switchgrass biomass because these fungal strains have evolved the capacity to degrade cell walls of this species. Therefore this project will target biopropecting at necrotrophic fungal pathogens isolated from switchgrass and other potential feedstock crops in the Northeast. The ultimate long-term goal is to identify and develop enzyme systems for optimal bioethanol production. The end products should be higher catalytic function enzymes that can be used at lower amounts, at reduced overall costs and with higher efficiency in lignocellulosic bioconversion. Expected Outcomes: The investigators expect to identify superior fungal isolates that produce cellulases and xylanses equivalent to or better than the industry standard Trichoderma reesii. Symptomatic tissues of switchgrass and other biofeedstock species will be collected from natural and cultivated stands of these species in the field and plant pathogenic fungi will be isolated from these tissues, cultured, identified, and archived. We will build a collection of 400 isolates of diverse fungal genera and species. These fungal isolates will be screened for growth on lignocellulosic substrates and for cellulase and xylanase activities.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 03 Jan 2013 13:50:41 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1229917</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>High-Throughput Engineering of Cellulase Consortia Using a Gel that Can Produce Proteins</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1229907</link>
      <description><![CDATA[With the advent of directed molecular evolution techniques, a whole new potential for enzyme engineering (instead of microbial engineering) and improvement has opened. The greatest advantage of directed evolution is that it is independent of knowledge of enzyme structure and of the interactions between enzyme and substrate. Recently, we have developed a novel hydrogel (termed P-gel) which can efficiently produce proteins without any living cells. The unique advantage of the P-gel system is that it is totally cell-free, thus it is ideally suited to express a consortium of proteins without worrying about the toxic effect to or low-yield problems in living cells. Enzymatic conversion of natural cellulose, in particular, non-food cellulose, to bioethanol will have great impact on alternative and renewable energy development, local economy, and environment protection. However, economical production of bioethanol from cellulosic biomass is currently impeded by the high cost and low efficiency of cellulase complexes. Three goals for this project: 1) Using P-gel to establish cellulase mutant selection methods based on insoluble substrates; 2) Using microfluidics to generate P-gel microdroplets in order to establish a high-throughput method for screening the high activity cellulase mutants; and 3) Highthroughput molecular engineering of cellulase consortia. The project will combine the molecular evolution approach with our cell-free P-gel and engineer cellulase consortia in a high-throughput fashion via the microfluidic format. The project expects that it will establish a robust, P-gelbased, high-throughput protein engineering platform that is able to molecularly evolve not just single proteins, but also protein consortia. The project also expects to achieve a five- to ten-fold reduction in the cost of cellulase enzymes by dramatically improving the efficiency of these enzymes.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 03 Jan 2013 13:50:30 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1229907</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Trojan Horse Strategy for Deconstruction of Biomass for Biofuels Production</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1147555</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Production of renewable biofuels to displace fossil fuels currently consumed in the transportation sector is a pressing multi-agency national priority. Currently, nearly all fuel ethanol is produced from corn-derived starch. Dedicated “energy crops” and agricultural waste are preferred long-term solutions for renewable, cheap, and globally available biofuels as they avoid some of the market pressures and secondary greenhouse gas emission challenges currently facing corn ethanol. These sources of lignocellulosic biomass are converted to fermentable sugars using a variety of chemical and thermochemical pretreatments, which disrupt cellulose and lignin cross-links, allowing exogenously added recombinant microbial enzymes to more efficiently hydrolyze the cellulose for “deconstruction” into glucose. This process is plagued with inefficiencies, primarily due to the recalcitrance of cellulosic biomass, mass transfer issues during deconstruction, and low activity of recombinant deconstruction enzymes. Costs are also high due to the requirement for enzymes and reagents, and energy-intensive cumbersome pretreatment steps.  One potential solution to these problems is found in synthetic biology--engineered plants that self-produce a suite of cellulase enzymes. Deconstruction can then be integrated into a one-step process, thereby increasing efficiency (cellulose-cellulase mass- transfer rates) and reducing costs. The unique aspects of this approach are the rationally engineered enzymes which become Trojan horses during pretreatment conditions. During this study the authors rationally engineered Cazy enzymes and then integrated them into plant cells by multiple transformation techniques. The regenerated plants were assayed for first expression of these messages and then for the resulting proteins. The plants were then subjected to consolidated bioprocessing and characterized in detail. The results and possible implications of this work on developing dedicated energy crops and their advantage in a consolidated bioprocessing system.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 21 Aug 2012 08:54:10 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1147555</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Quantification of the properties of enzyme treated and untreated incinerator bottom ash waste used as road foundation</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1106613</link>
      <description><![CDATA[A substantial amount of incinerator bottom ash (IBA) waste is generated annually from burning municipal solid waste. IBA is similar to aggregate consisting of ferric metals, non-ferrous metals, brick and tile fragments, ceramic, glass, stone, dirt, etc. In this work, IBA waste was mixed with conventional limestone aggregate in an attempt to achieve a blend with acceptable mechanical properties and minimum environmental risks for use in road foundation layers. Enzyme treatment was applied in order to improve the behaviour of IBA-limestone blends. A series of laboratory tests, such as cyclic triaxial compression tests, pH monitoring and scanning electron microscope, were adopted to determine the materials' mechanistic behaviour and microstructure characteristics. Emphasis was on examining the effect of various parameters, such as IBA content, enzyme content, moisture content and curing time. Results of this study showed that IBA blends gave a favourable performance as road foundation layers in comparison with the control limestone blend. Microstructure and chemical analysis results showed that the addition of plant-based enzyme improved the mechanical properties of the control limestone blend; however, it did not have any noticeable effect on the IBA blends.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 16 Aug 2011 13:56:39 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1106613</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Stabilization of Clays Using Liquid Enzymes</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/1103243</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The potential of three different liquid enzymes to stabilize CL and CH type of soils is evaluated. The evaluation involved the determination of the geotechnical properties of clay soils in their natural state as well as when mixed with three different liquid enzymes, separately. The parameters tested included the particle size distribution, Atterberg limits, compaction characteristics (optimum moisture content and maximum dry unit weight) under standard Proctor compaction energy effort, swell percentage and California bearing ratio (CBR). All tests of the treated samples were repeated after 1-day, 7-day and 28-day curing periods. Results showed that the geotechnical parameters of clay soils are improved very little by the addition of liquid enzymes; plasticity and optimum moisture content were reduced around 5% to 10%, maximum dry unit weight is reduced as negligible as 1%. But, swell percentages and CBR values are increased by 5% to 350% and 5% to 70% depending on the curing period and type of soil treated, respectively. These results imply that although liquid enzymes provide some beneficial effects in CBR values, it is unlikely to be a substitute for CH type of soil as swell percentage increased dramatically.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 23 Jun 2011 09:07:38 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/1103243</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Application of Enzyme Technology to Remediate Tar Planings</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/899506</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Coal tar, in contrast to bitumen, contains harmful amounts of hazardous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH’s) and is acknowledged as a carcinogenic product and its use in road construction was stopped in several countries. False identification of recycled asphalt (RA) as containing tar has huge economic consequence because it restricts reuse. The limiting values of the PAH content in asphalt planning differ in member European countries. No standard test or limiting value are currently available, consequently the recycling of reclaimed materials can only be accepted if the PAH concentration can be determined and comply with the specifications limits in environmental regulations for asphalt. The authors have developed an enzyme induced exothermic reaction approach to the resolution of the problem of PAH contaminated tar planning, capable of processing material at site producing clean aggregate for removal and immediate re-use with a minimal environmental impact.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 18 Sep 2009 07:07:53 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/899506</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Deformation Properties of Untreated and Enzyme-Treated Bottom Ash Waste for Use in Foundations</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/880503</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The use of waste and recycled materials in different construction applications is a widespread approach. In this work, incinerator bottom ash (IBA) waste was mixed with limestone at different levels, namely, 0%, 30%, 50%, and 80%, to produce blends for use as pavement foundation layers. The study focused on evaluating the resistance to permanent deformation of IBA–limestone blends, which is vital to prevent or minimize pavement rutting. An experimental program was undertaken to investigate the influence of plant-based enzyme treatment on the behavior of these blends. Cyclic and static triaxial compression tests were adopted to determine the materials’ mechanical characteristics. Emphasis was on examining the effect of various parameters, such as IBA content, enzyme content, moisture content, curing time, stress level, and number of load applications, on the behavior of the investigated blends. The accumulated permanent strain and strain rate were used to describe the blends’ shakedown stress limits. Results showed that IBA blends gave a favorable performance as foundation layers in comparison with the control limestone blend. Enzyme addition improved the permanent deformation resistance for the control limestone blend; however, it did not have any noticeable effect on the IBA blends. According to the shakedown concept analysis, all blends, at a cyclic stress level of more than 21% of the static failure stress, underwent excessive plastic strain.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:43:43 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/880503</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Application of Novel Biological Technique in Dust Suppression</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/880867</link>
      <description><![CDATA[A novel concept of using microbial metabolic byproduct, calcium carbonate, has been developed for the control of fugitive dusts.  This microbial dust suppression is based on the calcite precipitation induced as a result of enzymatic activity of soil microorganism, Sporosarcina pasteurii, in which calcite matrices formed promote aggregation of dust particles.  In principle, microbial calcite precipitation takes place as a result of the enzyme urease that hydrolyzes urea to ammonia and carbon dioxide and subsequently the ammonia causes an increase of pH in surroundings to induce CaCO3 precipitation.  This type of mineral cementation has shown a great potential to aggregate loose soil particles, preventing surface erosion and furthermore plugging the permeable channels on the soil surface. The ultimate goal of this research is to apply bio-based dust suppressant in the field.  However, prior to field application, it is imperative to employ biological and geotechnical laboratory tests to evaluate its potential as a dust suppressant.  This paper reports our preliminary findings from the biological and geotechnical laboratory studies.  Sand samples were treated with three different biological treatment methods, i.e., (1) microorganism (bacteria) only, (2) urease (enzyme) only, and (3) a mixture of bacteria and enzyme.  In the first and third methods, three different bacterial concentrations were applied.  The effectiveness of dust suppression was evaluated by measuring the strength change of the treated sand surface and the percent weight loss of sand through wind erosion.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:43:40 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/880867</guid>
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