Poster presentations / Current Opinion in Biotechnology 24S (2013) S48–S143 side the modern hydropower plants disposed on the water courses and owned by the large energy producers, Romania must make changes in order to add value to the existing energetical micropotential, through the hydroenergetical establishment of some water courses on the watermill system, with minimum exploitation costs and a maximum efficiency on a long term. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.copbio.2013.05.447 Increasing the economic efficiency of agricultural farms through the cultivation of energetic plants and production of biofuels Nicoleta Mateoc Sîrb 1 , Andrei Zagoni 1 , Teodor Mateoc 1 , Gheorghe Sebastian Sarb 2 , Camelia Maria Manescu 1 , Cristian Campan 1 , Dornea Miruna Mihaela 1 1 University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Banat, Timisoara, Romania 2 University of Oradea, Romania E-mail address: kasha l@yahoo.com (D.M. Mihaela). One of the measures that enhance the production of biofuels is that all European Union Member-States should adopt measures that aim at replacing 20% of the classical sources of energy with renewable sources of energy by 2020. We should also replace 10% of all fossil fuels (gas and Diesel) with biological fuels by 2020. In this context, we have conducted a research regarding the increase of economic efficiency of agricultural farms through the cultivation of energetic plants and production of biofuels within a master programme at the Banat’s University of Agricultural Science and Veterinary Medicine of Timişoara, Romania. Theoretical and practical research focused mainly on the types of biofuels and energetic plants cultivated in Romania, on the calculus of crop economic efficiency, and on the assessment of development opportunities of technologies used in the production of biofuels from energetic plants cultivated on one’s own farm. The authors have reached the conclusion that energetic plants are a true alternative to the production of biofuels but the present legislation in the field and the market conditions in Romania do not allow the coverage of the production costs from the sale of biofuels; therefore, the authors recommend the production of biofuel by energetic plant growers and using it for consumption on their own farms as a way to increase the economic efficiency of their farms. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.copbio.2013.05.448 Biofuels produced by transesterification of oil extracted from acorns Calin Jianu, Ileana Cocan, Mihaela Cazacu, Alexandru Rinovetz, Ionel Jianu Banat’s University of Agricultural Science and Veterinary Medicine, Faculty Food Processing Technology, Timisoara, Romania E-mail address: calin.jianu@gmail.com (C. Jianu). Recovery of acorns (beech fruit Fagus silvatica) allows to obtain a vegetable oil with potential nutritional qualities, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, drugs and/or energy. This paper aim is to obtain by repeatedly solid/liquid extraction with petroleum ether (b.p. = 30–60◦ C) from acorns harvested and milled from geographical areas in western Romania, an oil which after purification and suitable chemical and physicochemical characterization was subjected to transesterification in alkaline catalyst with lower alcohols C1–C4. Transesterification product was preliminary characterized as biofuel. Obtained acorns oil was characterized as a yellow-brown S139 fluid with gas chromatographic composition 5.93% palmitic acid; 4.52% stearic acid; 79.71% oleic acid; 8.25% linoleic acid; 1.52% linolenic acid; 0.81% unsaponifiable; density (15◦ C) 0.921 g/cm3 ; refractive index (40◦ C) 1.4721; freezing point (−17◦ C); saponification index 193.2 mgKOH/g oil; iodine value 112.3 g I2/100 g oil; Meissl index 0.11; Hehner index 95.4; Baudoin reaction weak; Stoltsein reaction negative. Transesterification yields can be practically quantitative to C1, C2 alcohols and decreases in the series n-C3; iso-C3; n-C4; iso-C4; third-C4. Transesterification yields increases in a direct proportion to the molar ratio of alcohol/oil, with temperature in the range 40–100◦ C, reaction time between 1 and 3 hours. Increasing the amount of base catalyst over 15 × 10−3 mol/L affect the transesterification yields by cleavage of inferior esters formed. Transesterification acorns oil can be studied in the perspective to being used as biofuel. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.copbio.2013.05.449 Penicillium viridicatum RFC3, a new high ␤-glycosidase activity producer: a supplement of cellulases from Trichoderma reesei QM9414 for biomass saccharification Rodolfo Travaini 1 , Rodrigo Simões Ribeiro Leite 2 , Roberto Da Silva 3 , Eleni Gomes 3 , Silvia Rodríguez Bolado 1 1 Department of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology, University of Valladolid, Doctor Mergelina s/n, 47011 Valladolid, Spain 2 School of Environmental and Biological Science, Federal University of Grande Dourados, Rodovia Dourados - Itahum, Km 12 - Campus II, 79804-970 Dourados, MS, Brazil 3 Laboratory of Biochemistry and Applied Microbiology, Department of Chemistry and Environmental Sciences, IBILCE, São Paulo State University, UNESP, Rua Cristóvão Colombo, 2265, Jd Nazareth, 15054-000 São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil E-mail address: rtravaini@gmail.com (R. Travaini). Despite several reports of industrial applications of fungal ␤glycosidases in recent years, prospecting for new organisms producing high levels of enzyme activity and/or enzymes with desirable characteristics are still important to biotechnology applications. The utilization of this enzyme has been focused for use in synergism with cellulase to improve the saccharification of biomass for use in biorefineries. The strain Penicillium viridicatum RFC3 was utilized for ␤-glucosidase production and the Trichoderma reesei QM9414 for cellulase production by solid state fermentation. The medium was composed of sugarcane bagasse and wheat bran 1:1 (w/w), 70% moisture at 28◦ C. The profiles of ␤-glucosidase, ␤-xylosidase, CMCase, xylanase and FPase were studied for both fungi. The ␤-glucosidases were biochemically characterized. The enzymatic extracts were used for the saccharification of sugarcane bagasse, separately or in mixtures: 1:3, 1:1 and 3:1 (v/v). The released reducing sugars were quantified by DNS at times: 0, 1, 3, 6, 12, 24 and 27 hours, glucose released in 24 hours was quantified by HPLC. The P. viridicatum showed to be a good producer of ␤-glucosidase with 3.25 U/ml, with optimum pH 4.5 and stable between pH 5.5 and 7.5. The enzyme showed high optimal activity at 65◦ C and thermal stability up to 55◦ C. Even if the pure extract of T. reseei has been the better condition for release reducing sugars, the better glucose yield was achieved by the 1:1 cocktails mixture, showing that the ␤-glucosidase have a synergistic action with cellulases that improves the cellulose hydrolysis tough the lower loading of cellulases caused by the mixture of cocktails. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.copbio.2013.05.450