In Korea, the agricultural industry has witnessed a growing emphasis on reducing reliance on imported forage by adopting locally available alternatives to enhance sustainability and self-sufficiency. Given the limited information on the potential use of whole-crop rice silage (WCRS) as livestock feed, this study evaluated the effects of total mixed rations (TMR) containing WCRS on the rumen microbiota of Hanwoo heifers. Thirty heifers (body weight = 351 ± 39 kg) were randomly assigned to three TMR diet groups for the early fattening period: oat hay (OH), oat hay with Italian ryegrass silage and corn silage (OIC), and silages from whole-crop rice, Italian ryegrass, and corn (WCRSEF). During the late fattening period, the same heifers (569 ± 40 kg) were reassigned to three other treatment groups: perennial ryegrass (PRG), Italian ryegrass silage and alfalfa hay (IRGA), and silage containing whole-crop rice (WCRSLF). The effects of different feeding diets on the rumen microbial composition of Hanwoo heifers were investigated using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The analysis revealed similar microbial diversity among the treatments across both fattening periods. Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes were the most dominant phyla during early and late fattening periods. Moreover, during the early fattening period, heifers fed WCRS exhibited a higher ratio of Bacteroidetes to Firmicutes, whereas Firmicutes became more predominant in the late fattening period. Hungateiclostridium and Porphyromonas were identified as biomarkers (LDA score > | 2 |; p < 0.05) for the WCRSEF and WCRSLF groups, respectively. Furthermore, the microbial co-occurrence network highlighted different patterns (| r | = 0.85; p < 0.05) between the early and late fattening periods. The results provide significant insights into the effects of WCRS as a substitute for conventional forages such as oat hay, perennial ryegrass, alfalfa, and Italian ryegrass silage. The findings suggest that WCRS can modulate the rumen microbiome of Hanwoo heifers.

The study investigated a method of synthesizing a pitch suitable for making activated carbon using fluid catalytic crackingdecant oil (FCC-DO), a high-purity carbon precursor from oil refining. We kept the reaction time and catalyst amount constant while varying the temperature to investigate its impact on pitch synthesis and the resulting physical and activation properties. Previous research established that materials added during pitch synthesis can affect the properties of both the pitch and resulting activated carbon. This study examined the addition of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) to FCC-DO-based pitch. The results indicated significant changes in properties with PET addition and temperature variation that ensured stable activated carbon quality. At temperatures of 390 °C or higher, the specific surface area of the activated carbon stabilized between 2680 and 2740 m2/ g. Waste PET, a recyclable plastic, was chosen due to its compatibility and thermodynamic suitability for pitch synthesis. Importantly, adding PET didn't generate additional waste or degrade the physical properties of the activated carbon.