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The scum is a semisolid by-product in canesugar mills where flotation technology is used for mixed juice clarification. To evaluate its potential bioactive properties, an aqueous extract, a 70% ethanol extract and a 100% ethanol extract from the scum were obtained and used for antioxidant activity assessment. Chemical assays of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2 0 -azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) were used to determine the total antioxidant activity, and a chemiluminescence assay was conducted to assess the hydroxyl (•OH) and superoxide anion (O 2•2 ) radicals' scavenging activity. Results showed that all extracts had high antioxidant activity, of which the 100% ethanol extract was more powerful in DPPH, ABTS and •OH assays. Potential antioxidants in ethanol extracts could be associated with sugarcane wax, polyphenols and flavonoids, while in the aqueous extract, it could be water-soluble vitamins and proteins which resulted in the highest (O 2•2 ) scavenging activity. This study suggested that the scum has potential bioactive application.

A photovoltaic reactor was designed for artificial photosynthesis, based on the reactions involved in high energy hydrogen atoms, which were produced from water electrolysis. Water and CO2, under the conditions studied, were converted to oxalate (H2C2O4) and a polymer. This was the first time that the oxalates and oxalate-based polymer were produced from the artificial photosynthesis process.