Cellulose Membranes in the Treatment of Spent Deep Eutectic Solvent Used in the Recovery of Lignin from Lignocellulosic Biomass

Ultrafiltration was employed in the purification of spent Deep Eutectic Solvent (DES, a mixture of choline chloride and lactic acid, 1:10, respectively) used in the extraction of lignin from lignocellulosic biomass. The aim of this was to recover different lignin fractions and to purify spent solvent. The results revealed that the commercial regenerated cellulose membranes—RC70PP and Ultracel 5 kDa UF membranes—could be used in the treatment of the spent DES. The addition of cosolvent (ethanol) to the spent DES decreased solvent’s viscosity, which enabled filtration. With two-pass ultrafiltration process with 10 kDa and 5 kDa membranes about 95% of the dissolved polymeric compounds (lignin and hemicelluloses) were removed from the spent DES. The utilized membranes also showed the capability to fractionate polymeric compounds into two fractions—above and under 10,000 Da. Moreover, the 10 kDa cellulose-based membrane showed good stability during a continuous period of three weeks exposure to the solution of DES and ethanol. Its pure water permeability decreased only by 3%. The results presented here demonstrate the possibility to utilize cellulose membranes in the treatment of spent DES to purify the solvent and recover the interesting compounds.

Comparison of the Wear Behavior and Hardness of Vinylester Resin Reinforced by Glass Fiber and Nano ZrO2 and Fe3O4

The current trend in scientific researches is to improve the performance of mechanical and physical properties of polymeric compounds, one of these methods is to add nanoparticles to polymeric composites. In this work, the wear behaviour (pin to disc) of nanocomposites composed of vinyl ester reinforced glass fibers and nanoparticles was evaluated under three different factors, such as specimen content, load applied, and distance sliding using a sliding time constant, as well as studying the hardness shore for these nanocomposites. The (hand-lay) method was used for the purpose of preparing the nanocomposites from vinyl ester filled with 10% vf. glass fiber and (0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, and 2% vf. of nano-Fe3O4 and ZrO2). The results are tabulated and analysed using Taguchi experiments (L9) (Minitab 18) for the purpose of determining which of the factors under consideration had the greatest influence on the wear behaviour. From the results, it was found that the specimens (vinyl ester-10% vf. glass fibers-2% ZrO2) and (vinyl ester-10% vf. glass fibers-2% Fe3O4) give the best wear resistance 0.003×10-5, 0.012×10-5 mm3/Nm respectively under the factors (load 20 N, sliding distance 45 cm). It was found that the specimen content is the most important factor influencing the wear behaviour, followed by the factors of the applied load and then the sliding distance. The addition of nanoparticles (0.5-2% vf. ZrO2, Fe3O4) to the vinyl ester resin improved the hardness values. Furthermore, the findings show that the addition of nanoparticles (ZrO2, Fe3O4) had a positive effect on the (wear and hardness) tests, implying that the nanoparticles improved the bonding between the base material and reinforcing material.

Acute Skin Wounds Treated with Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Biopolymer Compositions Alone and in Combination: Evaluation of Agent Efficacy and Analysis of Healing Mechanisms

We studied the efficacy of using mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) and a polymeric compound (based on chitosan and cellulose with integrated cerium dioxide nanoparticles (PCCD)) in wound healing, and to compare the effects with various invasive and external drugs used for the same purpose. Two wounds were made on the backs of each of 112 Wistar rats, removing the skin. Eight groups were studied: Control_0—intact wounds; Control_ss—0.9% NaCl injections; MSC injections; Control_msc—intact wounds on the opposite side of the body from the MSC group; external application of the PCCD; external application of a combination of the drugs PCCD + MSC; DCh –ointment Dioxomethyltetrahydropyrimidine + Chloramphenicol; and DHCB—injections of a deproteinized hemoderivative of calf blood. After 14 days, we evaluated the state and size of the wounds, studied the level of microcirculation, performed a histological study, and identified and counted the different types of cells. The most effective remedy was combination PCCD + MSC. The treatments in the PCCD and MSC groups were more effective than in the DHCB and DCh groups. Invasive drugs and DCh slowed the regeneration process. DHCB did not affect the rate of healing for acute wounds without ischemia during the first week. The proven efficacy of developed polymeric compounds demonstrates the feasibility of further studies in clinical practice.

Hydrogel-Based Delivery for Antineoplastic Drugs and Vascular Scaffolding

Hydrogels, hydrophilic polymeric compounds, have been recently put under investigation as regenerative medicine applications and delivery systems for antineoplastic drugs, particularly chemotherapeutics (anthracyclines, alkylating agents), target drugs (trastuzumab) and immunotherapies. Porosity, conductivity, biodegradability and physical states are some of the peculiarities that render hydrogels suitable for therapies implementation. Chemically-modifying agents and enzymes can be also coupled to hydrogels for pharmacokinetical parameters improvement and side effects avoidance. Cardiotoxicity is in fact one of the major issues for oncological patients after treatment efficacy. Heart failure, myocarditis and hypertension are causes of morbidity and mortality that can possibly be avoided. Specific reaching of the target tumor site has been achieved by several authors in preclinical in vivo studies but clinical studies are currently under design processes. Polydioxanone, a hydrogel-mimicking agent, is capable to interact with the elastic properties of pulmonary artery. An advantageous characteristic is that can be also reabsorbed within biological systems and can cause a remodeling process of the vessel wall. Hydrogels currently represent a strong topic of interest for researchers and probably will guide future clinical investigations and practice.

Oxidative Quality of Acid Oils and Fatty Acid Distillates Used in Animal Feeding

Acid oils (AO) and fatty acid distillates (FAD) are byproducts from chemical and physical refining of edible oils and fats, respectively. Their high energy value makes their upcycling interesting as alternatives to conventional fats in animal feeding. The objective of this study is to characterize their oxidative quality and to provide recommendations about their evaluation for animal feeding purposes. The oxidation status (peroxide value (PV), p-Anisidine value (p-AnV), % polymeric compounds (POL)), the oxidative stability (induction time by the Rancimat at 120 °C (IT)), the fatty acid composition (FA), and tocopherol and tocotrienol content of 92 AO and FAD samples from the Spanish market were analyzed. Both AO and FAD showed low PV (0.8 and 1 meq O2/kg); however, p-AnV was higher in FAD (36.4 vs. 16.4 in AO) and POL was higher in AO (2.5% vs. not detected in FAD) as a consequence of the type of refining process. The botanical origin of AO and FAD influenced FA and tocol composition, and they influenced IT. A high variability was observed for most analyzed parameters, reinforcing the need for standardizing AO and FAD to obtain reliable feed ingredients and to include primary and secondary oxidative parameters within their quality control.

PREPARATION OF POLYACRYLONITRILE MEMBRANES WITH ANTIBACTERIAL PROPERTIES

We describe the method of formation of polyacrylonitrile membranes with antibacterial properties by addition into the casting solution casting of antibacterial polymeric compounds: polyhexamethyleneguanidine chloride, oligourethanesemicarbazide with terminal cationic pyridinium chloride groups, and the polyvinylpyrrolidone-iodine complex. We investigated the effect of the addition of antibacterial compounds to the casting solution casting on the physicochemical, transport and antibacterial properties of the obtained membranes. We show that increasing the concentration of the bactericidal additives in the casting solution to 3% (wt.) leads to a change in the investigated physicochemical characteristics, water flux and membrane rejection, of polyethyleneglycol and low molecular weight electrolyte type 2-1 (CaCl2). We found that membranes prepared from the casting solution with 3% (wt.) of antimicrobial substances are characterized by high antibacterial activity.

Production of Biopolymer from Bacteria - A Review

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) producers have been found in a variety of ecological niche’s that are naturally or unintentionally exposed to high organic matter or growth limiting substances such as dairy wastes, hydrocarbon contaminated sites, pulp and paper mill wastes, agricultural wastes, activated sludges of treatment plants, rhizosphere, and industrial effluents. Few of them also create extracellular byproducts such as rhamnolipids, extracellular polymeric compounds, and biohydrogen gas. These microbes can use waste materials of various origin as substrates while producing valuable bioproducts such as PHB. As a result, these microbes are industrially important candidates for production; Implementation of an integrated system to separate their by-products (intracellular and extracellular) could be an economical method. In this study, we reviewed several microorganisms that live in diverse environmental situations and are stimulated to collect carbon as polyhydroxyalkanoates granules, as well as variables that influence their production and composition. Ultimately, the current cost of bioplastic manufacture from stored PHA granules can be decreased by investigating capabilities such as dual generation of microorganisms and utilization of wastes as renewable substrate under optimal growth conditions in either a batch or continuous process.

The effect of ink formulation on colorimetric properties of inkjet printing considering the impact of substrates

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the changes in the performance of ink formulations caused by the addition of compounds that improve the ink’s physical properties to achieve an optimum formulation for inkjet printing, because of the importance and simplicity of this method. Design/methodology/approach Ink samples were formulated using Acid Red 14 as ink colorant, different percentages of polymeric compounds including polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyvinylpyrrolidone and Carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC) as viscosity modifier compounds and surfactant as the surface tension enhancer. Formulated samples were adjusted in terms of fluid physical properties e.g. viscosity, density and surface tension, and the effect of used compounds on the improvement of both physical and colorimetric properties such as viscosity, surface tension, colorimetric coordinates and lightfastness has been evaluated to achieve the optimum printing inks to be printed on three different substrates. Findings The experimental observations showed that CMC was the most compatible compound as the viscosity modifier as its viscosity value was in the printable range of 2–22 cP. Moreover, a flow-curve test was applied to the ink samples and their Newtonian behavior was approved. Based on the spectrophotometric test results of printed samples, the samples containing PVA provided acceptable lightfastness in comparison to other ink samples on every used substrate. Originality/value An optimum relation between colorimetric coordinates of the printed samples and ink formulation could be considered and achieved.