Biotechnology cellulose

J. F. Kennedy, G. O. Philips, and P. A. Williams (eds.). Wood and Cellulosics Industrial Utilization, Biotechnology, Structure and Properties, Ellis Horwood, Chichester (1987). 

A J Clark, Biodegradation of cellulose enzymology and biotechnology (Basle Technomic Publishing AG, 1996). 

Chanzy, H. (1990). Aspects of cellulose structure. In Cellulose Sources and Exploitation Industrial Utilisation, Biotechnology and Physico-chemical Properties, Kennedy, J.F., Phillips, G.O. and Williams, P.A. (Eds.). Ellis Horwood, Chichestir, UK, pp. 3-12. 

Developed from a symposium sponsored by the Cellulose, Paper, and Textile Division as part of the program of the Biotechnology Secretariat at the 199th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society,... 

Azarniouch, M.K. and Thompson, K.M., "Alcohol from Cellulose-Production Technology", presented at "Alcohols as Alternative Fuels for Ontario" Symposium, Toronto, Ontario (19 Nov. 1976). Gaden, E.L., "Biotechnology - An Old Solution to a New Problem", Chem. Eng. Div. Award Lecture, Amer. Soc. Eng. Ed. National Meeting (June 1974). 

Figure 9 Dimensionless standardized material function of two pseudoplastic fluids [carboxy me thy 1-cellulose (CMC) and Xanthane] often used in biotechnology. Source From Ref. 12.

The first major application of microfiltration membranes was for biological testing of water. This remains an important laboratory application in microbiology and biotechnology. For these applications the early cellulose acetate/cellulose nitrate phase separation membranes made by vapor-phase precipitation with water are still widely used. In the early 1960s and 1970s, a number of other membrane materials with improved mechanical properties and chemical stability were developed. These include polyacrylonitrile-poly(vinyl chloride) copolymers, poly(vinylidene fluoride), polysulfone, cellulose triacetate, and various nylons. Most cartridge filters use these membranes. More recently poly(tetrafluo-roethylene) membranes have come into use. 

The first large-scale commercial application of cross-linked enzyme crystals was the use of glucose isomerase CLCs to produce high-fructose com syrup. While this is not a pharmaceutical or a biotechnological application, it is included here because it serves to demonstrate the economic viability of the technology in a very cost-sensitive business. In this application the CLCs were attached to the surface of a polystyrene-cellulose-titanium oxide composite carrier in a ratio of 9 1 carrier enzyme. The catalyst had a half-life of 150 days at 57°C, and 12-18 tons of dry sugar product could be produced per kilogram of enzyme [37],... 

It is the aim of this contribution to present advances in research, development, and application in the field of nanocelluloses. The topics combine selected results on nanocellulosics from bacteria and wood as well as their use as technical membranes and composites with the first long-time study of cellulose in the animal body for the development of medical devices such as artificial blood vessels, and the application of bacterial nanocellulose as animal wound dressings and cosmetic tissues. Therefore, the review has brought together colleagues from chemistry, medicine, and biotechnology. 

Gluconacetobacter xylinus to optimize cellulose formation on the laboratory-scale [12]. As a result of systematic and comprehensive research over the last 10-15 years, broad knowledge of the formation and structure of BC has been acquired. This work is an important part of the integration of biotechnological methods into polysaccharide chemistry and the development of cellulose products with new properties and application potential. 

Krystynowicz A, Bielecki S, Czaja W, Rzyska M (2000) Prog Biotechnol 17 (Food Biotechnology) 323 Application of bacterial cellulose for clarification of fruit juices... 

Glasser W., McCartney B., Samaranayake G. Cellulose derivatives with low degree of substitution. 3. The biodegradability of cellulose esters using a simple enzyme assay. Biotechnology Progress 10 214-219 (1994). 

Membrane polymeric materials for separation applications are made of polyamide, polypropylene, polyvinylidene fluoride, polysulfone, polyethersulfone, cellulose acetate, cellulose diacetate, polystyrene resins cross-linked with divinylbenzene, and others (see Section 2.9) [59-61], The use of polyamide membrane filters is suggested for particle-removing filtration of water, aqueous solutions and solvents, as well as for the sterile filtration of liquids. The polysulfone and polyethersulfone membranes are widely applied in the biotechnological and pharmaceutical industries for the purification of enzymes and peptides. Cellulose acetate membrane filters are hydrophilic, and consequently, are suitable as a filtering membrane for aqueous and alcoholic media. 

Francisco JA, Stathopoulos C, Warren RAJ, Kilburn DG, Georgiou G, Specific adhesion and hydrolysis of cellulose by intact Escherichia coli expressing surface anchored cellulase or cellulose binding domains, Biotechnology, 11 491 495, 1993. 

A very important step in the process is the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation. This requires enzymes that can effectively break the cellulosic and hemicellulosic material into sugar components. Additionally, micro-organisms that can use a wide range of sugars are desired. These are challenges to be solved by future research in the field of biotechnology. 

A third trend is towards the search for cheap feed stock sources. This development started quite a while ago. Methanol used as a carbon source for microbial growth is of real interest at present. Cellulose and hemicellulose as components of wood are not yet an economic alternative, but recent progress is very impressing. It can easily be foreseen that wood will be utilized as a new resource for biotechnology within the next 10 years. 

Major biotechnological uses of the biomass carbohydrate moiety have attracted worldwide attention. Controlled cellulose degradation by cellulases may produce materials for important multifarious applications carbohydrates that can be used in the food and beverage industries, cellulose microfibril fragments for non-caloric food additives, hyperabsorbent cellulose fibers from fragmented cellulose microfibrils which can be used in biomedical, commercial and house-hold absorbent materials. Biomass-derived glucose syrups can also be used as carbon source in industrial fermentations for the production of antibiotics, industrial enzymes, amino-acids, and bulk chemicals. 

Kilbum, D. G., Assouline, Z., Din, N., Gilkes, N. R., Ong, E., Tomme, P., and Warren, R. A. J. 1993. Cellulose binding domains properties and applications. Proceedings of the second TRICEL symposium on Trichoderma Reesei cellulases and other hydrolases. Espoo, Finland. In Suominen, R, and Rainikainen, T. (Eds.), Foundation for Biotechnological and Industrial fermentation Research 8,281-290. 

Levy, I., and Shoseyov, O., Cellulose-binding domains Biotechnological applications. Biotechnol Advances 2002, 20 (3-4), 191-213. 

Iogen, a Canadian biotechnology company, makes just such an enzyme and has been operating a test plant to determine how economical the process may be. The company hopes to construct a 300-million, large-scale biorefinery with a potential output of 50 million gallons per year. Its pilot plant in Ottawa utilizes wheat straw and com stalks. In mid-2009, a Shell gasoline station in Ottawa, Canada became the first retail outlet in that nation to sell a blend of gasoline that features 10% cellulosic ethanol. 

There have been numerous studies exploring the concept of membrane reactors. Many of them, however, are related to biotechnological applications where enzymes are used as catalysts in such reactions as saccharification of celluloses and hydrolysis of proteins at relatively low temperatures. Some applications such as production of monoclonal antibodies in a hollow fiber membrane bioreactor have just begun to be commercialized. 

Lay, J. (2000). Biohydrogen generation by mesophihc anaerobic fermentation of microcrystalline cellulose. Biotechnology Bioeng. 74,280-287. 

Chen, R. and Lee, Y.Y. 1997. Membrane-mediated extractive fermentation for lactic acid production from cellulosic biomass. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology 63 435-448. 

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