Potential Commercial Applications

In this chapter, we first describe the different types of CCOs that have been identified in plants, vertebrates and microorganisms, followed by discussions of our current understanding of their biochemistry and biological functions. A section describing current and potential commercial applications, including limitations that presently restrict biotechnological use of CCOs, concludes our... 

Three surveys on the chemistry of sucrose have appeared during the past five years.1-3 Nevertheless, as progress in this field has been rapid, a further article on this subject is now justified. In this Chapter, an attempt has been made to collate information on the reactions of sucrose, and to illustrate some of the physical methods that have contributed to the characterization of sucrose derivatives. In addition, some of the potential commercial applications of compounds derived from sucrose have been considered briefly. 

Another solution to the problem of catalyst/product separation is the biphasic catalysis. The liquid biphasic catalysis became an attractive technology for potential commercial application of enantioselective homogeneous catalysis. The most important features of such systems are related to the fact that both reaction rate and e.s. may be influenced by the number of ionic groups in water-soluble ligand or by addition of surfactants. Descriptions of water-soluble ligands and the recent results in the rapidly progressing area of biphasic enantioselective catalysis are available in recent reviews [255,256],... 

Polythieno[3,4- ]pyridazines have enjoyed success as polymers with potential commercial applications. Because of this, two quantum-chemical investigations have been carried out to elicit geometric and electronic structures and stabilities of such molecules <1995SM691, 2000JPC7106>. 

Demonstrated areas of potential commercial applications for other boron hydride-based materials are listed according to the classes of these materials. 

Numerous applications have been demonstrated and proposed for conjugated polymers. Some of the present and potential commercial applications of these systems are listed below [2]. 

Bogart, S.L., et al. (2006), Production of Liquid Synthetic Fuels from Carbon, Water and Nuclear Power on Ships and at Shore Bases for Military and Potential Commercial Applications , Proceedings of ICAPP 06, Reno, NV, USA, June, Paper No. 6007. 

Each chapter presents a unified view of monomers, catalysts and mechanisms, with a special emphasis on stereochemistry, the structures of polymers and the utility of coordination polymerisation, as well as attempts to delineate the current trends of research and actual or potential commercial applications. Problems are listed at the end of each chapter in order to enable students or other readers to absorb its contents more easily. 

Inhibition of the precipitation of calcium carbonate is one potential commercial application for 0-(carboxymethyl flnulin. The formation of calcium carbonate crystals is a major problem in boilers, heat exchangers, saltwater desalination, gas and oil production, laundry, and other fields. As the water temperature increases, the solubility of calcium carbonates decreases, resulting in crystalli-zation/scale formation/incrustation, decreasing the efficiency of the operation and increasing costs. 

A number of saturated and unsaturated compounds have been used as substrates for in vivo reactions with the B. megaterium strain ALA2. These initial efforts are reviewed below and were biased toward characterization of novel bacteria-derived compounds of potential commercial applicability. 

The fast fluidized bed reactor can offer several considerable advantages over alternative reactors for many catalytic and non-catalytic reactions, especially for very fast exothermic/endothermic reactions. With the mushrooming of high activity catalysts and the ever increasing pressure for energy conservation, environmental controls, etc., FFB can play more and more important roles in these areas. More potential commercial applications of FFB in the near future include hydrocarbon oxidations, ammoxidation, gasoline and olefines production by concurrent downflow FFB and basic operation for organic chemical productions. 

Pore Size Limitations. Although there are many potential commercial applications for ultrafiltration using currently available ceramic membranes, the pore sizes in these membranes are seldom less than 40 A in diameter, thereby limiting their applications in gas separations and in ceramic catalytic reactors. 

The unusual interaction of hydrogen with palladium-based membrane materials opens up the possibility of oxidative hydrogen pump for tritium recovery from breeder blankets. The feasibility for this potential commercial application hinges on the hot-fusion and cold-fusion technology under development [Saracco and Specchia, 1994]. At first, Yoshida et al. [1983] suggested membrane separation of this radioactive isotope of hydrogen followed by its oxidation to form water. Subsequently, Hsu and Bauxbaum [1986] and Drioli et al. [1990] successfully tested the concept of combining the separation and reaction steps into a membrane reactor operation. 

The ensuing section is a brief review of phospholipid plant sources other than those from the soybean, which have current or potential commercial applications. Soybean lecithin then will be discussed in more detail later throughout the subsequent sections in this chapter. 

Ethylene promotes a large array of responses in seeds, plants, and fruits (Table I), some similar to and some dissimilar to effects of auxins. Those with actual or potential commercial application include (a) growth promotion of seedlings (rice), (b) inhibition of height growth, (c) root initiation, (d) chlorophyll destruction (citrus), (e) flower initiation (pineapple, bromeliads), (f) stimulation of fruit growth (figs). 

In order to evaluate the performance of the MARA test, proposed testing was implemented at a reputable accredited contract laboratory. The testing was performed to attain an objective and independent assessment of the capabilities of the test with reference to potential commercial application. To assess the MARA test it was prudent to investigate the test s performance variability in terms of repeatability and reproducibility. To evaluate the MARA test, the investigations considered to be pertinent and drafted in the proposal included assessment of ... 

In this chapter, we highlight the preparative methods, which have been used successfully to produce active, selective and durable nanogold catalysts and look at their properties and the reactions which they promote. We then consider the potential commercial applications for these new catalysts and look into the future. 

Biotechnical control systems are beginning to make their appearance in the agrochemical marketplace One potential commercial application of a pheromone insect control agent is that of the grape berry moth pheromone produced by Shin-Etsu Chemical Company and investigated in the field by Dennehy and Roelofs (10,11). Before petitions could be filed, it was necessary that an analytical method for the two components Z-9-dodecen-l-yl acetate and Z-11-tetradecen-l-yl acetate (Z-9-DDA and Z-ll-TDA) in and on grapes be developed, and further, that residue determinations be conducted on samples from the cited field study ... 

Nevertheless, during recent years, an increasing number of potential commercial applications of femtosecond laser treatment have been demonstrated, e.g., the fabrication of injection nozzles and medical implants (stents) [72]. Some femtosecond laser systems have already been installed particularly for mask repair in industry [73, 74]. In particular, biological tissue (cornea, tooth, bone) can be treated successfully [11, 75, 76]. Even transparent human chromosomes were laser-cut (170 fs, 800 nm, minimum FWHM cut size -100 nm) by a multiphoton-mediated process [77]. But, a killer application is incalculable. 

Because of the behavior of the resins, which appear to mimic aqueous biphase extraction in PEG-ABSs, this separation technique has been named aqueous biphasic extraction chromatography (ABEC). Many of the potential commercial applications for metal ion separations utilizing PEG-ABSs may reach fruition because of the ability to strip the columns with water [27]. 

This book provides an extensive overview of current thinking on applications, materials issues, and scale-up considerations related to dense oxygen and hydrogen transport membranes. For a broad outlook, international contributions have been obtained from researchers in academia, industry and national laboratories. Readers new to the field should find ample information on membrane fundamentals. Advanced researchers should find many previously unpublished concepts and research results to help forward their work. Readers will be aided by the large number of references to the membrane literature and especially by the extensive references to the patent literature, which reflect the potential commercial applications of membranes. 

In EPIC, the research program is established through a process which is intended to increase the chances for smooth technology transfer. The companies indicate general areas of interest at the outset, and the faculty members are encouraged to be creative and to submit projects within these areas based on their experience and interests. Any proposal must consider not only scientific merit, but also the potential commercial application of the research. While this is a difficult consideration for some academic researchers, the EPIC charter states that only projects with commercial potential as well as scientific merit will be funded. A Project Proposal Review Committee makes project selections from proposals submitted by faculty members and this Committee has only member company representatives--no academics—to ensure that the commercial potential requirement is addressed. 

Singh et al., in Chapter 13, Nanobiomaterials applications in biomedicine and biotechnology, review the fabrication of nanoscale biomaterials for medical and biotechnological applications. Nanoscale molecular tools in nanobiomedicine are used for diagnostic purposes and improvement of human health. Pivotal studies, both nonclinical and clinical, in the aspects of safety and tolerance are the necessity of recent times in order to formulate their potential commercial application. 

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