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Topic Review
Biodegradable Polymers
Biodegradable polymers are those which can degrade into water and carbon dioxide under normal environmental conditions through microbial action, providing compost as a simple and sustainable disposal option.
  • 840
  • 17 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Biodegradable Polymers in Triboelectric Nanogenerators
Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have attracted much attention because they not only efficiently harvest energy from the surrounding environment and living organisms but also serve as multifunctional sensors toward the detection of various chemical and physical stimuli. In particular, biodegradable TENG (BD-TENG) represents an emerging type of self-powered device that can be degraded, either in physiological environments as an implantable power source without the necessity of second surgery for device retrieval, or in the ambient environment to minimize associated environmental pollution.
  • 740
  • 14 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Biodegradation of Plastics  by Fungal and Bacterial Communities
Biodegradation is the deformation of a substance into new compounds through biochemical reactions or the actions of microorganisms such as bacteria or fungi. It is necessary for water-soluble or water-immiscible polymers because they eventually enter streams which can neither be recycled nor incinerated. It is important to consider the microbial degradation of natural and synthetic polymers in order to understand what is necessary for biodegradation and the mechanisms involved. Low/high-density polyethylene is a vital cause of environmental pollution. It occurs by choking the sewer line through mishandling, thus posing an everlasting ecological threat. Environmental pollution due to the unscrupulous consumption of synthetic polymers derived from petroleum has an adverse impact on the environment since the majority of plastics do not degrade, and the further incineration of synthetic plastics generates CO2 and dioxin. This requires understanding the interactions between materials and microorganisms and the biochemical changes involved. Widespread studies on the biodegradation of plastics have been carried out in order to overcome the environmental problems associated with synthetic plastic waste. Awareness of the waste problem and its impact on the environment has awakened new interest in the area of degradable polymers through microbes viz., bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes. The microbial degradation of plastics is caused by certain enzymatic activities that lead to a chain cleavage of polymers into oligomers and monomers.
  • 1.5K
  • 21 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Biodeterioration of Polyethylene
Polyethylene (PE) is the most abundant synthetic, petroleum-based plastic materials produced globally, and one of the most resistant to biodegradation, resulting in massive accumulation in the environment. Although the microbial degradation of polyethylene has been reported, complete biodegradation of polyethylene has not been achieved, and rapid degradation of polyethylene under ambient conditions in the environment is still not feasible. 
  • 769
  • 10 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Biodiesel as Renewable Biofuel in Current Diesel Engines
Many countries are immersed in several strategies to reduce the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of internal combustion engines. One option is the substitution of these engines by electric and/or hydrogen engines. However, apart from the strategic and logistical difficulties associated with this change, the application of electric or hydrogen engines in heavy transport, e.g., trucks, shipping, and aircrafts, also presents technological difficulties in the short-medium term. In addition, the replacement of the current car fleet will take decades. This is why the use of biofuels is presented as the only viable alternative to diminishing CO2 emissions in the very near future. Nowadays, it is assumed that vegetable oils will be the main raw material for replacing fossil fuels in diesel engines.
  • 760
  • 13 May 2022
Topic Review
Bioethanol production by enzymatic hydrolysis
Lignocellulosic sources are the world’s largest renewable sources for bioethanol production and can be divided into three main types: (1) marine algae, (2) agricultural residues and municipal solid wastes, (3) and forest woody feedstocks.
  • 617
  • 19 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Bioethanol Production Using Seawater
  Bioethanol has many environmental and practical benefits as a transportation fuel. It is one of the best alternatives to replace fossil fuels due to its liquid nature, which is similar to the gasoline and diesel fuels traditionally used in transportation. In addition, bioethanol production technology has the capacity for negative carbon emissions, which is vital for solving the current global warming dilemma. However, conventional bioethanol production takes place based on an inland site and relies on freshwater and edible crops (or land suitable for edible crop production) for production, which has led to the food vs. fuel debate. Establishing a coastal marine biorefinery (CMB) system for bioethanol production that is based on coastal sites and relies on marine resources (seawater, marine biomass and marine yeast) could be the ultimate solution. In this paper, we aim to evaluate the environmental impact of using seawater for bioethanol production at coastal locations as a step toward the evaluation of a CMB system. Hence, a life cycle assessment for bioethanol production was conducted using the proposed scenario, named Coastal Seawater, and compared to the conventional scenario, named Inland Freshwater (IF). The impact of each scenario in relation to climate change, water depletion, land use and fossil depletion was studied for comparison. The Coastal Seawater scenario demonstrated an improvement upon the conventional scenario in all the selected impact categories. In particular, the use of seawater in the process had a significant effect on water depletion, showing an impact reduction of 31.2%. Furthermore, reductions were demonstrated in natural land transformation, climate change and fossil depletion of 5.5%, 3.5% and 4.2%, respectively. This indicates the positive impact of using seawater and coastal locations for bioethanol production and encourages research to investigate the CMB system.
  • 1.5K
  • 21 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Biofilm and Pathogen Inhibition in Cooling Towers Using Natural Chemistry
Industrial comfort cooling and process cooling typically employ water evaporative cooling towers (CTs) to dissipate reject heat.  This warm water, enriched with nutrient materials scrubbed from the air or in source water, provides a nurturing environment for a wide variety of neutrophilic microorganisms, some of which are human pathogens.  For example, cases of Legionella pneumophila infection have been traced to CT Systems that have become pubic hazards in recent years.  Typically, one or more toxic microbicides are applied to control the problem.  This article highlights two case studies that utilize ultra-softened (<0.3 mg/L total hardness), highly-concentrated chemical components, naturally present in almost all makeup water sources used by CT Systems, that can generate high-pH, high-TDS cooling water.  At sufficient concentrations, these two natural parameters are hostile to microorganisms, including protozoa and slime-forming (biofilm) bacteria that harbor pathogens.  Field testing for Adenosine Tri-Phosphate (ATP), reported in Relative Light Units (RLU), provides a quick, sensitive method to detect all water-borne microbiological activity present in CT Systems and verifies the effectiveness of the anti-microbial program by quantifiable data, reported as ATP-RLU.
  • 2.5K
  • 28 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Biofouling of Blood-Contacting Polymeric Membranes
An extracorporeal blood purification method called continuous renal replacement therapy uses a porous hollow-fiber polymeric membrane that is exposed to prolonged contact with blood. In that condition, like with any other submerged filtration membrane, the hemofilter loses its properties over time and use resulting in a rapid decline in flux. The most significant reason for this loss is biofilm formation, when proteins, blood cells and bacterial cells attach to the membrane surface in complex processes. One method allowing for longer patency of vascular access and a longer lifespan of the membrane is the use of anticoagulation. Other preventive measures include the modification of the membrane itself.
  • 254
  • 01 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Biofouling on Stainless Steel
In humid environments, the formation of biofilms and microfouling are known to be the detrimental processes that first occur on stainless steel surfaces. This is known as biofouling. Subsequently, the conditions created by metabolites and the activity of organisms trigger corrosion of the metal and accelerate corrosion locally, causing a deterioration in, and alterations to, the performance of devices made of stainless steel. The microorganisms which thus affect stainless steel are mainly algae and bacteria.
  • 1.4K
  • 24 Feb 2022
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