Biocatalysts: The Greener Alternative
Pros Cons
• Biocatalysts, such as Laccases, are cost-effective and environmentally friendly. They serve multiple purposes such as in delignification and biopulping .
• Biocatalysts aid in the pulp and paper industry by degrading starch to lower viscosity, eliminate lignin, aid in sizing and coating paper .
• Laccase in biopulping have shown reduction of refining energy, increase of mill efficiency in mechanical pulping, enhanced paper strength properties, reduction of pitch problems, and improved yield1.
• A study done by MetGen in 2000 has shown that biocatalysts, specifically Laccases, have removed 90% of lignin, and other unwanted substances1.
• Biocatalysis technology’s economic impact has the potential to lower paper costs by 20 cents or higher depending on the growth of the market7.
• Biocatalysis technology has a respective $10 billion market in four categories: refining, polymerization, chemicals, and environmental due to its increasing demands3.
• Current developments to bacterially produce biocatalysts will yield large quantities, reducing economic costs1.
• Biocatalysts replace tradition paper production methods, avoiding harmful emissions such as hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, as well as dioxins.
• Consumption of elemental chlorine in the paper industry was reduced form 340,000 metric tonnes to 30,000 due to Biocatalysts .
• Biocatalysts have shown potential in de-inking paper, which can be extremely beneficial to the recycling industry1.
• It is estimated that biocatalysts will accumulate 30% of the chemical business by 20506.
• Biocatalysis has a low specific activity, unstable at high temperatures and specific pH values, available for specific reactions,...
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...epa.gov/compliance/assistance/sectors/pulp.html>.
Hüsing, Bärbel . "The Introduction of Process-integrated Biocatalysts in Companies – Effect of Dynamics in Internal and External Networks." Modern Biotechnology and the Greening of Industry. N.p., 1 Jan. 2000. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.
Gulder, Tanja . "Biocatalysis." Biocatalysis . Baran Group Meeting, 11 July 2009. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. .
"C&EN: COVER STORY - BIOCATALYSIS." BIOCATALYSIS. N.p., 1 May 2001. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. .
Bolton, Tom, and Clive Capps. "Chapter 5: Pulp And Paper Business." Current Practice in Environmental Reporting: The Pulp & Paper Industry. 73. n.p.: Woodhead Publishing Limited, 2000. Science Reference Center. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.
The papermaking process begins with pulp. Pulp is cellulosic fibrous material extracted from cellulosic fiber from wood. Glatfelter uses the Kraft Process to make both hardwood and softwood pulps. Hardwood pulps are taken from oaks, beeches, poplars, birches and eucalyptus tress. They have short fibre of average length of 1 millimeter. The primary purpose of hardwoods is for the paper to achieve bulkiness, smoothness and opacity. Softwood on the other hand is taken from pine and spruce with long fibre averaging 3 millimeters, it provides addition strength to paper. Both softwood and hardwood are produce independently of each other and are mixed end at desire ratio in the paper plant. The process starts from wood chips. Trees are chipped to make wood chips from half an inch to an inch long and up to two fifth inches thick. The chips are feed into a digester, which with cooking liquor would create a chemical reaction, which delignificate the wood. The cooking liquor is composed of white and black liquor. White liquor is composed of mainly sodium hy...
The purpose of the experiment is to study the rate of reaction through varying of concentrations of a catalyst or temperatures with a constant pH, and through the data obtained the rate law, constants, and activation energies can be experimentally determined. The rate law determines how the speed of a reaction occurs thus allowing the study of the overall mechanism formation in reactions. In the general form of the rate law it is A + B C or r=k[A]x[B]y. The rate of reaction can be affected by the concentration such as A and B in the previous equation, order of reactions, and the rate constant with each species in an overall chemical reaction. As a result, the rate law must be determined experimentally. In general, in a multi-step reac...
The purpose of this assessment was to research, design and conduct an experimental investigation on the effect of substrate concentration (manipulated by increasing concentration of pH buffer) of catalysed reactions by measuring the volume of oxygen produced as the reaction proceeded.
Bioaffinity chromatography is a type of affinity chromatography in which biological compounds such as immunoglobulin-binding proteins, enzymes, lectins, carbohydrates, avidin/biotin system and antibodies are used as ligands (Hage, 2006). Immunoglobulin-binding proteins, namely protein A which is produced by Staphylococcus aureus and protein G which is produced by streptococci, are the ligands that are used in the vast majority of bioaffinity chromatographic applications (Tetala and van Beek, 2010). However, enzymes and enzyme inhibitors can also be used as affinity ligands (Hage, 2006). Immobilized enzymes are widely utilized in many applications, concerning pharmaceutical and food industries. Furthermore, they are used in order to purify enzyme inhibitors, as well as for the removal of impurities from unprocessed extracts. In a similar way, enzyme inhibitors can be utilized for the purification of enzymes from crude extracts (Tetala and van Beek, 2010). The immobilization of enzymes on monolithic stationary phases enables them to be used in a wide range of applications concerning bioaffinity chromatography (Petro, Svec and Fréchet, 1996).
Cellulosic ethanol will not be able to meet its mandated output because in the past four years since demonstration and pilot sites started popping up it has only just started t...
Defining the major sources of solid waste for KC begins by reviewing the solid waste produced in their manufacturing processes worldwide, since this contributes to the highest output of solid waste and environmental waste. The waste to landfill ratio for KC, still ranks high among EPA and other environmental standards, this is due to process manufacturing of paper products. This method has been in existence in the paper industry since the late 1870‘s, which required large amounts of electricity and water during process manufacturing. Through the year’s newer machines, new efficiency standards, and conservation programs began to be, implemented for KC and other manufacturers worldwide, due to growing environmental concerns, and global warming. However the high demand for forest products, pulp, recycled fibers, energy, and water could not be greater, therefore the process used to produce these products had to change because of the high volume of waste originally destine to landfills, which is now being diverted from the same landfills. Thanks to the efforts of consumers, EPA and hundreds of GRI and ISO standards now within the manufacturing industry.
Tyner, Wallace. “The U.S. Ethanol and Biofuels Boom: Its Origins, Current Status, and Future Prospects.” BioScience. August 2008. Vol 58 (7):646
... book to those that have a entrepreneurial drive but also to those entering nearly any field. All fields are changing over time, formulas may stay the same and chemical properties will remain the same but new technologies or ways to get to the answers are always emerging. That is one of the points that this text strives to make, everyone need innovation and it is a skill that takes practice. This text was an easy read that laid out a step-by-step program in changing one’s future perspectives on problems they may combat. Johansson explains each topic in depth so that someone who is just starting from ideation can pick up his book and start to think differently. While also explaining topic ideas in detail there are also cases in each section that help supplement key ideas. These cases show how past companies have succeeded and failed through each stage of the method.
In this lab, it was determined how the rate of an enzyme-catalyzed reaction is affected by physical factors such as enzyme concentration, temperature, and substrate concentration affect. The question of what factors influence enzyme activity can be answered by the results of peroxidase activity and its relation to temperature and whether or not hydroxylamine causes a reaction change with enzyme activity. An enzyme is a protein produced by a living organism that serves as a biological catalyst. A catalyst is a substance that speeds up the rate of a chemical reaction and does so by lowering the activation energy of a reaction. With that energy reactants are brought together so that products can be formed.
Ever since I began studying science and mathematics at all levels of educations I have always had an interest in the production of useful materials. In the growing turmoil of today; a world full of global warming and diminishing resources, questions often arise in my mind such as, "can we make a more efficient, more durable and a renewable resource that will overshadow fossil fuels? and have less of an impact on our environment?" Up to now, I have not found a solution to these questions and answering these questions is a personal aspiration of mine which I aim to fulfil by achieving a degree in Chemical engineering and eventually I will contribute to the field in my own unique way. The debate surrounding sustainable energy fascinates me, having recently learned from personal research I have understood what an authoritative role chemists and chemical engineers play in the industry at the present time and how, by working as a team, they contribute to an improved future for the whole world. However, one of the main reasons that has single-mindedly driven me this far to want to study chemical engineering is a book I have read, “Beyond the Molecular Frontier: Challenges for Chemistry and Chemical Engineering” While reading this book, I had solidified my understandings of what chemical engineering is all about. Also, one of the main processes mentioned was polymerisation and is something I already study in A-level chemistry, it is something that not only interests me, but is a personal career aspiration of mine. Reading this book gave me a determination to be the person who helps improve the future of the industry and provide an answer to the questions I always ask myself by studying this degree.
Purpose: The purpose of this lab is to explore the different factors which effect enzyme activity and the rates of reaction, such as particle size and temperature.
There are several types of treatment methods present but biological treatment methods have gained much traction in the recent years due to their low operation costs, comparatively benign effects on the environment and their ease of handling and maintenance. Biological wastewater treatment methods can be subcategorized into dispersed growth systems and attached growth systems. Biofilms fall under the latter category (Sehar & Naz, 2016)
Energy, especially from fossil fuels, is a key ingredient for all sectors of a modern economy and plays a fundamental role in improving the quality of life in less developed economies. In 2007, India is ranked fifth in the world in terms of energy demand; accounting for 3.6% of total energy consumed, and is expected to grow at 4.8% in the future. India imports 70% of the oil it uses, and the country has been hit hard by the increasing price of oil, uncertainty and environmental hazards that are concerned with the consumption of fossil fuels. In such context, bio energy constitutes a suitable alternative source of energy for India, as large amounts of raw material are available to be harnessed.
...process adds from 10 to 15 percent to the price of the fabric, industries still save money because more products can be made in less time. Therefore increasing profits, as well as, reflecting the savings onto the consumers. Other advantages of ‘biostoning’ include, enzymes can be recycled, reduced strain on the industrial washing machines, shorter treatment times, and imperfections are significantly reduced, hence increasing productivity and efficiency. Consequently, this saves the environment by reducing water consumption and waste pollution. The elimination of pumice powder and dust creates a less intensive and safer working condition. However, one problem with biostoning was "back staining" this occurs when loosened dye particles redeposit onto the surface of the fabric, causing discoloration. Such setback can be immensely reduced by optimizing running conditions.
The preparation of making wood into a pulp for papermaking is accomplished in two different ways. In the groundwood process, blocks of wood are held against a fast revolving grindstone that shreds off short wood fibbers from the block. The fibbers produced by this process are short and are used only in the production of cheap newsprint and used to be added with other types of wood fibber in the making of high-quality paper. Another technique uses a chemical-solvent processes where wood chips are treated with solvents that remove “resinous material and lignin” from the wood, leaving pure fibbers of cellulose.