Gas-phase degradation of VOCs using supported bacteria biofilms.

Herein we report the use of Pseudomonas putida F1 biofilms grown on carbonized cellulosic fibers to achieve biodegradation of airborne volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the absence of any bulk aqueous-phase media. It is believed that direct exposure of gaseous VOC substrates to biomass may eliminate aqueous-phase mass transfer resistance and facilitate VOC capture and degradation. When tested with toluene vapor as a model VOC, the supported biofilm could grow optimally at 300 p.

Cascade enzymatic reactions for efficient carbon sequestration.

Thermochemical processes developed for carbon capture and storage (CCS) offer high carbon capture capacities, but are generally hampered by low energy efficiency. Reversible cascade enzyme reactions are examined in this work for energy-efficient carbon sequestration. By integrating the reactions of two key enzymes of RTCA cycle, isocitrate dehydrogenase and aconitase, we demonstrate that intensified carbon capture can be realized through such cascade enzymatic reactions.

Biocatalytic carbon capture via reversible reaction cycle catalyzed by isocitrate dehydrogenase.

The practice of carbon capture and storage (CCS) requires efficient capture and separation of carbon dioxide from its gaseous mixtures such as flue gas, followed by releasing it as a pure gas which can be subsequently compressed and injected into underground storage sites. This has been mostly achieved via reversible thermochemical reactions which are generally energy-intensive. The current work examines a biocatalytic approach for carbon capture using an NADP(H)-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICDH) which catalyzes reversibly carboxylation and decarboxylation reactions.

Direct acid methylation for extraction of fatty acid content from microalgae cells.

Direct acid methylation was examined as a means for both analysis of fatty acid content in microalgal cells and biodiesel production without pretreatment. Microalgal cells of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Dunaliella tertiolecta were prepared and examined. It appeared that direct acid methylation extracted higher fatty acid content than the solvent-based Soxhlet extraction process.