Chitosan, alginate and other macromolecules as activated carbon immobilizing agents: A review on composite adsorbents for the removal of water contaminants.

Activated carbon (AC) is widely used in water treatment, however, it has some technical disadvantages, such as its high cost and difficulty to recover. To overcome these drawbacks, AC particles have been encapsulated within a polymeric support, mainly chitosan and alginate-based. The use of these biological macromolecules results in composites with lower-cost, superior mechanical properties, and higher number of functional groups, advantages that have been attracted the attention of the scientific community.

Activated hydrochar produced from brewer's spent grain and its application in the removal of acetaminophen.

Acetaminophen has shown a gradual increase in detection in surface waters. Although present in low concentrations, it should be removed to prevent deleterious effects. Thus, adsorption onto activated carbon is emphasized.

Biosorption mechanisms of cationic and anionic dyes in a low-cost residue from brewer's spent grain.

The brewer's spent grain (BSG) is a byproduct of the brewing industry produced in large quantities and with few ecological disposal options. The use of this low-cost residue was investigated for the removal of methylene blue (MB) and tartrazine yellow (TY) dyes. The BSG has been extensively characterized to obtain its physicochemical characteristics.

Evaluation of pre-induction temperature, cell growth at induction and IPTG concentration on the expression of a leptospiral protein in E. coli using shaking flasks and microbioreactor.

Background: Leptospirosis is a zoonose that is increasingly endemic in built-up areas, especially where there are communities living in precarious housing with poor or non-existent sanitation infrastructure. Leptospirosis can kill, for its symptoms are easily confused with those of other diseases. As such, a rapid diagnosis is required so it can be treated effectively.

Xeno-free production of human embryonic stem cells in stirred microcarrier systems using a novel animal/human-component-free medium.

Currently, stem cell research faces a major bottleneck related to the low efficiency of methods to produce large quantities of human embryonic stem cells (ESC) for use in clinical trials. Most culture media currently employed for human ESC cultivation contain animal compounds, and cells are grown in static flasks. Besides the immediate contamination with nonhuman compounds, cell expansion in flasks tends to be laborious and nonefficient.