Publications by authors named "E W SUTER"

Hexavalent Chromium (Cr(VI)) is essential in many industrial processes. However, it finds its way into water bodies, posing health problems, including lung cancer and the inhibition of DNA and RNA in biological systems. Several chemical and traditional water purification methods have been developed in the past, but most are expensive, tedious and ineffective.

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Plasmids are mobile genetic elements known to carry secondary metabolic genes that affect the fitness and survival of microbes in the environment. Well-studied cases of plasmid-encoded secondary metabolic genes in marine habitats include toxin/antitoxin and antibiotic biosynthesis/resistance genes. Here, we examine metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from the permanently-stratified water column of the Cariaco Basin for integrated plasmids that encode biosynthetic gene clusters of secondary metabolites (smBGCs).

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Cellulose was isolated from recycled pulp and paper sludge and used to synthesize cellulose nanocrystals. Response surface methodology and Box-Behnken design model were used to predict, improve, and optimize the cellulose isolation process. The optimal conditions were a reaction temperature of 87.

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The pulp and paper industry stands out as an example of a technology based on a renewable resource, cellulose. The sludge, however, poses major environmental and public health problems. To effectively manage the sludge wastes, it is critical to fully evaluate its composition, possible environmental impacts, and the total amount of exploitable renewable resources.

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Silver nanoparticles have gained worldwide attention in the scientific community due to their high antimicrobial activity. However, they tend to agglomerate and lose their shape and properties, thus capping agents necessary to protect their shapes, sizes, and properties. To enhance their antimicrobial activity, this research aimed to cap silver nanoparticles with cellulosic matrices from wheat straws.

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