Ductile Copolyesters Prepared Using Succinic Acid, 1,4-Butanediol, and Bis(2-hydroxyethyl) Terephthalate with Minimizing Generation of Tetrahydrofuran.

Poly(1,4-butylene succinate) (PBS) is a promising sustainable and biodegradable synthetic polyester. In this study, we synthesized PBS-based copolyesters by incorporating 5-20 mol% of -OCCHCO- and -OCHCHO- units through the polycondensation of succinic acid (SA) with 1,4-butanediol (BD) and bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET). Two different catalysts, HPO and the conventional catalyst (nBuO)Ti, were used comparatively in the synthesis process.

Metagenomic Analysis of Antarctic Ocean near the King Sejong Station Reveals the Diversity of Carotenoid Biosynthetic Genes.

Carotenoids, biotechnologically significant pigments, play crucial biological roles in marine microorganisms. While various environments have been explored to understand the diversity of carotenoids and their biosynthesis, the Antarctic Ocean remains relatively under-investigated. This study conducted a metagenomic analysis of seawater from two depths (16 and 25 m) near the King Sejong Station in the Antarctic Ocean.

Rapid Biodegradable Ionic Aggregates of Polyesters Constructed with Fertilizer Ingredients.

Synthetic biodegradable polyesters tend to undergo slow biodegradation under ambient natural conditions and, hence, have been rejected or even banned recently in ecofriendly applications. Here, we demonstrate the preparation of polyesters exhibiting enhanced biodegradability, which were generated through a combination of old controversial macromolecules and aggregate theories. HPO-catalyzed diacid/diol polycondensation afforded polyester chains bearing chain-end -CHOP(O)(OH) and inner-chain (-CHO)P(O)(OH) groups, which were subsequently treated with M(2-ethylhexanoate) (M = Zn, Mg, Mn, and Ca) to form ionic aggregates of polyesters.

Differences in the Fatty Acid Profile, Morphology, and Tetraacetylphytosphingosine-Forming Capability Between Wild-Type and Mutant .

One tetraacetylphytosphingosine (TAPS)-producing mutant was obtained by exposing wild-type to γ-ray irradiation. The mutant named 736 produced up to 9.1 g/L of TAPS (218.