Effects of Chloride Concentration on the Water Disinfection Performance of Silver Containing Nanocellulose-based Composites.

The availability of microbially-safe drinking water is a challenge in many developing regions. Due to the well-known antibacterial effect of silver ions, materials used for their controlled release have been widely studied for point-of-use water disinfection. However, even if it is in principle known that chloride anions can suppress the antibacterial efficiency of silver, the majority of previous studies, surprisingly, have not focused on chloride concentrations relevant for freshwaters and thus for practical applications. Here, we prepared low-cost nanocellulose-aluminium oxyhydroxide nanocomposites functionalized with silver nanoparticles. Field samples obtained from Chennai, India were used as a guideline for choosing relevant chloride concentrations for the antibacterial studies, i.e., 10, 90, and 290 ppm. The antibacterial performance of the material against Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis was demonstrated and the influence of chloride concentration on the antibacterial effect was studied with E. coli. A 1 h contact time led to bacterial reductions of 5.6 log10, 2.9 log10, and 2.2 log10, respectively. This indicates that an increase of chloride concentration leads to a substantial reduction of antibacterial efficiency, even within chloride concentrations found in freshwaters. This work enables further insights for designing freshwater purification systems that utilize silver-releasing materials.

Enhancement of acetyl xylan esterase activity on cellulose acetate through fusion to a family 3 cellulose binding module.

The current study investigates the potential to increase the activity of a family 1 carbohydrate esterase on cellulose acetate through fusion to a family 3 carbohydrate binding module (CBM). Specifically, CtCBM3 from Clostridium thermocellum was fused to the carboxyl terminus of the acetyl xylan esterase (AnAXE) from Aspergillus nidulans, and active forms of both AnAXE and AnAXE-CtCBM3 were produced in Pichia pastoris. CtCBM3 fusion had negligible impact on the thermostability or regioselectivity of AnAXE; activities towards acetylated corncob xylan, 4-methylumbelliferyl acetate, p-nitrophenyl acetate, and cellobiose octaacetate were also unchanged. By contrast, the activity of AnAXE-CtCBM3 on cellulose acetate increased by two to four times over 24 h, with greater differences observed at earlier time points. Binding studies using microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel) and a commercial source of cellulose acetate confirmed functional production of the CtCBM3 domain; affinity gel electrophoresis using acetylated xylan also verified the selectivity of CtCBM3 binding to cellulose. Notably, gains in enzyme activity on cellulose acetate appeared to exceed gains in substrate binding, suggesting that fusion to CtCBM3 increases functional associations between the enzyme and insoluble, high molecular weight cellulosic substrates.

Continuous propionic acid production with Propionibacterium acidipropionici immobilized in a novel xylan hydrogel matrix.

The cell immobilization potential of a novel xylan based disulfide-crosslinked hydrogel matrix reinforced with cellulose nanocrystals was studied with continuous cultivation of Propionibacterium acidipropionici using various dilution rates. The cells were immobilized to hydrogel beads suspended freely in the fermentation broth or else packed into a column connected to a stirred tank reactor. The maximum propionic acid productivity for the combined stirred tank and column was 0.88gL(-1)h(-1) and the maximum productivity for the column was determined to be 1.39gL(-1)h(-1). The maximum propionic acid titer for the combined system was 13.9gL(-1) with a dilution rate of 0.06h(-1). Dry cell density of 99.7gL(-1) was obtained within the column packed with hydrogel beads and productivity of 1.02gL(-1)h(-1) was maintained in the column even with the high circulation rate of 3.37h(-1).

Novel thiol- amine- and amino acid functional xylan derivatives synthesized by thiol-ene reaction.

In the present work, novel thioether xylans were synthesized via a simple procedure using water as solvent. First, allyl groups were introduced on the backbone of xylan by etherification of allyl chloride in aqueous alkaline conditions at 40°C, providing degree of substitution (DS) values up to 0.49. On the second step, the allyl groups were reacted with thioacetic acid, cysteamine hydrochloride or cysteine providing novel thiol-, amine- or amino acid functionalized xylans. The presented modular approach offers broad possibilities for developing new polysaccharide based materials. The thioacetic acid - ene reaction is reported for the first time for polysaccharide modification, yielding a protected thiol that can be stored at atmospheric conditions and can be deprotected by simple hydrolysis just prior to use, providing a versatile water soluble polythiol. The free thiol-groups were utilized for hydrogel formation through thiol-thiol oxidative coupling, allowing good control over the hydrogel shape, such as 3D hydrogel scaffolds and cross-linked foams. Further, the thiol-containing xylan was used to modify filter paper surface by a simple dipping method, which provides a novel and convenient way for introducing thiol-functionality on paper surface.

Thermoresponsive xylan hydrogels via copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition.

In the present work, hydrogels of birch wood xylan and thermoresponsive poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(propylene glycol)-b-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG-PPG-PEG) were prepared using copper catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition (CuAAC) in aqueous reaction conditions. First, reactive azide groups were introduced on the backbone of xylan by etherification of 1-azido-2,3-epoxypropane in alkaline water/isopropanol-mixture at ambient temperature, providing degree of substitution (DS) values up to 0.28. On the second step, the azide groups were reacted with propargyl bifunctional PEG-PPG-PEG utilizing CuAAC, leading to formation of crosslinked hydrogels. The novel xylan derivatives were characterized with liquid and solid state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and elemental analysis (EA). The temperature controlled swelling behavior of the developed hydrogels was evaluated in the range of 7-70 °C by water absorption and compressive stress-strain measurements, which showed a reduction in water content and change in stiffness with increasing temperature. The morphology of the hydrogels at different temperatures was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which showed a reduction in pore size with increasing temperature.