Lena Daumanns's thesis describes structural and functional studies of the enzyme Glycerophosphodiesterase (GpdQ) from Enterobacter aerogenes. It also examines the properties of small mimics of this enzyme and related binuclear metallohydrolases such as the metallo-ß-lactamases to enhance our understanding of hydrolytic cleavage of important substrates like phosphoesters and β-lactams. Overall, this project has led to a better understanding of the metal ion binding and active site structural features of the enzyme GpdQ. Daumann describes how she successfully immobilized phosphoesterase and related biomimetics on solid supports for potential applications in the area of bioremediation of organophosphate pesticides. Analysis shows that both the enzyme and biomimetics can be stored on the solid support without loss of activity. Furthermore, the author specroscopically and mechanistically characterized a number of Zn(II), Cd(II) and Co(II) complexes, some of which are among the most active biomimetics towards organophosphates reported to date. This thesis makes excellent reading for non-specialists because each chapter includes a short introduction section.

The goal of this textbook is to provide first-year engineering students with a firm grounding in the fundamentals of chemical and bioprocess engineering. However, instead of being a general overview of the two topics, Fundamentals of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering will identify and focus on specific areas in which attaining a solid competency is desired. This strategy is the direct result of studies showing that broad-based courses at the freshman level often leave students grappling with a lot of material, which results in a low rate of retention. Specifically, strong emphasis will be placed on the topic of material balances, with the intent that students exiting a course based upon this textbook will be significantly higher on Bloom's Taxonomy (knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis and synthesis, evaluation, creation) relating to material balances. In addition, this book also provides students with a highly developed ability to analyze problems from the material balances perspective, which leaves them with important skills for the future. The textbook consists of numerous exercises and their solutions. Problems are classified by their level of difficulty. Each chapter has references and selected web pages to vividly illustrate each example. In addition, to engage students and increase their comprehension and rate of retention, many examples involve real-world situations.

This book describes a global assessment of stem cell engineering research, achieved through site visits by a panel of experts to leading institutes, followed by dedicated workshops. The assessment made clear that engineers and the engineering approach with its quantitative, system-based thinking can contribute much to the progress of stem cell research and development. The increased need for complex computational models and new, innovative technologies, such as high-throughput screening techniques, organ-on-a-chip models and in vitro tumor models require an increasing involvement of engineers and physical scientists. Additionally, this book will show that although the US is still in a leadership position in stem cell engineering, Asian countries such as Japan, China and Korea, as well as European countries like the UK, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands are rapidly expanding their investments in the field. Strategic partnerships between countries could lead to major advances of the field and scalable expansion and differentiation of stem cells. This study was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

This book presents a Two-Stage Anaerobic Digestion (TSAD) technique for producing hydrogen and methane, following a step-by-step approach in order to guide readers through the experimental verification of the related hypothesis. In the first stage of AD, the reaction conditions are optimized to obtain the maximum amount of hydrogen, while in the second the liquid residue from the first phase is used as a substrate to produce fuel-methane. AD has traditionally been used to reduce the organic content of waste; this results in a biogas that is primarily constituted of CH4 and CO2. Over the last few decades, the conversion of organic matter into hydrogen by means of AD and selecting Hydrogen Producing Bacteria (HPB) has matured into a viable and sustainable technology among the pallet of H2 generation technologies. The combined bio-production of hydrogen and methane from Organic Waste Materials (OWM) is considered to be an ideal way of utilizing waste, and can increase energy efficiency (the substrate Heat Value converted into H2 and CH4 fuel) to roughly 80%, since the energy efficiency of H2-production alone (15%) is not energetically competitive. The two gas streams can be used either separately or in combination (Hytane®), be supplied as civilian gas or used for transportation purposes. All the aspects of this sustainable technology are taken into account, from the basic biochemical implications to engineering aspects, establishing the design criteria and the scale-up procedures for full-scale application. The sustainability of the TSAD method is assessed by applying EROI (Energy Return On Investment) and EPT (Energy Payback Time) criteria, and both the general approach and application to the field of Anaerobic Digestion are illustrated.  

Volumes are organized topically and provide a comprehensive discussion of developments in the respective field over the past 3-5 years. The series also discusses new discoveries and applications. Special volumes are dedicated to selected topics which focus on new biotechnological products and new processes for their synthesis and purification. In general, special volumes are edited by well-known guest editors. The series editor and publisher will however always be pleased to receive suggestions and supplementary information. Manuscripts are accepted in English.

The combustion properties of organic materials are used to assess their safety specifications. This knowledge is necessary to avoid potentially disastrous fires. The experimental determination of the combustion properties of a new organic compound is laborious and sometimes even impossible. This book describes methods for the determination and prediction of the combustion properties of organic compounds, along with some examples and exercises.

Water and moisture undermine strong adhesion to polar surfaces. Marine mussels, however, achieve durable underwater adhesion using a suite of proteins that are peculiar in having high levels of 3, 4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (Dopa). Mussel adhesion has inspired numerous studies on developing the next generation of wet adhesives. This thesis presents recent progress in understanding the basic surface and intermolecular interactions employed by mussels to achieve strong and durable wet adhesion. The surface forces apparatus (SFA) and various other techniques were applied to measure the interactions between mussel foot protein-3 fast (Mfp-3 fast) and the model substrate, mica, as well as the interactions between various mussel adhesive proteins. The results in this thesis show that Dopa plays an essential role in mussel adhesion and that mussels delicately control the interfacial redox environment to achieve strong and durable Dopa mediated adhesion. The interplay between Dopa and hydrophobic interactions is also evident in mussel adhesion.

This book is focused on mathematical modelling of chemical kinetics. The authors present the classification of basic models of chemical kinetics, thermokinetics and macrokinetics, as well as their application for the most important chemical transformations, such as combustion and catalysis. Readers will find a detailed description and analysis of different mathematical instruments which can be applied for simulation of reaction dynamics.

Artificial riboswitches and other ligand-responsive gene regulators make it possible to switch protein synthesis ON or OFF with arbitrary ligand molecules. Artificial Riboswitches: Methods and Protocols focuses on the state-of-the-art methods developed in recent years for creating artificial riboswitches, therefore this volume could be regarded as a collection of recipes for the gene circuit elements in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering. Chapters cover topics such as screening or rational design methods for obtaining artificial riboswitches that function in either bacterial or eukaryotic translational systems, protocols for evaluating the activities of the resultant riboswitches, as well as protocols for construction of ligand-dependent, trans-acting gene regulators. Written in the successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible protocols, and notes on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and easily accessible, Artificial Riboswitches: Methods and Protocols seeks to serve not only bioengineers who aim to reprogram cell behaviors and molecular biologists who leverage these regulators for genetic studies, but to all researchers interested in this fascinating field.

This text focuses on a variety of topics in mathematics in common usage in graduate engineering programs including vector calculus, linear and nonlinear ordinary differential equations, approximation methods, vector spaces, linear algebra, integral equations and dynamical systems. The book is designed for engineering graduate students who wonder how much of their basic mathematics will be of use in practice. Following development of the underlying analysis, the book takes students through a large number of examples that have been worked in detail. Students can choose to go through each step or to skip ahead if they so desire. After seeing all the intermediate steps, they will be in a better position to know what is expected of them when solving assignments, examination problems, and when on the job. Chapters conclude with exercises for the student that reinforce the chapter content and help connect the subject matter to a variety of engineering problems. Students have grown up with computer-based tools including numerical calculations and computer graphics; the worked-out examples as well as the end-of-chapter exercises often use computers for numerical and symbolic computations and for graphical display of the results.

This interdisciplinary book presents numerical techniques needed for chemical and biological engineers using Matlab. The book begins by exploring general cases, and moves on to specific ones. The text includes a large number of detailed illustrations, exercises and industrial examples. The book provides detailed mathematics and engineering background in the appendixes, including an introduction to Matlab. The text will be useful to undergraduate students in chemical/biological engineering, and in applied mathematics and numerical analysis.

Microwave Chemistry has changed the way to work in chemical laboratories and is an established state-of-the-art technology to accelarate and enhance chemical processes. This book not only gives an overview of the technology, its historical development and theoretical background, but also presents its exceptionally broad spectrum of applications. Microwave Chemistry enables graduate students and scientist to learn and apply its methods successfully.

Recent Advances in Bioconversion of Lignocellulose to Biofuels and Value Added Chemicals within the Biorefinery Concept covers the latest developments on biorefineries, along with their potential use for the transformation of residues into a broad range of more valuable products. Within this context, the book discusses the enzymatic conversion process of lignocellulosic biomass to generate fuels and other products in a unified approach. It focuses on new approaches to increase enzymatic production by microorganisms, the action of microbial inhibitors, and strategies for their removal. Furthermore, it outlines the benefits of this integrated approach for generating value-added products and the benefits to social and economic aspects, circular bio economy, HUBs and perspectives.

Research Laboratory Safety explains the most important prerequisite when working in a laboratory: Knowing the potential hazards of equipment and the chemical materials to be employed. Students learn how to assess and control risks in a research laboratory and to identify a possible danger. An approach on the hazard classes such as physical, chemical, biological and radiation hazards is given and exercises to each class prepare for exams.

The book will be focused on the three most important aspects of food packaging: Modeling, Materials and Packaging Strategies. The modeling section will provide a complete overview of mass transport phenomena in polymers intended for food packaging applications. The materials section will cover the most interesting problem-solving solutions in the field of food packaging, i.e., low environmental impact active films with antimicrobial activity. Lastly, the packaging section will provide an overview of the most recent approaches used to prolong the shelf life of several food products.

Heterogeneous catalysis is undergoing a dramatic change driven by the need to develop more efficient catalyst systems for the production of specialty chemicals and the development of new high-tech materials. The traditional concept of a catalyst system consisting of finely divided metal particles dispersed on an inert amorphous ceramic support has encountered increased challenges. The chemical and physical phenomena that occur at the metal particle/support interface are looked at together with the detailed structural and crystallographic features of both components. Also of interest is the study of catalytic materials and the notion that the electronic properties of the substrate can be of extreme importance since they can influence not only the activity, but also the selectivity, of the catalytic systems. In this book, first published in 1998, scientists from very different disciplines have made contributions and brought insights to the field. Topics include: oxide catalysts; metal catalysts; carbon-based catalysts; pillared layered and porous catalysts; zeolited and related materials; acid and bases and surface modifications.

This book contains a series of exercises and problems posed in the subject of green metrics. Essentially it is a "how to" book on evaluating the material efficiency, environmental impact, safety-hazard impact, and energy efficiency of any kind of chemical reaction or synthesis plan. Only the essential green metrics in each of these categories are used. The introduction highlights the hierarchy of metrics used throughout the book, explains the structure of how the book is arranged, how the problems are posed, and how the reader is to use the book. Examples refer to themes according to the headings given in the table of contents and are arranged in a hierarchical order. Key Features: The topics cover fundamentals in chemistry and the chemical industry in a blended fashion A unique text covering the fundamentals of green metrics from materials efficiency and environmental and safety-hazard impact, to new green technologies and more The book will be useful in a range of chemistry courses, from early undergraduate to advanced graduate courses, whether based in lectures, tutorials or laboratory experiments Using an extensive glossary of terms used in green metrics, each chapter has a specified theme where the relevant metrics definitions pertaining to that theme will be given with one or two illustrative worked examples Supplemental web-based downloadable material including extra problems, full solutions, Excel files, ChemDraw files, templates, and exercises

This book review series presents current trends in modern biotechnology. The aim is to cover all aspects of this interdisciplinary technology where knowledge, methods and expertise are required from chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, genetics, chemical engineering and computer science. Volumes are organized topically and provide a comprehensive discussion of developments in the respective field over the past 3-5 years. The series also discusses new discoveries and applications. Special volumes are dedicated to selected topics which focus on new biotechnological products and new processes for their synthesis and purification. In general, special volumes are edited by well-known guest editors. The series editor and publisher will however always be pleased to receive suggestions and supplementary information. Manuscripts are accepted in English.

"Modern Solid State Fermentation: Theory and Practice" covers state-of-the-art studies in the field of solid state fermentation (SSF). In terms of different characteristics of microbial metabolites, this book catalogs SSF into two main parts: anaerobic and aerobic SSF. Based on the principles of porous media and strategies of process control and scale-up, which are introduced in the book, it not only presents a well-founded explanation of essence of solid state fermentation, but also their influence on microbial physiology. In addition, due to the rapid development of this field in recent years, inert support solid state fermentation is also examined in detail. At last, the modern solid state fermentation technology platform is proposed, which will be used in solid biomass bioconversion. This book is intended for biochemists, biotechnologists and process engineers, as well as researchers interested in SSF. Dr. Hongzhang Chen is a Professor at Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.

Formulations starts with a general introduction, explaining interaction forces between particles and droplets, self-assembly systems, polymeric surfactants and nanoemulsions. The second part covers the industrial examples ranging from foams, soaps over to hair care, sunscreen and make-up products. Combines information needed by formulation chemists as well as researchers in the cosmetic industry due the increasing number of products.

Hydrogels are a particular class of compounds of which the major constituent is wa- ter. In fact, water is present in the hydrogel up to 90% and is contained in a scaffold which is generally polymeric and obviously hydrophilic. As a result, hydrogels re- semble each other even though obtained from different polymers. Nevertheless, the polymeric matrix gives particular characteristics to the hydrogel leading to applica- tions in different fields. Water is the main element of the human body, thus hydrogels are excellent struc- tures to favourably shelter proteins, cells etc. , without altering their characteristics and properties. This is why hydrogels are mainly designed and synthesized for their usein thebiologicalfield;hence the name biohydrogels. Their propertiespoint totheir use as scaffolds for stem cells which has turned out to be a very promising technique for tissue and organ regeneration. For this reason their investigation falls within the Biomaterials Science. Paradoxically, the conceptual simplicity of hydrogelsupto nowhas led to a super- ficialstudy of their chemistry, chemical physics and mechanics preventing their wider application in the human body due to a lack of knowledge of biological component interactions. For example, it is not clear, yet, how to store hydrogels without alter- ing their characteristics. In fact, hydrogels re-hydrated after lyophylization or oven drying, generally show corrupted properties once swollen in water, in comparison with their native counterparts.

Macromolecular drugs hold the promise of becoming new therapeutics for several major disorders, including cancer and cardiovascular disease. This incredible potential is explored in Macromolecular Drug Delivery, a volume which gives a wide-ranging overview of contemporary methods used in the field, and which addresses the limitations presented by a lack of safe and efficient drug delivery strategies. Chapters offer information on both in vitro and in vivo methods of macromolecular delivery, thus appealing to a broad scientific audience. Composed in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series format, each chapter contains a brief introduction, step-by-step methods, a list of necessary materials, and a Notes section which shares tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Comprehensive and cutting-edge, Macromolecular Drug Delivery offers a platform for interdisciplinary collaboration, which should provide opportunities for new discoveries at the interface between disciplines. Ultimately, this cooperation will lead to the use of macromolecular drugs as novel diagnostic tools and, even more importantly, as a means to revolutionize the way we view and treat diseases.

This book evaluates and discusses the main sustainability challenges encountered in the production of biofuel and bio-products from oil palm biomass. It starts off with the emphasis on oil palm production, oil palm products recovery and oil palm wastes utilization. The simultaneous production of these bio-products for sustainable development is discussed. This is followed by the key factors defining the sustainability of biofuel and bio-product production from oil palm biomass. The environmental issues including ecological, life cycle assessment and environmental impact assessment of oil palm plantation, milling and refining for the production of biofuels and bio-products are presented. Socio-economic and thermodynamic analysis of the production processes are also evaluated using various sustainability assessment tools such as exergy. Lastly, methods of improving biofuel production systems for sustainable development are highlighted.

Industrial Enzymes for Biofuels Production: Recent Updates and Future Trends focuses on resolving existing bottlenecks in enzymes mediated biomass to biofuels production processes through updating recent scientific knowledge and technology developments. The book provides low cost sustainable approaches to lower the cost of enzymes production following different approaches. It is specifically focused on industrial aspects of enzymes used in biofuels production processes by presenting in-depth study of existing issues related to practical viability and long-term sustainability. The book covers detailed discussions on market scenario of industrial enzymes used in biofuels production processes and compares them on both lab and industrial scale. Users will find this to be a great resource that also helps them develop low cost green technologies for enzyme development in biofuels production.