This book highlights the latest findings on fundamental aspects of composting, the interaction of various microorganisms, and the underlying mechanisms. In addition to addressing modern tools and techniques used for composting research, it provides an overview of potential composting applications in both agriculture and environmental reclamation. Composting is the process of organic waste decomposition, mediated by microorganisms. The end-product is called 'compost' and can be used as a supplement to improve soil fertility. As the municipal waste generated in most developing countries contains a substantial amount of organic matter suitable for composting, this technology offers a win-win opportunity for stakeholders in terms of disposing of organic waste and providing organic fertilizers for agriculture. In addition, using compost reduces the dependency on harmful chemical fertilizers, and represents a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative.

Microbes are ubiquitous in nature. Among microbes, fungal communities play an important role in agriculture, the environment, and medicine. Vast fungal diversity has been associated with plant systems, namely epiphytic fungi, endophytic fungi, and rhizospheric fungi. These fungi associated with plant systems play an important role in plant growth, crop yield, and soil health. Rhizospheric fungi, present in rhizospheric zones, get their nutrients from root exudates released by plant root systems, which help with their growth, development, and microbe activity. Endophytic fungi typically enter plant hosts through naturally occurring wounds that are the result of plant growth, through root hairs, or at epidermal conjunctions. Phyllospheric fungi may survive or proliferate on leaves depending on material influences in leaf diffuseness or exudates. The diverse nature of these fungal communities is a key component of soil-plant systems, where they are engaged in a network of interactions endophytically, phyllospherically, as well as in the rhizosphere, and thus have emerged as a promising tool for sustainable agriculture. These fungal communities promote plant growth directly and indirectly by using plant growth promoting (PGP) attributes. These PGP fungi can be used as biofertilizers and biocontrol agents in place of chemical fertilizers and pesticides for a more eco-friendly method of promoting sustainable agriculture and environments. This first volume of a two-volume set covers the biodiversity of plant-associated fungal communities and their role in plant growth promotion, the mitigation of abiotic stress, and soil fertility for sustainable agriculture. This book should be useful to those working in the biological sciences, especially for microbiologists, microbial biotechnologists, biochemists, and researchers and scientists of fungal biotechnology.

Organoid Technology for Disease Modelling and Personalised Treatment provides a comprehensive overview of current knowledge of the organoid as a human-organ-in-a-dish, a powerful new technology for studying fundamental aspects of human organ development and disease progression in the search for drugs for personalised treatment. This preclinical tool is extensively being utilised as a model for studying human diseases in a dish, which is critical for accurate predictive modelling in precision medicine. The chapters in this book introduces readers to the numerous applications of organoids in various fields of study, as well as ethical considerations associated with organoids. In stem cell biology and regenerative medicine, where chimaera research, biomaterials for tissue vascularisation, gene-editing technologies, and their use in clinical procedures especially issues related to ethical concern over the use of human organoids have gotten much attention. Organoid Technology for Disease Modelling and Personalised Treatment is an excellent resource for in-depth research on one of the most interesting and significant topics in stem cell and regenerative medicine. This book's chapter collection covers a fresh viewpoint on organoid technology that scholars will require reading.

This technology, though used for many years, has shown great vitality recently and is still in a state of flux. Provides an account of developments up to the present and also an orderly evaluation of literature already published on the subject. Considerable space is devoted to bubble column reactor performance predictions based on mathematical models and the importance of each is explained with practical examples.

This book examines the potential applications of nanoscience and nanotechnology to promote eco-friendly processes and techniques for energy and environment sustainability. Covering various aspects of both the synthesis and applications of nanoparticles and nanofluids for energy and environmental engineering, its goal is to promote eco-friendly processes and techniques. Accordingly, the book elaborates on the development of reliable, economical, eco-friendly processes through advanced nanoscience and technological research and innovations. Gathering contributions by researchers actively engaged in various domains of nanoscience and technology, it addresses topics such as nanoparticle synthesis (both top-down and bottom-up approaches); applications of nanomaterials, nanosensors and plasma discharge in pollution control; environmental monitoring; agriculture; energy recovery; production enhancement; energy conservation and storage; surface modification of materials for energy storage; fuel cells; pollution mitigation; and CO2 capture and sequestration. Given its scope, the book will be of interest to academics and researchers whose work involves nanotechnology or nanomaterials, especially as applied to energy and/or environmental sustainability engineering. Graduate students in the same areas will also find it a valuable resource.

My professional interest in antimicrobial agents and contamination control goes back 50 years to my tour as a microbiologist in a field hospital in Europe during World War II. With no experience and relying solely on a military handbook, I prepared thermometer trays with jars of blue bichloride of mercury and pink isopropyl alcohol. A preliminary typhoid diagnosis of one of our cooks resulted in the need for lab testing. His stool specimen and its subsequent disposal was my problem. My handbook said bum it. So burn it T did, in a five-gallon can with gasoline. Flames shot up almost six feet, and my next mistake was to extinguish them with carbon tetrachloride. This resulted in the production of lethal phosgene gas. The hospital had a near disaster. I could say that at that moment I vowed to write a how-to book so that such stupidities could be avoided. Nevertheless, when I was offered the opportunity to edit this book I thought back on the need for a real, practical treatment of my subject. This book, then, is a practical handbook for technical service personnel and scientists who are not necessarily specialists in microbiology. It provides information on suitable antimicrobial agents appropriate to their particular problem-solving needs and information on the microbial groups contributing to the specific problem, their ecologies, and strategies for controlling their access to the area or material of interest.

Octacalcium Phosphate Biomaterials: Past, Present and Future is a comprehensive study of octacalcium phosphate (OCP), a next generation biomaterial for bone regeneration. By focusing both on fundamental research and the use of OCP as a scaffold material, this book explores its potential to deliver improved clinical results. Early chapters in the book discuss OCP's effects on bone cell activity, cellular interactions and their role in bone formation, repair and replacement. Later chapters cover topics such as drug delivery, synthesis methodologies and future analysis techniques. This will be an invaluable and unique resource for researchers, clinicians, students and industrialists in the area of orthopedics and dentistry. OCP is known to be a pre-cursor to hydroxyapatite in the human biomineralization process that forms bone and tooth enamel. Research studies that have emerged in recent years suggest OCP's tremendous potential as a bioactive material.

Current Developments in Biotechnology and Bioengineering: Emerging Organic Micropollutants summarizes the current knowledge of emerging organic micropollutants in wastewater and the possibilities of their removal/elimination. This book attempts a thorough and exhaustive discussion on ongoing research and future perspectives on advanced treatment methods and future directions to maintain and protect the environment through microbiological, nanotechnological, application of membrane technology, molecular biological and by policymaking means. In addition, the book includes the latest developments in biotechnology and bioengineering pertaining to various aspects in the field of emerging organic micropollutants, including their sources, health effects and environmental impacts.

In Cathedrals of Science, Patrick Coffey describes how chemistry got its modern footing-how thirteen brilliant men and one woman struggled with the laws of the universe and with each other. They wanted to discover how the world worked, but they also wanted credit for making those discoveries, and their personalities often affected how that credit was assigned. Gilbert Lewis, for example, could be reclusive and resentful, and his enmity with Walther Nernst may have cost him the Nobel Prize; Irving Langmuir, gregarious and charming, "rediscovered" Lewis's theory of the chemical bond and received much of the credit for it. Langmuir's personality smoothed his path to the Nobel Prize over Lewis.
Coffey deals with moral and societal issues as well. These same scientists were the first to be seen by their countries as military assets. Fritz Haber, dubbed the "father of chemical warfare," pioneered the use of poison gas in World War I-vividly described-and Glenn Seaborg and Harold Urey were leaders in World War II's Manhattan Project; Urey and Linus Pauling worked for nuclear disarmament after the war. Science was not always fair, and many were excluded. The Nazis pushed Jewish scientists like Haber from their posts in the 1930s. Anti-Semitism was also a force in American chemistry, and few women were allowed in; Pauling, for example, used his influence to cut off the funding and block the publications of his rival, Dorothy Wrinch.
Cathedrals of Science paints a colorful portrait of the building of modern chemistry from the late 19th to the mid-20th century.

This book will serve as a primer for readers to understand recent advances, applications, and current challenges in the field of Engineered Living Materials. The chapters cover core science and engineering research areas, including (1) advances in synthetic biology and genetic programmability for Engineered Living Materials, (2) functional Engineered Living Material for application in energy, electronics, and construction, and (3) novel manufacturing approaches for Engineered Living Materials at multiple scales. The emerging field of Engineered Living Materials represents a significant paradigm shift in materials design and synthesis, in which living cells are used to impart biologically active functionalities to manmade materials. The result is a genetically programmable augmentation of non-living matter to exhibit unprecedented life-like (i.e., living) capabilities. At the intersection of synthetic biology and materials science, the field of Engineered Living Materials exhibits unprecedented promise and potential to alter the way we synthesize new materials and design medical devices, fabrics, robotics, commodity polymers, and construction materials. Materials with attributes of living systems can be engineered with an ability to respond to their environment and designed to self-repair in response to physical or other stresses or detect the presence of specific stimuli, such as light, heat, pressure, or hazardous chemical compounds. Although nascent, scientists and researchers in the field of Engineered Living Materials have made marked advances in demonstrating a potential to revolutionize a multitude of science and engineering disciplines. This volume will define the current state of the art of Engineered Living Materials, and highlight grand opportunities and challenges that abound at the nexus of synthetic biology and materials science and engineering.

This highly informative and carefully presented book offers a comprehensive overview of the fundamentals of incompressible fluid flow. The textbook focuses on foundational topics to more complex subjects such as the derivation of Navier-Stokes equations, perturbation solutions, inviscid outer and inner solutions, turbulent flows, etc. The author has included end-of-chapter problems and worked examples to augment learning and self-testing. This book will be a useful reference for students in the area of mechanical and aerospace engineering.

Current Developments in Biotechnology and Bioengineering: Advanced Membrane Separation Processes for Sustainable Water and Wastewater Management -Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor Processes and Technologies gives an up-to-date review on research developments of AnMBR systems (including hybrid systems) in wastewater treatment in terms of pollutants removal, nutrients recovery and energy production, as well as the achievement of energy efficiency of the process itself. The current challenges that hinder the application and industrialization of AnMBR technology, knowledge gaps and future research perspectives are also explained and discussed with potential strategies for solving problems. The book is a potential resource for engineers, scientists, educators, students and general public to understand the current developments and future prospects in field of AnMBR research.

< p=""> This monograph is based on pollution control technologies available to deal with water and air pollution. It includes removal of variety of pollutants including arsenic, chromium, uranium, pesticides and arsenic from water using adsorption technique. In addition, this book deals with the sampling and removal of microplastics using various techniques. The contents also focus on the role of membrane technology in water and wastewater treatment, and particulate matter air pollution and its control techniques. This volume will be a useful guide for researchers, academics and scientists. ^

Current Developments in Biotechnology and Bioengineering: Resource Recovery from Wastes includes the latest and innovative research and technological developments in the biotechnology and bioengineering pertaining to various resource(s) recovery from wastes. The contents are organized into two broader sections covering resource recovery from industrial wastewater and resource recovery from solid wastes. Sections cover energy, bioproducts, nutrients, municipal food wastes, electronic wastes, agricultural waste and others. The state-of-the-art situation, potential advantages and limitations are also provided, along with strategies to overcome limitations. This book is a useful guide into research demands in solid and liquid waste treatment and management for environmental/economic sustainability.

Computational biology drives discovery through its use of high-throughput informatics approaches. This book provides a road map of the current drug development process and how computational biology approaches play a critical role across the entire drug discovery pipeline. Through the use of previously unpublished, real-life case studies the impact of a range of computational approaches are discussed at various phases of the pipeline. Additionally, a focus section provides innovative visualisation approaches, from both the drug discovery process as well as from other fields that utilise large datasets, recognising the increasing use of such technology. Serving the needs of early career and more experienced scientists, this up-to-date reference provides an essential introduction to the process and background of drug discovery, highlighting how computational researchers can contribute to that pipeline.

This book explores recent advances in the microbial production of xylitol and its applications in food and medical sector. Xylitol is an important biomolecule from lignocellulose biorefinery which is produced from the xylose by chemical reactions or microbial fermentation methods. Currently, the demand of xylitol at commercial scale is being met through chemical methods. However, recent breakthroughs made in plant cell wall destruction, genetic engineering to develop the designer microorganisms, fermentation methods and media formulations and downstream processing have led the ways for sustainable production of xylitol at commercial scale in lignocellulose biorefineries. Microbial production of xylitol is preferred over the chemical processes as it is environmentally friendly, higher process efficiency with the desired product yield, and product recovery with minimum impurities. This book is a unique compilation of 11 book chapters written by experts in their respective fields. These chapters present critical insights and discuss the current progress and future progress in this area into fermentative xylitol production. Chapter 9 is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. For further details see license information in the chapter.

This handbook is an edited and updated version of the final report of the IEA Bioenergy sponsored Pyrolysis Activity - PYRA - that officially finished in 1998 and accomplished many valuable contributions to the science and technology of fast pyrolysis. It is intended that this handbook will provide a useful guide both to newcomers to the subject area as well as those already involved in research, development and implementation. The IEA Bioenergy Pyrolysis Task is continuing this work as a collaborative project with the European Commission network on fast pyrolysis of biomass which is now known as PyNe. The European Network was first formed in 1995 as an EC sponsored project in the AIR Programme (AIR3-CT94-1857). At the end of the three-year lives of the Networks in 1997, both sponsoring organisations recognised the benefits from their integration. This led to the present PyNe Network, which is co-sponsored by the European Commission FAIR Programme (FAIR-CT97-3409) and IEA Bioenergy, and which itself is sponsoring the publication of this book as a contribution to the technology.

From Globular Proteins to Amyloids proposes a model and mechanism for explaining protein misfolding. Concepts presented are based on a model originally intended to show how proteins attain their native conformations. This model is quantitative in nature and founded upon arguments derived from information theory. It facilitates prediction and simulation of the amyloid fibrillation process, also identifying the progressive changes that occur in native proteins that lead to the emergence of amyloid aggregations.

Mycology has an integral role to play in the development of the biotechnology and biomedical sectors. It has become a subject of increasing importance as new fungi and their associated biomolecules are identified. As this discipline comes to the forefront of research in these sectors, the requirement for a consolidation of available research approaches is required. The First Edition of this book has a few basic and applied protocols. With the Second Edition, this book provides consolidated information on recent developments and the most widely used mycological methods available in the fields of biochemistry, biotechnology and microbiology. The methods outlined offer clear and concise directions to the reader and covers both standard protocols and more applied mycological methods. This book provides useful information for undergraduates, post-graduates, and specialists and researchers studying fungal biology.

NMR has become the most diverse spectroscopic tool available to date in biomedical research. It is now routinely used to study biomolecular structure and dynamics particularly as a result of recent developments of a cascade of highly sophisticated multidimensional NMR pulse sequences, and of advances in genetic engineering to produce biomolecules, uniformly or selectively enriched with 13C, 15N and 2H.

Features of this book:

- Provides an up-to-date treatment of NMR techniques and their application to problems of biomedical interest

- Most refined multidimensional pulse sequences including the basic aspects are covered by leading NMR spectroscopists.

The book will be useful to NMR spectroscopists, biochemists, and to molecular biologists interested in the use of NMR techniques for solving biological problems.

This book offers valuable insights into the principles, mechanisms of action and applications of traditional and novel enzymes involved in the degradation of wastes. Enzymes are biological catalysts that play an important role in various biochemical reactions. The generation of value-added products by means of these biological processes is also discussed. This book covers the use of in silico and computational methods in understanding the biodegradation processes, and reveals the importance of enzymes in various biochemical reactions and kinetics. The book's target audience includes undergraduate and graduate students, faculty members at colleges and universities, research students, scientists and industry professionals.

Biointegration of Medical Implant Materials, Second Edition, provides a unique and comprehensive review of recent techniques and research into material and tissue interaction and integration. New sections discuss soft tissue integration, with chapters on the biocompatibility of engineered stem cells, corneal tissue engineering, and vascular grafts. Other sections review tissue regeneration, inorganic nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery, alginate based drug delivery devices, and design considerations, with coverage of the biocompatibility of materials and their relevance to drug delivery and tissue engineering. With its distinguished editor and team of international contributors, this book is ideal for medical materials scientists and engineers in industry and academia.

Microfluidics is a young and rapidly expanding scientific discipline, which deals with fluids and solutions in miniaturized systems, the so-called lab-on-a-chip systems. It has applications in chemical engineering, pharmaceutics, biotechnology and medicine. As the lab-on-a-chip systems grow in complexity, a proper theoretical understanding becomes increasingly important.
The basic idea of the book is to provide a self-contained formulation of the theoretical framework of microfluidics, and at the same time give physical motivation and example from lab-on-a-chip technology. After three chapters introducing microfluidics, the governing questions for mass, momentum and energy, and some basic flow solutions, the following 14 chapters treat hydraulic resistance/compliance, diffusion/dispersion, time-dependent flow, capillarity, electro-and magneto-hydydrodynamics, thermal transport, two-phase flow, complex flow patterns and acousto-fluidics, as well as the new fields of opto-and nano-fluidics. Throughout the book simple models with analytical solutions are presented to provide the student with a thorough physical understanding of order of magnitudes and various selected micorfluidic phenomena and devices.
The book grew out of a set of well-tested lecture notes. It is with its many pedagogical exercises designed as a textbook for an advanced undergraduate or first-year graduate course. IT is also well suited for self-study.

This book is intended to give readers an appreciation of what the future holds, as cutting-edge technologies in synthetic biology and pathway engineering and advanced bioprocessing development pave the way for providing goods and services to benefit humankind that are based on the synergy of two biomasses - i.e. of what a renewable feedstock could yield and an infinite microbial biomass could provide in terms of enzymes and biocatalysts. This 13-chapter book, with an introductory treatise on the guiding principles of green chemistry and engineering metrics, brings together a broad range of research and innovation agendas and perspectives from industries, academia and government laboratories using renewable feedstocks that include macroalgae and lignins. In addition, social-economic aspects and the pillars of competitiveness in regional cluster development are explored as we transition from fossil-fuel-based economies to a circular bioeconomy, with chemurgy and green chemistry being implicit to the innovation movement. The bulk of the book covers specific applications including the bioproduction of amino sugars, dicarboxylic acids, omega-3 fatty acids, starch and fermentable sugars from lignocellulosic materials, and phenolics as building blocks for polymer synthesis. Enzymatic systems for accessing chiral and special-purpose chemicals, as well as the development of specialized enzymes from macroalgae for biofuel and biochemical production are also addressed. Research gaps, hurdles to overcome in various biological processes, and present achievements in the production of biofuels and biochemicals from lignocellulosic materials are discussed. Going beyond the conventional expectation of discussing the production of drop-in chemicals, the book instead emphasizes how the potential of new chemicals and materials can be harnessed through innovative thinking and research. As such, it provides an invaluable reference source for researchers and graduate students interested in Chemurgy and Green Chemistry, as well as for practitioners in the field of industrial biotechnology and biobased industry. Peter C.K. Lau is a Distinguished Professor at Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and an Adjunct Professor at the Departments of Chemistry and Microbiology & Immunology, McGill University, Canada.