Blog & news
Zeta-potential and local filtration properties: Constitutive relationships for TiO2 from experimental filtration measurements. Chemical Engineering Science 66, 4573 (2011).
Isolation and identification of microorganisms from soil able to live on lignin as carbon source and produce enzymes which cleave β-O-4 bond in a lignin model compound. Cellulose Chemistry and Technology (Accepted, 2011).
Mild alkaline treatment activates spruce wood for enzymatic processing: a possible stage in bio-refinery processes. Bioresources 6, 2425
Seminar 24 september at 15:00 on Lignin Carbohydrate Complexes
Lignin Carbohydrate Complexes: Impact on a Forest Biorefinery
Dr. Martin Lawoko, Assistant Professor at WWSC
WWSC conference room, Teknikringen 56
Abstract
There is interest in acquiring new bulk products from renewable resources, e.g. lignocellulosic materials such as wood, which is attractive since it contains the worlds most abundant natural polymers, i.e. cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin. To meet this goal, the fractionation of wood into its constitutional polymers, while preserving the unique polymeric properties of each component, is a critical step. The purity of the fractionated polymers may vary depending on the target product. In any case, the separation of wood polymers into distinct polymeric components is a challenge. One of these challenges stems from the strong associations between lignin and the hemicelluloses, commonly referred to as lignin carbohydrate complexes (LCC). To separate these two components, chemical bonds have to be cleaved as selectively as is possible, which is not an easy task from a research point of view for the following reasons:
1) Optimal methods of isolation of LCC for studies are limited
2) The exact number of bond types and the bond frequencies are still not known
3) Methods to analyze and quantify these bonds are still limited
4) From a processing point of view, conditions selective to cleavage of LC bonds are non-existent
The presentation will introduce some of the advances in research on this topic performed at KTH and at the University of Maine, as well as discuss some of the research challenges.
New publication by WWSC researchers in Microbial Cell Factories
Wallenberg Wood Science Center researchers Assoc. Prof. Harry Brumer and Dr. Oliver Spadiut (both from KTH) and Prof. Lisbeth Olsson (Chalmers) have coauthored a paper entitled “A comparative summary of expression systems for the recombinant production of galactose oxidase.”, which was published in Microbial Cell Factories on Sept. 13.
This work represents a close collaboration in Theme 1 between the KTH and Chalmers groups on methods to optimize the production of enzymes relevant to polysaccharide and wood fiber modification.
The paper is freely available via open access through the following link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1475-2859-9-68
Postdoctoral position in Carbohydrate-active Enzyme Discovery
Overview: A post-doctoral research scientist position is available in the Brumer group at the Division of Glycoscience, School of Biotechnology at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm, Sweden, associated with and funded through the Wallenberg Wood Science Center. The position forms part of a dynamic research team studying fundamental aspects of polysaccharide modification and functionalisation using state-of-the-art molecular approaches.
For full information,see openings
International research reported in Nature Nanotechnology
A group of researchers, including members of the Wallenberg Wood Science Center, have succeeded in making flexible magnetic aerogels that can be compacted into stiff magnetic nanopaper using cellulose nanofibrils as templates. Their work was recently published in the prestigious journal Nature Nanotechnology.
A new approach for making nanoparticle cellulose materials with ordered interconnected organic and inorganic phases on the nanoscale. The new magnetic nanoparticle cellulose material with a network of cellulose nanofibers as scaffold can be used for the production of new functional materials. It can be used for in-situ precipitation of inorganic nanoparticles within the cellulose network, to produce evenly distributed nanoparticles inside the organic matrix and to prepare nano-functuional lightweight “foam-like” materials with very low apparent density based cellulose and provide the possibilities to prepare magnetic hydrogels based on cellulose.
Because the concepts of the process are simple and nanocellulose is sustainable and readily available in large quantities from wood, the suggested route is suitable for industrial-scale production and may be used with many types of nanoparticles.
The magnetic nanoparticle cellulose material and fabrication process are envisaged to be used within a broad range of applications. In compacted film form, the magnetic material may be used against document counterfeiting, for example. Other possible applications for the material include various types of membranes and filters, sensitive electromagnetic switches, generators, magnetic actuators, etc.
The article can be obtained from
DOI-number: 10.1038/NNANO.2010.155
“ACS San Diego 2012, video WWSC collaboration partner Olli Ikkala and Harry Brumer”
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/21386933