Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 120 in total

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  1. Kee PE, Ng TC, Lan JC, Ng HS
    Crit Rev Biotechnol, 2020 Jun;40(4):555-569.
    PMID: 32283954 DOI: 10.1080/07388551.2020.1747388
    Aqueous biphasic system (ABS) is widely used in the recovery, extraction, purification and separation of proteins, enzymes, nucleic acids and antibodies. The ABS with high water content and low interfacial tension offers a biocompatible environment for the recovery of labile biomolecules. Process integration can be achieved using ABS by incorporating multiple-steps of purification, concentration and purification of biomolecules in a single-step operation which often results in high product recovery yield and purity. Conventional ABS is usually formed by aqueous solutions of two polymers or a polymer and a salt above a critical concentration. The high viscosity of polymer-based ABS causes slow phase separation and hinders the mass transfer of biomolecules, whereas polymer/salt ABS is characterized by high ionic strength resulting in the loss of bioactivity of recovered biomolecules. These limitations have encouraged the development of novel ABS which is more cost-effective for various biotechnological applications. This review discusses the characteristics and mechanisms of several types of emerging unconventional ABS using phase-forming components such as hyperbranched polymers, special salts, surfactants, magnetic fields, the addition of nanoparticles and incorporation of various solvent. Moreover, several novel applications of ABS for different separation purposes such as microfluidic-based ABS, ABS bioreactors, application of ABS as an analytical tool, and ABS micropatterning are discussed in this review. In the last section of this review, a comprehensive summary of process integration using ABS for extractive fermentations, bioconversion, crystallization and precipitation is also supplemented for the comprehensive review of various types and applications of ABS in recent years.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biotechnology/methods*
  2. Tan CH, Show PL, Chang JS, Ling TC, Lan JC
    Biotechnol Adv, 2015 Nov 1;33(6 Pt 2):1219-27.
    PMID: 25728066 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2015.02.013
    Microalgae have caught the world's attention for its potential to solve one of the world's most pressing issues-sustainable green energy. Compared to biofuels supplied by oil palm, rapeseed, soybean and sugar cane, microalgae alone can be manipulated to generate larger amounts of biodiesel, bioethanol, biohydrogen and biomass in a shorter time. Apart from higher productivity, microalgae can also grow using brackish water on non-arable land, greatly reducing the competition with food and cash crops. Hence, numerous efforts have been put into the commercialisation of microalgae-derived biofuel by both the government and private bodies. This paper serves to review conventional and novel methods for microalgae culture and biomass harvest, as well as recent developments in techniques for microalgal biofuel production.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biotechnology/methods*
  3. Show KY, Lee DJ, Chang JS
    Bioresour Technol, 2011 Sep;102(18):8524-33.
    PMID: 21624834 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2011.04.055
    Biohydrogen is regarded as an attractive future clean energy carrier due to its high energy content and environmental-friendly conversion. It has the potential for renewable biofuel to replace current hydrogen production which rely heavily on fossil fuels. While biohydrogen production is still in the early stage of development, there have been a variety of laboratory- and pilot-scale systems developed with promising potential. This work presents a review of advances in bioreactor and bioprocess design for biohydrogen production. The state-of-the art of biohydrogen production is discussed emphasizing on production pathways, factors affecting biohydrogen production, as well as bioreactor configuration and operation. Challenges and prospects of biohydrogen production are also outlined.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biotechnology/methods*
  4. Gopinath SC, Anbu P, Lakshmipriya T, Tang TH, Chen Y, Hashim U, et al.
    Biomed Res Int, 2015;2015:140726.
    PMID: 26180780 DOI: 10.1155/2015/140726
    Keratinases are proteolytic enzymes predominantly active when keratin substrates are available that attack disulfide bridges in the keratin to convert them from complex to simplified forms. Keratinases are essential in preparation of animal nutrients, protein supplements, leather manufacture, textile processing, detergent formulation, feather meal processing for feed and fertilizer, the pharmaceutical and biomedical industries, and waste management. Accordingly, it is necessary to develop a method for continuous production of keratinase from reliable sources that can be easily managed. Microbial keratinase is less expensive than conventionally produced keratinase and can be obtained from fungi, bacteria, and actinomycetes. In this overview, the expansion of information about microbial keratinases and important considerations in keratinase production are discussed.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biotechnology/methods*
  5. Thakur IS, Lee KT, Nigam PS, Sukumaran RK
    Bioresour Technol, 2015;188:1.
    PMID: 25953660 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2015.04.076
    Matched MeSH terms: Biotechnology/methods*
  6. Arshad ZI, Amid A, Yusof F, Jaswir I, Ahmad K, Loke SP
    Appl Microbiol Biotechnol, 2014 Sep;98(17):7283-97.
    PMID: 24965557 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-014-5889-y
    This review highlights the use of bromelain in various applications with up-to-date literature on the purification of bromelain from pineapple fruit and waste such as peel, core, crown, and leaves. Bromelain, a cysteine protease, has been exploited commercially in many applications in the food, beverage, tenderization, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and textile industries. Researchers worldwide have been directing their interest to purification strategies by applying conventional and modern approaches, such as manipulating the pH, affinity, hydrophobicity, and temperature conditions in accord with the unique properties of bromelain. The amount of downstream processing will depend on its intended application in industries. The breakthrough of recombinant DNA technology has facilitated the large-scale production and purification of recombinant bromelain for novel applications in the future.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biotechnology/methods*
  7. Hassan H, Lim JK, Hameed BH
    Bioresour Technol, 2016 Dec;221:645-655.
    PMID: 27671343 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2016.09.026
    Co-pyrolysis of biomass with abundantly available materials could be an economical method for production of bio-fuels. However, elimination of oxygenated compounds poses a considerable challenge. Catalytic co-pyrolysis is another potential technique for upgrading bio-oils for application as liquid fuels in standard engines. This technique promotes the production of high-quality bio-oil through acid catalyzed reduction of oxygenated compounds and mutagenic polyaromatic hydrocarbons. This work aims to review and summarize research progress on co-pyrolysis and catalytic co-pyrolysis, as well as their benefits on enhancement of bio-oils derived from biomass. This review focuses on the potential of plastic wastes and coal materials as co-feed in co-pyrolysis to produce valuable liquid fuel. This paper also proposes future directions for using this technique to obtain high yields of bio-oils.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biotechnology/methods*
  8. Salleh MSM, Ibrahim MF, Roslan AM, Abd-Aziz S
    Sci Rep, 2019 05 15;9(1):7443.
    PMID: 31092836 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-43718-1
    Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) with delayed yeast extract feeding (DYEF) was conducted in a 2-L bioreactor equipped with in-situ recovery using a gas stripping in order to enhance biobutanol production from lignocellulosic biomass of oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB). This study showed that 2.88 g/L of biobutanol has been produced from SSF with a similar yield of 0.23 g/g as compared to separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF). An increase of 42% of biobutanol concentration was observed when DYEF was introduced in the SSF at 39 h of fermentation operation. Biobutanol production was further enhanced up to 11% with a total improvement of 72% when in-situ recovery using a gas stripping was implemented to reduce the solvents inhibition in the bioreactor. In overall, DYEF and in-situ recovery were able to enhance biobutanol production in SSF.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biotechnology/methods*
  9. Harun R, Yip JW, Thiruvenkadam S, Ghani WA, Cherrington T, Danquah MK
    Biotechnol J, 2014 Jan;9(1):73-86.
    PMID: 24227697 DOI: 10.1002/biot.201200353
    The continuous growth in global population and the ongoing development of countries such as China and India have contributed to a rapid increase in worldwide energy demand. Fossil fuels such as oil and gas are finite resources, and their current rate of consumption cannot be sustained. This, coupled with fossil fuels' role as pollutants and their contribution to global warming, has led to increased interest in alternative sources of energy production. Bioethanol, presently produced from energy crops, is one such promising alternative future energy source and much research is underway in optimizing its production. The economic and temporal constraints that crop feedstocks pose are the main downfalls in terms of the commercial viability of bioethanol production. As an alternative to crop feedstocks, significant research efforts have been put into utilizing algal biomass as a feedstock for bioethanol production. Whilst the overall process can vary, the conversion of biomass to bioethanol usually contains the following steps: (i) pretreatment of feedstock; (ii) hydrolysis; and (iii) fermentation of bioethanol. This paper reviews different technologies utilized in the pretreatment and fermentation steps, and critically assesses their applicability to bioethanol production from algal biomass. Two different established fermentation routes, single-stage fermentation and two-stage gasification/fermentation processes, are discussed. The viability of algal biomass as an alternative feedstock has been assessed adequately, and further research optimisation must be guided toward the development of cost-effective scalable methods to produce high bioethanol yield under optimum economy.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biotechnology/methods*
  10. Shuit SH, Ong YT, Lee KT, Subhash B, Tan SH
    Biotechnol Adv, 2012 Nov-Dec;30(6):1364-80.
    PMID: 22366515 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2012.02.009
    In recent years, environmental problems caused by the use of fossil fuels and the depletion of petroleum reserves have driven the world to adopt biodiesel as an alternative energy source to replace conventional petroleum-derived fuels because of biodiesel's clean and renewable nature. Biodiesel is conventionally produced in homogeneous, heterogeneous, and enzymatic catalysed processes, as well as by supercritical technology. All of these processes have their own limitations, such as wastewater generation and high energy consumption. In this context, the membrane reactor appears to be the perfect candidate to produce biodiesel because of its ability to overcome the limitations encountered by conventional production methods. Thus, the aim of this paper is to review the production of biodiesel with a membrane reactor by examining the fundamental concepts of the membrane reactor, its operating principles and the combination of membrane and catalyst in the catalytic membrane. In addition, the potential of functionalised carbon nanotubes to serve as catalysts while being incorporated into the membrane for transesterification is discussed. Furthermore, this paper will also discuss the effects of process parameters for transesterification in a membrane reactor and the advantages offered by membrane reactors for biodiesel production. This discussion is followed by some limitations faced in membrane technology. Nevertheless, based on the findings presented in this review, it is clear that the membrane reactor has the potential to be a breakthrough technology for the biodiesel industry.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biotechnology/methods*
  11. Anis SN, Iqbal NM, Kumar S, Al-Ashraf A
    Bioengineered, 2013 Mar-Apr;4(2):115-8.
    PMID: 23018620 DOI: 10.4161/bioe.22350
    A simple procedure for recovering biodegradable polymer from bacterial cells has been developed using economical and environmentally friendly solvent or chemicals. Recombinant bacterium, Cupriavidus necator harboring pBBR1MCS-C2 plasmid polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) synthase gene was used for the production of copolymer P(3HB-co-3HHx) from crude palm kernel oil (CPKO). NaOH was chosen in this study as it could give high purity and recovery yield. Increase of NaOH concentration had resulted in an increase of the PHA purity, but the recovery yield had decreased. The greater improvement of PHA purity and recovery were achieved by incubating the freeze-dried cells (10-30 g/L) in NaOH (0.1 M) for 1-3 h at 30°C and polishing using 20% (v/v) of ethanol. The treatment caused negligible degradation of the molecular weight of PHA recovered from the bacterial cells. The present review also highlights other extraction methods to provide greater insights into economical and sustainable recovery of PHA from bacterial cells.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biotechnology/methods
  12. Amin L, Ahmad J, Jahi JM, Nor AR, Osman M, Mahadi NM
    Public Underst Sci, 2011 Sep;20(5):674-89.
    PMID: 22164706
    Despite considerable research in advanced countries on public perceptions of and attitudes to modern biotechnology, limited effort has been geared towards developing a structural model of public attitudes to modern biotechnology. The purpose of this paper is to identify the relevant factors influencing public attitudes towards genetically modified (GM) soybean, and to analyze the relationship between all the attitudinal factors. A survey was carried out on 1,017 respondents from various stakeholder groups in the Klang Valley region. Results of the survey have confirmed that attitudes towards complex issues such as biotechnology should be seen as a multifaceted process. The most important factors predicting support for GM soybean are the specific application-linked perceptions about the benefits, acceptance of risk and moral concern while risk and familiarity are significant predictors of benefit and risk acceptance. Attitudes towards GM soybean are also predicted by several general classes of attitude.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biotechnology/methods*
  13. Juan JC, Kartika DA, Wu TY, Hin TY
    Bioresour Technol, 2011 Jan;102(2):452-60.
    PMID: 21094045 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2010.09.093
    Biodiesel (fatty acids alkyl esters) is a promising alternative fuel to replace petroleum-based diesel that is obtained from renewable sources such as vegetable oil, animal fat and waste cooking oil. Vegetable oils are more suitable source for biodiesel production compared to animal fats and waste cooking since they are renewable in nature. However, there is a concern that biodiesel production from vegetable oil would disturb the food market. Oil from Jatropha curcas is an acceptable choice for biodiesel production because it is non-edible and can be easily grown in a harsh environment. Moreover, alkyl esters of jatropha oil meet the standard of biodiesel in many countries. Thus, the present paper provides a review on the transesterification methods for biodiesel production using jatropha oil as feedstock.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biotechnology/methods*
  14. Abdulla R, Chan ES, Ravindra P
    Crit Rev Biotechnol, 2011 Mar;31(1):53-64.
    PMID: 20572796 DOI: 10.3109/07388551.2010.487185
    The fuel crisis and environmental concerns, mainly due to global warming, have led researchers to consider the importance of biofuels such as biodiesel. Vegetable oils, which are too viscous to be used directly in engines, are converted into their corresponding methyl or ethyl esters by a process called transesterification. With the recent debates on "food versus fuel," non-edible oils, such as Jatropha curcas, are emerging as one of the main contenders for biodiesel production. Much research is still needed to explore and realize the full potential of a green fuel from J. curcas. Upcoming projects and plantations of Jatropha in countries such as India, Malaysia, and Indonesia suggest a promising future for this plant as a potential biodiesel feedstock. Many of the drawbacks associated with chemical catalysts can be overcome by using lipases for enzymatic transesterification. The high cost of lipases can be overcome, to a certain extent, by immobilization techniques. This article reviews the importance of the J. curcas plant and describes existing research conducted on Jatropha biodiesel production. The article highlights areas where further research is required and relevance of designing an immobilized lipase for biodiesel production is discussed.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biotechnology/methods*
  15. Idris SS, Abd Rahman N, Ismail K, Alias AB, Abd Rashid Z, Aris MJ
    Bioresour Technol, 2010 Jun;101(12):4584-92.
    PMID: 20153633 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2010.01.059
    This study aims to investigate the behaviour of Malaysian sub-bituminous coal (Mukah Balingian), oil palm biomass (empty fruit bunches (EFB), kernel shell (PKS) and mesocarp fibre (PMF)) and their respective blends during pyrolysis using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The coal/palm biomass blends were prepared at six different weight ratios and experiments were carried out under dynamic conditions using nitrogen as inert gas at various heating rates to ramp the temperature from 25 degrees C to 900 degrees C. The derivative thermogravimetric (DTG) results show that thermal decomposition of EFB, PMF and PKS exhibit one, two and three distinct evolution profiles, respectively. Apparently, the thermal profiles of the coal/oil palm biomass blends appear to correlate with the percentage of biomass added in the blends, thus, suggesting lack of interaction between the coal and palm biomass. First-order reaction model were used to determine the kinetics parameters for the pyrolysis of coal, palm biomass and their respective blends.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biotechnology/methods*
  16. Wu TY, Mohammad AW, Jahim JM, Anuar N
    Biotechnol Adv, 2009 Jan-Feb;27(1):40-52.
    PMID: 18804158 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2008.08.005
    During the last century, a great deal of research and development as well as applications has been devoted to waste. These include waste minimization and treatment, the environmental assessment of waste, minimization of environmental impact, life cycle assessment and others. The major reason for such huge efforts is that waste generation constitutes one of the major environmental problems where production industries are concerned. Until now, an increasing pressure has been put on finding methods of reusing waste, for instance through cleaner production, thus mirroring rapid changes in environmental policies. The palm oil industry is one of the leading industries in Malaysia with a yearly production of more than 13 million tons of crude palm oil and plantations covering 11% of the Malaysian land area. However, the production of such amounts of crude palm oil result in even larger amounts of palm oil mill effluent (POME), estimated at nearly three times the quantity of crude palm oil. Normally, POME is treated using end-of-pipe processes, but it is worth considering the potential value of POME prior to its treatment through introduction of a cleaner production. It is envisaged that POME can be sustainably reused as a fermentation substrate in the production of various metabolites, fertilizers and animal feeds through biotechnological advances. The present paper thus discusses various technically feasible and economically beneficial means of transforming the POME into low or preferably high value added products.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biotechnology/methods*
  17. Ling TC, Loong CK, Tan WS, Tey BT, Abdullah WM, Ariff A
    J Microbiol, 2004 Sep;42(3):228-32.
    PMID: 15459653
    In this paper, we investigated the development of a simplified and rapid primary capture step for the recovery of M13 bacteriophage from particulate-containing feedstock. M13 bacteriophage, carrying an insert, was propagated and subsequently purified by the application of both conventional multiple steps and expanded bed anion exchange chromatography. In the conventional method, precipitation was conducted with PEG/NaCl, and centrifugation was also performed. In the single step expanded bed anion exchange adsorption, UpFront FastLine 20 (20 mm i.d.) from UpFront Chromatography was used as the contactor, while 54 ml (Ho = 15 cm) of STREAMLINE DEAE (rho = 1.2 g/cm3) from Amersham Pharmacia Biotechnology was used as the anion exchanger. The performance of the two methods were evaluated, analysed, and compared. It was demonstrated that the purification of the M13 bacteriophage, using expanded bed anion exchange adsorption, yielded the higher recovery percentage, at 82.86%. The conventional multiple step method yielded the lower recovery percentage, 36.07%. The generic application of this integrated technique has also been assessed.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biotechnology/methods
  18. Loow YL, Wu TY, Tan KA, Lim YS, Siow LF, Jahim JM, et al.
    J Agric Food Chem, 2015 Sep 30;63(38):8349-63.
    PMID: 26325225 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.5b01813
    Currently, the transformation of lignocellulosic biomass into value-added products such as reducing sugars is garnering attention worldwide. However, efficient hydrolysis is usually hindered by the recalcitrant structure of the biomass. Many pretreatment technologies have been developed to overcome the recalcitrance of lignocellulose such that the components can be reutilized more effectively to enhance sugar recovery. Among all of the utilized pretreatment methods, inorganic salt pretreatment represents a more novel method and offers comparable sugar recovery with the potential for reducing costs. The use of inorganic salt also shows improved performance when it is integrated with other pretreatment technologies. Hence, this paper is aimed to provide a detailed overview of the current situation for lignocellulosic biomass and its physicochemical characteristics. Furthermore, this review discusses some recent studies using inorganic salt for pretreating biomass and the mechanisms involved during the process. Finally, some prospects and challenges using inorganic salt are highlighted.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biotechnology/methods
  19. Islam MA, Kabir G, Asif M, Hameed BH
    Bioresour Technol, 2015 Oct;194:14-20.
    PMID: 26176821 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2015.06.094
    This study examined the combustion profile and kinetics of hydrochar produced from hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) of Karanj fruit hulls (KFH). The HTC-KFH hydrochar combustion kinetics was investigated at 5, 10, and 20°C/min by thermogravimetric analysis. The kinetics model, Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose revealed the combustion kinetics parameters for the extent of conversion from 0.1 to 0.8; the activation energy varies from 114 to 67 kJ/mol respectively. The hydrochar combustion followed multi-steps kinetics; the Coats-Redfern models predicted the activation energies and pre-exponential constants for the hydrochar combustion zones. The diffusion models are the effective mechanism in the second and third zone.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biotechnology/methods
  20. Tan L, Sun W, Li X, Zhao J, Qu Y, Choo YM, et al.
    Biotechnol J, 2015 Jun;10(6):915-25.
    PMID: 25866127 DOI: 10.1002/biot.201400733
    Bisulfite pretreatment is a proven effective method for improving the enzymatic hydrolysis of empty fruit bunch (EFB) from oil palm for bioethanol production. In this study, we set out to determine the changes that occur in the structure and properties of EFB materials and fractions of hemicellulose and lignin during the bisulfite pretreatment process. The results showed that the crystallinity of cellulose in EFB increased after bisulfite pretreatment, whereas the EFB surface was damaged to various degrees. The orderly structure of EFB, which was maintained by hydrogen bonds, was destroyed by bisulfite pretreatment. Bisulfite pretreatment also hydrolyzed the glycosidic bonds of the xylan backbone of hemicellulose, thereby decreasing the molecular weight and shortening the xylan chains. The lignin fractions obtained from EFB and pretreated EFB were typically G-S lignin, and with low content of H units. Meanwhile, de-etherification occurred at the β-O-4 linkage, which was accompanied by polymerization and demethoxylation as a result of bisulfite pretreatment. The adsorption ability of cellulase differed for the various lignin fractions, and the water-soluble lignin fractions had higher adsorption capacity on cellulase than the milled wood lignin. In general, the changes in the structure and properties of EFB provided insight into the benefits of bisulfite pretreatment.
    Matched MeSH terms: Biotechnology/methods*
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