Biodegradable nanocomposite films were prepared by incorporation of cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) into alginate biopolymer using the solution casting method. The effects of CNF content (2.5, 5, 7.5, 10 and 15 wt %) on mechanical, biodegradability and swelling behavior of the nanocomposite films were determined. The results showed that the tensile modulus value of the nanocomposite films increased...

Micro- and nanosize lignin has recently gained interest due to improved properties compared to standard lignin available today. As the second most abundant biopolymer after cellulose, lignin is readily available but used for rather low-value applications. This review focuses on the application of micro- and nanostructured lignin in final products or processes that all show potential for high ad...

Lignin is an aromatic biopolymer involved in providing structural support to plant cell walls. Compared to the other cell wall polymers, i.e., cellulose and hemicelluloses, lignin has been considered a hindrance in cellulosic bioethanol production due to the complexity involved in its separation from other polymers of various biomass feedstocks. Nevertheless, lignin is a potential source of val...

To understand the generic role of soft, hydrated biopolymers in adjusting interfacial interactions at biological interfaces, we designed a defined model of the cell-extracellular matrix contacts based on planar lipid membranes deposited on polymer supports (polymer-supported membranes). Highly uniform polymer supports made out of regenerated cellulose allow for the control of film thickness wit...

We have prepared all-biopolymer nanocomposite films using lignin as a filler and cellulose triacetate (CTA) as a polymer matrix, and characterized them by several analytical methods. Three types of lignin were tested: organosolv, hydrolytic and kraft, with or without acetylation. They were used in the form of nanoparticles incorporated at 1 wt% in CTA. Self-supported films were prepared by vapo...

Chitin is an abundant renewable polysaccharide, next only to cellulose. Chitinases are important for effective utilization of this biopolymer. Chitinase D from Serratia proteamaculans (SpChiD) is a single domain chitinase with both hydrolytic and transglycosylation (TG) activities. SpChiD had less of hydrolytic activity on insoluble polymeric chitin substrates due to the absence of auxiliary bi...

The effect of lignin as an inhibitory biopolymer for the enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass was studied; specially addressing the role of lignin in non-productive enzyme adsorption. Botanical origin and biomass pre-treatment give rise to differences in lignin structure and the effect of these differences on enzyme binding and inhibition were elucidated. Lignin was isolated from ste...

Chitosan (CH) is derived from N-deacetylation of chitin, which is the second most abundant naturally occurring biopolymer after cellulose. Due to its biodegradable and biocompatible properties, CH has been investigated for many biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. For example, CH-microspheres have been used as carriers for controlled release of drugs, peptides and proteins, as well as va...

Objective: Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a biopolymer whose application has been limited due to the difficulty introduce modifiable functional groups onto its network. The present study introduces new from chitosan (Chs) by in-situ method and further modified crosslinking with genipin (Gp), non-toxic agent. Methodology Results: cellulose-chitosan (BC-Chs) hydrogels were synthesized insitu, dried,...

Concurrent advances in a number of fields have fostered the development of bioprocesses for biochemical production. Ideally, future bioprocesses will meet the demands of commercial chemical markets in an economical fashion while being sustainable through the use of renewable starting materials. A number of different renewable and abundant biopolymers (e.g., cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignin, an...