Nature is an exquisite designer of inorganic materials using biomolecules as templates. Diatoms create intricate silica wall structures with fine features using the protein family of silaffins as templates. Marine sponges create silica spicules also using proteins, termed silicateins. In recent years, our group and others have used biomolecules as templates for the deposition of inorganic mater...

This short text is the second in a series of articles from the recently established “Bio-Objects” research network supported by the European Commission’s Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) program (1). Here we explore in more detail the ways in which we understand the boundaries of bio-objects determined through a “bio-objectification” process wherein life-forms or living entities are...

Keeping in view, the challenges concerning agro-ecosystem and environment, the recent developments in biotechnology offers a more reliable approach to address the food security for future generations and also resolve the complex environmental problems. Several unique features of cyanobacteria such as oxygenic photosynthesis, high biomass yield, growth on non-arable lands and a wide variety of w...

With the establishment of the National Institutes of Biotechnology and Applied Microbiology (BIOTECH), University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) researches were done to look for cheaper and locally available but efficient substitutes or supplements to inorganic fertilizer, such as bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides. Technologies on bio-fertilizers developed by UPLB include BIO-N, the most ...

Bio-oil, a mixture of complex oxygenated hydrocarbons, is obtained through fast pyrolysis of solid biomass. As biomass is low in energy density and not easily transportable, a novel approach is to convert biomass to bio-oil, transport bio-oil to a centralized facility, gasify bio-oil to syngas, and upgrade syngas to transportation fuels and other high-value chemicals. In this study, a comprehen...

BACKGROUND: Bio-fertilizers being essential components of organic farming play vital role in maintaining long term soil fertility and sustainability.OBJECTIVES: Study yield and growth indices of sorghum in response to consume chemical fertilizer and Nitroxin bio-fertilizer.METHODS: This research was conducted via split plot experime...

Background In this study, a two-step processing method (hydrothermal liquefaction followed by catalytic upgrading) was used to produce upgraded bio-oil. A comprehensive screening analysis of algal species, including four microalgae and four macroalgae, was conducted to bridge the gap between previous accounts of microalgae and macroalgae hydrothermal liquefaction and the upgrading process of th...

Resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF) resin is a kind of excellent exterior-grade wood structural adhesive, which can be conveniently cold-set for various applications. In order to decrease the production cost, pyrolysis bio-oil from renewable bioresources was used to replace resorcinol to synthesize the bio-oil-resorcinol-aldehyde (BRF) resin. The effect of replacing resorcinol with bio-oil on the prop...