Journal of Biotechnology & Biomaterials
Open Access

Abstract

Agrand variety of biological and non-biological materials has already used as catalysts for the industrial fermentation process. Nanotechnology and especially the applications of nano-cellulosics have recently gained great attention from researchers. One of the materials widely researched is micro and nano tubular cellulose (MTC and NTC) as biocatalyst for low temperature fermentations. The aim of the present work is to produce tubular cellulose from various origins and study the formation of tubes in cellulose by Porosimetry, X-Ray Powder Diffractometry and SEM. For this reason three different materials were studied in order to obtain NTC or MTC: straw, nut shell and pine sawdust. Nano and micro tubes are formed after lignin removal from the lignocellulosic biomass by boiling treatment with 1% w/v NaOH. Subsequently, the samples were dried at 100oC and powdered in order to be suitable for physicochemical characterization. The aforementioned techniques demonstrated pine sawdust as the most promising material for the fermentation process. It is characterized by higher specific surface area (1.5 m 2 /g)in combination with satisfactory crystallinity (83%). Finally, according to SEM analysis, pine sawdust was the material with the higher number of tubes than in the other two materials

Biography

E Barouni received her BSc in (2009), from University of Patras. She also received her MSc in Chemistry of Advanced Technology Materials (2011) from University of Patras, Greece. Her Master?s degree was focused in coordination chemistry of transition metals. At the present, she is a PhD Candidate at the University of Patras, Greece doing research on the field of food nanobiotechnolgy. She has participated in international and national conferences with poster presentation. She is member of the Food Biotechnology Group of the Department of Chemistry that specializes on fermentation technology, fermented food production, and industrial bioreactor design. Her research interests include: microbial fermentation, fermented food products, nanobiotechnology for fermentation applications, milk coagulation.