Functional Nanohybrid Materials from Photosynthetic Reaction Center Proteins

Application of technical developments in biology and vice versa or biological samples in technology led to the development of new types of functional, so-called “biohybrid” materials. These types of materials can be created at any level of the biological organization from molecules through tissues and organs to the individuals. Macromolecules and/or molecular complexes, membranes in biology, are inherently good representatives of nanosystems since they fall in the range usually called “nano.” Nanohybrid materials provide the possibility to create functional bionanohybrid complexes which also led to new discipline called “nanobionics” in the literature and are considered as materials for the future. In this publication, the special characteristics of photosynthetic reaction center proteins, which are “nature’s solar batteries,” will be discussed in terms of their possible applications for creating functional molecular biohybrid materials

Using Central Composite Experimental Design to Optimize the Degradation of Tylosin from Aqueous Solution by Photo-Fenton Reaction

The feasibility of the application of the Photo-Fenton process in the treatment of aqueous solution contaminated by Tylosin antibiotic was evaluated. The Response Surface Methodology (RSM) based on Central Composite Design (CCD) was used to evaluate and optimize the effect of hydrogen peroxide, ferrous ion concentration and initial pH as independent variables on the total organic carbon (TOC) removal as the response function. The interaction effects and optimal parameters were obtained by using MODDE software. The significance of the independent variables and their interactions was tested by means of analysis of variance (ANOVA) with a 95% confidence level. Results show that the concentration of the ferrous ion and pH were the main parameters affecting TOC removal, while peroxide concentration had a slight effect on the reaction. The optimum operating conditions to achieve maximum TOC removal were determined. The model prediction for maximum TOC removal was compared to the experimental result at optimal operating conditions. A good agreement between the model prediction and experimental results confirms the soundness of the developed model