Emphasizing the General Methods for the Use of the Natural Mineral Waters Located around the Salt Mines, according to Their Therapeutic Properties

According to studies conducted in Europe [...

Study of the chemical composition of sweet sorghum stalks depleted in carbohydrates with applications in obtaining bioethanol

Sweet sorghum is a great energy crop that shows the benefits to ecosystems, energy and economics, being a valuable source of energy of the category 1st, 2nd and 3rd. bioethanol generation. Purpose of the paper is to study the chemical composition of sweet sorghum stalks depleted in carbohydrates with applications in obtaining ethanol. It shows appreciable compositional values of free sugars, starch, cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. All these components can be easily made available as fermentable carbohydrates leading to the production of products with high economic value (bioethanol)

In Vitro Studies of Bacterial Cellulose and Magnetic Nanoparticles Smart Nanocomposites for Efficient Chronic Wounds Healing

The quality of life of patients with chronic wounds can be extremely poor and, therefore, over the past decades, great efforts have been made to develop efficient strategies to improve the healing process and the social impact associated with these conditions. Cell based therapy, as a modern tissue engineering strategy, involves the design of 3D cell-scaffold bioconstructs obtained by preseeding drug loaded scaffolds with undifferentiated cells in order to achieve in situ functional de novo tissue. This paper reports on the development of bionanocomposites based on bacterial cellulose and magnetic nanoparticles (magnetite) for efficient chronic wounds healing. Composites were obtained directly in the cellulose bacterial culture medium by dispersing various amounts of magnetite nanoparticles during the biosynthesis process. After purification and drying, the membranes were characterized by Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction to reveal the presence of magnetite within the bacterial cellulose matrix. Morphological investigation was employed through SEM and TEM analyses on bionanocomposites. The biocompatibility of these innovative materials was studied in relation to human adipose derived stem cells in terms of cellular morphology, viability, and proliferation as well as scaffolds cytotoxic potential

Treatment of Nanocellulose by Submerged Liquid Plasma for Surface Functionalization

Tailoring the surface properties of nanocellulose to improve the compatibility of components in polymer nanocomposites is of great interest. In this work, dispersions of nanocellulose in water and acetonitrile were functionalized by submerged plasmas, with the aim of increasing the quality of this reinforcing agent in biopolymer composite materials. Both the morphology and surface chemistry of nanocellulose were influenced by the application of a plasma torch and filamentary jet plasma in a liquid suspension of nanocellulose. Depending on the type of plasma source and gas mixture the surface chemistry was modified by the incorporation of oxygen and nitrogen containing functional groups. The treatment conditions which lead to nanocellulose based polymer nanocomposites with superior mechanical properties were identified. This work provides a new eco-friendly method for the surface functionalization of nanocellulose directly in water suspension, thus overcoming the disadvantages of chemical treatments

Surface Treatment of Bacterial Cellulose in Mild, Eco-Friendly Conditions

Bacterial cellulose (BC) with increased hydrophobicity is required for several applications including packaging. Surface functionalization of BC may provide good resistance to moisture, increased barrier properties or improved compatibility to polymer matrices. For this purpose, chemical grafting of BC in mild, eco-friendly conditions was carried out using different agents. BC membranes were surface functionalized with vinyl-triethoxy silane (VS) or 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APS), by acylation and acrylation. The efficiency of the surface treatments was highlighted by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, by contact angle measurements and by dynamic mechanical analysis. The morphological investigation by atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy revealed an increased compactness for surface functionalized BC, which correlated well with the different increase of the contact angle. BC treated with APS and VS showed more than a twofold increase in contact angle value. Similarly, the crystallinity degree was reduced to 69.6% and 72.9% after APS and VS treatments as compared with 84.1% for untreated BC, confirming the grafting reaction and the decrease in hydrogen bonding. All the applied treatments delayed the degradation of BC. However, the highest increase in thermal stability was observed for silanes treated membranes. Effective, eco-friendly methods for improving the surface hydrophobicity of bacterial cellulose for food packaging were proposed in this study