Locus Fermentation Solutions’ Post

A bionanomachine for green chemistry ♻️  - PSI researchers Xiao-Dan Li and Richard Kammerer have characterised in detail the enzyme styrene oxide isomerase from bacteria, which converts the chemical compound styrene oxide to phenylacetaldehyde by Meinwald rearrangement.   The enzyme is unique because it makes this important chemical reaction ⚗️possible, which in industry can only be carried out with high energy input and low product yields.   The enzyme could become a powerful for circular economy and green chemistry to produce a range of useful chemicals and medical compounds in an environmentally friendly way.   It proves once again that enzymes are marvels of nature 🤩! The study appears in the journal Nature Chemistry.   #ResearchAtPSI #Nature #Biology #CircularEconomy #GreenChemistry #SwissLightSource #SLS #synchrotronlight #synchrotron #LightSourceScience #WorldChangingScience #SynchrotronScience #ScienceForSociety #ScienceNeverStops Lightsources.org

The H2020-MSCA-INTERfaces iMooX.at-course “Tailored Materials and Enzymes for Industrial Processes – Sustainability and Industrial Applications” focusses on how biocatalysis can be implemented at industrial scale, and will show how enzymatic solutions can become environmentally-friendly and industrially relevant at the same time. Two Units are envisaged. The first Unit, covering four lectures, will provide the fundamentals of sustainability, discussing from environmental metrics to the use of biogenic resources and some concepts related to bioeconomy. The first two will show how the environmental impact of biocatalytic reactions can be measured with meaningful and easy-to-implement metrics, and how a broader analysis can be made by implementing Life-Cycle-Assessments (LCA) strategies. The other two will explain the current transition from petroleum-based chemicals to a new paradigm based on biomasses as feedstocks. The second Unit, composed of two lectures, will show different biocatalytic industrial cases, emphasizing in each case why enzymes provide an advantage, based on selectivity, mild reaction conditions, versatility in different reaction media, etc. Overall, a broad perspective on the possibilities of biocatalysis at industrial scale will be given. The Units will be completed with some interviews between young scientists and industrial biotechnology leaders and a science dissemination expert, and experimental videos. The course is not only taught for students at BSc. and MSc. study levels but also to attract attention from industrial chemists interested in applying enzymes to synthesize chemicals for our daily use. Check out the course and sign up here: https://lnkd.in/e2aR22WJ List of teachers: Dr. Pablo Domínguez de María (Sustainable Momentum, SL), Prof. Selin Kara (Aarhus University), and Prof. Lucia Gardossi (Università degli Studi di Trieste). List of Interview participants: Luisa Maren Merz (ESR05) with Dr. Luuk Van Langen (ViaZym B.V.), Kamela Myrtollari (ESR09) with Dr. Andreas Taden (Henkel), Chiara Danielli (ERS11) with MSc. ÖZGE TIĞLI (Bumbuku Creatives) Experimental video by: Kamela Myrtollari (ESR09) #MOOC #Freecourse #biocatalysis #catalysis #MSCA

Measuring microplastics in soil using spectroscopy Read more: 👇👇 https://buff.ly/45EaA6j #laboratory #science #lab #research #scientist #laboratorio #biotechnology #medical #laboratorylife #microbiologia #biotech #dna #microscopy #lablife #bhfyp #Labs_Online

Do you hold a #Master’s degree in Biotechnology, Chemical and Biological Engineering, or related fields and are looking for a new challenge to support #sustainability? Then take note of this opportunity! The Centre of Biological Engineering is accepting applications for a Research #Grant within the project "#ESSEntial – Establishing sustainable #bioproduction of #lactones from metabolic engineering of industrial cell factory systems: Ashbya gossypii." This initiative aims to revolutionise the #food and #cosmetic industries by making them more environmentally friendly and economically competitive. This transformation will be achieved by redirecting the #genetic code of the fungus #Ashbya gossypii to sustainably and efficiently convert sugars into lactones. Applications are open until 11 November. Find all the details here: www.lkme.pt/zFsJG

So far we have been tinkering with Carbon Oxygen bonds for the past 100 years whereas these scientists, for the first time, created Carbon Nitrogen bonds that will change many a industries completely upside down. Scientists have introduced triazenolysis, a groundbreaking chemical process that transforms alkenes into multifunctional amines. These amines hold potential for use in polymer, pharmaceutical, and agricultural production. Unlike the century-old ozonolysis, which forms carbon-oxygen bonds, triazenolysis efficiently creates crucial carbon-nitrogen bonds, enhancing its utility in various scientific and industrial fields. This breakthrough process, known as triazenolysis, transforms alkenes—widely occurring organic compounds like those derived from petroleum—into multifunctional amines. These amines have diverse applications in both industrial and research settings, making the process a significant advancement in modern chemistry. The Technion-developed process mimics ozonolysis, a long-established technology used to create molecules with carbon-oxygen bonds. Ozonolysis, developed more than a century ago, is effective at forming carbon-oxygen bonds but does not produce carbon-nitrogen bonds. This is where triazenolysis comes into play, producing carbon-nitrogen bonds relevant to a wide range of applications by cleaving carbon-carbon bonds in olefins (a class of chemicals made up of hydrogen and carbon with one or more pairs of carbon atoms linked by a double bond). #fertilizers #foodsecurity #healthcarecosts

Researchers at Michigan State University have developed engineered enzymes to help plants adapt to rising global temperatures. By focusing on the enzyme glycerate 3-kinase (GLYK) in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, they improved the enzyme's thermostability using insights from the alga *Cyanidioschyzon merolae*, which thrives in extreme heat. Utilizing AI-assisted enzyme folding models and molecular dynamics, they identified structural loops responsible for the alga's heat resilience and integrated them into GLYK. The enhanced enzyme boosts plant thermotolerance, potentially preserving agricultural yields under climate change. Future work involves testing these enzymes in living plants to advance strategies for developing climate-resilient crops. For more details, please continue reading the full article under the following link: https://lnkd.in/egdm5zRt -------------------------------------------------------- In general, if you enjoy reading this kind of scientific news articles, I would also be keen to connect with fellow researchers based on common research interests in materials science, including the possibility to discuss about any potential interest in the Materials Square cloud-based online platform ( www.matsq.com ), designed for streamlining the execution of materials and molecular atomistic simulations! Best regards, Dr. Gabriele Mogni Technical Consultant and EU Representative Virtual Lab Inc., the parent company of the Materials Square platform Website: https://lnkd.in/eMezw8tQ Email: gabriele@simulation.re.kr #materials #materialsscience #materialsengineering #computationalchemistry #modelling #chemistry #researchanddevelopment #research #MaterialsSquare #ComputationalChemistry #Tutorial #DFT #simulationsoftware #simulation

"Biology can become an alternative source of chemicals. It has the technical capacity to do so, but we need to empower it with infrastructure, business and funding models, and talented individuals driven to make change. This will require thinking outside traditional entrepreneurship models and probably new bioeconomy initiatives from the government and the consumers alike." #Biology as the future of #chemicals? ♻️ We at #Allozymes couldn't agree more with this article from SynBioBeta. The potential of biology to revolutionize how we source and produce chemicals is massive. #Biotechnology

💥New SUCCeSS publication! SUCCeSS Directors Berit Olofsson and Aji Mathew together with Sayad Doobary-Vobora and Varvara (Vera) Apostolopoulou-Kalkavoura have written a Perspective in Chem! https://lnkd.in/dZYRqrbG The Perspective summarise progress in the use of nanocellulose in organic synthesis, with an outlook to recent applications in mechanochemistry. It is a perfect example of interdisciplinary research showcasing how organic synthesis meets materials science to adopt a new sustainable concept of valorizing forest materials in a sustainable low carbon footprint organic synthesis. Nanocellulose is a low-toxic biomaterial that can be extracted in high yields from various natural resources. Despite its common uses in water purification, papermaking, packaging, sensors, medicine, emulsifiers and nanocomposites among others; nanocellulose has the potential to be exploited as reaction medium, support and catalyst in organic synthesis reactions. Nanocellulose has a tunable surface chemistry and many reactive sites, and many functionalities can co-exist at the same time. While non-modified nanocellulose has been used as catalyst in organic reactions, chemical modifications of the surface enable a much richer palette of functionalities that can be utilised in organic synthesis. Modifications include the attachment of metals or organometallic complexes, photocatalysis or organic acids or bases. In addition, it vas recently reported that nanocellulose can be used as medium, support or catalyst in organic synthesis under mechanochemical conditions. This field is still in its infancy, and the exact mechanism of the mechanochemical assistance of nanocellulose in organic synthesis is not understood. The SUCCeSS authors foresee that solvent-free organic synthesis supported by biobased resources can be an important step towards more sustainable synthetic pathways, and aim to investigate the recycling of nanocellulose and usage in large-scale applications remain in the coming years. Stay tuned for more SUCCeSS-affiliated publications! #biobased #biobasedmaterials #forestmaterials #nanocellulose #organicchemistry #mechanochemistry #sustainability #circulareconomy

Scientists reveal factors for morphology control in organic solar cells: An international research team has fabricated organic solar cells using non-toxic solvents. The researchers identified interactions between the acceptor material side chains and the solvent, along with interactions between donor and acceptor materials, as key factors for controlling morphology in organic solar cells. #RenewableEnergy #Photovoltaic #Technology

🥼 🔬 🧪 Paper of the Day ❗ ❗ ❗ The article discusses the engineering of a Pseudomonas putida strain as a whole-cell biosensor (WCB) that can detect a wide range of chemicals, including industrially relevant metabolites and environmental pollutants. The researchers rewired the sugar catabolism of P. putida to make it dependent on specific analytes for growth, coupling biomass formation and fluorescence output to the concentration of the target compound. They demonstrated the versatility of this WCB platform by using it to detect D-lactate, protocatechuate, and products of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) degradation. The engineered sensor strains showed high sensitivity and a wide dynamic range, making them suitable for high-throughput screening applications. The authors also implemented the WCB system in different experimental setups, including analyzing culture supernatants, monitoring enzymatic activities in vitro, and tracking plastic degradation in vivo within a bacterial co-culture. #Pseudomonasputida #Biosensor #Pollutants #PET #DLactate #PCA #Screening #ChemicalSensor #Plasticdegradation #Nature #Naturecommunications #Detection #ChemicalDetection #Researcharticle #Openaccess #SOL #Scienceoflives #Scienceoflife #Biology #Chemistry #Biologicalprocess link to today's paper - https://lnkd.in/gvEQqHW6 Date: 07/10/2024 For more, click the link below https://lnkd.in/gmJuz4eC