Z-trim is a zero calorie cellulosic fiber biopolymer produced from corn hulls. The micro-structural heterogeneities of Z-trim biopolymer were investigated by monitoring the thermally driven displacements of well-dispersed micro-spheres via video fluorescence microscopy named multiple-particle tracking (MPT). By comparing the distribution of the time-dependent mean-square displacement (MSD) of p...

Advances in functionally biopolymer systems have provided new opportunities on basic science studies and bioengineering applications. In this review, the recent data on interaction mechanisms of synthetic polyelectrolytes with proteins and physico-chemical criteria for the construction of functionally biopolymer systems are reviewed. Also, the structure and structural-chemical features of prote...

The ability of gum kondagogu [Cochlospermum gossypium (L.) DC.], a natural carbohydrate biopolymer, was investigated for adsorptive removal of toxic metal ions Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb, Ni, Zn, Hg and total Cr present in industrial effluents. Various physico-chemical parameters, such as, pH, temperature, equilibrium contact time, % biosorption and adsorption capacity, were investigated. Metal biosorption...

The mechanics of biological tissue is largely determined by the mechanics of biopolymer networks such as the extracellular matrix on cellular scale or the cytoskeleton on subcellular scale. Micromechanical simulations of biopolymer networks have thus attracted increasing interest in the last years. Here we introduce a simulation framework for biopolymer networks based on a finite element model ...

The mechanical properties of biopolymers can be determined from a statistical analysis of the ensemble of shapes they exhibit when subjected to thermal forces. In practice, extracting information from fluorescence microscopy images can be challenging due to low signal/noise ratios and other artifacts. To address these issues, we develop a suite of tools for image processing and spectral data an...

BACKGROUND In order to obtain biomaterials with controllable physicochemical properties, hybrid biomaterials composed of biocompatible biopolymers and ceramic nanoparticles have attracted interests. In this study, we prepared biopolymer/ceramic hybrids consisting of various natural biopolymers and layered double hydroxide (LDH) ceramic nanoparticles via an electrophoretic method. We studied the...

The stability of crude oil droplets formed by adding chemical dispersants can be considerably enhanced by the use of the biopolymer, hydrophobically modified chitosan. Turbidimetric analyses show that emulsions of crude oil in saline water prepared using a combination of the biopolymer and the well-studied chemical dispersant (Corexit 9500A) remain stable for extended periods in comparison to e...

the aim of this work was to optimize the coagulation-flocculation (cf) process applied tomunicipal wastewaters (ww). optimization of cf was performed to minimize chemical oxygen demand(cod), turbidity, sludge produced, and some metals in sludge. a box-behnken design was used to evaluate the effects and interactions of three factors such as type of biopolymer (guar, mesquite seed gum and opuntia...

Microbial modification of starch with Ophiostoma spp. was investigated, with the purpose of developing a novel packaging material for the food or pharmaceutical industries. Various starch sources, such as tapioca, potato, corn, rice and amylopectin were tested as raw materials. The initial screening demonstrated that tapioca and potato starch had better performance for biopolymer production. Th...