Bio-Adhesives From Switchgrass
Filed in archive Energy, Environment and Ecology , Food and Agriculture , Microbiology on October 4, 2006
Because (biofuel) ethanol production from grasses such as switchgrass or alfalfa is not as efficient as from corn, scientists are focusing on another fermentation side-product, which researchers believe might even be more valuable than ethanol: glycocalyx, a glue-like substanced produced by microorganisms to adhere to cellulose fibers.
"Because glycocalyx works so effectively at holding organisms to cellulose material, we found that we couldn't get the glue off of the fibers without destroying the glue," Weimer says. "So, we took the entire fermentation mixture - the glue, plus the bacteria, plus the rest of the cellulosic biomass - and used it as an adhesive."
When tested as a wood glue, it was found out that the bio-adhesive is not durable under wet conditions, but may be mixed with a petroleum-based resin. For some applications, mixtures in which up to 73 percent of the resin was replaced with the bio-based adhesive have been found efective.
According to the researchers, further refinements will still have to be made to make an economically-viable bio-adhesives for industrial applications, but the potentials are promising. Read the feature report from the University of Wisconsin.
[Photo: UARK]

Permalink: Bio-Adhesives From Switchgrass
Tags: adhesive biofuel bioadhesive glue microbiology ethanol biotech food+agriculture
Vote for Bio-Adhesives From Switchgrass:
|
Rating: 7.25 out of 4 vote(s) cast.
|
Most Popular
Best of
Biotech Hubs and Facilities
Biotech/Science Blogs
Corporate and Industrial News
Diagnostics, Methodologies and Instrumentation
Did you know
Drugs, Vaccines and Therapeutics
Energy, Environment and Ecology
Food and Agriculture
Gene Therapy
Genomics, Proteomics and Bioinformatics
Information About
Meetings and Other Events
Microbiology
Misc
Nanomedicine
Other Biotechnology News
Patents and Intellectual Property Rights
Quick introduction
Stem Cells
