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14 pages, 1719 KB

Open AccessArticle

Waste-Free Glucose to Erythritol Conversion—Innovations with Yarrowia lipolytica Wratislavia K1 UV15

by Anita Rywińska, Piotr Juszczyk, Zbigniew Lazar, Ludwika Tomaszewska-Hetman, Marta Kuźmińska-Bajor, Waldemar Rymowicz and Magdalena Rakicka-Pustułka

Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(6), 3190; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15063190 - 14 Mar 2025

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Abstract

This study investigates the waste-free bioconversion of glucose to erythritol using the UV-mutagenized strain Yarrowia lipolytica Wratislavia KI UV15. This research focuses on optimizing fermentation parameters to enhance erythritol yield, with a key emphasis on utilizing post-crystallization erythritol filtrate as a primary carbon source, promoting a cost-effective and sustainable approach to erythritol production. The experimental design included systematic variations in ammonium sulfate concentration, yeast extract supplementation, and initial glucose concentration. The results demonstrate that the UV15 strain achieves high erythritol production efficiency. An optimal nitrogen source concentration (3.1 g/L) and reduced yeast extract levels (0.25 g/L) provided the best results, achieving a maximum erythritol concentration of 174.8 g/L with a yield of 58.2%. Furthermore, lowering the initial glucose concentration further improved process efficiency, confirming the feasibility of using post-crystallization filtrate as an effective and sustainable carbon source. These findings highlight the biotechnological potential of Y. lipolytica UV15 in erythritol production, demonstrating its adaptability to waste-derived substrates and advancing the development of economically viable, environmentally sustainable production methods. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Products: Biological Activities and Industrial Applications)

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25 pages, 5252 KB

Open AccessArticle

Meltblow Processing of Poly (Ethylene Furanoate)–Bio-Based Polyester Nonwovens

by Tim Hiller, Hagen J. Altmann, Iris Elser, Mehdi Azimian and Michael R. Buchmeiser

Materials 2025, 18(3), 544; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18030544 - 24 Jan 2025

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Abstract

Poly(ethylene furanoate) (PEF) has been identified as a bio-based alternative or supplement to poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) for various applications such as food packaging and bottles as well as technical- and high-performance fibers and yarns. In this study, the processing of PEF nonwovens in the meltblow process is successfully demonstrated and reported for the first time, according to our best knowledge The resulting fabrics achieved median fiber diameters of 2.04 µm, comparable to PET. The filtration efficiency of 25 g m⁻² fabrics exceeded 50% comparable to PET and PBT of the same grammage and was raised to over 90% with post-process electrostatic charging, maintaining stability. As for other aromatic polymers, applying infrared heating modules into the process indicated the potential to minimize heat shrinkage. However, the suppressed ring rotation and slower crystallization kinetics of PEF showed the need for longer post-treatment times as the heat shrinkage remained between 20% and 40% at 10 °C. Overcoming this, PEF can be a viable, bio-based alternative to PET, particularly for such high-temperature nonwoven applications that require thin layers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers, Processing and Sustainability)

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20 pages, 11985 KB

Open AccessArticle

Preparation of CuBTC@PET Hierarchically Porous Composite Membranes via In Situ Growth Method and Their Antibacterial Filtration Performance

by Kelimu Tulugan, Peng Tian, Wei Zhao, Xiang Li and Xin Zhang

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(11), 4462; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14114462 - 23 May 2024

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1669

Abstract

Processing polyethylene terephthalate (PET) into functional materials has both sustainable and economic significance. Therefore, this study aims to prepare functional nanofibers using PET, combining electrospun nanofibers with metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), which is an effective solution to increase the added value of functional nanofiltration membranes (NFMs). The surface morphology of PET fibers is successfully controlled by electrospinning parameters and post-treatment. The formation of a uniform coating of CuBTC crystals on the PET surface is induced by a simple and low-cost in situ growth technique. CuBTC@PET was treated to prepare superhydrophobic CuBTC@PET (SCP), thus improving the stability of CuBTC in water and expanding its potential applications. Through a series of optical and thermal characterizations, the porous morphology formation mechanism and MOF in situ growth mechanism of SCP fibers were discussed. Then, the air filtration performance and bacteriostatic properties of SCP nanofiltration membranes were investigated. The as-prepared SCP showed a high water contact angle (146.4°), low-pressure drop (39.7 Pa), and high filtration efficiency (95.3%, 3 μm NaCl), as well as unique, broad-spectrum antibiosis potency against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli). This study shows that SCP nanofiltration membranes can be practically applied in high-performance antibacterial filtration membranes. Full article

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