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Introduction The assessment of the risk of virus transmission through papers, such as postcards, is important. However, the stability of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and influenza A virus (IAV) on different types of papers is currently unknown. Investigation of the survival time of these viruses on different types of papers will provide insights into their risk of long-distance transport by postal items. Methods We evaluated the stability of SARS-CoV-2 and IAV, mixed with a culture medium, on the surface of postcards with various coatings, including plain paper (PP), inkjet paper (IP), and inkjet photo paper (IPP). The surface structure of each paper was microscopically assessed. Results The surface structures of PP, IP, and IPP varied greatly depending on the presence or absence, and type, of coat layer, regardless of the base material. IP and IPP surfaces were less conducive to virus survival than PP surfaces, because of the difference in surface shapes. The survival times of SARS-CoV-2 on each paper were approximately 59.8 (PP), 6.5 (IP), and 9.8 h (IPP), and significantly longer than those of IAV (10.3, 1.8, and 3.3 h, respectively). Conclusions The risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission via paper, such as postcards, is significantly higher than that of IAV transmission. While PP, IP, and IPP have the same base material, their surface structures differ, which affects viral stability. The IP and IPP surfaces are less suitable for virus survival. This study provides novel insights into the risks of viral transmission via paper.

This paper describes the development of two microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (μPADs), one well-based and the other based on a lateral flow assay (LFA) configuration, to detect glucose via a colorimetric assay using the solid metal-organic framework (MOF) Zr-PCN-222(Fe), to encapsulate glucose oxidase (GOx). The well-based platform consisted of laminate sheets and multiple layers of wax-printed chromatography paper. Solutions of KI and glucose placed into the well flowed through the device and reacted with the GOx@MOF species sandwiched between the paper layers realizing a yellow-brown color. The LFA platform consisted of chromatography paper between parafilm and polyvinyl acetate (PVA) layers. GOx@MOFs spotted on the paper subjected to solutions of KI and glucose yielded a brown color. The devices were then dried, scanned, and analyzed yielding a correlation between average inverse yellow intensity and glucose concentrations. The development of these devices employing MOFs as biomimetic catalysts should further expand the applications of microfluidic technologies for sensors a variety of analytes.

Pulp and paper mill industry is already known as an extensive water user and hence produces large volume of wastewater. Phytoremediation has merits to offer due to its environmentally friendly, relatively low cost and easy maintenance. This work focused on the performance of a continuous pilot subsurface flow (SSF) system of constructed wetlands in removing chemical oxygen demand (COD) representing organic carbon, colour and suspended solids from recycled pulp and paper mill under 5-day hydraulic retention time (HRT) for 95 days. In this study, there were two tanks based on the SSF system; one tank planted with Malaysian native bulrush (Scirpus grossus) and another tank without plants acting as a control. It was found that the SSF system with S. grossus was much better compared to the SSF control. Throughout the 95-day exposure, the planted SSF system have achieved removals of 66.1, 55.8 and 87.2% for COD, colour and suspended solid (SS), respectively. However, the control SSF system without plants has lower performance for all the three parameters (62.4% COD, 44.4% colour and 84.8% SS), giving evidence that constructed wetlands is an efficient technology to phytoremediate COD, colour and SS from recycled pulp and paper effluent.

The biological deinking method using microbial enzymes is quite promising and rather eco-friendly. In this paper, we discuss about the impact of enzymatic deinking of newspaper pulp using ligno-cellulosic (cellulase, xylanase and laccase) and lipolytic enzymes. The individual treatment of paper pulp with enzymes (cellulase/xylanase) could enhance the paper brightness to about 32.86% whereas combinational effect could enhance only about 28.67%. There was a release of chromophores from phenolic and hydrophobic compounds released during the deinking process. Physico-chemical parameters of effluents were also found to be within the standard limits and the metals like iron, lead and zinc were not detected in the enzyme assisted deinking effluent sample. The heavy metals in the paper pulp was found to be reduced after enzyme treatment. The obtained effluent was found have low phytotoxicity and was safe for agricultural applications. Hence, the present report was found to be a suitable enzymatic deinking process which was eco-friendly that results in non-toxic effluents. The method also provides an avenue in water resource recycling within industries.

To evaluate the effect of brown-rot fungi Oligoporus placenta and earthworm Eisenia fetida on decomposition of paper mill sludge, the paper mill sludge was mixed with cow dung in 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% proportions and changes in physicochemical quality of waste mixtures was carried out for 28 days. All waste mixtures were treated with: Setup-I (E. fetida), Setup-II (O. placenta) and, Setup-III (E. fetida + O. placenta). A decrease in total organic carbon, C/N ratio and cellulose but an increase in total kjeldhal nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium and pH was recorded. The paper mill sludge in 50–75% proportion in feedstock showed the better results and rate of mineralisation were in order: Setup-III > Setup-I > Setup-II. The proportion of CD has direct role in waste mineralisation. The microbial population (bacterial, fungal and actinomycetes) and earthworm biomass were also high in Setup-III, suggesting the influence of brown-rot fungi on paper mill sludge humification. Results indicate that fungal inoculate in vermicomposting was effective in decomposing cellulose-rich industrial sludge.

The global demand for bio-plastic particularly polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) have been increased in the last few decades as a substitute of petrochemical-based plastic. Utilization of waste paper, the primary constituent of municipal solid waste (MSW), as a carbon source for polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) production is not only an alternative, environmental friendly route of waste management but also helps to valorize the waste. In this study, hydrogen peroxide pretreated waste paper saccharification has been optimized using central composite design (CCD). The maximum hydrolysis (88.18%) occurred at paper loading 5.0 g/L, agitation 242 rpm, working volume 20%, cellulase 49.82 U/g, β-glucosidase 20.9 U/g and hemicellulase 29.5 U/g. PHB synthesis and biomass accumulation by xylose-utilizing Burkholderia sacchari using waste paper hydrolysate were studied using different nitrogen sources and carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratios. Maximum PHB and dry cell weight (DCW) occurred with ammonium sulfate and a C/N ratio of 20. The highest biomass (3.63 g/L), the maximum PHB accumulation (44.2%) and the maximum reducing sugar utilization (92.1%) were observed after 48 h of cultivation using diluted hydrolysate. The physicochemical properties of the extracted PHB were compatible with the standard PHB. Hence, the waste paper could be exploited as a renewable feedstock for the sustainable production of PHB.

Many paper products are coated with plastic to improve their quality and stability. However, this limits recycling and recovery options and the plastic-coated waste paper is mostly disposed in landfills. Such practices are uneconomical and contrary to sustainable waste management. In this work enzymes of the white rot fungus Dichomitus squalens were investigated for possible delamination of plastic-coated waste paper. Enzymes were found capable to release the polyethylene foil from plastic-coated paper which resulted in 88.6-91.5% mass loss. The delamination rate, however, was depended on the ratio between plastic-coated paper and volume of enzyme filtrate. Results of a consequent experiment showed that enzymes are also efficient when plastic-coated paper is treated in a sequencing batch reactor resulting in 88.2-90.6% mass loss. The system was fully functional up to the 5th cycle; afterwards, the delamination rate reduced due to high thickness of the waste paper sludge. The enzyme activity, however, was still very high; with the laccase activity at the end of the experiment above 900 U/L and manganese peroxidase above 250 U/L. Our results demonstrated, that plastic-coated waste paper has the potential to be efficiently recovered instead of being disposed in landfills.

Graphical abstract, Highlights • Detection of cytokine storm biomarkers with mobile biosensors. • Immunosensors are made solely of cellulose modified with antibody-decorated nanoparticles. • Turnaround time under 10 min. • Detection of biomarkers in respiratory samples allows monitoring local inflammation. • Compatible with decentralized health care schemes., Decentralizing COVID-19 care reduces contagions and affords a better use of hospital resources. We introduce biosensors aimed at detecting severe cases of COVID-19 in decentralized healthcare settings. They consist of a paper immunosensor interfaced with a smartphone. The immunosensors have been designed to generate intense colorimetric signals when the sample contains ultralow concentrations of IL-6, which has been proposed as a prognosis biomarker of COVID-19. This is achieved by combining a paper-based signal amplification mechanism with polymer-filled reservoirs for dispensing antibody-decorated nanoparticles and a bespoken app for color quantification. With this design we achieved a low limit of detection (LOD) of 10−3 pg mL-1 and semi-quantitative measurements in a wide dynamic range between 10−3 and 102 pg mL-1 in PBS. The assay time is under 10 min. The low LOD allowed us to dilute blood samples and detect IL-6 with an LOD of 1.3 pg mL-1 and a dynamic range up to 102 pg mL-1. Following this protocol, we were able to stratify COVID-19 patients according to different blood levels of IL-6. We also report on the detection of IL-6 in respiratory samples (bronchial aspirate, BAS) from COVID-19 patients. The test could be easily adapted to detect other cytokines such as TNF-α and IL-8 by changing the antibodies decorating the nanoparticles accordingly. The ability of detecting cytokines in blood and respiratory samples paves the way for monitoring local inflammation in the lungs as well as systemic inflammation levels in the body.

Purpose To elucidate the correlation between lactoferrin concentration in the tear film and signs and symptoms of severe dry eye disease (DED) using a novel microfluidic paper-based analytical device (μPAD) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Methods Twenty-four patients were recruited at the Keio University Hospital. Using a novel μPAD, lactoferrin concentrations were measured in 4 patients with GVHD-related DED, 3 patients with other types of DED and 2 controls (Group A). For validation by ELISA, 22 patients (7 patients from Group A) comprising 9 patients with GVHD-related DED, 6 patients with other types of DED and 7 controls were examined (Group B). The link between lactoferrin concentration and clinical data about the severity of aqueous tear deficient DED was also investigated by both μPAD and ELISA. Results The lactoferrin concentration in tear fluid of the DED patients was positively correlated between μPAD and ELISA (p = 0.006, r = 0.886). The tear fluid of the GVHD patients showed low or undetectable lactoferrin concentration. Analysis by ELISA demonstrated that lactoferrin concentrations in the tear film from the GVHD patients were significantly lower than those from the non-GVHD patients (p = 0.010576). ELISA revealed lactoferrin concentration correlated with the value of Schirmer test and tear film breakup time, whereas it was inversely correlated with OSDI, fluorescein and rose bengal scores. Conclusions The novel μPAD may pave the way for measuring lactoferrin concentration in tear fluid from DED patients. Our results suggested that lactoferrin concentration in tear fluid reflect the severity of DED.

Starch stain is a common stain on paper artifacts. This stain leads to deformation of the surface of the paper and promotes the growth of microbiological deterioration. This study aims to use nanoparticles with an α-amylase enzyme to improve its quality for removing this type of stain from the surface of paper artifacts. Accelerated heat aging was used on starch stain applied on the new paper samples. The α-amylase enzyme was prepared. Silver and gold nanoparticles were biosynthesized by local fungal isolation. The produced silver and gold nanoparticles were characterized by using different techniques of analysis (UV- Visible spectroscopy, Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), and X-Ray diffraction (XRD) analysis). Different concentrations of Ag-NPs and Au-NPs were added to the α-amylase reaction mixture to enhance its activity for removing starch stains. Some analytical techniques were also used for the evaluation of the efficiency of α-amylase and nanoparticles for removing starch stains (Color measurement, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and pH measurement). The results proved that Ag-NPs at 20 microliters increased the activity to about 160%, whereas Au-NPs enhanced the activity to about 140% at a concentration of 5μL. The results showed that α-amylase enzyme incorporated with Ag-NPs exhibited better results more than its use alone. The addition of Ag-NPs to α-amylase enzyme for the removal of starch stain reduced the total color differences, improved the surface morphology.

Mercury contamination in the environment has reached alarming levels. Due to its persistence and bioaccumulation, mercury is one of the most widespread toxic heavy metals found in air, water and food. Thus, it is mandatory to monitor mercury and its compounds, and the availability of sensitive and rapid biosensors is highly valuable.We developed a low-cost biosensor for orthogonal detection of mercury(II) integrating three different biorecognition principles on a three-leaf paper: i) a mercury-specific bioluminescent Escherichia coli bioreporter strain expressing NanoLuc luciferase as reporter protein, ii) a purified β-galactosidase (β-gal) enzyme which is irreversibly inhibited by mercury and other metal ions, and iii) an Aliivibrio fischeri bioluminescent strain which is used to quantitatively assess sample toxicity and correct the analytical signal accordingly.Both sensory elements and substrates, Furimazine for the bioluminescent reporter strain and chlorophenol red-β-D-galactopyranoside for colorimetric detection of β-gal, were integrated in the paper sensor to provide a stable all-in-one disposable cartridge which can be easily snapped into a smartphone with a clover-shaped 3D printed housing. This is the first integration of bioluminescence and colorimetric detection on a smartphone-paper sensor, providing a readout within 15 and 60 min for the colorimetric and bioluminescent detection respectively. The biosensor was applied to water samples spiked with different concentrations of mercury, interferents and toxic chemicals providing a limit of detection for Hg(II) at the ppb levels.

Nowadays, environmentally friendly synthesis pathways for preserving the environment and minimizing waste are strongly required. Herein, we propose filter paper as a convenient scaffold for chemical reactions. To demonstrate this novel approach, Prussian Blue Nanoparticles (PBNPs) were synthesized on filter paper by utilizing few μL of its precursors without external inputs, i.e. pH, voltage, reducing agents, and without producing waste as well. The functional paper, named “Paper Blue”, is successfully applied in the sensing field, exploiting the reduction of hydrogen peroxide at low applied potential. The eco-designed “Paper Blue” was combined with wax- and screen-printing to manufacture a reagentless electrochemical point-of-care device for diabetes self-monitoring, by using glucose oxidase as the biological recognition element. Blood glucose was linearly detected for a wide concentration range up to 25 mM (450 mg/dL), demonstrating its suitability for management of diabetes and glucose-related diseases. The Paper Blue-based biosensor demonstrated a correlation coefficient of 0.987 with commercial glucose strips (Bayer Contour XT). The achieved results demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach, which is also extendible to other (bio)systems to be applied in catalysis, remediation, and diagnostics.

In this work we report a novel paper-based analytical device read-out via LED-induced fluorescence detection (FPAD) for the quantification of the emerging pollutant ethinylestradiol (EE2) in river water samples. The PAD was used as a reaction platform for a competitive enzyme immunoassay. For the PAD development, microzones of filter paper, printed by a wax printing method, were modified with amino-functionalized SBA-15 and subsequently, anti-EE2 specific antibodies were covalently immobilized. The determination of EE2 in water was carried out by adding a fixed concentration of EE2 conjugated with the enzyme horseradish peroxidase (HRP) to samples and standards. Then, the FPAD were added and incubated for 10 min. Finally, the detection was performed by the reaction of 10-acetyl-3,7-dihydroxyphenoxazine (ADHP) whose oxidation is catalyzed by HRP in the presence of H2O2, obtaining the highly fluorescent resorufin (R). Resorufin was detected by LED excitation at 550 nm, observing emission at 585 nm. The EE2 concentration in the samples was inversely proportional to the relative fluorescence obtained from the enzymatic reaction products. The FPAD assay showed a detection limit (LOD) of 0.05 ng L−1 and coefficients of variation (CV) below 4.5% within-assay and below 6.5% between-assay, respectively. The results obtained show the potential suitability of our FPAD for the selective and sensitive quantification of EE2 in river water samples. In addition, it has the PADs advantages of being disposable, easy to apply and inexpensive. Fil: Scala Benuzzi, María Luz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Química de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Instituto de Química de San Luis; Argentina Fil: Takara, Eduardo Andres. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Química de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Instituto de Química de San Luis; Argentina Fil: Alderete, Mara. Universidad Nacional de San Martin. Instituto de Nanosistemas; Argentina Fil: Soler Illia, Galo Juan de Avila Arturo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Martin. Instituto de Nanosistemas; Argentina Fil: Schneider, Rudolf J.. Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung; Alemania Fil: Raba, Julio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Química de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Instituto de Química de San Luis; Argentina Fil: Messina, Germán Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Luis. Instituto de Química de San Luis. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia. Instituto de Química de San Luis; Argentina

A bacterium isolated from effluent of thermal paper industry and identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PAb1) based on 16SrRNA gene sequence analysis which could grow on basal mineral salt medium upon bisphenol A, which functions as an exclusive carbon source. Physicochemical variables of thermal paper industry effluent noted were significantly greater than the typical limit due to pollution of the acquiring water systems. The mathematic kinetic models like Monod, Moser and Tesier models were applied for batch fermentation of bisphenol A degradation in basal salt medium and the half saturation coefficient (KS) and the regression coefficient R2 using Monad, Moser and Tesier kinetic models registered as 9.947 g/L, 12.46 g/L and 14.14 g/L and 0.91, 0.94 and 0.84 respectively. Besides, the utmost specific growth rate μmax was witnessed as 0.841 h−1 for the P. aeruginosa (PAb1) regarding BPA degradation. Metabolic intermediates like phenol, acetophenone, and hydroquinone and p-hydroxybenzoic acid were also determined through the degradation process by GC-MS. The metabolic pathway of BPA degradation by the bacterial isolates was also designed in today's analysis. A probabilistic statistical model originated using Box-Behnken response surface methodology and process variables were optimized by nonlinear optimization.

The present study demonstrates the vermistabilization of paper mill wastewater sludge (PMS) spiked with cow dung (CD) employing indigenous epigeic earthworm Perionyx excavatus Perrier. A total of six treatments were prepared along with a positive control (PC) and negative control (NC). Twenty earthworms were released into each treatment including PC and NC without earthworms. The different proportions viz., T1 (CD – 100%), T2 (PMS:CD – 1:3), T3 (PMS:CD – 1:2), T4 (PMS:CD – 1:1), T5 (PMS:CD – 3:1), T6 (PMS:CD – 2:1), PC (PMS – 100%) and NC (PMS – 100%) and changes in chemical parameters and microbial properties were recorded during the course of 60 days. Vermistabilization caused a significant decrease in the level of heavy metals: Cd (2.9–27.8%), Cu (0.22–42.3%), Pb (1.3–56.3%) and Cr (0.8–46.2%). The bioconcentration factor (BCFs) was also calculated and great amount of heavy metals accumulated in their body (mg kg−1) that ranged from 0.31 ± 0.003–0.45 ± 0.007 for Cd, 0.12 ± 0.005–0.24 ± 0.003 for Cu, 0.15 ± 0.005–0.31 ± 0.006 for Pb and 0.29 ± 0.007–0.56 ± 0.001 mg kg−1 for Cr, accumulation of heavy metals are in the order: Cr > Cd > Pb > Cu. The physicochemical parameters of earthworm treated substrate such as electrical conductivity, total nitrogen, total phosphorus and total potassium were significantly increased; whereas, pH, total organic carbon, C:N ratio (carbon: nitrogen) and C:P ratio (carbon: phosphorus) were reduced after 60 days of vermistabilization. The vermistabilized materials also had a higher population of bacteria (98.90 ± 0.30 CFU × 106 g−1), fungi (43.75 ± 0.55 CFU × 103 g−1) and actinomycetes (67.65 ± 0.45 CFU × 105 g−1) than initial mixtures. Moreover, several histopathological changes were observed in earthworm tissues viz., disintegration of cells, irregular surface of epidermis, cellular debris, irregular cellular compartmentation, and oval-shaped nucleus. Higher level of histopathological abnormalities was recorded in PC (PMS-100%) while none were detected in lower concentrations of PMS. Furthermore, the study concludes that the paper mill sludge in a mixture of cow dung (1:1 ratio) can be a useful proposition for utilizing this hazardous waste through the adoption of vermitechnology.

Highlights • Retrieval of BoHV-1 DNA from extended semen spotted paper matrix was optimized. • The method was repeatable in inter-assay and intra-assay precision testing. • Viral DNA was stable in the matrix for at least 28 days when stored at 4°–37 °C. • The analytical sensitivity was equivalent to the OIE approved Chelex based method. • The dsn and dsp was 83% and 93% respectively in comparison to Chelex based method., The extended frozen semen (EFS) batches produced from infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) sero-positive cattle and buffalo bulls housed in various semen stations in India are transported to the testing laboratory in liquid nitrogen (LN2) for screening bovine herpesvirus-1 (BoHV-1). This procedure is laborious and poses LN2 related hazards. An alternative logistics for transportation of samples was investigated. Use of Flinders Technology Associates (FTA®) elute card was evaluated for transportation of extended bovine semen to screen BoHV-1 DNA by real-time PCR targeting gB gene and the method was compared with the OIE approved Chelex resin based method. A protocol for extraction of BoHV-1 DNA from FTA® card spotted with extended semen was optimized. The viral DNA was found to be stable on FTA® card for at least 28 days when the cards are stored at 4°–37 °C. The analytical sensitivity for the assay was determined using variable dilutions of BoHV-1 spiked semen and positive plasmid harbouring gB gene (97bp) spotted onto FTA® card and it was found to be 100.8 TCID50/ml or 100 copies respectively in real-time PCR. The test could detect as low as 100.008 TCID50/ml or 1 copy of positive plasmid when more number of replicates (n = 6) of the same sample were tested. This sensitivity was found to be comparable to Chelex method and both the methods demonstrated a very strong correlation (r = 0.9774; 95% CI: 0.9620–0.9860) in terms of Ct value (p

A visual colorimetric microfluidic paper-based analytical device (μPAD) was constructed following the direct synthesis of enzyme-inorganic hybrid nanomaterials on the paper matrix. An inorganic solution of MnSO4 and KH2PO4 containing a diluted enzyme (glucose oxidase, GOx) was subsequently pipetted onto cellulose paper for the in situ growth of GOx@Mn3(PO4)2 hybrid functional materials. The characterization of the morphology and chemical composition validated the presence of hybrid materials roots in the paper fiber, while the Mn3(PO4)2 of the hybrid provided both a surface for enzyme anchoring and a higher peroxidase-like catalytic activity as compared to the Mn3(PO4)2 crystal that was synthesized without enzyme modulation. This new approach for the in situ growth of an enzyme-inorganic hybrid on a paper matrix eliminates centrifugation and the dry process by casting the solution on paper. The sensing material loading was highly reproducible because of the accuracy and stability of pipetting, which eventually contributed to the reliability of the μPAD. The self-assembled natural and artificial enzyme hybrid on the μPADs specifically detected glucose from a group of interferences, which shows great specificity using this method. Moreover, the colorimetric signal exhibited detection limitation for glucose is 0.01mM, which lies in the physiological range of glucose in biological samples.

Paper and pulp industry is one of the biggest industries that generate waste material and waste water. Conversion of the industrial waste to renewable products through green process is one of the recent trends for the production of renewable fuels and other industrially important bioproducts like bioethanol, biobutanol and bioplastics. In pulp and paper industry, the main process for the production of cellulose pulp is Kraft process and various wastes are generated during this process. These wastes mainly contain the plant biomass which consists carbohydrates like cellulose, hemicellulose and other components of the wood. The present work focuses on the potential of utilizing paper industry rejects for the production of amino acids. The paper rejects were pretreated using mild acids and hydrolyzed enzymatically using cellulases. The effect of the acid pretreatment and hydrolysis on cellulose fiber structure were studied. The pretreatment and hydrolysis yielded 37% sugar from the paper rejects and the glucose obtained was used for subsequent lysine fermentation. Maximum sugar yield was observed when the pretreatment was carried out in a laboratory autoclave at 121 oC for 30 min at 15 lb pressure. When the pretreatment is carried out at higher temperature charring occurred which resulted in a reduction in glucose yield. The study was further outstretch by appraising the fermentability of using the paper reject hydrolyzateblended with CGXII synthetic medium in 1:1 ratio for L-lysine production using a strain of Corynebacterium glutamicum DM1729 which resulted in the production of 11.5 mg/ml lysine compared to 15.1 mg/ml obtained from pure synthetic medium.

Ambient ionization of glycans is simply and efficiently achieved by spraying from an alkali metal salt-impregnated paper surface. Monosaccharides, oligosaccharides and ring glycans easily form abundant alkali metal adduct ions, and give simple and clean high-quality mass spectra. The enhancement is specific for glycans, compared to a wide variety of non-glycan compounds present in a matrix. In addition, molecular weight of unknown glycans can be further identified based on the ion mass difference of various alkali metal adduct ions from a certain compound when using a mixed salt-impregnated paper containing five cation salts. Successful determination of glycans and glycoconjugates in plant extracts, honey, blood and urine demonstrates the practicability of this approach to complicated matrices, especially biological matrices.

Paper mill wastewater is a complex mixture of different organometallic pollutants with alkaline pH and toxicity to aquatic organisms. This study investigates major physicochemical parameters such as BOD (814.0 ± 2.84), COD (2289.0 ± 3.54), TDS (4128.0 ± 5.21), dissolved solid (3520.0 ± 4.85), suspended solids (608.0 ± 1.53), lignin (628 ± 2.24) and heavy metals along with organometallic pollutants from paper mill wastewater detected by gas chromatography and mass spectrophotometer technique. The organometallic pollutants such as decane, 2,9-dimethyl, eicosane, 2-bromotetradecane, 1,2-dihydro-1,4-diphenylphthalazine, benzene acetic acid, 4-[(trimethylsilyl)oxy]-, trimethylsilyl ester, and docosane were detected via. gas chromatography and mass spectrophotometry (GC–MS). These pollutants are highly toxic and cause significant adverse effects on aquatic organisms. The toxic effects of organometallic pollutants were tested on Heteropneustes fossilis (Stinging catfish) and Tubifex-tubifex (sludge worm) using different concentrations of wastewater (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%). Due to wastewater exposure Heteropneustes fossilis, toxic effects were observed, showing notable changes in the secondary lamellae (SL); primary lamellae (PL); mucous cell (MC); epithelial cell (EC); chloride cell (CHC). In Tubifex tubifex, minimum toxic effects were noted at the concentration of less than 25% up to 24 h of exposure and maximum at 48 h of exposure at 50% of the wastewater concentration. After 24 h wastewater exposure, the hemoglobin content was decreased, the body’s rear part became white, and body disintegration was observed in worms. In conclusion, the present study investigates that paper mill wastewater is toxic to the aquatic ecosystem and must be treated and assessed before discharge.

Lack of safe drinking water is a major concern, mainly in developing countries. Consequently, there is a significant need for affordable technologies to provide clean drinking water. In this paper, two approaches for drinking water disinfection using nanocellulose and the antimicrobial compound phenyl bis-diphenylphosphinato bismuth (III) complex are studied. The first approach investigates the deactivation of bacteria when contaminated water percolates through a filter paper with a microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) coating containing Bi-complex. Antibacterial activity was studied by filtering bacterial broth with a Gram-positive pathogen Staphylococcus aureus as a test strain and measuring live bacteria in the filtrate. The filter composites did not show any sign of instantaneous killing of bacteria, irrespective of the Bi-complex loading or base paper substrate. However, the effluent demonstrated drastic reduction in bacterial population after resting at 37 °C. Bacteria were completely eradicated 24 h after passing through 5 wt% and 10 wt% Bi-coated filters. If also active against locally important drinking water contaminants, this approach could be used for purification of storage water. The second approach uses a Bi-complex loaded nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) membrane. Herein, complete and immediate exclusion of bacteria was achieved in the NFC membrane when bacterial broth was passed through it at 1 bar. The 2.5 wt% Bi-loaded membrane could significantly minimise the risk of biofilm formation, even after 4 days of contact with bacterial broth. The Bi-complex concentration in the filtrate (130.6 ± 1.9 ppb) from the 2.5 wt% Bi-loaded microfilter was shown to be non-toxic to murine fibroblast cells. This study outlines the proof of concept of two sustainable prototypes for stored or immediate drinking water purification, but the approach would need to be extended to a broader range of relevant contaminating pathogens of drinking water to fully understand its utility.

In this study, a paper-based sensor combined with visual distance-readout technique for point of-care testing (POCT) of urea was developed by urease-mediated chitosan viscosity change. A series of factors that affect the performance of the sensor were investigated, including the type of filter paper, chitosan concentration, acetic acid concentration and enzymatic reaction conditions. Under optimal conditions, the proposed method for urea determination has good linearity between 3.8–15.1 mM. The limit of quantitation is 3.8 mM. Finally, the paper-based sensor was successfully applied to the determination of urea in two diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) samples. The recoveries of urea were 91.4 % and 109.9 % in DEF-1 and DEF-2, respectively. The present study provides a novel approach, which integrates paper-based sensor and visual distance-readout technique, for monitoring urea in POCT application, especially in remote or resource-limited regions.

Paper industry generates a large amount of effluent which contains unused organic carbon from the raw materials used. Utilization of the unused carbon may lead to remediation of the effluent by lowering the BOD. Polyhydroxyalkanoates are microbial polymers which accumulate in various bacteria in carbon rich conditions. The present study is focused on the utilization of untreated crude paper industry effluent (PIE) as a substrate for Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) production to utilize the unused carbon and develop a feasible production process. To achieve this, indigenous PHA-producing bacterial strains were screened for their ability to utilize different concentrations of PIE as a substrate. One of the isolates, ART_41, was able to utilize different concentrations of PIE for growth. ART_41 was characterizedas a Gram-negative strain belonging to Ancylobacter sp. by 16s rRNA sequencing. Maximum PHA production (41.7%) was achieved when using 30% PIE. FTIR and DSC-TGA analysis validated the extracted polymer as Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB). Thus, this study concludes that crude paper industry effluent could be utilized as a substrate when the correct bacterial strain is employed; allowing sustainable PHA production.

Waste paper, one of the major components of municipal and industrial wastes, has considerable potential as a low-cost inductive feedstock for enzyme production. In this study, four kinds of waste papers were used for simultaneous production of cellulase and xylanase by Trichoderma longiflorum. The highest FPase activities (3.21 IU/mL and 2.97 IU/mL) were achieved using waste office paper (WOP) and corrugated board (CB), respectively, followed by magazine paper (MP, 2.51 IU/mL) and tissue paper (TP, 2.34 IU/mL). The maximum β-glucosidase activities (0.51 IU/mL) and xylanase activities (382.59 IU/mL) were obtained from CB substrates, which were higher than that in the reported literature using waste paper. Correspondingly, the soluble protein concentrations and SDS-PAGE profiles from CB fermentation revealed that more enzymes were secreted during fermentation compared with other waste paper. Moreover, the structural features of different waste paper were characterized by using SEM and XRD technique and revealed that the structural variations were mainly caused by the raw wood sources and papermaking processes, and further affected the fermentation capacity. In addition, a higher β-glucosidase activity of 0.80 IU/mL were obtained from the mixed carbon source of CB and wheat bran (WB), which were significantly improved and increased by 56.86% when compared with the CB as single carbon source. This study confirmed that the waste paper without pretreatment could be efficiently utilized as an inductive feedstock for simultaneous production of cellulase and xylanase by T. longiflorum. Therefore, these findings obtained from this study will provide a more widely insight into investigating the low-cost inductive feedstock for enzyme production, which were of great benefit both for the economy and environment.

Valorisation involves conversion of toxic compounds into value added products. The present study has tried to evaluate the potential of vermicomposting in management of different types of toxic paper mill wastes such as primary waste (VCP) and secondary waste (VCS) using Eisenia fetida for 60 days. The procedure was performed using sundried samples of paper mill wastes, cow dung and straw in different trial sets using different ratios. The study had revealed that the trial sets (VCP1 and VCS1) using ratio of paper mill waste: Cow dung: Straw (5:4:1) were effective in maintaining physiochemical parameters and different population attributes of earthworm. The present study had also demonstrated the enzymatic enrichment of vermicompost in terms of 19 enzymes such as α-Glucosidase, lipase, leucine aminopeptidase etc. in maintenance of C/N ratio of the compost. A significant reduction of heavy metals were noticed in vermicomposting of primary waste (VCP1) as Zn (40%) ​> ​Pb (36%) ​> ​Cr (28%) ​> ​Cu (25%) and secondary waste (VCS1) as Zn (44%) ​> ​Pb (41%) ​> ​Cu (19%) ​> ​Cr (13%). Such reduction of heavy metal was highly correlated with the reduction of C/N ratio of the vermicompost. The process of bioremediation was further manifested through the regular monitoring of bioaccumulation factor (BAF) among earthworm population in vermicomposting of primary waste (VCP1) as Zn (0.40) ​> ​Cu (0.23) ​> ​Cr (0.18) ​> ​Pb (0.11) and secondary waste (VCS1) as Zn (0.47) ​> ​Cu (0.25) ​> ​Cr (0.21) ​> ​Pb (0.14). Therefore, the study concludes that the ratio of paper mill waste, cow dung and straw (5:4:1) can be an efficient formulation in qualitative enrichment of different toxic organic paper mill wastes through vermicomposting.

A novel paper-based potentiometric sensor with an enhanced response for the detection of glucose in biological fluids is presented. The electrode consists on platinum sputtered on a filter paper and a Nafion membrane to immobilize the enzyme glucose oxidase. The response obtained is proportional to the logarithm of the concentration of glucose, with a sensitivity of -119 +/- 8 mV.decade(-1), a linear range that spans from 10(-4)M to 10(-2.5) M and a limit of detection of 10(-4.5) M of glucose. It is shown that Nafion increases the sensitivity of the technique while minimizing interferences. Validation with human serum samples shows an excellent agreement when compared to standard methods. This approach can become an interesting alternative for the development of simple and affordable devices for point of care and home-based diagnostics.

This work aimed to explore the use of native herbs for the removal of heavy metals from pulp and paper industry wastewater, with the view of applying them as part of a multidisciplinary approach for detoxification. Results showed that after in-situ phytoremediation by the native herbs, the heavy metal, and metalloid contents in the wastewater were reduced by almost 60%. Heavy metal analysis of the plant tissues revealed that Fe accumulation was highest in all the tested plants. In general, the bioconcentration factor (BCF) was higher than one (>1) for all the metals except for Cd, suggesting most of the metals were concentrated in the plant tissues. In particular, As was concentrated significantly in Momordica doica and Cannabis sativa with elevated BCF of 269.46 and 131.20, respectively. High translocation factor (>1) was observed in P. hysterophorus and Tribulus terrestris for Cr (5.63) and Cd (7.53), respectively. Results showed most of the native plants examined in this study had hyperaccumulating tendency. Transmission electron microscope analysis of plant root tissues showed abundant metal depositions in the root cell wall, cytoplasm, and vacuole as strong evidence of the in-situ phytoremediation capability of these plants. Antioxidants activities of the plants such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, hydrogen peroxidase, peroxidase, and ascorbate peroxidase production were also noted to be higher than the control. These results support the use of native plants as a novel green process that can be integrated into the multidisciplinary treatment of hazardous industrial wastewater in the polluted sites.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) represents a growing and global concern for public health that needs inexpensive and convenient methods to collect mosquitoes as potential carriers so that they can be preserved, stored and transported for later and/or remote analysis. Reported here is a cellulose-based paper, derivatized with quaternary ammonium groups (“Q-paper”) that meets these needs. In a series of tests, infected mosquito bodies were squashed directly on to Q-paper. Aqueous ammonia was then added on the mosquito bodies to release viral RNA that adsorbed on the cationic surface via electrostatic interactions. The samples were then stored (frozen) or transported. For analysis, the CHIKV nucleic acids were eluted from the Q-paper and PCR amplified in a workflow, previously developed, that also exploited two nucleic acid innovations, (“artificially expanded genetic information systems”, AEGIS, and “self-avoiding molecular recognition systems”, SAMRS). The amplicons were then analyzed by a Luminex hybridization assay. This procedure detected CHIKV RNA, if present, in each infected mosquito sample, but not in non-infected counterparts or ddH2O samples washes, with testing one week or ten months after sample collection.

This work assesses six different agricultural residues with the aim of finding alternative raw materials for a soda semichemical pulping process: stems of bell and chili pepper ( Capsicum annuum ), broad bean ( Vicia faba ), asparagus ( Asparagus officinalis ), pea ( Pisum sativum ), and okra ( Abelmoschus esculentus ). Pulping yields higher than 60% (m/m) were obtained, except for pea stems (43%). The drainability of all the pulps, expressed as the Schopper-Riegler index (oSR), had values of over 70 oSR. The Kajaani analyses of the fibers showed acceptable fiber lengths in all cases (0.64–0.92 mm), but on average shorter than the lengths of pulps from a commercial fluting paper (Old corrugated Container, OCC), that was found to be 1.27 mm. Handsheets of paper were produced both with the pulps under study and with mixtures of these pulps with OCC pulp. Several properties were measured to assess the use of the new fibers in a paper for cardboard production. The property showing the greatest differences was the Gurley porosity, ranging from 25 mL/min (asparagus) to 1300 mL/min (broad bean). Of the six residues tested, the okra residue fiber showed better properties than the commercial paper fiber (Concora Medium Test indexes: 1.5 N m 2 /g and 1.1 N m 2 /g respectively, Burst Indexes: 2.3 kPa m 2 /g and 1.7 kPa m 2 /g, respectively), yielding similar mechanical properties to those of high quality fibers obtained from miscanthus ( Miscanthus giganteus ). Broad bean residue could also be a promising raw material, though its properties are not as good as okra’s.

An electrochemical immunofiltration analysis was introduced into microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (μPADs) for the first time, which was based on photolithography and screen-printing technology. The hydrophilic test zones of the aldehyde-functionalized screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) were biofunctionalized with capture antibodies (Ab1). A sensitive immune detection method was developed by using primary signal antibody functionalized gold nanoparticles (GNPs/Ab2) and alkaline phosphatase conjugated secondary antibody (ALP-IgG). Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) was performed to detect the electrochemical response. The microfluidic paper-based electrochemical immunosensor (μ-PEI) was optimized and characterized for the detection of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), a model analyte, in a linear range from 1.0mIUmL-1 to 100.0 IU mL-1 with a detection limit of 0.36mIUmL-1. Additionally, the proposed μ-PEI was used to test HCG in real human serum and obtained satisfactory results. The disposable, efficient, sensitive and low-cost μ-PEI has exhibited great potential for the development of point-of-care testing (POCT) devices that can be applicated in healthcare monitoring.

Neisseria meningitidis (N. meningitidis), Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae), and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) are three most common pathogens accounting for most bacterial meningitis, a serious global infectious disease with high fatality, especially in developing nations. Because the treatment and antibiotics differ among each type, the identification of the exact bacteria causing the disease is vital. Herein, we report a polymer/paper hybrid microfluidic biochip integrated with loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) for multiplexed instrument-free diagnosis of these three major types of bacterial meningitis, with high sensitivity and specificity. Results can be visually observed by the naked eye or imaged by a smartphone camera under a portable UV light source. Without using any specialized laboratory instrument, the limits of detection of a few DNA copies per LAMP zone for N. meningitidis, S. pneumoniae and Hib were achieved within 1 hour. In addition, these three types of microorganisms spiked in artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF) were directly detected simultaneously, avoiding cumbersome sample preparation procedures in conventional methods. Compared with the paper-free non-hybrid microfluidic biochip over a period of three months, the hybrid microfluidic biochip was found to have a much longer shelf life. Hence, this rapid, instrument-free and highly sensitive microfluidic approach has great potential for point-of-care (POC) diagnosis of multiple infectious diseases simultaneously, especially in resource-limited settings.

The results of physico-chemical analysis of pulp and paper mill effluent sedimented sludge revealed the presence of heavy metals (mg l−1) Fe (67.53), Zn (13.90), Cu (2.15), Cr (2.30), Cd (0.255), Mn (11.0), Ni (3.30), and Pb (1.05) along with persistent chlorolignin. The major persistent organic pollutants detected by GC–MS were ethane, 1,1-diethoxy; tetradecanoic acid; furane 2,5-dimethyl; n-hexadecanoic acid; nonacosane, trimethylenebis-1,3-dioxolane; 1,3-dioxolane, 2-(phynylmethyl). Twelve representative native plants were noted based on their population number growing on pulp and paper sludge and evaluated for their phytoextraction potential of heavy metals. The result revealed that Triticum aestivum was found as root accumulator for all metals except Cu. Similarly, the Brassica campestris accumulated all metals maximum in root except Ni, Fe and Pb. While, Eclipta alba accumulated majority of metals in their shoot and leaves, But Solanum nigrum, Rumex dentatus accumulated metals in root and shoot both. Rananculus scleratus accumulated all the tested metals in their aerial parts except Cd and Pb. Cammelina benghalensis accumulated metals in root except Cd, Pd. Similarly the Phragmites cummunis and Ricinus cummunis accumulated majority of metals in their shoot and leaves. It was also noted that several evaluated plant showed bioconcentration factor (BCF) greater than one for accumulated metals i.e. Pb in T. aestivum (1.285), C. benghalensis (5.142), Cannabis sativa (3.466), P. cummunis (7.180), R. cummunis (66.80) was also noted. Furthermore, greater than one translocation factor (TF) for all these plants showed strong evidence for phytoextraction and in situ remediation potential of these plants. The overall order of phytoextraction potential of native wetland plants were C. sativa > P. cummunis > C. benghalensis > T. aestivum > B. campestris > E. alba.

A novel colorimetric/fluorescence bimodal lab-on-paper cyto-device was fabricated based on concanavalin A (Con A)-integrating multibranched hybridization chain reaction (mHCR). The product of mHCR was modified PtCu nanochains (colorimetric signal label) and graphene quantum dot (fluorescence signal label) for in situ and dynamically evaluating cell surface N-glycan expression. In this strategy, preliminary detection was carried out through colorimetric method, if needed, then the fluorescence method was applied for a precise determination. Au-Ag-paper devices increased the surface areas and active sites for immobilizing larger amount of aptamers, and then specifically and efficiently captured more cancer cells. Moreover, it could effectively reduce the paper background fluorescence. Due to the specific recognition of Con A with mannose and the effective signal amplification of mHCR, the proposed strategy exhibited excellent high sensitivity for the cytosensing of MCF-7 cells ranging from 100 to 1.0×10(7) and 80-5.0×10(7) cellsmL(-1) with the detection limit of 33 and 26 cellsmL(-1) for colorimetric and fluorescence, respectively. More importantly, this strategy was successfully applied to dynamically monitor cell-surface multi-glycans expression on living cells under external stimuli of inhibitors as well as for N-glycan expression inhibitor screening. These results implied that this biosensor has potential in studying complex native glycan-related biological processes and elucidating the N-glycan-related diseases in biological and physiological processes.

A novel protein immobilization method based on plasma treatment of paper on the low-cost paper-based immunodevice was established in this work. By using a benchtop plasma cleaner, the paper microzone was treated by oxygen plasma treatment for 4 min and then the antibody can be directly immobilized on the paper surface. Aldehyde group was produced after the plasma treatment, which can be verified from the fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) spectra and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra. By linked to aldehyde group, the antibody can be immobilized on the paper surface without any other pretreatment. A paper-based immunodevice was introduced here through this antibody immobilization method. With sandwich chemiluminescence (CL) immunoassay method, the paper-based immunodevice was successfully performed for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) detection in human serum with a linear range of 0.1-80.0 ng/mL. The detection limit was 0.03 ng/mL, which was 30 times lower than the clinical CEA level. Comparing to the other protein immobilization methods on paper-based device, this strategy was faster and simpler and had potential applications in point-of-care testing, public health and environmental monitoring.

COVID-19 has evolved into a global pandemic. Early and rapid detection is crucial to control of the SARS-CoV-2 transmission. While representing the gold standard for early diagnosis, nucleic acid tests for SARS-CoV-2 are often complicated and time-consuming. Serological rapid antibody tests are characterized by high rates of false-negative diagnoses, especially during early infection. Here, we developed a novel nanozyme-based chemiluminescence paper assay for rapid and sensitive detection of SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen, which integrates nanozyme and enzymatic chemiluminescence immunoassay with the lateral flow strip. The core of our paper test is a robust Co–Fe@hemin-peroxidase nanozyme that catalyzes chemiluminescence comparable with natural peroxidase HRP and thus amplifies immune reaction signal. The detection limit for recombinant spike antigen of SARS-CoV-2 was 0.1 ng/mL, with a linear range of 0.2-100 ng/mL. Moreover, the sensitivity of test for pseudovirus could reach 360 TCID50/mL, which was comparable with ELISA method. The strip recognized SARS-CoV-2 antigen specifically, and there was no cross reaction with other coronaviruses or influenza A subtypes. This testing can be completed within 16 min, much shorter compared to the usual 1-2 h required for currently used nucleic acid tests. Furthermore, signal detection is feasible using the camera of a standard smartphone. Ingredients for nanozyme synthesis are simple and readily available, considerably lowering the overall cost. In conclusion, our paper test provides a high-sensitive point-of-care testing (POCT) approach for SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection, which should greatly facilitate early screening of SARS-CoV-2 infections, and considerably lower the financial burden on national healthcare resources., Highlights • Point-of-care antigen tests for screening of SARS-CoV-2 infection were established. • Chemiluminescence improves sensitivity of paper test and benefits early screening. • Nanozyme with high peroxidase activity and stability catalyzes chemiluminescence. • Nanozyme chemiluminescence paper test brings high efficiency and low cost.

This work aimed to study in-situ toxicity assessment of pulp and paper industry wastewater on Trigonella foenum-graecum L. Physico-chemical analysis of wastewater revealed high pH (8.1), total suspended solids, total dissolved solids, biochemical oxygen demand and chemical oxygen demand (89, 2160, 8670 and 25600 mg L−1 , respectively), electrical conductivity (2156 ms cm−1), and heavy metal (mg L−1) contents as Fe (79.61), Zn (49.06), Cu (6.07), Cd (6.07), Mg (19.66), and Ni (6.43), which were higher than compare to control The major pollutants detected via GC–MS analysis were hexadecanoic acid, octadecanoic acid, nonacosane, and β -sitosterol trimethylsilyl ether. UV–Vis spectrophotometry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analyses of the wastewater confirmed the presence of residual organic and inorganic pollutants. The cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of the wastewater for plants were also assessed and revealed chromosomal and cytological aberrations in wastewater-treated T. foenum-graecum L. The accumulation of metals in and the effects of such accumulation on the physiology of T. foenum-graecum L. plants irrigated with wastewater were also studied, and it was concluded that antioxidant enzyme activity, chlorophyll, protein content, and dry weight were reduced in wastewater irrigated T. foenum-graecum L. plants compared to those in the control (fed with normal water). Scanning and transmission electron microscopy analyses of plant roots, root nodules, and stomata revealed the accumulation of heavy metals on the surfaces and in tissues. The present study highlights the urgent necessity of proper treatment of paper and pulp industry wastewater before their disposal into water bodies to control the damage to environment and aquatic life.

Vermicomposting of paper mill sludge (PMS) and tea waste (TW) using cow dung (CD) in five different combinations was carried out using Eisenia fetida. The aim of this study was to manage the waste disposal problem of PMS using the environment-friendly technology of vermiconversion. The changes in physico-chemical parameters were observed at 30-day intervals up to 90 days. The final pH was within 6.09–6.95 among all units. The TN, TP and TK contents increased 0.30–0.87, 0.53–3.23, 0.33–0.63 times, respectively in all mixtures after vermicomposting with increase in EC and ash Content. Maximum reduction in Total Organic Carbon (23.91%) was observed in treatment with highest PMS content, attributed to earthworm activity. Reduction in C: N ratio (38.63%–54.05%) was significantly observed in all the treatments. It was finally inferred that the paper mill sludge and tea waste in combination with cow dung can be successfully biotransformed into useful manure employing earthworms.

This study was to assess the possibility of using competitive and slow binding experiments with affinity-based ultrafiltration UPLC-QTof-MS analysis to identify potent bacterial neuraminidase (bNA) inhibitors from the Broussonetia papyrifera roots extract. To isolate unbound compounds from the enzyme-binding complex, the root bark extracts were either incubated in the absence of bNA, in the presence of bNA, or with the time-dependent bNA before the ultrafiltration was performed. Thirteen flavonoids were separated from the target extract, and their inhibitory activities were tested against bNA. The isolated flavonoids exhibited potent inhibition against NA (IC50 = 0.7–54.0 μM). Our kinetic analysis of representative active flavonoids (1, 2, and 6) showed slow and time-dependent reversible inhibition. Additionally, chalcones exhibited noncompetitive inhibition characteristics, whereas flavonols and flavans showed mixed-type behavior. The computational results supported the experimental behaviors of flavonoids 2, 6, 10, and 12, indicating that bounded to the active site, but flavonoids 6 and 10 binds near but not accurately at the active site. Although this is mixed-type inhibition, their binding can be considered competitive.

We studied the avoidance behaviour of the earthworm Eisenia fetida towards Cd, Cu, and Zn, trace elements (TEs) tested as chloride, nitrate and sulphate salts. Sub adults were exposed individually using dual-cell chambers at 20+2°C in the dark. Recordings were realised at different dates from 2h to 32h. We used filter paper and extruded water agar gel as exposure media to evaluate the contribution of the dermal and the digestive exposure routes on the avoidance reactions. Exposures to Cu or Cd (10mgmetal ionL(-1)) resulted in highly significant avoidance reactions through the exposure duration. Worms avoided Zn poorly and reactions towards Zn salts varied along the exposure. Worm sensitivity towards TEs differed between salts and this could result from differential toxicity or accessibility of these TE salts to earthworms. The anion in itself was not the determinant of the avoidance reactions since exposures to similar concentrations of these anions using calcium salts did not result in significant avoidance worm behaviour. Avoidance responses towards TEs were higher in the case of water agar exposures than in filter paper exposures. Thus, dermal contacts with TE solutions would elicit worm avoidance but signals from receptors located inside the digestive tract could reinforce this behaviour. The use of extruded water agar gels as the substrate allows checking the real sensitivity of earthworm species towards TEs since the TE concentrations leading to significant avoidance reactions were below those reported in the literature when using TE-spiked soils.

Cellulase has by vast applications in the biofuel, pulp and paper, detergent and textile industries. The three components of the enzyme complex (endoglucanase, exoglucanase and β-glucosidase) can effectively depolymerize the cellulose chains in lignocellulosic substrate. Solid-state fermentation (SSF) by fungi is a preferable production route for cellulase because of its low cost, among other advantages. This work describes the cellulase production by Aspergillus niger NRRL3 grown on SSF. SSF was carried out on soybean hulls and waste paper as supports. The effect of the support on cellulase production was assessed under a completely randomized factorial design. The support-time interaction was significant for all the variables studied. Both materials were characterized in terms of water absorption index and critical humidity point. Samples of culture were analyzed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to study spores and fungal growth. Maximum endoglucanase activity was found at 96 h using soybean hulls as support (5914.29 U L−1), being four times higher than that obtained using waste paper at the same fermentation time. The exoglucanase activity in soybean hulls was maximal at 96 h (4551.19 U L−1), being 9.6 times higher than that obtained in waste paper at the same time. The maximum β-glucosidase activity in soybean hulls (984.01 U L−1) was reached at 96 h, being 1.7 times greater than that obtained in waste paper. Besides, the use of soybean hulls provided high volumetric productivities at shorter times, which may decrease production costs considering a scaled process. Fil: Boggione, María Julia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Procesos Biotecnológicos y Químicos Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Procesos Biotecnológicos y Químicos Rosario; Argentina Fil: Allasia, María Belén. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas; Argentina Fil: Bassani, Georgina Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Procesos Biotecnológicos y Químicos Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Procesos Biotecnológicos y Químicos Rosario; Argentina Fil: Farruggia, Beatriz Monica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Procesos Biotecnológicos y Químicos Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Procesos Biotecnológicos y Químicos Rosario; Argentina

In this work, we report a proof-of-concept study on CO2 adsorbents synthesized by a thermally initiated free-radical copolymerization and then coated onto carbon paper and poly tetra fluoroethylene via a spray coating approach. A milli-channel reactor was employed to support the obtained materials for efficient CO2 capture with wet conditions, short cooling and heating cycles (303–348 K). CO2 uptake and release performance of the materials were measured and compared with that of the polyamine-based materials prepared by other methods. CO2 adsorption and desorption kinetics can be greatly enhanced when using the spray coating approach, especially for carbon paper as supporter. The CO2 adsorption capacity of the spray-coated carbon paper reaches 80% of its maximum value in only 4.37 ± 0.7 min. Moreover, its adsorption rate (114.6 mg/(g∙min) at 303 K) and desorption rate (239.9 mg/(g∙min) at 348 K) were 81.2% and 81.5% higher than those of the polyamine-impregnated carbon paper, respectively (12% CO2 at atmospheric pressure). Their largest increases of 71% and 67% were achieved by adjusting the concentration of polyamine nanogel particles deposited on the carbon paper surface. The prepared material also presents stable recyclability over 10 wet adsorption–desorption cycles and the aging experiments. The results obtained in this study indicate that the synthesized materials can serve as promising energy-efficient solid adsorbents for CO2 capture.

The study investigates for the first time the possibility of using carbon rich paper recovery sludge, and nitrogen rich meat processing industry waste as cultivation medium for the production of high value enzymes needed in the respective industries. The complex cellulose rich deinking sludge was able to support the growth of many industrially relevant enzyme producing microorganisms (Bacillus licheniformis, Candida cylindracea, Aspergillus oryzae, Trichoderma reesei) and of recombinant enzyme producers (Escherichia coli and Pichia pastoris). Further detailed studies with Trichoderma reesei as model organism demonstrated that the organism was able to grow optimally in the presence of 40gL-1 paper sludge as carbon source and 67.5 gL-1 pasteurised blood as nitrogen source substituted in Mandels medium. Under these conditions cellulase activities up to 28.1 nkat FPU were achieved. Anyhow, to achieve these results pretreatment of both waste streams is inevitable. In summary, this study provides the practical basis for a valorisation systems of paper industry waste to produce valuable enzymes to be used on-site in paper processing or for other purposes.

An enzyme cocktail (xylanase-15U, pectinase-2U, α-amylase-2.5U, protease-2U and lipase- 1.8U) from Bacillus halodurans was applied for the biobleaching of unbleached and ODL (oxygen delignification) agro based pulp in the R&D set up of Shreyans Paper Mills Ludhiana, India, upscaling from 5 g (at lab scale) to 100 g odp (oven dried pulp). Enzyme pre-treatment was carried out at temperature and pH optima of 65 °C and 9–9.5 for 90 min followed by reduced chemical treatment. In case of unbleached agro pulp, as compared to the total chemical bleaching in mill, enzyme cocktail pre-treatment reduced the chemical usage by 50% without compromising brightness and rather with increased tensile strength (23.55%), burst factor (20.3%) and tear factor (3.17%) and reduced kappa number (19.5%). In case of ODL pulp, enzyme cocktail pre-treatment reduced the chemical usage by 40%, yet increasing brightness (2.24%), tensile strength (20.96%), burst factor (5.1%) and tear factor (8.2%) with reduction in kappa number (4.54%). The enzyme cocktail thus can make the paper manufacturing process greener, safer, economical and eco-friendly and may replace big budget ODL technologies.

This study explored the hydrolysis and fermentation of paper with hydrogen (H2) and volatile fatty acid (VFA) recovery using a natural microbial consortium added to lysimeters. Serial dilutions of rumen fluid in natura were performed to obtain a fermentative nonmethanogen consortium, which was used as inoculum in lysimeters under two different incubation temperatures, L1 at 35 °C and L2 at 55 °C. H2 was detected in both lysimeters: 791.5 mL (L1) and 70.4 mL (L2). In L1, the production of 16,856 mg L−1 acetic acid was likely due to the occurrence of homoacetogenesis. Under thermophilic conditions, L2, a low volume of H2 was detected, and the highlight was the production of ethanol and methanol at 2289 and 5614 mg L−1, respectively. According to the Shannon index, there was great diversity of microorganism populations in the rumen fluid in natura (6.34) compared with the purified rumen fluid (2.73), L1 (2.67) and L2 (3.21). The most abundant genus in the rumen fluid in natura was Prevotella (37.5 %); in the purified consortium (68.7 %) and L1 (63.8), Dysgonomonas; and in L2 (88.7 %), Thermicanus. In conclusion, the temperature influenced the microbial community structure, the metabolic route and, consequently, the main byproducts produced by the fermentative activity at 35 °C and 55 °C.

Trichomes are specialized epidermal cells that play multiple roles in plant development. However, knowledge about the molecular mechanism of trichome development in rice is limited. In this study, a hairy leaf locus HL6 SWWR of rice variety Suwangwanger (SWWR) was identified by map-based cloning. Transgenic complementation and knock-out mutation demonstrated that HL6SWWR regulated trichomes on leaves and expression levels of HL6SWWR affected trichome elongation. Transgenic experiments of PROSWWR:HL6NIP and PRONIP:HL6SWWR indicated that the promoter and coding sequences of HL6SWWR were indispensable for trichome regulation. Sequencing alignment of the promoter and coding regions of HL6 in 22 varieties showed that some cis-binding elements in the promoter region may be related to trichome development, while no decisive variation was found in the coding sequence. Furthermore, RNA-sequencing analysis revealed that 1 415 differential expression genes (DEGs) were detected in hl6SWWR mutant vs wild type and that 1 010 DEGs were found in HL6SWWR complementary transgenic line vs wild type. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis showed that most of the DEGs were involved in metabolite pathway, secondary metabolite biosynthesis, plant pathogen interaction and phytohormone signal transduction in both the two groups. The results indicated that these enhanced pathways are critical during trichome development in rice. Taken together, our results provided new views into the regulatory mechanism of trichome formation in rice.

The probabilistic ecological risk assessment using terrestrial toxicity data has been mainly based on microfauna or mesofauna. Soil algae, which are food source for microfauna and mesofauna, may be alternatively used for assessing soil toxicity. However, there are no internationally recommended guidelines for soil algal bioassays, and the collection of algae from the test soils has some limitations. In this study, we suggested the paper-disc method as an easy-to-use alternative. This method has been widely used for testing the antibacterial toxicity of various chemicals in agar media by measuring the diameter of the inhibition zone around the disc. We adapted the paper-disc method for screening the toxicity of copper (Cu) and nickel (Ni) to the soil alga Chlorococcum infusionum using various evaluation endpoints, such as growth zone, chlorophyll fluorescence, and photosynthetic activity. Chlorophyll fluorescence and photosynthetic activity decreased with the increasing concentrations of Cu(+2) or Ni(+2) contaminated soils. Algal growth zone was analyzed visually and showed similar results to those of chlorophyll fluorescence. The direct ethanol extraction method and indirect culture medium extraction method were similarly effective; however, the former was easier to perform, while the latter might facilitate the analysis of additional endpoints in future studies. Overall, the results suggested that the paper-disc method was not only a user-friendly assay for screening soil toxicity, but also effective due to its association with indirect soil quality indicators.

Laccases are enzymes belonging to the group of oxidases. Laccases catalyze the oxidation of a variety of phenolic compounds, diamines and aromatic amines. Twenty-four fungal isolates were isolated from biodeteriorated ancient paper and parchment. These isolates were identified and found to belong to six genera: Alternaria, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Penicillium, Rhizopus and Trichoderma, and were tested for producing laccase enzyme. Trichoderma harzianum have the ability of secreted laccase enzyme. The maximum production of laccase enzyme by T. harzianum was observed at 35 ○C and pH 5 after 6 days. The highest activity of laccase achieved at 35 ○C and pH 5 during the reaction. FTIR analysis revealed that the structure of extracted fungal pigments has aromatic ring and phenols group. Crude laccase was capable to decolorize different pigment structures. The enzyme showed great decolorization efficiency toward the extracted yellow pigment produced from Asp. terrus and Asp. ochareceous treated by 200 μl of partially purified enzyme. Laccase enzyme was used to decolorization pigment secreted from deteriorated pigmented fungi on paper and parchment during 30 days by using a pieces of paper and parchment inoculated by spore suspension. The results indicated that a high removal effect of fungal pigment on paper (71.21%) was recorded comparing to parchment samples (32.39%).