Submitted by PPG Engenharia e Tecnologia de Materiais (engenharia.pg.materiais@pucrs.br) on 2018-11-28T12:43:18Z No. of bitstreams: 1 diss_final_Barbara_pgetema.pdf: 1961642 bytes, checksum: e697bce70379b05d18b7de59fe7b4784 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Sheila Dias (sheila.dias@pucrs.br) on 2018-11-29T10:34:05Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 diss_final_Barbara_pgetema.pdf: 1961642 bytes, checksum: e697bce70379b05d18b7de59fe7b4784 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-11-29T10:54:06Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 diss_final_Barbara_pgetema.pdf: 1961642 bytes, checksum: e697bce70379b05d18b7de59fe7b4784 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-07-27 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior - CAPES / An efficient and low-cost strategy in the search for processes for the separation of CO2 from the natural gas is the physical immobilization of the ionic liquids (ILs) in solid materials. Mesoporous silicas are interesting materials to be used as supports because they have high surface area and pore volume. Besides that, the ionic liquids have been studied and appointed as a potential substitute for the commercial solvents, due to their characteristics and the possibility of combining a selection of anions and cations. In this case, anions having direct interference in the sorption capacity. In this context, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the physical immobilization of two ionic liquids with different anions (bmim [Cl] and bmim [OAc]) on two mesoporous supports (commercial silica SBA-15 and silica extracted from rice husk) for the separation of CO2 from the natural gas through the experimental determination of CO2 sorption, selectivity (CO2/CH4) and sorption kinetics. The results have shown that pure solid supports have the greatest sorption capacity of CO2 when compared to immobilized. However, the CO2 removal efficiency in the CO2/CH4 mixture of the immobilized supports (evaluated by the selectivity) improves considerably. The best selectivity results were obtained for supports immobilized with the IL bmim[Cl] and the contribuition of SIL-Cl (3.03 ? 0.12) to separation performance (CO2/CH4) is similar to SBA-Cl (3.29 ? 0.39). The materials supported with ionic liquids have also presented fastest sorption kinetics when compared to the pure ILs. Also, the SIL-Cl was the most interesting combination of support and ionic liquid, when considering these parameters and the cost. / Uma estrat?gia interessante na busca de processos para separa??o de CO2 do g?s natural mais eficiente e de baixo custo ? a imobiliza??o f?sica de l?quidos i?nicos (LIs) em materiais s?lidos. As s?licas mesoporosas s?o materiais interessantes para a utiliza??o como suportes, pois apresentam grande ?rea superficial e volume de poros, j? os l?quidos i?nicos v?m sendo estudados e apontados como potencial substituinte aos solventes comerciais, devido a suas caracter?sticas e possibilidade de combina??o atrav?s da escolha de c?tions e ?nions, sendo que os ?nions t?m interfer?ncia direta na capacidade de sor??o. Neste contexto, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito da imobiliza??o f?sica de dois l?quidos i?nicos com ?nions diferentes (bmim[Cl] e bmim[OAc]) em dois suportes mesoporosos (s?lica comercial SBA-15 e s?lica extra?da da casca de arroz) para separa??o de CO2 do g?s natural atrav?s da determina??o experimental da sor??o de CO2, seletividade (CO2/CH4) e cin?tica de sor??o. Os resultados mostraram que os suportes s?lidos puros tem a maior capacidade de sor??o do CO2 quando comparados com os imobilizados, entretanto a efici?ncia de remo??o do CO2 na mistura CO2/CH4 (avaliada pela seletividade) dos suportes imobilizados melhora consideravelmente. Os melhores resultados de seletividade foram obtidos com os suportes imobilizados com o LI bmim[Cl] e a contribui??o de SIL-Cl (3,03 ? 0,12) para a separa??o (CO2/CH4) foi similar a SBA-Cl (3,29 ? 0,39). Os materiais suportados com l?quidos i?nicos tamb?m apresentaram cin?tica de sor??o r?pida quando comparados com os LIs puros, sendo SIL-Cl a combina??o mais interessante de suporte e l?quido i?nico, considerando estes par?metros e o custo.

A artrite reumatoide (AR) é uma doença crônica, inflamatória, sistêmica, com manifestações autoimunes articulares e extra-articulares, como fraqueza e atrofia muscular. Apesar de terem profundo impacto funcional, os mecanismos envolvidos nesses processos em músculo esquelético têm sido pouco estudados. O objetivo desse trabalho foi descrever o envolvimento muscular e vias moleculares em um modelo experimental de artrite e em um modelo de atrofia por desuso. Ratas Wistar, 8-12 semanas foram separadas em três grupos: controle (CO), imobilizado com bota de cobre (IM) e artrite induzida por colágeno bovino tipo II (CIA). A locomoção espontânea e o peso dos animais foram avaliados semanalmente. As articulações tíbio-társicas e os músculos gastrocnêmicos foram processados e corados com hematoxilina-eosina (HE). Imunoblot foi realizado para quantificar MuRF- 1, miogenina e anti-LC3. O nível de significância foi considerado quando p<0,05. A análise histológica das articulações confirmou a severidade da doença. Na locomoção espontânea houve uma diferença significativa na distância, velocidade, número de vezes em pé e número de descanso com redução no grupo CIA, quando comparado ao grupo controle, de 90%, 90%, 75% e aumento de 70%, respectivamente. O peso corporal total, o peso do músculo gastrocnêmio, e o peso relativo do músculo reduziram 20%, 30% e 20% nos animais CIA, quando comparado ao grupo controle. A análise histopatológica identificou no músculo de CIA: atrofia de fibras perifasciculares, infiltrado inflamatório, fibras atróficas do tipo 2 e edema. A área seccional da miofibra estava reduzida em torno de 30% no grupo CIA e 60% no IM. Na quantificação proteína demonstrou aumento da expressão em 70% das proteínas MuRF-1 e miogenina no grupo CIA quando comparado ao grupo controle, resultado não observado em IM. Na quantificação da proteína LC3 não houve diferença entre os grupos. Esse estudo demonstrou que o desenvolvimento da artrite experimental está associado com perda de peso e da mobilidade, atrofia muscular e degradação muscular nesses animais. Pela primeira vez foi demonstrado que a atrofia muscular na artrite está associada com a própria doença e não com a imobilidade, visto que o grupo IM, apesar de atrofia mais muscular mais marcada, não apresentou ativação das vias de atrofia (MuRF-1 e miogenina) que foram observadas no grupo CIA. / Objective: Although causing great functional impact, the mechanisms of muscle wasting in RA have been poorly studied. The objective of this study is to describe the muscular involvement in an experimental model of arthritis and its pathways and compare with disuse atrophy. Methods: Female Wistar rats were separated in three groups: control (CO), collageninduced arthritis (CIA) and immobilized (IM). Spontaneous locomotion and weight were evaluated weekly. Gastrocnemius muscle was evaluated by histology and immunoblotting to measure LC3, MuRF-1 and myogenin expression. Significance was considered at p<0.05 level. Results: Histological analysis of the joint confirmed the severity of the arthropathy. There was significant difference in spontaneous locomotion (distance, velocity, number of times standing and number of times resting) in CIA group. Animal body weight, gastrocnemius muscle weight and relative muscle weight decreased 20%, 30% and 20% in CIA rats. Inflammatory infiltration, swelling and type 2 fiber atrophy was present in CIA gastrocnemius muscles, with reduced cross-sectional area by 30%, and 60% in IM. Imunoblotting analysis demonstrated increased expression of myogenin and MuRF-1 in CIA muscles by about 70%, while in IM remained similar to control. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that the development of experimental arthritis is associated to decreased mobility, weight loss, muscle atrophy, increased expression of markers of muscle proteolysis and regeneration. For the first time it is demonstrated that muscle atrophy in arthritis is associated with the disease itself, and not simply due to decreased mobility, since immobilized group presented no activation of the same atrophy pathways.

<p>U radu je ispitana distribucija metala u sistemu sediment/voda na najugroženijim vodotocima u<br />AP Vojvodini. Na osnovu dobivenih podataka urađena je procena rizika na osnovu analize<br />porne vode, kiselog volatilnog sulfida i simultano ekstrahovanih metala i sekvencijalne<br />ekstrakcione procedure. Procena mobilnosti metala u sistemu sediment/voda određena je<br />promenom fizičko-hemijskih uslova u realnom sistemu (vodotok) i u laboratorijskim uslovima.<br />Ispitana je efikasnost in-situ (aeracijom sistema sediment/voda) i ex-situ remedijacije<br />sedimenta metodama termičkog tretmana i solidifikacije/stabilizacije.<br />Rezultati su ukazali da u svakom vodotoku i za&scaron;tićenoj zoni postoji lokacija u kojoj je sediment<br />barem po jednom metalu klasifikovan (holandski sistem klasifikacije sedimenata) kao zagađen<br />(klasa 3) ili izuzetno zagađen sediment (klasa 4). Generalno, kvalitet sedimenta manjih<br />vodotoka (Krivaja, Nadela, Kudo&scaron;, Veliki Bački kanal i Begej) je lo&scaron;iji u odnosu na ostale<br />ispitivane vodotoke.<br />Procena dostupnosti metala u sedimentu Velikog Bačkog kanala ukazala je da na svakom<br />ispitivanom profilu postoji minimum jedan metal i jedna metoda koja defini&scaron;e sediment kao<br />visoko rizičan. Takođe je zaključeno da je sediment na delu od 2+000 do 4+900 km zagađeniji,<br />jer postoji veći broj metala i metoda koji ga defini&scaron;u kao visoko rizičnim. Ovako dobijeni<br />rezultati ukazuju da nije dovoljan jednostavan i samo jedan pristup u oceni kvaliteta sedimenta<br />i proceni rizika koji metali mogu da ispolje u akvatičnom ekosistemu.<br />Ukazano je da pomeranje sedimenta (npr. otvaranja ustave), dovodi do promene fizičkohemijskih<br />uslova u sistemu sediment/voda, resuspenzije i transporta sedimenta. Usled ovih<br />promena povećava se dostupnost metala i dolazi do povećanja njihove koncentracije u vodenoj<br />fazi čime se znatno povećava rizik i mogućnost ispoljavanja negativnih efekata na akvatični<br />ekosistem.<br />U slučaju resuspenzije sedimenta u sistemu sediment/voda pronađena je zavisnost između<br />koncentracije metala u suspendovanim materijama i vodi od sadržaja određenih frakcija u<br />suspendovanim materijama (sadržaj organskih materija i frakcije do 63 &mu;m).<br />Remedijacione tehnike često su ekonomski neprihvatljive zbog velike zapremine zagađenog<br />sedimenta. Ukazano je da primena in-situ aeracije, omogućava smanjenje količine sedimenta<br />(čime se smanjuju tro&scaron;kovi eventualno naknadnog tretmana sedimenta), a da je tretman<br />solidifikacije/stabilizacije sedimenta sa glinom i termičke remedijacije zadovoljavjući sa<br />aspekta izluživanja metala. Dobijeni rezultati izvedenih testova izluživanja ukazali su na<br />moguću primenu ovih tretmana u pogledu re&scaron;avanja problema sedimenta koji je zagađen<br />metalima, bilo u pogledu sigurnog odlaganja na deponiju ili u smislu njegove upotrebe kao<br />dodatka pri proizvodnji građevinskog materijala (opeke), osnove za puteve, uređenje obale<br />(nasipa) itd. Na taj način mogu se znatno umanjiti tro&scaron;kovi izmuljivanja i manipulacije<br />kontaminiranog sedimenta, a sama remedijacija učiniti mnogo prihvatljivijom</p> / <p> This work investigates the distribution of metals in the sediment / water systems of the most<br /> endangered rivers in Vojvodina. Utilizing the data obtained, risk assessments are carried out<br /> based on analysis of pore water, acidic volatile sulphides and simultaneously extracted metals<br /> and sequential extraction procedure. The assessment of metal mobility in the sediment / water<br /> system is determined by the changing physical and chemical conditions in real systems<br /> (waterways) and under laboratory conditions. The effectiveness of in-situ (aeration of sediment<br /> / water) and ex-situ remediation of sediment by thermal treatment methods and solidification /<br /> stabilization are investigated.<br /> The results show that in each waterbody and protected area, certain locations have sediment<br /> which for at least one metal, is classified (by the Dutch system of sediment classification ) as<br /> polluted (class 3) or highly polluted (class 4). In general, the quality of sediment in smaller<br /> rivers (Krivaja, Nadela, Kudo&scaron;, Veliki Bački canal and Begej) is inferior to the other rivers<br /> studied.<br /> Assessment of the metals availability in the sediments of the Veliki Bački canal indicates that<br /> in each profile examined, at least one metal and one method defines the sediment as very<br /> hazardous. It is also shown that the sediment at the section from 2 +000 to 4 +900 km is the<br /> most polluted, with a number of metals and methods that define it as a high risk. The results<br /> indicate that it is inadequate to have a simple singular approach to sediment quality assessment<br /> and the assessment of the risks posed by metals detected in aquatic ecosystems.<br /> This work shows that sediment movement (e.g. from opening a sluice gate) leads to changes in<br /> the physical-chemical conditions of the sediment / water system, with resuspension and<br /> sediment transport. These changes increase metals availability and increase their<br /> concentrations in the aqueous phase, significantly increasing the posed risk and the possibility<br /> of adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems.<br /> In the case of sediment resuspension in the sediment / water system, a relationship was found<br /> between the concentration of metals in suspended matter and the concentration in the water for<br /> certain fractions of suspended matter (organic matter content and the fraction up to 63 &mu;m).<br /> Remediation techniques are often not economically viable due to the large volume of<br /> contaminated sediments involved. It is shown that the implementation of in-situ aeration<br /> reduces the amount of sediment (which reduces the costs of subsequent sediment treatment),<br /> and that solidification / stabilization treatment with clay and thermal remediation results in<br /> satisfactory remediation with respect to metals leaching. Leaching test results show the<br /> potential of these treatments to solve the problem of sediments which are contaminated with<br /> metals, either in terms of safe disposal in landfill or in terms of its use as a supplement in the<br /> production of building materials (brick), as road foundation, or for river bank reinforcement<br /> (dams), etc.. Thus, the costs of dredging and manipulating contaminated sediments can be<br /> significantly reduced, making remediation itself much more applicable.</p>

As características nutricionais de produtos alimentícios têm sido cada vez mais valorizadas pelo mercado consumidor em função da constante preocupação com os efeitos dos alimentos na saúde. O sucesso de um produto alimentício no mercado, entretanto, depende também de suas características físicas, tais como espalhabilidade, aparência e impressões sensoriais dos alimentos na boca. Estas características desempenham papel fundamental no processamento industrial e na aceitabilidade do produto pelo consumidor. Neste contexto, o presente projeto teve como objetivo avaliar o efeito da transesterificação enzimática da gordura de leite com óleo de soja na composição e na textura do produto alimentício obtido, empregando como catalisador lipase de Aspergillus niger previamente imobilizada em suporte híbrido polissiloxano-álcool polivinílico. Em uma primeira etapa, as matérias-primas foram caracterizadas quanto à umidade, índices de acidez, saponificação, peróxido e iodo, propriedades reológicas e térmicas. Em seguida, os materiais de partida foram misturados em diferentes proporções seguindo um planejamento experimental estatístico de misturas, e empregados nas reações de transesterificação. As variáveis resposta foram os índices de acidez, saponificação, iodo e peróxido, as propriedades de textura consistência e dureza, e o grau de transesterificação. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que os índices de acidez, saponificação, peróxido e iodo apresentaram uma dependência linear em função da fração mássica de gordura de leite tanto para a mistura das matérias-primas como para os produtos transesterificados. Com relação às propriedades de textura, modelos estatísticos foram compostos e permitiram verificar que a transesterificação promoveu uma diminuição tanto da consistência quanto da dureza nas misturas contendo proporções superiores a 50% de gordura de leite. As misturas preparadas com frações de gordura inferiores a este valor praticamente não sofreram alterações de textura após a reação. A avaliação da composição dos produtos obtidos demonstrou que as amostras correspondentes à gordura de leite pura e às misturas contendo 67 e 75% desta, apresentaram modificações no perfil de triacilgliceróis (TAGs), mostrando de forma geral diminuição na concentração dos TAGs C34-C38 e C54 e aumento dos TAGs C24-C30 e C44-C50. A reação empregando gordura de leite pura resultou em um grau de transesterificação (5,20%) mais elevado em relação ao óleo puro (3,33%), o que pode estar diretamente relacionado à especificidade da enzima pelos ácidos graxos presentes nesta gordura. O grau de transesterificação mais elevado (10,75%) foi obtido para a mistura contendo 67% de gordura de leite. Os resultados indicaram que a transesterificação de misturas contendo 50-67% de gordura de leite resultou em produtos com melhores propriedades de textura (espalhabilidade) sob temperatura de refrigeração em comparação à manteiga, à gordura de leite ou à simples mistura física com igual composição, sendo os valores de consistência e dureza pelo menos 32% menores em comparação à manteiga. Portanto, o desenvolvimento experimental deste trabalho permitiu demonstrar a viabilidade da transesterificação enzimática de uma mistura contendo elevados teores de gordura de leite, o que resultou na preservação de parte de suas características organolépticas, obtendo-se como resultado um produto com melhores características de textura (maior espalhabilidade) e nutricionais (maior teor de ácidos graxos insaturados). / The nutritional food characteristics have been highly considered by consumers due to the constant worries with their effects on health. However, the success of a new food product in the market depends also on its physical characteristics, such as spreadability, appearance and mouthfeel. These properties are very important for industrial processing and acceptability of the product by the consumer. In this context, the objective of present project was to assess the effect of the enzymatic transesterification of milkfat with soybean oil on the composition and texture of the obtained product. For this reaction Aspergillus niger lipase previously immobilized in polysiloxane-polyvinyl alcohol hybrid matrix was chosen as catalyst. The work was carried in three steps. Firstly, raw materials were characterized regarding their humidity, acid, saponification, peroxide and iodine indexes, rheological and thermal properties. Following these, raw materials were mixed at different proportions according to a statistical mixture factorial design and used as substrate in the transesterification reactions. The response variables were acid, saponification, iodine and peroxide indexes, texture properties (consistency and hardness) and transesterification yields. Acid, saponification, peroxide and iodine indexes showed a linear dependence on the milkfat mass fraction for both physical raw materials blends and transesterified products. Regarding the texture properties, statistical models were composed and allowed verifying that the transesterification reaction decreased both consistency and hardness for substrates containing more than 50% of milkfat. No alteration in these properties was noted for substrates containing lower milkfat fraction. The evaluation of the product compositions showed that samples containing pure milkfat and mixtures containing 67 to 75% of milkfat yielded modifications in the triacylglycerols profile (TAGs) such as decreased on the C34-C38 and C54 TAGs concentrations and increased on the C24-C30 and C44-C50 TAGs concentrations. Reactions carried with pure milkfat resulted in higher transesterification yield (5.20%) as compared with pure soybean oil (3.33%), and this was related to the specificity of the enzyme for fatty acids presented in the milkfat. The highest transesterification yield (10.75%) was obtained for mixtures containing 67% of milkfat. Theses results indicated that the transesterification reactions of substrates containing 50-67% of milkfat gave products having better properties regarding the texture (more spreadability) under cooling temperature than butter, milkfat or simple physical blend at the same composition. Consistency and hardness values were at least 32% lower than data for butterfat. Therefore, the proposed experimental work allowed demonstrating that the enzymatic transesterification of a mixture containing high milkfat levels besides partially preserving the milkfat organoleptic characteristics also rendering a product with better texture (higher spreadability) and nutritional properties (higher amount of unsaturated fatty acids).

A feasibility of rapid setting cement (RSC) as an agent of immobilization for certain elements such as fission products or radioactive materials was explored. Cerium (Ce) and cesium (Cs) have been selected as a surrogate for U and/or Pu and fission products, respectively, in this study in three phases. In Phase I, RSC was evaluated for physical properties (e.g., porosity, density, pH values, etc.) using two groups methods—the cement powder at different concentrations of Ce (2 – 10 wt%) with deionized water (DIW) and artificial seawater (ASW). The results showed that the final setting time and compressive strength of RSC in DIW and ASW solutions decreased as Ce content increased. The X-ray diffraction patterns revealed two newly identified phases, namely CeAl11O18 and Ce4.667 (SiO4)3O. The morphology of matrix samples showed that the existence of Ce distributed on the pore wall or clustered with Si, Al, Mg, K, P, Fe, and O. In Phase II, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technique together with univariate and multivariate analyses of the principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares (PLS) were applied to detect the surrogate elements (Ce (0.5 – 8 wt%) and Cs (0.5 – 4 wt%)) for nuclear materials captured in ceramic materials. The best calibration curves for Ce and Cs in samples were created using the peak areas of the Ce 571.8 nm line and Cs 697.1 nm line, respectively. PCA method was applied to explain 85.5 % for Ce-cement samples in DIW and 91.4 % for those in ASW. Samples with Cs indicated similar PCA trends. The PLS calibration curves for Ce and Cs samples in DIW and those in ASW were made using seven and eight latent variables (LV). In Phase III, the leaching behaviors of Ce and Cs mixture with DIW and ASW under both dynamic and static leach conditions were investigated according to the ANSI/ANS 16.1-2003 standard method. Elemental compositions were analyzed using an inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for the leaching periods of 2, 7, and 24 hours and 2, 3, 4, 5, 14, 28, 43, and 90 days. Three mathematical models—first-order reaction model (FRM), diffusion model (DM), and first-order reaction/diffusion model (FRDM)—were fitted to assess the leaching parameters of immobilized radionuclides in the RSC matrix. Results showed that leaching of 140Ce and 133Cs from RSC matrices with (DIW and ASW) under both dynamic and static leach conditions was less than 20%. It was found that the leaching phenomena of 140Ce and 133Cs was dominantly controlled by FRM with a weak effect of DM, which was best fitted by FRDM. Here, the average leachability index (L) for 140Ce and 133Cs, are greater than the recommended minimum of 6 that allowed their acceptance for disposal. These studies indicated a good feasibility of using RSC with DIW and ASW for immobilizing non-radioactive Ce and Cs and RSC had a potential for applying to actual radioactive materials.

The theme of this thesis is the development of mononuclear Ru-based complexes that are capable of catalyzing the water oxidation (or O2-evolving) reaction, e.g. 2 H2O → O2 + 4 H+ + 4 e−. Several families of mononuclear Ru water oxidation catalysts were designed and prepared. They feature with anionic ancillary ligands that contain carboxylate or phenolate donors. The properties of the catalysts were investigated in various aspects including coordination geometry, electrochemical behavior, and ligand exchange. All catalysts showed outstanding catalytic activity towards water oxidation in the presence of cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate as a sacrificial oxidant. High-valent Ru intermediates involved in the reactions were characterized both experimentally and theoretically. The kinetics of catalytic water oxidation was examined based on one catalyst and a prevailing catalytic pathway was proposed. The catalytic cycle involved a sequence of oxidation steps from RuII−OH2 to RuV=O species and O−O bond formation via water-nucleophilic-attack to the RuV=O intermediate. By comparing properties and catalytic performance of Ru catalysts herein with that of previously reported examples, the effect of anionic ancillary ligands was clearly elucidated in the context of catalytic water oxidation. Aiming to further application in an envisaged artificial photosynthesis device, visible light-driven water oxidation was conducted and achieved primarily in a homogeneous three-component system containing catalyst, photosensitizer, and sacrificial electron acceptor. Moreover, one model Ru catalyst was successfully immobilized on ordinary glass carbon surface through a facile and widely applicable method. / <p>QC 20121112</p>

The objective of this work was to develop a novel enzyme immobilization scheme for supported lipase sol-gels and to evaluate the potential of the immobilized biocatalyst for the production of biodiesel in a packed bed reactor. Two sources of lipase (EC 3.1.1.3 triacylglycerol hydrolase) were used in this study and the transesterification of methanol and triolein to produce glycerol and methyl oleate was used as a model reaction of biodiesel production. A commercially available form of immobilized lipase, Novozym® 435, was used as a basis for comparison to the literature. Upon establishing a lipase sol-gel formulation technique, the experimental methodology for the transesterification reaction using Novozyme® 435 was developed. Subsequently, a series of inert materials were considered based on their suitability as supports for immobilized lipase sol-gels and the synthesis of methyl oleate. The value of a supported lipase sol-gel is to improve the activity and stability of the enzyme and develop an immobilized biocatalyst that is practical for use under packed bed reactor conditions. Of the six support materials considered (6-12 mesh silica gel, Celite® R633, Celite® R632, Celite® R647, anion exchange resin, and Quartzel® felt), the diatomaceous earth supports (Celite® R633, R632 and R647) exhibited high enzymatic activity, were thermally stable, and possessed high sol-gel adhesion. From the three types of diatomaceous earth considered, Celite® R632 supported lipase sol-gels were identified as the most promising supported lipase sol-gels for methyl oleate production via transesterification. Upon further evaluation, the Celite® R632 lipase sol-gels were found to achieve high methyl oleate percent conversions, glycerol-water absorption was only significant at glycerol levels higher than 75%, and the immobilized lipase had high stability upon storage at 4°C for 1.5 years. To determine the effects of methanol and glycerol inhibition as well as temperature on the reaction kinetics, a ping-pong bi-bi kinetic model was developed and validated over a range of methanol concentrations and temperatures. The optimal methanol concentration for the conditions tested was in the range of 1.3 M to 2.0 M, and increased with increasing temperature. The model developed was consistent with the experimental data and confirmed that glycerol inhibition and the presence of products had significant effects on the reaction kinetics. The methyl oleate production capabilities of the Celite® supported lipase sol-gel were investigated using a packed bed reactor and compared with Novozym® 435 under similar operating conditions. A kinetic and mass transfer based model was developed for the reactor system using a novel efficiency correlation to account for the effect of glycerol on the enzymatic activity. Increasing the flow rate (1.4 mL/min to 20 mL/min) increased the reaction rate, presumably due to the reduction of the glycerol inhibition effect on the immobilized biocatalyst. The Celite® supported lipase sol-gel was found to have superior performance over Novozym® 435 both under batch stirred tank reaction conditions and in a packed bed reactor (83% conversion for Celite® sol-gel vs. 59% conversion for Novozym® 435 at 20 mL/min in the packed bed reactor). Based on the results obtained, Celite® supported lipase sol-gels exhibited good performance for the transesterification of triolein with methanol to produce methyl oleate in both batch and packed bed reactors, and warrant further exploration for the enzymatic production of biodiesel.

Unter geeigneten Wachstumsbedingungen weisen Algenkulturen oft eine größere Produktivität der Zellen auf, als sie bei höheren Pflanzen zu beobachten ist. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii-Zellen sind vergleichsweise klein. So beträgt das Zellvolumen während des vegetativen Zellzyklus etwa 50–3500 µm³. Im Vergleich zu höheren Pflanzen ist in einer Algensuspension die Konzentration der Biomasse allerdings gering. So enthält beispielsweise 1 ml einer üblichen Konzentration zwischen 10E6 und 10E7 Algenzellen. Quantifizierungen von Metaboliten oder Makromolekülen, die zur Modellierung von zellulären Prozessen genutzt werden, werden meist im Zellensemble vorgenommen. Tatsächlich unterliegt jedoch jede Algenzelle einer individuellen Entwicklung, die die Identifizierung charakteristischer allgemeingültiger Systemparameter erschwert. Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, biochemisch relevante Messgrößen in-vivo und in-vitro mit Hilfe optischer Verfahren zu identifizieren und zu quantifizieren. Im ersten Teil der Arbeit wurde ein Puls-Amplituden-Modulation(PAM)-Fluorimetriemessplatz zur Messung der durch äußere Einflüsse bedingten veränderlichen Chlorophyllfluoreszenz an einzelnen Zellen vorgestellt. Die Verwendung eines kommerziellen Mikroskops, die Implementierung empfindlicher Nachweiselektronik und einer geeignete Immobilisierungsmethode ermöglichten es, ein Signal-zu-Rauschverhältnis zu erreichen, mit dem Fluoreszenzsignale einzelner lebender Chlamydomonas-Zellen gemessen werden konnten. Insbesondere wurden das Zellvolumen und der als Maß für die Effizienz des Photosyntheseapparats bzw. die Zellfitness geltende Chlorophyllfluoreszenzparameter Fv/Fm ermittelt und ein hohes Maß an Heterogenität dieser zellulären Parameter in verschiedenen Entwicklungsstadien der synchronisierten Chlamydomonas-Zellen festgestellt. Im zweiten Teil der Arbeit wurden die bildgebende Laser-Scanning-Mikroskopie und anschließende Bilddatenanalyse zur quantitativen Erfassung der wachstumsabhängigen zellulären Parameter angewandt. Ein kommerzielles konfokales Mikroskop wurde um die Möglichkeit der nichtlinearen Mikroskopie erweitert. Diese hat den Vorteil einer lokalisierten Anregung, damit verbunden einer höheren Ortsauflösung und insgesamt geringeren Probenbelastung. Weiterhin besteht neben der Signalgewinnung durch Fluoreszenzanregung die Möglichkeit der Erzeugung der Zweiten Harmonischen (SHG) an biophotonischen Strukturen, wie der zellulären Stärke. Anhand der Verteilungsfunktionen war es möglich mit Hilfe von modelltheoretischen Ansätzen zelluläre Parameter zu ermitteln, die messtechnisch nicht unmittelbar zugänglich sind. Die morphologischen Informationen der Bilddaten ermöglichten die Bestimmung der Zellvolumina und die Volumina subzellularer Strukturen, wie Nuclei, extranucleäre DNA oder Stärkegranula. Weiterhin konnte die Anzahl subzellulärer Strukturen innerhalb einer Zelle bzw. eines Zellverbunds ermittelt werden. Die Analyse der in den Bilddaten enthaltenen Signalintensitäten war Grundlage einer relativen Konzentrationsbestimmung von zellulären Komponenten, wie DNA bzw. Stärke. Mit dem hier vorgestellten Verfahren der nichtlinearen Mikroskopie und nachfolgender Bilddatenanalyse konnte erstmalig die Verteilung des zellulären Stärkegehalts in einer Chlamydomonas-Population während des Wachstums bzw. nach induziertem Stärkeabbau verfolgt werden. Im weiteren Verlauf wurde diese Methode auch auf Gefrierschnitte höherer Pflanzen, wie Arabidopsis thaliana, angewendet. Im Ergebnis wurde gezeigt, dass viele zelluläre Parameter, wie das Volumen, der zelluläre DNA- und Stärkegehalt bzw. die Anzahl der Stärkegranula durch eine Lognormalverteilung, mit wachstumsabhängiger Parametrisierung, beschrieben werden. Zelluläre Parameter, wie Stoffkonzentration und zelluläres Volumen, zeigen keine signifikanten Korrelationen zueinander, woraus geschlussfolgert werden muss, dass es ein hohes Maß an Heterogenität der zellulären Parameter innerhalb der synchronisierten Chlamydomonas-Populationen gibt. Diese Aussage gilt sowohl für die als homogenste Form geltenden Synchronkulturen von Chlamydomonas reinhardtii als auch für die gemessenen zellulären Parameter im intakten Zellverbund höherer Pflanzen. Dieses Ergebnis ist insbesondere für modelltheoretische Betrachtungen von Relevanz, die sich auf empirische Daten bzw. zelluläre Parameter stützen welche im Zellensemble gemessen wurden und somit nicht notwendigerweise den zellulären Status einer einzelnen Zelle repräsentieren. / Under appropriate growth conditions cells of algae cultures often show a greater productivity than it is observed for cells in higher plants. The cells of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii are relatively small. The cell volume during the vegetative cell cycle ranges only between 50-3500 µm³. Compared to higher plants the concentration of biomass in an algal suspension is small. Thus, 1 ml of a suspension with a standard concentration contains between 10E6 and 10E7 algal cells. Quantification of metabolites or macromolecules, which are used for modeling of cellular processes, is usually carried out in the cell ensemble. However, every single algal cell undergoes an individual development, which makes the identification of characteristic universal system parameters far more complicated. The aim of this work was to identify and quantify relevant biochemical parameters, which were measured in vivo and in vitro using optical methods. In the first part, a Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM) measuring station was introduced to measure the variable chlorophyll fluorescence of individual cells. A commercial microscope was combined with sensitive detection electronics and the application of suitable immobilization methods. This allowed the achievement of a signal-to-noise ratio which made it possible to measure the fluorescence signals of individual living Chlamydomonas cells. In particular, cell volume and the chlorophyll fluorescence parameter Fv/Fm as a measure of the photosynthetic apparatus efficiency and cell fitness were determined. A high degree of cellular heterogeneity of these parameters in different development stages of synchronized Chlamydomonas cells was determined. In the second part, the imaging laser scanning microscopy and subsequent image analysis for quantitative detection of the growth-dependent cellular parameters were applied. A commercial confocal microscope was extended by the possibility of non-linear microscopy. Hereby, a more localized excitation of the samples was possible. Hence, a higher spatial resolution and lower overall sample stressing were achieved. Besides signal generation through fluorescence excitation, second harmonic generation (SHG) on biophotonic structures, such as cellular starch, was applied. Based on distribution functions cellular parameters were determined by using theoretical model approaches. This allowed the characterization of parameters that were not directly accessible by measurement. The morphological information of the image data enabled the determination of cell volume and volumes of sub-cellular structures such as nuclei, extra-nuclear DNA, and starch granules. Furthermore, the number of sub-cellular structures within a cell or a cell compound was determined. Analysis of signal intensities constituted the basis of relative quantification of cellular components such as DNA and starch. For the first time, the method of non-linear microscopy and subsequent image analysis enabled the characterization of the cellular starch distribution of a Chlamydomonas population during cell growth, and after induced starch degradation, respectively. Subsequently, this method was additionally applied to frozen sections of higher plants like Arabidopsis thaliana. As a result it was shown that many cellular parameters like volume, cellular DNA content, and number of starch granules are described by means of a log-normal distribution with growth-related parameterization. Cellular parameters, such as concentration and cellular volume, showed no significant correlations among each other. Therefore, it was concluded that there is a high degree of cellular parameter heterogeneity within synchronized Chlamydomonas populations. This applies not only to synchronized cultures of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, which are currently considered as the most homogeneous form, but also to measured cellular parameters of intact cell assemblies in higher plants. The result is especially important for model-theoretic considerations, which are based on empirical data, and cellular parameters obtained from cell ensembles, respectively.

In this study, glucose oxidase and polyphenol oxidase were immobilized in conducting copolymer poly(N-(4-(3-thienyl methylene)-oxycarbonylphenyl)maleimide)-co-pyrrole(P(MBThi-co-Py)). A copolymer was electrochemically synthesized by using sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as supporting electrolyte and characterized by FTIR, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and conductivity measurements. Immobilization of glucose oxidase (GOD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) enzymes were performed in conducting PPy and P(MBThi-co-Py) matrices by electropolymerization. Kinetic parameters, maximum reaction rate (Vmax) and Michaelis-Menten constant (Km) were determined for the enzyme electrodes by help of Lineweaver-Burk plot. Effect of temperature and pH on GOD and PPO activity was examined. Operational stability and long term stability of the enzyme electrodes were investigated. The immobilized GOD and PPO electrodes were used for determination of glucose amount in Turkish orange juices and analyzing the concentration of phenolic compounds in Turkish red wines respectively.

Electrochemical polymerization of pyrrole functionalized polystyrene (PStPy) with pyrrole was carried out in water-sodium dodecyl sulfate solvent-electrolyte couple. Characterization of the resulting copolymer was performed via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and four probe conductivity measurements. Glucose oxidase and polyphenol oxidase enzymes were immobilized in polypyrrole (PPy) and conducting copolymer of pyrrole functionalized polystyrene with pyrrole (P(PStPy-co-Py). Resulting enzyme electrodes were characterized by kinetic parameters / Vmax and Km. Behavior of enzyme electrodes upon temperature and pH changes were investigated. Glucose oxidase electrode was used for the determination of glucose in orange juice and polyphenol oxidase electrode was used for the determination of polyphenolic compounds in red wine.