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- From a basic microalga and an Acetic Acid Bacterium cellulose producer to a living symbiotic biofilmPublication . Nóbrega, Vítor; Faria, Marisa; Quintana, Antera; Kaufmann, Manfred; Ferreira, Artur; Cordeiro, Nereida Maria AbanoBacterial cellulose (BC) has recently been the subject of a considerable amount of research, not only for its environmentally friendly biosynthesis, but also for its high potential in areas such as biomedicine or biomaterials. A symbiotic relationship between a photosynthetic microalga, Chlamydomonas debaryana, and a cellulose producer bacterium, Komagataeibacter saccharivorans, was established in order to obtain a viable and active biofilm. The effect of the growth media composition ratio on the produced living material was investigated, as well as the microalgae biomass quantity, temperature, and incubation time. The optimal temperature for higher symbiotic biofilm production was 30 °C with an incubation period of 14 days. The high microalgae presence, 0.75% w/v, and 60:40 HS:BG-11 medium (v/v) induced a biofilm microalgae incorporation rate of 85%. The obtained results report, for the first time, a successful symbiotic interaction developed in situ between an alkaline photosynthetic microalga and an acetic acid bacterium. These results are promising and open a new window to BC living biofilm applications in medical fields that have not yet been explored.
- Bacterial cellulose biopolymers: the sustainable solution to water-polluting microplasticsPublication . Faria, Marisa; Cunha, César; Gomes, Madalena; Mendonça, Ivana; Kaufmann, Manfred; Ferreira, Artur; Cordeiro, NereidaMicroplastics (MPs) pollution has become one of our time’s most consequential issue. These micropolymeric particles are ubiquitously distributed across all natural and urban ecosystems. Current filtration systems in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) rely on non-biodegradable fossil-based polymeric filters whose mainte nance procedures are environmentally damaging and unsustainable. Following the need to develop sustainable filtration frameworks for MPs water removal, years of R&D lead to the conception of bacterial cellulose (BC) biopolymers. These bacterial-based naturally secreted polymers display unique features for biotechnological applications, such as straightforward production, large surface areas, nanoporous structures, biodegradability, and utilitarian circularity. Diligently, techniques such as flow cytometry, scanning electron microscopy and fluorescence microscopy were used to evaluate the feasibility and characterise the removal dynamics of highly concentrated MPs-polluted water by BC biopolymers. Results show that BC biopolymers display removal effi ciencies of MPs of up to 99%, maintaining high performance for several continuous cycles. The polymer’s characterisation showed that MPs were both adsorbed and incorporated in the 3D nanofibrillar network. The use of more economically- and logistics-favourable dried BC biopolymers preserves their physicochemical properties while maintaining high efficiency (93–96%). These polymers exhibited exceptional structural preservation, conserving a high water uptake capacity which drives microparticle retention. In sum, this study provides clear evidence that BC biopolymers are high performing, multifaceted and genuinely sustainable/circular alternatives to synthetic water treatment MPs-removal technologies.