The following post was sent to "industrymicrobiologist.blogspot.com" but I think that it may interest also the readers of BIOTOUCH blog (and comments, of course, are more than welcome!).
Before referring the originat text, I would like to add some ideas about evaluation of biocides.
As known by microbiologists, traditional plate count methods cause bias into the biocide test results. No matter the active compounds are added to the process samples for KILL tests, final results are still derived by colony count analyses.
To have faster and more reliable evaluation (no need to dose every alternative into the process for days..weeks) a novel test method, which performes the biocide evaluation in original samples all over the test, is needed. PMEU method seems, until now, definitely to be the best choose.
And then the original post:
What should an ideal biocide be like?
* effective against a variety of microbial species
* effective in different process environments (temperature, pH, RO potential, solid concentrations etc.)
* both fast and conserving type of action
* not harmful for employers of paper machine
* not harmful for paper machine
* not harmful for products of the paper machine
* not harmful for environment
* (something else?)
As far as I know, no such ideal biocide has been developed yet. "Tailored" biocide products shall therefore be combined to fight against raw material contamination, microbial activity in large process water and pulp systems, fiofilm producers...
The rapid development of fast-acting oxidative agents (chlorine-and bromine-based compounds, PAA, ClO2 and even O3) is very promising, but they have limited success as storing agents. Their broad-spectrum influence on even bacterial spores should be taken into account when planning biocide programs, which also should contain compounds to prevent biodegradation during storage periods and formation of biofilms on wet surfaces of the machine.
In some cases, activity of alternative biocides against certain hazardous bacteria are also worth to evaluate.
“The way we're really going to grow the economy is to invest in people, to invest in innovation, to have the government put money in the kind of research that will create the new high-technology, BIOTECHNOLGY industries that will create millions of new jobs.” - Joseph Lieberman-
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
easternblot.net about BioBarCamp
easternblot.net: "BioBarCamp is full. Posted on Thursday 24 July 2008 by Eva @ 12:18 pm. Filed under: BioBarCamp and Site Updates.
BioBarCamp
"BioBarCamp is officially full as of a few days ago. It had to be capped off at 75 because the IFTF doesn’t actually fit 100 people as well as was initially hoped. I will be there, even though I feel highly incompetent compared to the rest of the guest list. Some people who are going to SciFoo are attending BioBarCamp the day before, which accounts for the high number of talented and awesome people. I’m there in the middle of my California vacation, so I’m probably exhausted by that time (Trips organized by me always strongly resemble The Amazing Race. I would be so good on that show…," writes Eva.
She continues on her blog:
"I’m going to pre-blog a bunch of things before I leave next week, so you won’t even know that I’m gone. It’s not like there has been much action on this blog lately anyway. If you leave a comment during that time and it needs moderating, I might be a bit slower in approving it. (Your comments are auto-approved if you use the same name and e-mail address as you use on a previously approved comment. ) I am staying with friends a couple of times during my trip, but other days I am spending almost entirely on Greyhound buses, so my internet access will be intermittent."
Who is Eva?
Easternblot.net is owned, edited, and mostly written by Eva, a PhD candidate in Biochemistry. Eva writes original articles that bring a scientific twist to topics such as carrots , cats , CSI, fringe theatre, or musicians. She also obsessively surfs the internet to find interesting websites and visits local science/culture events. Eva also writes for other publications, including Hypothesis Journal, for which she is an editor. She volunteers for the outreach programs Let’s Talk Science and Kids Science. She also plays violin and takes photos, but rarely finds the time to write handwritten letters or watch TV anymore.
Helge: I blogged about BioBarCamp to make a note that we could arrange such an event in Finland to discuss the Biotouch themes.
BioBarCamp
"BioBarCamp is officially full as of a few days ago. It had to be capped off at 75 because the IFTF doesn’t actually fit 100 people as well as was initially hoped. I will be there, even though I feel highly incompetent compared to the rest of the guest list. Some people who are going to SciFoo are attending BioBarCamp the day before, which accounts for the high number of talented and awesome people. I’m there in the middle of my California vacation, so I’m probably exhausted by that time (Trips organized by me always strongly resemble The Amazing Race. I would be so good on that show…," writes Eva.
She continues on her blog:
"I’m going to pre-blog a bunch of things before I leave next week, so you won’t even know that I’m gone. It’s not like there has been much action on this blog lately anyway. If you leave a comment during that time and it needs moderating, I might be a bit slower in approving it. (Your comments are auto-approved if you use the same name and e-mail address as you use on a previously approved comment. ) I am staying with friends a couple of times during my trip, but other days I am spending almost entirely on Greyhound buses, so my internet access will be intermittent."
Who is Eva?
Easternblot.net is owned, edited, and mostly written by Eva, a PhD candidate in Biochemistry. Eva writes original articles that bring a scientific twist to topics such as carrots , cats , CSI, fringe theatre, or musicians. She also obsessively surfs the internet to find interesting websites and visits local science/culture events. Eva also writes for other publications, including Hypothesis Journal, for which she is an editor. She volunteers for the outreach programs Let’s Talk Science and Kids Science. She also plays violin and takes photos, but rarely finds the time to write handwritten letters or watch TV anymore.
Helge: I blogged about BioBarCamp to make a note that we could arrange such an event in Finland to discuss the Biotouch themes.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Gina Smith about Tech and Biotech
gina smith: "gina smith about herself: I am an author and a journalist specializing in tech and biotech -- I consult, write and love to hear from you all via email."
Contact Gina Smith:
* Her Website is: http://www.ginasmith.com
* Location: United States
One-Line Bio: I am an author and a journalist specializing in tech and biotech -- I consult, write and love to hear from you all via email.
Biography: Gina Smith is a career technology and science journalist and author.
She is the New York Times Best-Selling Author (with Steve Wozniak) of iWOZ: From Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-founded Apple and Had Fun Along the Way.
Her previous book: The Genomics Age, explained DNA and stem cell science to investors and interested lay people. Barron's named it one of the top 20 books of 2005. Gina was on air as ABC News' first technology correspondent. She appeared several times weekly on Good Morning America and World News Tonight with Peter Jennings from 1995 to 2000.
From 1990 to 2000, she authored Inside Silicon Valley, an award-winning column in the San Francisco Sunday Chronicle. In that time period she also cohosted and solo hosted On Computers with Gina Smith (later Connected with Gina Smith on ABC), a syndicated tech-help talk show. She does lots of other things -- freelance writing and..."
Helge: Learned about this on Twitter and would like to invite her to our Ning network.
Contact Gina Smith:
* Her Website is: http://www.ginasmith.com
* Location: United States
One-Line Bio: I am an author and a journalist specializing in tech and biotech -- I consult, write and love to hear from you all via email.
Biography: Gina Smith is a career technology and science journalist and author.
She is the New York Times Best-Selling Author (with Steve Wozniak) of iWOZ: From Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-founded Apple and Had Fun Along the Way.
Her previous book: The Genomics Age, explained DNA and stem cell science to investors and interested lay people. Barron's named it one of the top 20 books of 2005. Gina was on air as ABC News' first technology correspondent. She appeared several times weekly on Good Morning America and World News Tonight with Peter Jennings from 1995 to 2000.
From 1990 to 2000, she authored Inside Silicon Valley, an award-winning column in the San Francisco Sunday Chronicle. In that time period she also cohosted and solo hosted On Computers with Gina Smith (later Connected with Gina Smith on ABC), a syndicated tech-help talk show. She does lots of other things -- freelance writing and..."
Helge: Learned about this on Twitter and would like to invite her to our Ning network.
Friday, August 15, 2008
BIOTECHNICAL AND MICROBIOLOGICAL PRODUCTION METHOD AND EQUIPMENT
(WO/2008/081082) BIOTECHNICAL AND MICROBIOLOGICAL PRODUCTION METHOD AND EQUIPMENT: Background for the invention
Helge: I found this information on Internet. Would you Elias like to comment? What are the practical implications?
In utilizing and studying microbes in industry or medicine or in environmental cleaning, the used microbiological and bacteriological methods in most cases call for the culturing of cells or equivalent in a nutrient substrate before being able to show them, clarifying the effects of their action or getting to a desired production result. This production result may be a cell growth, e.g. for feed or protein, or the formation of one or several desired metabolic products.
LIQUID OR GAS FORM
These products can be in liquid or gas form or they can be separated from a production liquid into solid form by precipitation. The production result of a microbiological reaction can also be the cleaning of environment, like soil or water, or the elimination of a harmful substance from an organism.
NUTRIENT SUBSTRATES
Nutrient substrates contain vital nutrients for microbes and they are designed to be as suitable as possible for the microbes and other organisms to be studied. Plant and animal cells have been started to generally be cultivated with similar methods as microbes.
Helge: I found this information on Internet. Would you Elias like to comment? What are the practical implications?
| ||||||||||||
| IPC: | C12M 1/04 (2006.01), C12M 1/12 (2006.01), C12P 1/04 (2006.01), C12P 39/00 (2006.01), C12Q 1/02 (2006.01) | |||||||||||
| Applicant: | HAKALEHTO, Eino, Elias [FI/FI]; Kasarmikatu 12 C 1, FIN-70110 Kuopio (FI). | |||||||||||
| Inventor: | HAKALEHTO, Eino, Elias; Kasarmikatu 12 C 1, FIN-70110 Kuopio (FI). | |||||||||||
| Priority Data: |
| |||||||||||
In utilizing and studying microbes in industry or medicine or in environmental cleaning, the used microbiological and bacteriological methods in most cases call for the culturing of cells or equivalent in a nutrient substrate before being able to show them, clarifying the effects of their action or getting to a desired production result. This production result may be a cell growth, e.g. for feed or protein, or the formation of one or several desired metabolic products.
LIQUID OR GAS FORM
These products can be in liquid or gas form or they can be separated from a production liquid into solid form by precipitation. The production result of a microbiological reaction can also be the cleaning of environment, like soil or water, or the elimination of a harmful substance from an organism.
NUTRIENT SUBSTRATES
Nutrient substrates contain vital nutrients for microbes and they are designed to be as suitable as possible for the microbes and other organisms to be studied. Plant and animal cells have been started to generally be cultivated with similar methods as microbes.
Conventionally, nutrient substrates are divided into general nutrient substrates and selective nutrient substrates. In the former many different microbes can widely be cultivated whereas selective nutrient substrates choose or enrich selective species or strains. Studied microbes may be for example single cell bacteria or yeasts, or filamentous molds, or algae or protozoa.
MICROBE CULTIVATION
Microbe cultivations and studies may be related to projects for example in medicine, health care, pharmaceutical industry, food, chemistry or cosmetics industries or forestry industry. They may also be part of the control of building mold damage or the follow-up of environmental condition to find out the quality of water, air or other environmental quality.
FINNOFLAG AND ELIAS HAKALEHTO
Normally these cultivations take place in thermostatically controlled cabinets (thermal cabinets or incubators) or rooms, which thermostated cabinets are located in laboratories or equivalent. Often there is need to collect microbe samples or equivalent in the field or as part of field experiments or on site for example in production processes, different locations in hospitals or canteens. Large quantities of microbe cells are generally tried to be cultivated in different kinds of bioreactors, fermentors. Microbiological production reactions often also take place in these. In studies performed by Finnofiag Oy (Kuopio and Siilinjarvi, Finland), it has been shown that microbes can efficiently be cultivated in controlled environments in a cultivation case in a way that air or gas is led into the sampling and cultivation syringes in the case (Finnish patent no FI 106561).
FERMENTATION
In the biotechnical industry fermentation has conventionally been used for cultivating microbes or carrying out a production method by them. Although "fermentation" has originally meant anaerobic fermentation, this concept nowadays includes all microbe action that is carried out in bioreactors. This action may happen just as well in the presence of oxygen, aerobically, or without oxygen, anaerobically. In this application the term "reactor" means bioreactor.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Biotouch and the price of oil
Macarena, Elias, Juha, and Bitouch readers, we're now heading towards the second phase with this open innovation platform for Biotouch. Macarena did a great work to get Biotouch started and attracted readers from all over the world. She used some new tools like Yahoo Answers to get more visitors to this blog.
Now I try to attract more readers, commentators, and co-writers. We need to get this waggon moving. A lot of work has been done for years. I hope this will lead to something we couldn't imagine before. Taking this business process to the open is a new and bold move. The social media provides new windows of opportunities for complex issues like Biotech.
We're still struggling with how to turn great innovations like PMEU and the knowledge within the team to Biotouch projects with a solid Financing but time will tell if we're heading in the right direction.
The price of oil is now high, even though it has declined a little from $150 peak prices. But there is still a long way to go before we're down at $50 per barrel. As an evidence, take a look at Elias' email comment and we can see that one of the resasons for the high price of oil is the lack of investments in refinery capacity. Take a look at this quote "There will be no new refineries by Giuseppe Marconi - 2008/07/23" below.
Giuseppe Marconi's comment is two weeks old. Here is Elias' comment.
There will be no new refineries by Giuseppe Marconi - 2008/07/23
Oil companies won't be building more refineries, because there won't be enough oil left to refine by the time new refineries could pay for themselves.
There hasn't been a new refinery built in the US since 1976. In 1982, there were 301 operable refineries in the U.S and they produced about 17.9 million barrels of oil per day. Today there are only 149 refineries, and they're producing 17.4 million barrels. This increase in efficiency is impressive but not a miracle. As with everything these outputs are carefully calculated to optimize profitability. Let me explain.
Truth be told, new refineries require tremendous financial commitments which take anywhere from 15 to 25 years to amortize. With record oil prices it would make perfect sense to invest in a few refineries today, except... for the lack of oil to be refined 20 years from now.
Trends have predicted that peak oil production, where the production of oil starts to decline, will be reached around 2007-2010. After that, there will be less and less oil to refine no matter where drillers look. In this context, building expensive new refineries does not make a lot of sense as existing ones will be sufficient to process whatever little oil is left. So forget about new refineries, except for a few in the northern midwest to process the heavy oil from Canada.
refinery tank.
Crude oil is a finite resource more and more depleted. As such, an increasing demand put on this finite supply necessitates careful management in order to stretch its lifespan and profitability.
2008/8/5 Helge V. Keitel
Now I try to attract more readers, commentators, and co-writers. We need to get this waggon moving. A lot of work has been done for years. I hope this will lead to something we couldn't imagine before. Taking this business process to the open is a new and bold move. The social media provides new windows of opportunities for complex issues like Biotech.
We're still struggling with how to turn great innovations like PMEU and the knowledge within the team to Biotouch projects with a solid Financing but time will tell if we're heading in the right direction.
The price of oil is now high, even though it has declined a little from $150 peak prices. But there is still a long way to go before we're down at $50 per barrel. As an evidence, take a look at Elias' email comment and we can see that one of the resasons for the high price of oil is the lack of investments in refinery capacity. Take a look at this quote "There will be no new refineries by Giuseppe Marconi - 2008/07/23" below.
Giuseppe Marconi's comment is two weeks old. Here is Elias' comment.
Hello!
Thank you for the message. I have adjoined here one comment related to the inadequasy of crude oil preventing the planning of new refineries. I think that this is rather indicative also pricewise.
I would be glad to contribute on "Biotouch" especially since I was generating the concept in the spring in some of our fruitful telephone conversations. It is essentially a way to act in a new direction in order to gain understanding on the microbes.
Tried to call Hannu today, after his message. We will be in touch hopefully on tomorrow.
With best regards,
Elias
There will be no new refineries by Giuseppe Marconi - 2008/07/23
Oil companies won't be building more refineries, because there won't be enough oil left to refine by the time new refineries could pay for themselves.
There hasn't been a new refinery built in the US since 1976. In 1982, there were 301 operable refineries in the U.S and they produced about 17.9 million barrels of oil per day. Today there are only 149 refineries, and they're producing 17.4 million barrels. This increase in efficiency is impressive but not a miracle. As with everything these outputs are carefully calculated to optimize profitability. Let me explain.
Truth be told, new refineries require tremendous financial commitments which take anywhere from 15 to 25 years to amortize. With record oil prices it would make perfect sense to invest in a few refineries today, except... for the lack of oil to be refined 20 years from now.
Trends have predicted that peak oil production, where the production of oil starts to decline, will be reached around 2007-2010. After that, there will be less and less oil to refine no matter where drillers look. In this context, building expensive new refineries does not make a lot of sense as existing ones will be sufficient to process whatever little oil is left. So forget about new refineries, except for a few in the northern midwest to process the heavy oil from Canada.
refinery tank.
Crude oil is a finite resource more and more depleted. As such, an increasing demand put on this finite supply necessitates careful management in order to stretch its lifespan and profitability.
2008/8/5 Helge V. Keitel
Monday, August 4, 2008
Biotouch discussing ATP's from algae and energy derived from it
I want to share the exchange of email postings with you. It crossed my mind that we could talk about technical and biotech stuff like we follow soap operas. The power of social media is better demonstrated if we follow a continuous process, the evolution of things, how a project started, etc. Now we are at the very beginning...
The next step of BIOTOUCH is to continue our open innovation and collaboration. Macarena Pallares did a great work to get this blog started. She returns to Mexico but I think it's a good idea to to keep this blog alive. I noticed that Juha posted a new post to mark the continuation of the dialog.
At the end of last month we had an interesting distributed discussion with a student from Jaipur India. Below is the content of that discussion. It would be nice to see that also this dialog continues.
At the same time we can think about tactical means of using a social media and blogs to boost lead generation. We would like to see more people participating. Biotouch is still looking for investors and partners who want to take a serious move towards the bio-based economy.
But let's get to the Indian-Finnish biofuel discussion.
Here is how it all started. You can follow how the questions and answers criss-crossed and at this point we can see the starting point of Rajesh's project.
I'd like to invite more people to participate in this cross-border learning process.
We've a case in India but there are certainly hundreds of new initiated projects around the globe. How could we join forces and get more people involved?
The biggest challenge is to get the investors to move into this space.
Rajesh Kumar Sharma
"Sir, I'm a student of B.Tech-M.Tech Int. prgramme in converging technologies at UNIVERSITY OF RAJASTHAN, Jaipur, India. I have to make a project for a scholarship programme for which i need your help. My idea is to take ATP's from algae and use the energy derived from it to run a vehicle or some other process. It will be a pollution free and cost effective fuel(I think so).But the problem is that I don't know how can this be done. So I wan't to know that how can we take out ATP's from it. Please help me in making this project and give me advise regarding how should I proceed for this project."
Thank you!
Yours Sincerely,
Rajesh Kumar Sharma
rks.9690 at gmail.com
Date: 2008/7/31
From: Helge V. Keitel
To: Rajesh Kumar Sharma,
Rajesh Kumar Sharma,
I sent a copy of your email to the microbiologist Juha Veikko Mentu and to biotechnologist Elias Hakalehto.
Also take a look at these blogs:
Juha Veikko Mentu's Pulp, Paper, Board and Packaging Microbiologist blog statement:
"This blog contains novel ideas for the development of paper industry microbiology. Traditional methods, despite their important role in the selection of harmful microbes from process and product samples, does not fulfil the needs of modern HACCP and process stability control. Faults in the process management as well as in the QC of products can cause hazardous situations for the economy of production as well as for the safety of employers, customers and environment."
Dear Rajesh Kumar Sharma;
I am very pleased to hear about your interest in ATP.
I have performed practical experiences with ATP. Luminometric ATP assay has been most important tool for the estimation of bacterial loads in paper industry processes since late 80's for me, too. In addition, I know two researchers in Jyväskylä, Finland, who have performed basic research of ATP biochemistry.
ATP is defenitely a biochemical "battery" in all living cells. If the high-energy bond between phosphate groups will be opened, active phosphate group will thereafter give energy for several biochemical reactions.
I have two questions concerning your idea:
- how to transform this biochemical energy into other, practical forms of energy?
- how to avoid the breakdown of ATP (by temperature, ATPase etc.)?
Your idea, however, is very interesting, and I am looking forward to hear more about it. I will also give my (relatively humble) knowledge of ATP to you when needed.
- I have participated a project at the end of 70's where the usage of cyanobacteria as fertilizers was the subject of the study. I learned a lot about the beneficial effects of these organisms on rice fields of India - as an example, their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen.
With best regards,
Juha Mentu
--
Juha Mentu
Environmental and paper industry microbiologist
juha.veikko.mentu at gmail.com
http://industrymicrobiologist.blogspot.com
tel: +358(0)468973426
From: Elias Hakalehto
To: Juha, rajesh, Helge, Macarena
Date: Jul 31, 2008
Subject: Reply
Dear Rajesh,
Greetings from Kuopio, Finland! I think that you are having some clue in this reasoning. Nature provides us with an excellent machinery to be fuelled with ATP - the cell metabolism.
The chemical energy in the form of ATP is most important power source of the cells on the molecular level as we know.- However, there is a point in thinking how to get the ATP to work the best. In bacterial cells the catabolic pathways will often end up with exploitable chemical substances like ethanol, butanol, or organic acids. They are containing in a way the "ATP energy" in them, and are exploitable as such.
One way to continue our mental excercise is to reason where the ATP is generated in the cells and where it is functional = is delivering its energy content to another chemical compounds. In this way we can at least try to deduce which is the most energy effective solution for the cell, and try to check if it is actually working accordingly.
To isolate and use ATP in a functional form is then another thing as Juha wrote. For that to be effective we have to make "the vehicle" that you had mentioned. We will come to that later.
Thank you very much for taking up this inspiring topic.
With best regards,
Elias Hakalehto, PhD, MSc(Agr.Sci)
Microbiologist, Biotechnologist
Docent in Biotechnical Microbe Analytics
Internat.Postgrad.Diploma in Biotechnology
+358-500-574 289
elias.hakalehto at gmail.com
www.finnoflag.com
From: Helge V. Keitel
To: Elias, Juha, rajesh, Macarena
Subject: Reply to all
Hello everybody,
This collaboration shows the power of open social networking on a global scale. Rajesh, it would be interesting to expand this discussion with the teachers/professors and to have a continuous dialog about your work. Would it be possible to exchange some kinds of progress reports?
A continuous dialog would show us the power open innovation and the use of social media to advance global collaboration.
I think that the society at large is still quite clueless about how we should proceed on the bumpy road towards a less oil dependent and towards a bio-based economy.
Dr. Elias Hakalehto at Finnoflag Oy, Finland, has been thinking about ways to get industrialists, innovators, the research community, and financiers to collaborate around themes leading to cost-effective biorefineries, but there is still a lot of work to be done to get down to soundly financed projects.
So, let's continue the talk. We never know what "The Wisdom of the Crowd" can bring to the table.
Rajesh, I wish you success with your project and keep us informed.
Br
Helge
Terveisin, Best Regards, Med Vanliga Halsningar, Mit Freundlichen Grüßen, A Bientot,
Helge V. Keitel
KK-Net
Kuningattarenkatu 13 B, 07900 Loviisa, Finland
Skype: visualradio
Phone: + 358 50 309 2021
Home: http://wwww.kknet.fi
Business Development: http://digitalvillages.net/
Blog: http://digitalvillages.blogspot.com
Wiki: http://www.digitalvillages.net/global.htm
Email: helgekeitel at gmail.com
Social Collaboration & Virtual Organizations | Open Innovation & Global Networking | Biotech, Biotouch, Bioenergy and Health Care
The next step of BIOTOUCH is to continue our open innovation and collaboration. Macarena Pallares did a great work to get this blog started. She returns to Mexico but I think it's a good idea to to keep this blog alive. I noticed that Juha posted a new post to mark the continuation of the dialog.
At the end of last month we had an interesting distributed discussion with a student from Jaipur India. Below is the content of that discussion. It would be nice to see that also this dialog continues.
At the same time we can think about tactical means of using a social media and blogs to boost lead generation. We would like to see more people participating. Biotouch is still looking for investors and partners who want to take a serious move towards the bio-based economy.
But let's get to the Indian-Finnish biofuel discussion.
Here is how it all started. You can follow how the questions and answers criss-crossed and at this point we can see the starting point of Rajesh's project.
I'd like to invite more people to participate in this cross-border learning process.
We've a case in India but there are certainly hundreds of new initiated projects around the globe. How could we join forces and get more people involved?
The biggest challenge is to get the investors to move into this space.
Rajesh Kumar Sharma
"Sir, I'm a student of B.Tech-M.Tech Int. prgramme in converging technologies at UNIVERSITY OF RAJASTHAN, Jaipur, India. I have to make a project for a scholarship programme for which i need your help. My idea is to take ATP's from algae and use the energy derived from it to run a vehicle or some other process. It will be a pollution free and cost effective fuel(I think so).But the problem is that I don't know how can this be done. So I wan't to know that how can we take out ATP's from it. Please help me in making this project and give me advise regarding how should I proceed for this project."
Thank you!
Yours Sincerely,
Rajesh Kumar Sharma
rks.9690 at gmail.com
Date: 2008/7/31
From: Helge V. Keitel
To: Rajesh Kumar Sharma,
Rajesh Kumar Sharma,
I sent a copy of your email to the microbiologist Juha Veikko Mentu and to biotechnologist Elias Hakalehto.
Also take a look at these blogs:
- http://industrymicrobiologist.blogspot.com/
- http://biotechtouch.blogspot.com/
- http://smartroad.blogspot.com/
Juha Veikko Mentu's Pulp, Paper, Board and Packaging Microbiologist blog statement:
"This blog contains novel ideas for the development of paper industry microbiology. Traditional methods, despite their important role in the selection of harmful microbes from process and product samples, does not fulfil the needs of modern HACCP and process stability control. Faults in the process management as well as in the QC of products can cause hazardous situations for the economy of production as well as for the safety of employers, customers and environment."
Dear Rajesh Kumar Sharma;
I am very pleased to hear about your interest in ATP.
I have performed practical experiences with ATP. Luminometric ATP assay has been most important tool for the estimation of bacterial loads in paper industry processes since late 80's for me, too. In addition, I know two researchers in Jyväskylä, Finland, who have performed basic research of ATP biochemistry.
ATP is defenitely a biochemical "battery" in all living cells. If the high-energy bond between phosphate groups will be opened, active phosphate group will thereafter give energy for several biochemical reactions.
I have two questions concerning your idea:
- how to transform this biochemical energy into other, practical forms of energy?
- how to avoid the breakdown of ATP (by temperature, ATPase etc.)?
Your idea, however, is very interesting, and I am looking forward to hear more about it. I will also give my (relatively humble) knowledge of ATP to you when needed.
- I have participated a project at the end of 70's where the usage of cyanobacteria as fertilizers was the subject of the study. I learned a lot about the beneficial effects of these organisms on rice fields of India - as an example, their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen.
With best regards,
Juha Mentu
--
Juha Mentu
Environmental and paper industry microbiologist
juha.veikko.mentu at gmail.com
http://industrymicrobiologist.blogspot.com
tel: +358(0)468973426
From: Elias Hakalehto
To: Juha, rajesh, Helge, Macarena
Date: Jul 31, 2008
Subject: Reply
Dear Rajesh,
Greetings from Kuopio, Finland! I think that you are having some clue in this reasoning. Nature provides us with an excellent machinery to be fuelled with ATP - the cell metabolism.
The chemical energy in the form of ATP is most important power source of the cells on the molecular level as we know.- However, there is a point in thinking how to get the ATP to work the best. In bacterial cells the catabolic pathways will often end up with exploitable chemical substances like ethanol, butanol, or organic acids. They are containing in a way the "ATP energy" in them, and are exploitable as such.
One way to continue our mental excercise is to reason where the ATP is generated in the cells and where it is functional = is delivering its energy content to another chemical compounds. In this way we can at least try to deduce which is the most energy effective solution for the cell, and try to check if it is actually working accordingly.
To isolate and use ATP in a functional form is then another thing as Juha wrote. For that to be effective we have to make "the vehicle" that you had mentioned. We will come to that later.
Thank you very much for taking up this inspiring topic.
With best regards,
Elias Hakalehto, PhD, MSc(Agr.Sci)
Microbiologist, Biotechnologist
Docent in Biotechnical Microbe Analytics
Internat.Postgrad.Diploma in Biotechnology
+358-500-574 289
elias.hakalehto at gmail.com
www.finnoflag.com
From: Helge V. Keitel
To: Elias, Juha, rajesh, Macarena
Subject: Reply to all
Hello everybody,
This collaboration shows the power of open social networking on a global scale. Rajesh, it would be interesting to expand this discussion with the teachers/professors and to have a continuous dialog about your work. Would it be possible to exchange some kinds of progress reports?
A continuous dialog would show us the power open innovation and the use of social media to advance global collaboration.
I think that the society at large is still quite clueless about how we should proceed on the bumpy road towards a less oil dependent and towards a bio-based economy.
Dr. Elias Hakalehto at Finnoflag Oy, Finland, has been thinking about ways to get industrialists, innovators, the research community, and financiers to collaborate around themes leading to cost-effective biorefineries, but there is still a lot of work to be done to get down to soundly financed projects.
So, let's continue the talk. We never know what "The Wisdom of the Crowd" can bring to the table.
Rajesh, I wish you success with your project and keep us informed.
Br
Helge
Terveisin, Best Regards, Med Vanliga Halsningar, Mit Freundlichen Grüßen, A Bientot,
Helge V. Keitel
KK-Net
Kuningattarenkatu 13 B, 07900 Loviisa, Finland
Skype: visualradio
Phone: + 358 50 309 2021
Home: http://wwww.kknet.fi
Business Development: http://digitalvillages.net/
Blog: http://digitalvillages.blogspot.com
Wiki: http://www.digitalvillages.net/global.htm
Email: helgekeitel at gmail.com
Social Collaboration & Virtual Organizations | Open Innovation & Global Networking | Biotech, Biotouch, Bioenergy and Health Care
Friday, August 1, 2008
PMEU Incubator as a tool for fast evaluation of slimicides.
Time series of steel coupons are the common method to evaluate the effects of biocides against slime-forming bacteria in paper machine processes.The installation of coupons inside the machine may not be the main problem. Two other aspects will limit the value of this method:
* only one slimicide (= the current slimicide used in the machine) can be tested
* duration of the evaluation may take days...weeks
PMEU Incubator (by FINNOFLAG Oy) has been adopted into biocide and slimicide testing because it gives chance to
* evaluate several biocides/slimicides
* only hours to days are needed to have the results of evaluations
Picture (above) shows a bacterial population, attached on the surface of a PMEU test coupon, with fibres, minerals and starches. These bacteria stand washing of coupon with water after testing which means that they are "primary attachers" on the surface of steel when immersed in process water of a paper machine.
More about this issue: http://www.industrymicrobiologist.blogspot.com/.
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