Two grants from NCN for UPWr

• Will metabolites of the Pseudomonas fluorescens bacteria change the flotation process of ore processing waste?
• Biocarbon – not only to absorb toxic agents, but also for harder eggshells

Dr Tomasz Janek and Prof Sebastian Opaliński won more than PLN 2.5 million in the Opus 24 competition of the National Science Centre, but the total funding for both projects is more than PLN 3 million. Dr Tomasz Janek from the Department of Food Biotechnology and Microbiology will be the head of a research task (on the UPWr’s side) conducted together with Wrocław University of Science and Technology (the overall manager is Prof Izabela Polowczyk). In the Opus 24 competition of the National Science Centre, the project "Studies on the influence of new lipopeptide biosurfactants on the stability of a thin liquid film and the formation of a three-phase contact in the aspect of their use in flotation processes" won 989,664 PLN in total, of which the funds for UPWr amounted to 247,172 PLN. In the same competition, funding was also obtained for a project prepared by university professor, Dr Sebastian Opaliński  - ‘Biocarbon in the diet of laying hens and expression of genes and proteins affecting the structure and physico-chemical properties of eggs', obtained funding of PLN 2 331 326 on the second attempt, which shows that if you have a good idea, it’s worth applying again regardless of any earlier failures.

Bacteria and the flotation process

The project, carried out together by PWr and UPWr, concerns the possibility of using lipopeptides produced by strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens bacteria in the flotation process. As explained by Dr Tomasz Janek, a member of the Leading Research Group Biotechnology for Life and Industry (BioTech@Life), flotation is a process of separating solid particles based on phenomena occurring in the solid-liquid-gas three-phase system: hydrophobic solid particles adhere to gas bubbles, while hydrophilic particles remain dispersed in the liquid.

– Adhesion of a bubble to the surface of a solid is possible when the thin layer of liquid separating these objects is broken. The durability of this layer, also called a film, depends on the surface forces acting between the bubble and the particle, and these depend on the properties of the liquid-gas and liquid-solid interface. During flotation, these properties can be controlled by using various types of flotation reagents, which mainly include surface-active compounds, i.e. surfactants – explains Dr Janek, explaining that scientists have been researching the replacement of synthetic flotation reagents with natural, biodegradable products, such as those produced by microorganisms, for some time. Hence the joint research project of the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences and the Wrocław University of Science and Technology, which aims to determine the effect of new lipopeptide biosurfactants on the stability of a thin liquid film, i.e. a nanometre-thick layer of liquid located between the surface of a solid and an air bubble.

– What is innovative in our project is the use of lipopeptides produced by Pseudomonas fluorescens bacteria, isolated from the environment – Dr Janek says, and immediately points out that the project in the NCN competition is basic research, so at this stage their use in, for example, the flotation process of waste collected in Poland's largest reservoir, Żelazny Most, operated by the Polska Miedź company, is not being considered.

– NCN projects are pure science, so we will simply test how the lipopeptides we isolate will affect the flotation process. However, the research itself is part of a growing trend of reaching for environmentally friendly solutions alternative to the synthetic surfactants currently used. At the same time, the use of biosurfactants can increase the economic efficiency of ore processing – stresses Dr Tomasz Janek, adding that lipopeptides are secondary metabolites produced by bacteria to the substrate in which they live, and in the project waste glycerol from biodiesel production will be used as substrates for their production.  

Biocarbon for healthy hens

Prof Sebastian Opaliński, leader of the Leading Research Group Zootechnics of the Future (ASc4Future) and member of the Leading Research Group Poultry – from field to table (DroPOWER), emphasises that the project he will be working on is largely a team effort and lists the researchers from UPWr who contributed at the conceptual stage and will also work on the implementation of the research.

– Prof. Andrzej Białowiec helped me to write the section on biocarbon. He has been in the project from the beginning. The genetic area will be handled by Prof. Agnieszka Śmieszek and Prof Magdalena Wołoszyńska. The nutrition and breeding part involves Prof. Artur Kowalczyk, Prof. Ewa Łukaszewicz, Prof. Mariusz Korczyński, Dr Ewa Popiela, Dr Joanna Rosenberger and Dr Łukasz Bobak – says Prof. Opaliński, emphasising that the contribution of so many scientists to this project will allow everyone not only to exchange experiences. – We are involved in various leading research groups and I am very pleased that, thanks to this research, we can do something not only interesting but, above all, interdisciplinary, using the possibilities and knowledge from very different areas – he adds.

Biocarbon, thanks to its high porosity and large specific surface area, is an excellent adsorbent with great potential for treating poisoning and diseases caused by bacteria or viruses. As a feed additive, it improves digestion, feed conversion rate, weight gain in chickens and reduces odour generated on farms. It is also used as a detoxifier against mycotoxins produced by fungi, which often develop in feed components during storage.The research carried out by me and my PhD student shows that biocarbon added to feed improves eggshell crush resistance and thickness, critical parameters in poultry production. And, of course, the supplementation of livestock diets with biocarbon has been used for some time, but at the same time there is a lack of information in the scientific literature on the molecular mechanism of its action on these animals, especially on poultry – explains Prof Opalinski, adding that the project carried out at UPWr is intended to provide knowledge that will allow the effective planning and regulation of laying hen diets to improve eggshell strength.

The leader of the WZB ASc4Future also emphasises that the project is innovative because, for the first time, the effect of biocarbon on the expression of genes and proteins related to eggshell formation will be determined.

– Looking at this research more broadly, I can say that the result will have a significant impact on the development of disciplines such as zootechnics and fisheries, as well as biological sciences, because improving the quality of eggshells, is important both from a biological point of view – hatching eggs, and from a commercial point of view – consumption eggs – says Professor Sebastian Opalinski.

kbk

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