ACS Chemistry for Life

Chemical technologies aim to help coal become a cleaner energy source
Chemical & Engineering News

C&EN senior correspondent Ann Thayer notes in the article that coal accounts for 40 percent of power generation worldwide and experts expect it to play an even larger role in the future as energy needs arise. Several organizations, including an intergovernmental policy advisor called International Energy Agency, have identified carbon capture and storage (CCS) as a promising approach to reducing emissions. The process can involve using certain chemicals to absorb carbon dioxide from power plant flue gases, compressing it, and then storing it elsewhere. Governments around the world have pledged billions for dollars for research and development and CCS demonstration projects, with some countries expected to have commercial-scale plants by 2020. Companies developing the CCS projects will need to demonstrate that the technology works in coal-fired plants and that it is efficient and cost-effective, as well as having the ability to transport and successfully store the captured carbon dioxide. But with advances in chemical research, including more efficient materials and approaches for removing carbon dioxide, CCS projects are now much more affordable and achievable than previously thought, the article suggests.

Biodiesel on the wing: A “green” process for biodiesel from feather meal
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry

Mano Misra, Susanta Mohapatra, Narasimharao Kondamudi, and Jason Strull are reporting development of a new and environmentally friendly process for producing biodiesel fuel from “chicken feather meal,” made from the 11 billion pounds of poultry industry waste that accumulate annually in the United States alone. Chicken feather meal consists of processed chicken feathers, blood, and innards that have been processed at high temperatures with steam. Currently feather meal is used as animal feed and fertilizer because of its high protein and nitrogen content. With as much as 12 percent fat content, feather meal has potential as an alternative, nonfood feedstock for the production of biofuel, the report says. The researchers describe a new process for extracting fat from chicken feather meal using boiling water and processing it into biodiesel. In addition, they note that removal of fat content from feather meal results in both a higher-grade animal feed and a better nitrogen source for fertilizer applications.

What to do with bisphenol A: Ban it, restrict it, leave it alone?
Chemical & Engineering News

Despite years of scientific studies, reports, lawsuits, congressional inquiries, claims and counterclaims, the question of whether bisphenol A (BPA) poses health threats to people lacks a definitive answer. C&EN Senior Correspondent Stephen K. Ritter explains that BPA has been used in an array of consumer goods since the 1950s. Today it is a mainstay ingredient in hard plastics in some reusable drink containers, DVDs, eyeglass lenses, cell phones, auto parts, sports safety equipment, protective coatings inside food and drink cans, dental sealants, and cash register receipts. Not surprisingly, BPA shows up in the urine of almost everyone, Ritter writes, noting that scientists have known since the 1930s that BPA has estrogenic effects, mimicking the action of the female sex hormones. Hundreds of laboratory studies with test animals and cell cultures have linked those effects to a range of human health problems. Yet the debate about what to do with BPA – ban it, restrict it, leave it alone – continues because government regulators question whether the methods used in those studies accurately portray BPA’s potential health effects in humans.

Fading ability to taste iron raises health concerns for people over age 50
Environmental Science & Technology

Andrea Dietrich, Susan Mirlohi, and Susan Duncan report that people lose the ability to detect the taste of iron in drinking water with advancing age, raising concern that older people may be at risk for an unhealthy over-exposure to iron. The perception of a metallic flavor in water can help people limit exposure to metals such as iron, which occurs naturally in water or from corrosion of iron water-supply pipes. Studies suggest that older people who consume too much – especially in dietary supplements and iron-rich foods – may be at increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other age-related conditions. Dietrich’s group set out to fill in gaps in knowledge about how aging affects perception of a metallic flavor in water. Their results with 69 volunteers aged 19 to 84 years identified a distinctive age-related decline in ability to taste iron. People over age 50 tended to miss the metallic taste of iron in water, even at levels above the thresholds set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Association.

Polishing the apple’s popular image as a healthy food
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry

Zhen-Yu Chen and colleagues are reporting the first evidence that consumption of a healthful antioxidant substance in apples extends the average lifespan of test animals, and does so by 10 percent. They note that damaging substances generated in the body, termed free radicals, cause undesirable changes believed to be involved in the aging process and some diseases. Substances known as antioxidants can combat this damage. Fruits and vegetables in the diet, especially brightly colored foods like tomatoes, broccoli, blueberries, and apples are excellent sources of antioxidants. The researchers found that apple polyphenols not only prolonged the average lifespan of fruit flies but helped preserve their ability to walk, climb and move about. In addition, apple polyphenols reversed the levels of various biochemical substances found in older fruit flies and used as markers for age-related deterioration and approaching death.

Blood protein in lung cancer could improve diagnosis and treatment
Journal of Proteome Research

Je-Yoel Cho and colleagues are reporting discovery of a protein in the blood of lung cancer patients that could be used in a test for the disease, which is difficult to diagnose in its earliest and most treatable stages. To find a better diagnostic tool, the researchers studied the proteins in the blood of lung cancer patients in search of red flags that could signal the disease’s presence. They focused on adenocarcinoma, which accounts for 1 in 3 cases and is the most rapidly increasing form of lung cancer in women. Cho and colleagues found elevated levels of a protein called serum amyloid A (SAA) in the blood and lung tissue of lung adenocarcinoma patients, compared to healthy people. Their work showed that high amounts of SAA were unique to lung cancers (compared with other lung diseases or other cancers) and that the protein was involved in metastasis of cancer cells from the original tumor site. The researchers say that the protein could be used as a diagnostic marker for lung cancer and as a target for developing drugs that stop metastasis.

New treaty on search for life-saving medicines in remote areas
Chemical & Engineering News

C&EN Associate Editor Carmen Drahl explains that environment ministers from 200 countries hammered out the Nagoya protocol, which extends a 1993 United Nations treaty declaring that nations have sovereign rights to the biological materials within their territory. Those materials – which include plants, microbes, and other living things – have been a rich source of so-called “natural products.” Almost 70 percent of today’s medicines are either natural products or are derived from natural products. The new treaty clarifies what agencies scientists who collect plant and other materials should approach for official clearance. It also requires countries that ratify the agreement to establish a “national focal point,” such as a university, government agency, or other contracting institution, for making such decisions. In addition, biodiversity-rich nations would receive compensation for medicines and other items commercialized from natural products discovered in their country.

An advance toward blood transfusions that require no typing
Biomacromolecules

Maryam Tabrizian and colleagues are reporting an “important step” toward development of a universal blood product that would eliminate the need to “type” blood to match donor and recipient before transfusions. The immunocamouflage technique hides blood cells from antibodies that could trigger a potentially fatal immune reaction that occurs when blood types do not match. A correct match between a donor and the recipient’s blood can be a tricky proposition given that there are 29 different red blood cells types, including the familiar ABO and Rh types. The wrong blood type can provoke serious immune reactions that result in organ failure or death, so scientists have long sought a way to create an all-purpose red blood cell for transfusions that doesn’t rely on costly blood typing or donations of a specific blood type. To develop this “universal” red blood cell, the scientists discovered a way to encase living, individual red blood cells within a multilayered polymer shell, making the cell invisible to a person’s immune system and able to evade detection and rejection. Oxygen can still penetrate the polymer shell, however, so the red blood cells can carry on their main business of supplying oxygen to the body.

Battling the bedbug epidemic
Chemical & Engineering News

C&EN News Editor William G. Schulz points out that bedbugs represent a growing epidemic that is difficult to control. Their bites can cause allergic skin reactions, mental anguish, and loss of sleep. Some chemicals that were once effective against the pests, such as DDT, have been banned due to threats to human health and the environment, leaving exterminators with few effective options for controlling the pests, which have developed the ability to shrug-off some pesticides. Scientists are looking for new substances to fight bedbugs that are safe and effective. Officials in Ohio – “bedbug ground zero” –are seeking Federal government permission to resume use of a pesticide called propoxur that can quickly halt infestations. Propoxur was pulled from the market by its manufacturer after EPA raised safety and efficacy concerns. For now, a combination of pesticides and preventive measures, such as regular inspection, laundering, vacuuming, removing clutter, and sealing up cracks in walls and baseboards, are among the best ways to control the bugs, the article notes.

New “dissolvable tobacco” products may increase risk of mouth disease
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry

The first study to analyze the complex ingredients in the new genre of dissolvable tobacco products has concluded that these pop-into-the-mouth replacements for cigarettes in places where smoking is banned have the potential to cause mouth diseases and other problems. Dissolvable tobacco products contain finely-ground tobacco and other ingredients processed into pellet, stick, and strip forms that are advertised as smoke and spit-free. Health officials are concerned about whether the products, which dissolve inside the mouth near the lips and gums, are in fact a safer alternative to cigarette smoking. John V. Goodpaster and colleagues found that the products contain mainly nicotine and a variety of flavoring ingredients, sweeteners, and binders. They note abundant scientific evidence about the potential adverse health effects of nicotine, including those involving the teeth and gums. Other ingredients in dissolvables have the potential to increase the risk of tooth decay and one, coumarin, has been banned as a flavoring agent in food because of its link to a risk of liver damage.

Nanotechnology makes big inroads into construction industry
Chemical & Engineering News

Some experts believe that nanotechnology will revolutionize the construction industry, which builds, renovates, and repairs society’s infrastructure. C&EN senior editor Bethany Halford describes nanotechnology’s surprising and largely unrecognized contributions to some of humanity’s biggest and most visible projects. Nano-sized particles of the white pigment titanium dioxide, for instance, are giving the surfaces of buildings, windows, and other objects self-cleaning surfaces that stay bright white or crystal clear for years, shrugging off airborne soot, dust and grime. When titanium dioxide absorbs ultraviolet light from the sun, it breaks down pollutants that come in contact with concrete or glass. Hollow cylinders of carbon called carbon nanotubes, so small that they can’t even been seen under a regular microscope, are boosting the strength of reinforced concrete, one of the most ubiquitous construction materials. Nanotechnology also is helping to make concrete more sustainable, allowing the recycling of more fly ash, a waste product of coal-fired electric power plants, into fresh concrete used in new construction.

Bionic microrobot mimics the “water strider” and walks on water
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces

Scientists are reporting development of a new aquatic microrobot with a body about the size of a quarter; ten water-repellent, wire legs; and two movable, oar-like legs – propelled by two miniature motors that mimic the amazing water-walking abilities of the water strider – the long-legged insect that scoots across the surface of ponds, lakes and other waterways. The bionic microrobot incorporates improvements over previous devices of this kind positioning it as a prime candidate for military spy missions, water pollution monitoring, and other applications, the scientists say. “Walking on the water surface is a dream of humans, but it is exactly the way of life for some aquatic insects,” Qinmin Pan and colleagues note, citing water striders, mosquitoes, and water spiders. This is due largely to their highly water-repellent (superhydrophobic) legs. Other scientists have made tiny aquatic devices based on the water strider with the hope of developing bionic robots that can monitor water supplies, conduct military spy missions when equipped with a camera, and perform other tasks. But until now, no one has found a way to make water-walking robots that are practical, agile, and inexpensive.