Montana Technological University

2 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

Engineering

Bacterial Cellulose Spheres that Encapsulate Solid Materials

Laurel A. Bitterman¹, Adolfo Martinez², Catherine Mulholland¹, Tyler Somerville³, Dario Prieto-Centurion⁴, Katherine R. Zodrow¹

¹Department of Environmental Engineering, Montana Technological University, ²Department of Petroleum Engineering, Montana Technological University, ³Department of Metallurgical & Materials Engineering, Montana Technological University, ⁴Department of Mechanical Engineering, Montana Technological University

This protocol presents an easy, inexpensive method of forming bacterial cellulose (BC) spheres. This biomaterial can function as an encapsulation medium for solid materials, including biochar, polymer spheres, and mine waste.

Chemistry

Preparation of Expanded Chitin Foams and their Use in the Removal of Aqueous Copper

Blaine Berrington^1,2, Katelyn Alley^1,4, Kristopher Bosch^1,3, Kelli Thomas^1,2, Katie Hailer⁴, Dario Prieto-Centurion^1,5

¹Applied Surface Science Laboratory, Montana Technological University, ²Department of Metallurgy and Materials Science, Montana Technological University, ³Department of Environmental Engineering, Montana Technological University, ⁴Department of Chemistry and Geochemistry, Montana Technological University, ⁵Department of Mechanical Engineering, Montana Technological University

This study describes a method to expand chitin into a foam by chemical techniques that require no specialized equipment.