Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

About: Universiti Teknologi Malaysia is a education organization based out in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Membrane & Adsorption. The organization has 21644 authors who have published 39500 publications receiving 520635 citations.

Lactic acid bacteria: from starter cultures to producers of chemicals.

Abstract: Lactic acid bacteria constitute a diverse group of industrially significant, safe microorganisms that are primarily used as starter cultures and probiotics, and are also being developed as production systems in industrial biotechnology for biocatalysis and transformation of renewable feedstocks to commodity- and high-value chemicals, and health products Development of strains, which was initially based mainly on natural approaches, is also achieved by metabolic engineering that has been facilitated by the availability of genome sequences and genetic tools for transformation of some of the bacterial strains The aim of this paper is to provide a brief overview of the potential of lactic acid bacteria as biological catalysts for production of different organic compounds for food and non-food sectors based on their diversity, metabolic- and stress tolerance features, as well as the use of genetic/metabolic engineering tools for enhancing their capabilities

Synthesis of organic phase change materials (PCM) for energy storage applications: A review

Abstract: The present energy generation from renewable resources does not meet the current global demand for energy supply, and there is a need to come up with more innovative technologies that could bridge the gap between the energy supply and demand. Phase change materials (PCM) are one of the most effective and on-going fields of research in terms of energy storage. Especially, organic phase change materials (OPCM) has grabbed a lot of attention due to its excellent properties that can be combined with thermal energy storage systems to preserve renewable energy. However, the practical application of OPCM is restricted to thermal energy storage due to their low thermal conductivity and leakage during the phase change. Entrapping OPCM in a shell using different encapsulation techniques is the best solution to eradicate the leakage and boost the storage capacity of the material. This review mainly highlights the thermal energy storage and thermal properties associated with it. Moreover, we emphasise the selection of materials based on different properties and different encapsulation processes from macro to nanoscale level. Finally, the use of PCMs in various applications challenges faced, and future directions are also discussed.