Abstract Cellulose, a linear polysaccharide, is the most common and renewable biopolymer in nature. Because this natural polymer cannot be melted (heated) or dissolved (in typical organic solvents), making complicated structures from it necessitates specialized material processing design. In this review, we looked at the literature to see how cellulose in various shapes and forms has been utilized in conjunction with microfluidic chips, whether as a component of the chips, being processed by a chip, or providing characterization via chips. We utilized more than approximately 250 sources to compile this publication, and we sought to portray cellulose manufacturing utilizing a microfluidic system. The findings reveal that a variety of products, including elongated fibres, microcapsules, core–shell structures and particles, and 3D or 2D structured microfluidics-based devices, may be easily built utilizing the coupled topics of microfluidics and cellulose. This review is intended to provide a concise, visual, yet comprehensive depiction of current research on the topic of cellulose product design and understanding using microfluidics, including, but not limited to, paper-based microfluidics design and implications, and the emulsification/shape formation of cellulose inside the chips.

Abstract European caves contain some of the world’s greatest Paleolithic paintings, and their conservation is at risk due to the use of artificial lighting. Both lighting and high CO2 promotes the growth of phototrophic organisms on walls, speleothems and ground sediments. In addition, the combined effect of increases in CO2 , vapor concentration and temperature variations induced by visitors can directly affect the development of corrosion processes on the cave rock surfaces. An early detection of the occurrence of phototrophic biofilms on Paleolithic paintings is of the utmost importance, as well as knowing the microorganisms involved in the colonization of rocks and walls. Knowledge of the colonizing species and their ecology will allow the adoption of control measures. However, this is not always possible due to the limited amount of biomass available for molecular analyses. Here, we present an alternative approach to study faint green biofilms of Chlorophyta in the initial stage of colonization on the Polychrome Panel in El Castillo Cave, Cantabria, Spain. The study of the biofilms collected on the rock art panel and in the ground sediments revealed that the lighting of the cave promoted the development of the green algae Jenufa and Coccomyxa, as well as of complex prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities, including amoebae, their endoparasites and associated bacteria and fungi. The enrichment method used is proposed as a tool to overcome technical constraints in characterizing biofilms in the early stages, allowing a preliminary characterization before deciding for direct or indirect interventions in the cave.