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Fermentation
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Microbial Production of Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs)
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Microbial Production of Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs)

A special issue of Fermentation (ISSN 2311-5637). This special issue belongs to the section "Industrial Fermentation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 March 2025 | Viewed by 2934

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Brian Johnston

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Wolverhampton School of Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, UK
Interests: fermentation; microbial production; polyhydroxyalkanoates; biotechnology; circular economy; cupriavidus necator; bioplastics; bio-upcycling

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biotechnology, especially fermentation, has been a shining example of science's commitment to a more sustainable future. One emerging process in this area is electro-fermentation, which controls the metabolism of electrochemically active microorganisms to produce bioelectricity and value-added molecules. Other modern techniques include solid-state and gas-phase fermentation, both offering advantages in terms of product yield and reduced contamination risk. Traditional fermentation methods have limitations in terms of yield, economic feasibility, and usability. Over the past decade, there has been a significant increase in bioconversion research focusing on using various polymeric materials, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE), lignin, and other waste streams, to produce bioplastics, such as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), through microbial cultivation.

In this Special Issue, we present studies exploring microbial strains, biodegradation processes, comparative evaluations of pure and mixed culture fermentations, applications of products, and value-added fuels and chemical synthesis with novel technological advancements. We will also highlight significant discoveries in our understanding of the biochemistry and metabolic pathways involved in plastic depolymerization and waste material recycling in relation to fermentation systems, which boost biomass yields and enhance product formation.

Dr. Brian Johnston
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fermentation is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • fermentation
  • microbial production
  • polyhydroxyalkanoates
  • biotechnology
  • circular economy
  • cupriavidus necator
  • bioplastics
  • bio‐upcycling

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 4083 KiB  
Article
Production of Potential Substitutes for Conventional Plastics Using Metabolically Engineered Acetobacterium woodii
by Franziska Höfele and Peter Dürre
Fermentation 2023, 9(9), 799; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9090799 - 30 Aug 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1109
Abstract
Increasing greenhouse gas emissions and decreasing fossil fuel supplies necessitate the development of alternative methods for producing petroleum-based commodities. Plastics are also primarily petroleum-based goods with rising demand, thus there is growing interest in plastic substitutes. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are naturally produced biopolymers that [...] Read more.
Increasing greenhouse gas emissions and decreasing fossil fuel supplies necessitate the development of alternative methods for producing petroleum-based commodities. Plastics are also primarily petroleum-based goods with rising demand, thus there is growing interest in plastic substitutes. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are naturally produced biopolymers that are utilized by microorganisms as a source of energy and carbon storage. Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) is a member of the PHA family and is considered the most promising candidate to replace polyethylene (PE). PHB is naturally produced by Cupriavidus necator, but recombinant production has also been recently established. This study is the first to investigate the heterologous production of PHB with recombinant Acetobacterium woodii using CO2 + H2 as a carbon and energy source. The introduction of a synthetic PHB production pathway resulted in the production of 1.23 g/L CDW and 1.9% PHB/cell dry weight (CDW), which corresponds to a production of 23.5 mg/L PHB. PHB quantification was simplified using LipidGreen2 fluorescence measurements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Production of Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs))
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14 pages, 1369 KiB  
Article
Exploiting Cheese Whey for Efficient Selection of Polyhydroxyalkanoates-Storing Bacteria
by Borja Lagoa-Costa, Christian Kennes and María C. Veiga
Fermentation 2023, 9(6), 574; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9060574 - 17 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1142
Abstract
Agroindustrial by-products hold an enormous potential to be bioconverted into high-value-added products such as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), a cost-effective alternative to conventional plastics. In this study, cheese whey, a highly abundant side stream of the cheese making process, was explored as a feasible substrate [...] Read more.
Agroindustrial by-products hold an enormous potential to be bioconverted into high-value-added products such as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), a cost-effective alternative to conventional plastics. In this study, cheese whey, a highly abundant side stream of the cheese making process, was explored as a feasible substrate for the selection of a mixed culture highly enriched in PHA-storing bacteria using a sequencing batch reactor under an aerobic dynamic feeding regime. For that, the absence/presence of thiourea, magnesium and iron, as well as the application of two different organic loading rates (OLR), i.e., 60 and 80 CmM d−1, were tested. The results showed an improved culture selection when thiourea, magnesium and iron were added to the culture medium as well as when the highest OLR was applied. Under these conditions, the biomass achieved a maximum PHA storage of 54% and a PHA production rate of 4.81 Cmmol-PHA L−1 h−1. Additionally, the study of the microbial community showed that during this period of maximum productivity, the biomass was enriched in Azoarcus and Amaricoccus bacterial species. Conclusively, cheese whey can be considered a good feedstock to efficiently select a mixed culture with high potential to accumulate PHA and a good way to give this by-product added value. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Production of Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs))
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