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Fermentation
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Fermentations as the Key Process for Bioplastic and Bioeconomy
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Fermentations as the Key Process for Bioplastic and Bioeconomy

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 July 2021) | Viewed by 20034

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Stefania Costa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
Interests: fermentations; biotransformations; applied biocatalysis; near-infrared spectroscopy; energy from biomass; enzymatic reactions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

one of the biggest challenges in the world of material synthesis is being able to produce a polymer that has the least impact on the environment. An alternative to polymers from oil refining products are bioplastics, polymers derived from renewable and biodegradable sources. Studies carried out on these materials have shown that with the use of bioplastics, carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced by 30 to 70% compared to conventional plastics, obviously depending on the material and applications. Bioplastic is a type of plastic that can be biodegradable and bio-based. To date, the bioplastics market is a rapidly expanding sector that is focusing on both the attention of both academic and industrial research. The purpose of this special issue highlights the importance of advanced topics regarding the production of bioplastics by fermentation. In this regard, the use of agro-food waste materials of different nature leads to greater sustainability both from an economic and environmental point of view. The new downstream processes aimed at obtaining high final product yields are also of considerable importance.

Dr. Stefania Costa
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

  • Bioplastic
  • Biopolymer
  • Biobased
  • Fermentation processes
  • Downstream processes

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 11714 KiB  
Article
Bio-Based Polyisoprene Can Mitigate Climate Change and Deforestation in Expanding Rubber Production
by Rahamim Batten, Mukund Karanjikar and Sabrina Spatari
Fermentation 2021, 7(4), 204; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation7040204 - 23 Sep 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 7101
Abstract
Biomass is a promising renewable feedstock to produce polyisoprene for the rubber industry. Through metabolic engineering, sugars derived from pretreated and hydrolyzed cellulose and hemicellulose can be directly fermented to isoprene to produce rubber. Here we investigate the life cycle environmental impact of [...] Read more.
Biomass is a promising renewable feedstock to produce polyisoprene for the rubber industry. Through metabolic engineering, sugars derived from pretreated and hydrolyzed cellulose and hemicellulose can be directly fermented to isoprene to produce rubber. Here we investigate the life cycle environmental impact of isoprene fermentation to produce bio-polyisoprene from agricultural residues (of Zea mays L.). Results show that the greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity of bio-polyisoprene (−4.59 kg CO2e kg−1) is significantly lower than that of natural rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) and synthetic rubber (−0.79 and 2.41 kg CO2e kg−1, respectively), while supporting a circular biogenic carbon economy. We found the land use intensity of bio-polyisoprene to be 0.25 ha metric ton−1, which is 84% lower than that from rubber tree plantations. We compare the direct fermentation to isoprene results with indirect fermentation to isoprene through the intermediate, methyl butyl ether, where dehydration to isoprene is required. The direct fermentation of isoprene reduces reaction steps and unit operations, an expected outcome when employing process intensification, but our results show additional energy conservation and reduced contribution to climate change. Among the ReCiPe life cycle environmental impact metrics evaluated, air emission related impacts are high for bio-polyisoprene compared to those for natural and synthetic rubber. Those impacts can be reduced with air emission controls during production. All other metrics showed an improvement for bio-polyisoprene compared to natural and synthetic rubber. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fermentations as the Key Process for Bioplastic and Bioeconomy)
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16 pages, 1674 KiB  
Article
Lactate Metabolism and Microbiome Composition Are Affected by Nitrogen Gas Supply in Continuous Lactate-Based Chain Elongation
by Carlos A. Contreras-Dávila, Arielle Ali, Cees J. N. Buisman and David P. B. T. B. Strik
Fermentation 2021, 7(1), 41; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation7010041 - 20 Mar 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3830
Abstract
Chain elongation reactor microbiomes produce valuable medium-chain carboxylates (MCC) from non-sterile residual substrates where lactate is a relevant intermediate. Gas supply has been shown to impact chain elongation performance. In the present study, the effect of nitrogen gas (N2) supply on [...] Read more.
Chain elongation reactor microbiomes produce valuable medium-chain carboxylates (MCC) from non-sterile residual substrates where lactate is a relevant intermediate. Gas supply has been shown to impact chain elongation performance. In the present study, the effect of nitrogen gas (N2) supply on lactate metabolism, conversion rates, biomass growth, and microbiome composition was evaluated in a lactate-fed upflow anaerobic reactor with continuous or intermittent N2 gas supply. Successful MCC production was achieved with continuous N2 gas supply at low superficial gas velocities (SGV) of 0.22 m∙h−1. Supplying N2 at high SGV (>2 m∙h−1) either continuously (2.2 m∙h−1) or intermittently (3.6 m∙h−1) disrupted chain elongation, resulting in production of short-chain carboxylates (SCC), i.e., acetate, propionate, and n-butyrate. Caproiciproducens-dominated chain-elongating microbiomes enriched at low SGV were washed out at high SGV where Clostridium tyrobutyricum-dominated microbiomes thrived, by displaying higher lactate consumption rates. Suspended growth seemed to be dominant regardless of SGV and gas supply regime applied with no measurable sludge bed formed. The highest MCC production from lactate of 10 g COD∙L−1∙d−1 with electron selectivities of 72 ± 5%was obtained without N2 gas supply at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 1 day. The addition of 5 g∙L−1 of propionate did not inhibit chain elongation, but rather boosted lactate conversion rates towards MCC with n-heptylate reaching 1.8 g COD∙L−1∙d−1. N2 gas supply can be used for mixing purposes and to steer lactate metabolism to MCC or SCC production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fermentations as the Key Process for Bioplastic and Bioeconomy)
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12 pages, 1020 KiB  
Article
Fermentation as a Strategy for Bio-Transforming Waste into Resources: Lactic Acid Production from Agri-Food Residues
by Stefania Costa, Daniela Summa, Bruno Semeraro, Federico Zappaterra, Irene Rugiero and Elena Tamburini
Fermentation 2021, 7(1), 3; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation7010003 - 24 Dec 2020
Cited by 28 | Viewed by 5039
Abstract
Lactic acid (LA) obtained by fermentation of carbohydrates is well-known and widely used in the food sector. This process is as an alternative to the chemical synthesis and ensures several advantages especially in terms of environmental sustainability. In particularly, the opportunity to use [...] Read more.
Lactic acid (LA) obtained by fermentation of carbohydrates is well-known and widely used in the food sector. This process is as an alternative to the chemical synthesis and ensures several advantages especially in terms of environmental sustainability. In particularly, the opportunity to use agro-food residues as fermentable raw materials could improve the overall process sustainability, without considering the indisputable advantages in terms of waste reduction and residual biomass valorization, in a bio- and circular economy perspective. This research deals with the study and development of the fermentation processes of various waste biomasses from the agro-food industries, including milk whey (MW), ricotta cheese whey (RCW), pear processing residues (PPR), potato pomace (PP), tomato pomace (PT), in order to obtain an experimental protocol applicable to the production of LA. Lactobacillus casei DSM 20011 (ATCC 393), a homofermentative L(+)-LA producing bacterium has been used, starting from small-scale tests to verify of the microorganism to grow in complex medium with different carbon sources and the possible presence of potentially toxic substances for microbial growth. Yields from 27.0 ± 0.3% to 46.0 ± 0.7% have been obtained. Then, a scaling-up was performed in a 1 L batch fermenter, using a mixed medium of RCW and PPR in different ratio. The best LA yield was 78.3% with a volumetric productivity of 1.12 g/L·h in less than 60 h. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fermentations as the Key Process for Bioplastic and Bioeconomy)
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11 pages, 1717 KiB  
Article
Chestnut Shells as Waste Material for Succinic Acid Production from Actinobacillus succinogenes 130Z
by Michela Ventrone, Chiara Schiraldi, Giuseppe Squillaci, Alessandra Morana and Donatella Cimini
Fermentation 2020, 6(4), 105; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation6040105 - 6 Nov 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2713
Abstract
Currently, the full exploitation of waste materials for the production of value-added compounds is one of the potential solutions to lower costs and increase the sustainability of industrial processes. In this respect, the aim of this work was to evaluate the potential of [...] Read more.
Currently, the full exploitation of waste materials for the production of value-added compounds is one of the potential solutions to lower costs and increase the sustainability of industrial processes. In this respect, the aim of this work was to evaluate the potential of chestnut shells (CSH) as substrate for the growth of Actinobacillus succinogenes 130Z, a natural producer of succinic acid that is a precursor of several bulk chemicals with diverse applications, such as bioplastics production. Hydrolysis of ammonia pretreated CSH in citrate buffer with the Cellic CTec2 enzyme mix was optimized and strain performance was studied in bottle experiments. Data showed co-consumption of citrate, glucose and xylose, which resulted in a change of the relative ratio of produced acids, providing an insight into the metabolism of A. succinogenes that was never described to date. Furthermore, high C:N ratios seems to have a favorable impact on succinic acid production by decreasing byproduct formation. Finally, yield and volumetric production rate of succinic acid were studied in controlled 2 L bioreactors demonstrating the potential use of CSH as renewable raw material. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fermentations as the Key Process for Bioplastic and Bioeconomy)
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