Advances in Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) Production

Advances in Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) Production
Author: Martin Koller
Publisher: MDPI
Total Pages: 259
Release: 2018-03-23
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3038426377

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Advances in Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) Production" that was published in Bioengineering

Advances in Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) Production, Volume 2

Advances in Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) Production, Volume 2
Author: Martin Koller
Publisher: MDPI
Total Pages: 202
Release: 2020-05-20
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3039286404

Nowadays, we are witnessing highly dynamic research activities related to the intriguing field of biodegradable materials with plastic-like properties. These activities are stimulated by the strengthened public awareness of prevailing ecological issues connected to growing piles of plastic waste and increasing greenhouse gas emissions; this goes hand-in-hand with the ongoing depletion of fossil feedstocks, which are traditionally used to produce full carbon backbone polymers. Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biopolyesters, a family of plastic-like materials with versatile material properties, are increasing considered to be a future-oriented solution for diminishing these concerns. PHA production is based on renewable resources and occurs in a bio-mediated fashion through the action of living organisms. If accomplished in an optimized way, PHA production and the entire PHA lifecycle are embedded into natureĀ“s closed cycles of carbon. Sustainable and efficient PHA production requires understanding and improvement of all the individual process steps. Holistic improvement of PHA production, applicable on an industrially relevant scale, calls for, inter alia, consolidated knowledge about the enzymatic and genetic particularities of PHA-accumulating organisms, an in-depth understanding of the kinetics of the bioprocess, the selection of appropriate inexpensive fermentation feedstocks, tailoring of PHA composition at the level of its monomeric constituents, optimized biotechnological engineering, and novel strategies for PHA recovery from biomass characterized by low energy and chemical requirements. This Special Issue represents a comprehensive compilation of articles in which these individual aspects have been addressed by globally recognized experts.

Microbial-based Polyhydroxyalkanoates

Microbial-based Polyhydroxyalkanoates
Author: Amirul Al-Ashraf
Publisher:
Total Pages: 200
Release: 2015-08-18
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9781909030619

Polyhydroxyalkanoate(s) (PHA) are a group of natural biopolymers which are synthesised by a wide variety of microbial genera. PHA are biodegradable and biocompatible thermoplastics consisting of a repeated chain of various hydroxyalkanoate monomers. PHA are envisioned to be one of the most promising and futuristic materials which will be beneficial to mankind and the world. Current world trends are focused on sustainable development from renewable and eco-friendly resources; hence, PHA have garnered growing attention as an alternative to petroleum-based plastics. 'Microbial-based Polyhydroxyalkanoates: Upstream and Downstream Processing' has two main objectives: firstly, the major pipelines in processing this beneficial biopolymer are reviewed from upstream to downstream. The upstream processing section includes the isolation of PHA producers, biosynthesis of PHA, genetic modification of PHA producers and optimisation of PHA production; while the downstream processing review covers PHA recovery and purification, degradation, quantification, characterisation, as well as the applications of PHA. Readers will be exposed to introductory information, along with some necessary concepts behind each subject. The second objective of this book is to provide readers with the recent advances on each PHA processing field. Being updated with recent findings will provide readers with an insight into how the research trends for each subject are evolving over time. These updates will become useful case studies and quick references to readers from various areas of academia and industry.

Environmental and Agricultural Microbiology

Environmental and Agricultural Microbiology
Author: Bibhuti Bhusan Mishra
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 466
Release: 2021-09-22
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 111952623X

Environmental and Agricultural Microbiology Uniquely reveals the state-of-the-art microbial research/advances in the environment and agriculture fields Environmental and Agricultural Microbiology: Applications for Sustainability is divided into two parts which embody chapters on sustenance and life cycles of microorganisms in various environmental conditions, their dispersal, interactions with other inhabited communities, metabolite production, and reclamation. Though books pertaining to soil & agricultural microbiology/environmental biotechnology are available, there is a dearth of comprehensive literature on the behavior of microorganisms in the environmental and agricultural realm. Part 1 includes bioremediation of agrochemicals by microalgae, detoxification of chromium and other heavy metals by microbial biofilm, microbial biopolymer technology including polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) and polyhydroxybutyrates (PHB), their production, degradability behaviors, and applications. Biosurfactants production and their commercial importance are also systematically represented in this part. Part 2 having 9 chapters, facilitates imperative ideas on approaches for sustainable agriculture through functional soil microbes, next-generation crop improvement strategies via rhizosphere microbiome, production and implementation of liquid biofertilizers, mitigation of methane from livestock, chitinases from microbes, extremozymes, an enzyme from extremophilic microorganism and their relevance in current biotechnology, lithobiontic communities, and their environmental importance, have all been comprehensively elaborated. In the era of sustainable energy production, biofuel and other bioenergy products play a key role, and their production from microbial sources are frontiers for researchers. The final chapter unveils the importance of microbes and their consortia for management of solid waste in amalgamation with biotechnology Audience The book will be read by environmental microbiologists, biotechnologists, chemical and agricultural engineers.

Biopolyesters

Biopolyesters
Author: Wolfgang Babel
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 345
Release: 2003-07-01
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3540400214

Living systems synthesize seven different classes of polymers. They provide structure and form for cells and organisms, function as catalysts and energy storage and carry the genetic information. All these polymers possess technically interesting properties. Some of these biopolymers are already used commercially. This special volume of Advances in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology comprises 10 chapters. It gives an overview of the water insoluble biopolyesters, in particular of the microbially synthesized poly-hydroxyalkanoate (PHA) family. It reports the state of the art of metabolism, regulation and genetic background, the latest advances made in genetic optimization of bacteria, "construction" of transgenic plants and in vitro synthesis by means of purified enzymes. Furthermore, it describes relevant technologies and evaluates perspectives concerning increasing the economic viability and competitiveness of PHA and discusses applications in medicine, packaging, food and other fields.

Microbial-based Polyhydroxyalkanoates

Microbial-based Polyhydroxyalkanoates
Author: Amirul Al-Ashraf Abdullah
Publisher: Smithers Rapra
Total Pages: 200
Release: 2015-08-20
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1909030643

Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) is a group of natural biopolymers synthesised by a wide variety of microbial genera. It is a biodegradable and biocompatible thermoplastic consisting of a repeated chain of various hydroxyalkanoate monomers.PHA is envisioned to be one of the most prospective and futuristic materials which is beneficial to mankind and to the world. In current world trends which concerns at the sustainable development from renewable and eco-friendly resources, PHA has garnered a growing attention as an alternative to petroleum based plastics.The book comes with two main objectives. In this book, major pipelines in processing this beneficial biopolymer were first reviewed from upstream to the downstream. The upstream processing includes the isolation of PHA producers, biosynthesis of PHA, genetic modification of PHA producers and optimisation of PHA production; meanwhile the downstream processing covers the PHA recovery and purification, degradation, quantification, characterisation, as well as the application of PHA. Readers will be exposed to the introductory information, along with some necessary concepts behind each subject.The second objective of this book is to provide readers with the recent advances on each PHA processing field. Being updated with the recent findings, this will provide an insight to readers on how the research trends for each subject are evolving from time to time. These updates will become useful case studies and quick references to readers from various areas, either from academia or industry.

Lignocellulose Conversion

Lignocellulose Conversion
Author: Vincenza Faraco
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 207
Release: 2013-06-12
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3642378617

Bioethanol has been recognized as a potential alternative to petroleum-derived transportation fuels. Even if cellulosic biomass is less expensive than corn and sugarcane, the higher costs for its conversion make the near-term price of cellulosic ethanol higher than that of corn ethanol and even more than that of sugarcane ethanol. Conventional process for bioethanol production from lignocellulose includes a chemical/physical pre-treatment of lignocellulose for lignin removal, mostly based on auto hydrolysis and acid hydrolysis, followed by saccharification of the free accessible cellulose portions of the biomass. The highest yields of fermentable sugars from cellulose portion are achieved by means of enzymatic hydrolysis, currently carried out using a mix of cellulases from the fungus Trichoderma reesei. Reduction of (hemi)cellulases production costs is strongly required to increase competitiveness of second generation bioethanol production. The final step is the fermentation of sugars obtained from saccharification, typically performed by the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The current process is optimized for 6-carbon sugars fermentation, since most of yeasts cannot ferment 5-carbon sugars. Thus, research is aimed at exploring new engineered yeasts abilities to co-ferment 5- and 6-carbon sugars. Among the main routes to advance cellulosic ethanol, consolidate bio-processing, namely direct conversion of biomass into ethanol by a genetically modified microbes, holds tremendous potential to reduce ethanol production costs. Finally, the use of all the components of lignocellulose to produce a large spectra of biobased products is another challenge for further improving competitiveness of second generation bioethanol production, developing a biorefinery.