The Role of Microbial Biotechnology in the Development of Sustainable Biopolymers

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Microbial Biotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 January 2025 | Viewed by 3476

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Área de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Departamento de Biología Molecular, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, Leon, Spain
Interests: microbial biotechnology; biopolymers; extraction processes; PHAs; environmental biotechnology

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Guest Editor
Centro de Biocombustibles y Bioproductos, Instituto Tecnológico Agrario de Castilla y León (ITACyL), Polígono Agroindustrial del Órbigo p. 2-6, Villarejo de Órbigo, 24358 Leon, Spain
Interests: microbial biotechnology; biopolymers; circular economy; PHAs; environmental biotechnology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The widespread use of traditional plastics has resulted in governments and citizens today being confronted with their harmful effects on the environment and on human and animal health. For this reason, and considering the global demands of society, the search for new polymers that can replace petroleum-based plastics is urgent. In this sense, microbial synthesized polymers are considered to be the main candidates to achieve this change, mainly due to the interesting properties they exhibit, e.g., biodegradability, biocompatibility, non-toxicity, and thermoplasticity, in addition to the improvement of these properties through the subsequent derivatives that can be obtained through post-synthesis chemical treatments. However, one of the current barriers to industrial-scale production is the high cost of the pure substrates. Within the framework of new environmental policies, the use of renewable raw materials and by-products is considered as the first option to achieve feasible industrial production. This approach also facilitates the integration of the production of new biopolymers into circular economy strategies. Microbial biotechnology allows progress to be made on new developments to replace traditional plastics. New biotechnological techniques have made it possible to study the mechanisms of biopolymer synthesis in microorganisms in depth. In addition, they have made it possible to introduce new functionalities into the microorganism in order to valorize residues of different natures, to increase the production yield or even to improve the mechanical properties of the biopolymers. We are confident that the new advances related to the topic of this Special Issue will be of great interest to many professionals and academics. It is a pleasure to invite you to submit original articles or reviews on the importance of microbial biotechnology and new genomic advances in the development of new biopolymers.

Dr. Alejandro Chamizo-Ampudia
Dr. Silvia González-Rojo
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • microbial biotechnology
  • biopolymers
  • circular economy
  • waste valorization
  • bioplastics
  • sustainable polymers
  • microorganisms
  • microalgae

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 2320 KiB  
Article
Alkaline-Tolerant Bacillus cereus 12GS: A Promising Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) Producer Isolated from the North of Mexico
by Gustavo de J. San Miguel-González, María E. Alemán-Huerta, Raul E. Martínez-Herrera, Isela Quintero-Zapata, Susana de la Torre-Zavala, Hamlet Avilés-Arnaut, Fátima L. Gandarilla-Pacheco and Erick de J. de Luna-Santillana
Microorganisms 2024, 12(5), 863; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12050863 - 26 Apr 2024
Viewed by 1751
Abstract
Environmental pollution caused by petroleum-derived plastics continues to increase annually. Consequently, current research is interested in the search for eco-friendly bacterial polymers. The importance of Bacillus bacteria as producers of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) has been recognized because of their physiological and genetic qualities. In [...] Read more.
Environmental pollution caused by petroleum-derived plastics continues to increase annually. Consequently, current research is interested in the search for eco-friendly bacterial polymers. The importance of Bacillus bacteria as producers of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) has been recognized because of their physiological and genetic qualities. In this study, twenty strains of Bacillus genus PHA producers were isolated. Production was initially evaluated qualitatively to screen the strains, and subsequently, the strain B12 or Bacillus sp. 12GS, with the highest production, was selected through liquid fermentation. Biochemical and molecular identification revealed it as a novel isolate of Bacillus cereus. Production optimization was carried out using the Taguchi methodology, determining the optimal parameters as 30 °C, pH 8, 150 rpm, and 4% inoculum, resulting in 87% and 1.91 g/L of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB). Kinetic studies demonstrated a higher production within 48 h. The produced biopolymer was analyzed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), confirming the production of short-chain-length (scl) polyhydroxyalkanoate, named PHB, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis revealed thermal properties, making it a promising material for various applications. The novel B. cereus isolate exhibited a high %PHB, emphasizing the importance of bioprospecting, study, and characterization for strains with biotechnological potential. Full article
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Review

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18 pages, 1364 KiB  
Review
Advances in Microbial Biotechnology for Sustainable Alternatives to Petroleum-Based Plastics: A Comprehensive Review of Polyhydroxyalkanoate Production
by Silvia González-Rojo, Ana Isabel Paniagua-García and Rebeca Díez-Antolínez
Microorganisms 2024, 12(8), 1668; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12081668 - 13 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1126
Abstract
The industrial production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) faces several limitations that hinder their competitiveness against traditional plastics, mainly due to high production costs and complex recovery processes. Innovations in microbial biotechnology offer promising solutions to overcome these challenges. The modification of the biosynthetic pathways [...] Read more.
The industrial production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) faces several limitations that hinder their competitiveness against traditional plastics, mainly due to high production costs and complex recovery processes. Innovations in microbial biotechnology offer promising solutions to overcome these challenges. The modification of the biosynthetic pathways is one of the main tactics; allowing for direct carbon flux toward PHA formation, increasing polymer accumulation and improving polymer properties. Additionally, techniques have been implemented to expand the range of renewable substrates used in PHA production. These feedstocks are inexpensive and plentiful but require costly and energy-intensive pretreatment. By removing the need for pretreatment and enabling the direct use of these raw materials, microbial biotechnology aims to reduce production costs. Furthermore, improving downstream processes to facilitate the separation of biomass from culture broth and the recovery of PHAs is critical. Genetic modifications that alter cell morphology and allow PHA secretion directly into the culture medium simplify the extraction and purification process, significantly reducing operating costs. These advances in microbial biotechnology not only enhance the efficient and sustainable production of PHAs, but also position these biopolymers as a viable and competitive alternative to petroleum-based plastics, contributing to a circular economy and reducing the dependence on fossil resources. Full article
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