Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
6490439 | Journal of Biotechnology | 2018 | 23 Pages |
Abstract
This study evaluates a biorefinery concept for producing poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) with the cyanobacterial strain Synechocystis salina. Due to this reason, pigment extraction and cell disruption were investigated as pre-treatment steps for the harvested cyanobacterial biomass. The results demonstrated that at least pigment removal was necessary to obtain PHB with processable quality (weight average molecular weight: 569-988 kg molâ1, melting temperature: 177-182 °C), which was comparable to heterotrophically produced PHB. The removed pigments could be utilised as additional by-products (chlorophylls 0.27-1.98 mg gâ1 TS, carotenoids 0.21-1.51 mg gâ1 TS, phycocyanin 0-127 mg gâ1 TS), whose concentration depended on the used nutrient source. Since the residual biomass still contained proteins (242 mg gâ1 TS), carbohydrates (6.1 mg gâ1 TS) and lipids (14 mg gâ1 TS), it could be used as animal feed or converted to biomethane (348 mn3 tâ1 VS) and fertiliser. The obtained results indicate that the combination of photoautotrophic PHB production with pigment extraction and utilisation of residual biomass offer the highest potential, since it contributes to decrease the environmental footprint of the process and because biomass could be used in a cascading way and the nutrient cycle could be closed.
Keywords
DSCΔHmAttenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopytmaxGPCPHBVATR-FTIRPHAPHBTGACH4BiomethaneThermogravimetric analysisglass transition temperatureMelting TemperatureMelting enthalpyResidual biomasspolydispersity indexDownstream processingBMPAnaerobic digestionMolecular weightWeight average molecular weightNumber average molecular weightbiochemical methane potentialPoly(3-hydroxybutyrate)Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate)polyhydroxyalkanoatePigmentsDifferential scanning calorimetryGel permeation chromatographyCrystallinity
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Bioengineering
Authors
K. Meixner, A. Kovalcik, E. Sykacek, M. Gruber-Brunhumer, W. Zeilinger, K. Markl, C. Haas, I. Fritz, N. Mundigler, F. Stelzer, M. Neureiter, W. Fuchs, B. Drosg,