(250a) Biodegradable Polyhydroxyalkanoate Production from Lignocellulosic Biomass

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are biodegradable polyesters that can be produced by various microorganisms as a means of storing carbon and energy. Lignocellulosic biomass, which includes materials such as wood, grasses, and agricultural residues, is a promising feedstock for the production of PHA due to its abundance, low cost, and renewability. However, most microorganisms can’t utilize the polysaccharides (cellulose and hemicellulose) in biomass directly. Cellulose and hemicellulose in biomass need to be hydrolyzed into sugars (glucose and xylose) first. The biomass hydrolysis process has two steps: pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis. In this work, two biomass feedstocks were studied: corn stover and municipal solid waste (MSW). Parameters during alkali pretreatment, such as alkali type, concentration, temperature, time length, solid loading, etc., were optimized to maximize the sugar yield while minimizing the inhibitor production. The second step was enzymatic hydrolysis using commercial enzyme cocktails. The obtained hydrolysates were then used as carbon sources to cultivate Pseudomonas putida KT2440 for PHA production. The hydrolysates’ toxicity and influence on PHA titer and yield were evaluated. Overall, the production of PHA from lignocellulosic biomass has the potential to be a sustainable and economically viable approach to the production of biodegradable plastics.