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Review
. 2022 Jul 19:10:946085.
doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.946085. eCollection 2022.

A Review on Enhancing Cupriavidus necator Fermentation for Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) Production From Low-Cost Carbon Sources

Le Zhang  1   2 , Zicheng Jiang  3 , To-Hung Tsui  1   2 , Kai-Chee Loh  2   3 , Yanjun Dai  2   4 , Yen Wah Tong  1   2   3
Affiliations
Review

A Review on Enhancing Cupriavidus necator Fermentation for Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) Production From Low-Cost Carbon Sources

Le Zhang et al. Front Bioeng Biotechnol. .

Abstract

In the context of a circular economy, bioplastic production using biodegradable materials such as poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) has been proposed as a promising solution to fundamentally solve the disposal issue of plastic waste. PHB production techniques through fermentation of PHB-accumulating microbes such as Cupriavidus necator have been revolutionized over the past several years with the development of new strategies such as metabolic engineering. This review comprehensively summarizes the latest PHB production technologies via Cupriavidus necator fermentation. The mechanism of the biosynthesis pathway for PHB production was first assessed. PHB production efficiencies of common carbon sources, including food waste, lignocellulosic materials, glycerol, and carbon dioxide, were then summarized and critically analyzed. The key findings in enhancing strategies for PHB production in recent years, including pre-treatment methods, nutrient limitations, feeding optimization strategies, and metabolism engineering strategies, were summarized. Furthermore, technical challenges and future prospects of strategies for enhanced production efficiencies of PHB were also highlighted. Based on the overview of the current enhancing technologies, more pilot-scale and larger-scale tests are essential for future implementation of enhancing strategies in full-scale biogas plants. Critical analyses of various enhancing strategies would facilitate the establishment of more sustainable microbial fermentation systems for better waste management and greater efficiency of PHB production.

Keywords: biodegradable plastic; metabolic engineering; microbial fermentation; polyhydroxyalkanoates; process engineering; resource recovery; waste management.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Potential metabolic pathway in C. necator from glucose to acetyl-CoA precursor and further to PHB. Adaption from Karthikeyan et al. (2015).
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Proposed suggestions for further increase of the PHB yield and productivity from C. necator fermentation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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