Bio-conversion of methane into high profit margin compounds: an innovative, environmentally friendly and cost-effective platform for methane abatement

Cantera, Sara; Bordel, Sergio; Lebrero, Raquel; Gancedo, Juan Carlos Bada; García‐Encina, Pedro A.; Muñoz, Raúl

doi:10.1007/s11274-018-2587-4

Cited by 38 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…The localized nature of many of these anthropogenic emissions, makes it possible to implement end-of-pipe abatement technologies. In this context, the use of methanotrophic organisms constitutes an efficient solution for methane abatement, and also offers the possibility of transforming a waste gas into marketable chemicals and commodities [ 5 ], thus contributing to the development of a circular economy. The cost of glucose, which is the most commonly used substrate in industrial biotechnology, can account for 30% of the total production costs, which makes methane a very attractive alternative [ 6 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genome Scale Metabolic Model of the versatile methanotroph Methylocella silvestris

et al. 2020

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Background: Methylocella silvestris is a facultative aerobic methanotrophic bacterium which uses not only methane, but also other alkanes such as ethane and propane, as carbon and energy sources. Its high metabolic versatility, together with the availability of tools for its genetic engineering, make it a very promising platform for metabolic engineering and industrial biotechnology using natural gas as substrate. Results: The first Genome Scale Metabolic Model for M. silvestris is presented. The model has been used to predict the ability of M. silvestris to grow on 12 different substrates, the growth phenotype of two deletion mutants (ΔICL and ΔMS), and biomass yield on methane and ethanol. The model, together with phenotypic characterization of the deletion mutants, revealed that M. silvestris uses the glyoxylate shuttle for the assimilation of C1 and C2 substrates, which is unique in contrast to published reports of other methanotrophs. Two alternative pathways for propane metabolism have been identified and validated experimentally using enzyme activity tests and constructing a deletion mutant (Δ1641), which enabled the identification of acetol as one of the intermediates of propane assimilation via 2-propanol. The model was also used to integrate proteomic data and to identify key enzymes responsible for the adaptation of M. silvestris to different substrates. Conclusions: The model has been used to elucidate key metabolic features of M. silvestris, such as its use of the glyoxylate shuttle for the assimilation of one and two carbon compounds and the existence of two parallel metabolic pathways for propane assimilation. This model, together with the fact that tools for its genetic engineering already exist, paves the way for the use of M. silvestris as a platform for metabolic engineering and industrial exploitation of methanotrophs.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genome Scale Metabolic Model of the versatile methanotroph Methylocella silvestris

et al. 2020

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“…Methanol can be derived from the gasification of biomass to synthesis gas with subsequent reduction to methane, followed by oxidation to methanol. This can be achieved chemically or biologically via a variety of emerging technologies [2,3]. These processes would enable the use of biomass, municipal waste, or natural gas as feedstocks for bio-production via methanol, enabling independence from arable land and sugar production.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Benchmarking two Saccharomyces cerevisiae laboratory strains for growth and transcriptional response to methanol

Espinosa

Williams

Pretorius

et al. 2019

Synthetic and Systems Biotechnology

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One-carbon compounds, such as methanol, are becoming potential alternatives to sugars as feedstocks for the biological production of chemicals, fuels, foods, and pharmaceuticals. Efficient biological production often requires extensive genetic manipulation of a microbial host strain, making well-characterised and genetically-tractable model organisms like the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae attractive targets for the engineering of methylotrophic metabolism. S. cerevisiae strains S288C and CEN.PK are the two best-characterised and most widely used hosts for yeast synthetic biology and metabolic engineering, yet they have unpredictable metabolic phenotypes related to their many genomic differences. We therefore sought to benchmark these two strains as potential hosts for engineered methylotrophic metabolism by comparing their growth and transcriptomic responses to methanol. CEN.PK had improved growth in the presence of methanol relative to the S288C derivative BY4741. The CEN.PK transcriptome also had a specific and relevant response to methanol that was either absent or less pronounced in the BY4741 strain. This response included up-regulation of genes associated with mitochondrial and peroxisomal metabolism, alcohol and formate dehydrogenation, glutathione metabolism, and the global transcriptional regulator of metabolism MIG3. Over-expression of MIG3 enabled improved growth in the presence of methanol, suggesting that MIG3 is a mediator of the superior CEN.PK strain growth. CEN.PK was therefore identified as a superior strain for the future development of synthetic methylotrophy in S. cerevisiae.

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“…The most common feedstock used for production of PHAs are glucose and fructose, but those carbon sources have a high price, due the market price of PHAs is higher (4-20 € KgPHA -1 ) (Koller et al, 2017). PHAs are currently industrially produced by nearly thirty corporations (Cantera et al, 2019). An innovative feasible alternative to enhance the economic sustainability of the degradation and valorization of CH 4 combined to the concomitant replacement of common plastics is the coproduction of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) combined with the treatment of methane emissions (Cal et al, 2016;Pieja et al, 2017;Strong et al, 2016) .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An innovative feasible alternative to enhance the economic sustainability of the degradation and valorization of CH 4 combined to the concomitant replacement of common plastics is the coproduction of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) combined with the treatment of methane emissions (Cal et al, 2016;Pieja et al, 2017;Strong et al, 2016) . Indeed, several studies have demonstrated that methanotrophs are a potential source of bioplastics, achieving PHA contents ranging from 20 to 60 % (wt) using methane as feedstock (Cantera et al, 2019;Pieja et al, 2017). Methanotrophs are divided into two different groups according to the pathway for carbon assimilation a) type I (-proteobacteria) use the ribulose monophosphate (RuMP) pathway or b) type II (-proteobacteria) use of the serine pathway.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most of the studies reporting PHAs production using methanotrophic bacteria have been conducted with α-proteobacterial methanotrophs, since PHAs synthesis supposed to be linked with the serine cycle. Thus, acetyl-CoA molecules produced in the serine cycle are transformed into PHAs via reactions catalyzed by the enzymes β-ketothiolase (phaA),acetoacetyl-CoA reductase (phaB), and PHAs synthase (phaC) (Cantera et al, 2019). Overall, type II methanotrophic bacteria such as Methylocystis, Methylosinus and Methylocella have been considered the main methanotrophic PHA producing genera under nutrient-limited conditions (i.e N-, P-or Mg-limitation) (García-Pérez et al, 2018;Helm et al, 2008;Myung et al, 2017;Rostkowski et al, 2013;Sundstrom and Criddle, 2015;Wendlandt et al, 2001;Zhang et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The effect of temperature during culture enrichment on methanotrophic polyhydroxyalkanoate production

Pérez

Cantera

Bordel

et al. 2019

International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation

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Climate change and plastic pollution are likely the most relevant environmental problems of the 21 st Century. Thus, one of the most promising solutions to remedy both environmental problems simultaneously is the bioconversion of greenhouse gases, such as methane (CH 4), into bioplastics (PHAs). However, the optimization of this bioconversion platform is still required to turn CH 4 biotransformation into a cost-effective and costcompetitive process. In this context, the research presented here aimed at elucidating the best temperature culture conditions to enhance both PHA accumulation and methane degradation. Six different enrichments were carried out at 25, 30 and 37ºC using different inocula and methane as the only energy and carbon source. CH 4 biodegradation rates, specific growth rates, PHA accumulations and the community structure were characterized. Higher temperatures (30 and 37ºC) increased the PHAs accumulation up to 30% regardless of the inoculum. Moreover, Methylocystis became the dominant genus (~ 30% of the total population) regardless of the temperature and inoculum used. This research demonstrated for the first time the fundamental role of temperature in increasing both the accumulation of PHAs and methane abatement during the enrichment of PHA cell-factories from methane, thus enhancing the cost-effectiveness of the process.

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Bio-conversion of methane into high profit margin compounds: an innovative, environmentally friendly and cost-effective platform for methane abatement

Abstract: Bio-conversion of methane into high profit margin compounds: An innovative, environmentally friendly and cost-effective platform for methane abatement.

Cited by 38 publications

References 61 publications

Genome Scale Metabolic Model of the versatile methanotroph Methylocella silvestris

Genome Scale Metabolic Model of the versatile methanotroph Methylocella silvestris

Benchmarking two Saccharomyces cerevisiae laboratory strains for growth and transcriptional response to methanol

The effect of temperature during culture enrichment on methanotrophic polyhydroxyalkanoate production

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