Fungal‐Based Biorefinery: From Renewable Resources to Organic Acids

Abstract

Biorefineries are facilities in which lignocellulosic biomasses are converted in a wide range of bioproducts facilitating the transition from the use of petrochemical resources to renewable ones. Organic acids are considered very attractive for their utilization in different industrial areas as building blocks or as final bioproducts leading to a considerable market growth. They are metabolites which are naturally produced by microbials. The production of these molecules by filamentous fungi are attracting more attention due to their ability to hydrolyze lignocellulosic biomasses and to contextually produce different organic acids. Contrarily to a lot of other microorganisms, fungi have the ability to ferment pentoses, broadening the substrate utilization. The integrated use of lignocellulosic biomasses as material input and fungi as biocatalyst can contribute to make biorefineries more successful. This review gives an overview about the lignocellulosic biomass structure and hydrolysis, fungal morphology, and how they are connected. Further, it describes some relevant organic acids with regard to their processes, biocatalysts, industrial applications, and market considerations.

Techno-Economic Assessment of Chitin Nanofibrils Isolated from Fungi for a Pilot-Scale Biorefinery

“…With these merits, the stage is set for an environmentally sustainable fungal biorefinery, where fungal biomass not intended for human food is upcycled into a wide range of bioproducts. This contrast with previous fungal biorefinery attempts, where fungi act as biocatalysts to improve the efficiency of lignocellulosic biorefineries. , …”

“…Considering ChNFs from fungi meet current market needs in terms of ease of isolation, environmental sustainability, and multifunctional properties, , fungi in general, and mushrooms in particular, emerge as a potential source for chitinous material development. , The current low-end use of fungal biomass waste, i.e., fungi that are discarded because they are unfit for consumption, offers a starting point to develop a bioeconomy not competing with the food supply. Projects aimed at the valorization of biological wastes from the food industry can improve their economic competitiveness while reducing their environmental impacts.…”

“…This contrast with previous fungal biorefinery attempts, where fungi act as biocatalysts to improve the efficiency of lignocellulosic biorefineries. 24,25 In spite of the potential of fungal ChNFs for sustainable bioproduct development, at the present, their economic feasibility is unknown. The production cost of these materials is a question that needs to be answered to foster their implementation in real-world applications.…”

Just around the Corner: Advances in the Optimization of Yeasts and Filamentous Fungi for Lactic Acid Production

“…Filamentous fungi are even more versatile in their use of carbon sources than yeasts [ 64 ], and Rhizopus oryzae has attracted attention due to its intrinsic ability to make lactic acid and hydrolyze lignocellular biomass [ 95 ]. Saito and colleagues showed L-LA pro-duction from wheat straw powder by a simultaneous enzymatic saccharification and fermentation using the wild-type Rhizopus oryzae NBRC 5378 strain, reaching 6 g/L with a yield of 0.23 g/g relative to the cellulose and hemicellulose content in wheat straw [ 96 ].…”

Bio-based unsaturated polyester resin from post-consumer PET

“…To achieve this goal, bio-based IA was selected as a source of unsaturation of polyester, given its recent availability on an industrial scale 37 and the accompanying price reduction. 38 RDs based on low-molecular weight methacrylates and itaconates are chosen due to their sufficient reactivity and close-to-unity reactivity ratios. The hard building blocks required for achieving high-performance products with a high glass transition temperature ( T g ) are introduced through partially glycolyzed post-consumer PET.…”