The Golden Bridge for Nature: The New Biology Applied to Bioplastics

Rincones, Johana; Zeidler, Ane Fernanda Beraldi; Grassi, Maria Carolina B.; Carazzolle, Marcelo Falsarella; Pereira, Gonçalo Amarante Guimarães

doi:10.1080/15583720902834817

Cited by 21 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…Two examples of well-established processes able to produce high volumes of useful carbon chains are ethanol fermentation by yeast and lactate fermentation by lactic acid bacteria. Ethanol is used mainly as a biofuel and more recently as a substrate in polyethylene production [1]. Lactic acid is used mainly in the food industry, but is currently employed as the building block for the biodegradable plastic polylactic acid (PLA) [1].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The genome sequence of Propionibacterium acidipropionici provides insights into its biotechnological and industrial potential

et al. 2012

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BackgroundSynthetic biology allows the development of new biochemical pathways for the production of chemicals from renewable sources. One major challenge is the identification of suitable microorganisms to hold these pathways with sufficient robustness and high yield. In this work we analyzed the genome of the propionic acid producer Actinobacteria Propionibacterium acidipropionici (ATCC 4875).ResultsThe assembled P. acidipropionici genome has 3,656,170 base pairs (bp) with 68.8% G + C content and a low-copy plasmid of 6,868 bp. We identified 3,336 protein coding genes, approximately 1000 more than P. freudenreichii and P. acnes, with an increase in the number of genes putatively involved in maintenance of genome integrity, as well as the presence of an invertase and genes putatively involved in carbon catabolite repression. In addition, we made an experimental confirmation of the ability of P. acidipropionici to fix CO2, but no phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase coding gene was found in the genome. Instead, we identified the pyruvate carboxylase gene and confirmed the presence of the corresponding enzyme in proteome analysis as a potential candidate for this activity. Similarly, the phosphate acetyltransferase and acetate kinase genes, which are considered responsible for acetate formation, were not present in the genome. In P. acidipropionici, a similar function seems to be performed by an ADP forming acetate-CoA ligase gene and its corresponding enzyme was confirmed in the proteome analysis.ConclusionsOur data shows that P. acidipropionici has several of the desired features that are required to become a platform for the production of chemical commodities: multiple pathways for efficient feedstock utilization, ability to fix CO2, robustness, and efficient production of propionic acid, a potential precursor for valuable 3-carbon compounds.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ethanol is used mainly as a biofuel and more recently as a substrate in polyethylene production [1]. Lactic acid is used mainly in the food industry, but is currently employed as the building block for the biodegradable plastic polylactic acid (PLA) [1]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The genome sequence of Propionibacterium acidipropionici provides insights into its biotechnological and industrial potential

et al. 2012

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“…Thermoplastic packaging materials have in the past three decades faced an increasing demand to improve their environmental profile. As a consequence, significantly increased amounts of renewables have been used in packaging materials [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. Additionally such materials often exhibit a green profile due to their biodegradability [9][10][11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increased Performance of Thermoplastic Packaging Materials by Using a Mild Oxidizing Biobased Additive

Männle

Jørgensen

Tanem

2012

International Journal of Polymer Science

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Green additives such as prodegradants based on natural fatty acids and iron can improve the environmental profile of thermoplastic packaging materials. We present two studies in which this is demonstrated. In the first study, the addition of a green prodegradant to a 5-layer gas barrier laminate during processing provided a laminate with significantly reduced oxygen transmission due to the resulting oxygen-consuming degradation process. The result shows that material reduction and cost efficiency of packaging laminates can be combined, since 5-layer laminates with reduced oxygen barrier layer thickness and retained gas barrier properties are feasible. The products are interesting from an ecological and economic aspect. In the second study, the addition of a green prodegradant to several qualities of polypropylene that are used in packaging applications leads to materials that are readily degraded in accelerated weathering. The molecular weight of the modified polypropylenes after 830 hours of accelerated weathering is reduced from typically 80.000 g/mole to 1.500–2.500 g/mole. At such molecular weight levels, digestion by microorganisms is feasible. The mild prodegradant used in the study does not lead to degradation during processing. Thermoplastics containing such additives are therefore fully recyclable provided that they have not been exposed to a long period of weathering.

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“…Agricultural crops could be better protected through the design of SB pesticides. The chemical industry could gain the capability to produce novel chemicals as well as existing ones with greater efficiency through SB (Rincones et al. 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unpackaging synthetic biology: Identification of oversight policy problems and options

Kuzma

Tanji

2010

Regulation & Governance

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The emerging field of synthetic biology (SB) is just entering policy debates. Reports from nongovernmental organizations, such as the ETC Group and the International Risk Governance Council, have recently been issued, but there have been few systematic analyses of the policy problems that we will likely face as this area develops. Biosecurity issues are the most defined; other societal oversight issues and implications have not been well explored. Although SB could assist in addressing pressing global challenges, such as sustainable and renewable energy, there are considerable societal concerns that accompany its development and applications. This article is designed to anticipate and prepare for these concerns by identifying policy problems associated with SB oversight, upstream of its development. Projected applications of SB are reviewed and a typology of them is developed. Key oversight policy problems are then identified based on historical experiences with other emerging technologies, such as nanotechnology and biotechnology. Problems associated with biosecurity, biosafety, intellectual property, and ethics are discussed in relation to the typology of SB applications to identify applications of the highest potential concern. Finally, policy options for SB oversight are considered, preventative to promotional. We propose that different categories of SB application may warrant different oversight regimes: there might not be an appropriate "one size fits all" approach. We stop short of making specific recommendations, but suggest that the typology, problems, and oversight options identified in this article be used as a starting point for deliberative, democratic decisionmaking processes that take into account a wide range of perspectives about risk, economic impact, scientific progress, and moral reasoning in the design of oversight systems.

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The Golden Bridge for Nature: The New Biology Applied to Bioplastics

Cited by 21 publications

References 69 publications

The genome sequence of Propionibacterium acidipropionici provides insights into its biotechnological and industrial potential

The genome sequence of Propionibacterium acidipropionici provides insights into its biotechnological and industrial potential

Increased Performance of Thermoplastic Packaging Materials by Using a Mild Oxidizing Biobased Additive

Unpackaging synthetic biology: Identification of oversight policy problems and options

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