Towards a sustainable biobased industry – Highlighting the impact of extremophiles

Abstract

The transition of the oil-based economy towards a sustainable economy completely relying on biomass as renewable feedstock requires the concerted action of academia, industry, politics and civil society. An interdisciplinary approach of various fields such as microbiology, molecular biology, chemistry, genetics, chemical engineering and agriculture in addition to cross-sectional technologies such as economy, logistics and digitalization is necessary to meet the future global challenges. The genomic era has contributed significantly to the exploitation of naturés biodiversity also from extreme habitats. By applying modern technologies it is now feasible to deliver robust enzymes (extremozymes) and robust microbial systems that are active at temperatures up to 120°C, at pH 0 and 12 and at 1000bar. In the post-genomic era, different sophisticated "omics" analyses will allow the identification of countless novel enzymes regardless of the lack of cultivability of most microorganisms. Furthermore, elaborate protein-engineering methods are clearing the way towards tailor-made robust biocatalysts. Applying environmentally friendly and efficient biological processes, terrestrial and marine biomass can be converted to high value products e.g. chemicals, building blocks, biomaterials, pharmaceuticals, food, feed and biofuels. Thus, further application of extremophiles has the potential to improve sustainability of existing biotechnological processes towards a greener biobased industry.

The Hitchhiker's guide to biocatalysis: recent advances in the use of enzymes in organic synthesis

“…A good source of more stable enzymes is from organisms that live in extreme environments (extremophiles), such as thermophiles that thrive around geological vents. 51 For example, enzymes were discovered that function at temperatures up to 120 C, at extremes of pH between 0 and 12 and at pressures of 1000 bar, as well as in pure solvents and in slurries. Some have already been harnessed for industrial use, such as the glucoamylases and amylases which perform admirably in the hydrolysis of starch at temperatures above 100 C. Some enzymes, such as lipases, are stable in highly hydrophobic solvents.…”

Biosynthesis of Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) in methane-utilizing mixed cultures

“…However, methane-derived PHA is still expensive [2,3]. In this thesis, the application of mixed culture and thermophilic biotechnology [3][4][5][6] are explored as means to potentially reduce production costs [3,7]. Further, the material properties and narrow processing window of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) call for polymer modifications via incorporation of, for example, 3-hydroxyvalerate (3HV) [8].…”

“…Besides the needed investigation on symbiosis, the application of thermophiles for next generation PHA production is gaining interest given that it is beneficial for production cost reduction and microbial contamination control [3][4][5][6]. Thermophilic bioprocess is considered energy-efficient because less energy efforts are required for maintaining bioreactor-operating temperature, evidenced by a comprehensive techno-economic analysis for a large-scale production of PHA from methane [3].…”

Introductory Chapter: Renewable Resources and Biorefineries

“…These challenges include rapid depletion of fossil resources, growing global population, climate change, energy security, food and water security and soil destruction. In this sense, the long-term objectives to achieve the global bioeconomy will be to ensure food and health security, make energy provision more sustainable, explore renewable resources, make the more efficient use of resources and produce new bio-based materials [2].…”