| 1. |
- Matsakas, Leonidas, et al.
(författare)
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Biological Production of 3-Hydroxypropionic Acid : An Update on the Current Status
- 2018
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Ingår i: Fermentation. - : MDPI. - 2311-5637. ; 4:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The production of high added-value chemicals from renewable resources is a necessity inour attempts to switch to a more sustainable society. 3-Hydroxypropionic acid (3HP) is a promisingmolecule that can be used for the production of an important array of high added-value chemicals,such as 1,3-propanediol, acrylic acid, acrylamide, and bioplastics. Biological production of 3HP hasbeen studied extensively, mainly from glycerol and glucose, which are both renewable resources.To enable conversion of these carbon sources to 3HP, extensive work has been performed to identifyappropriate biochemical pathways and the enzymes that are involved in them. Novel enzymeshave also been identified and expressed in host microorganisms to improve the production yieldsof 3HP. Various process configurations have also been proposed, resulting in improved conversionyields. The intense research efforts have resulted in the production of as much as 83.8 g/L 3HP fromrenewable carbon resources, and a system whereby 3-hydroxypropionitrile was converted to 3HPthrough whole-cell catalysis which resulted in 184.7 g/L 3HP. Although there are still challengesand difficulties that need to be addressed, the research results from the past four years have been animportant step towards biological production of 3HP at the industrial level.
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| 2. |
- Patel, Alok, Dr. 1989-, et al.
(författare)
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Volatile Fatty Acids (VFAs) Generated by Anaerobic Digestion Serve as Feedstock for Freshwater and Marine Oleaginous Microorganisms to Produce Biodiesel and Added-Value Compounds
- 2021
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Microbiology. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 1664-302X. ; 12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Given an increasing focus on environmental sustainability, microbial oils have been suggested as an alternative to petroleum-based products. However, microbial oil production relies on the use of costly sugar-based feedstocks. Substrate limitation, elevated costs, and risk of contamination have sparked the search for alternatives to sugar-based platforms. Volatile fatty acids are generated during anaerobic digestion of organic waste and are considered a promising substrate for microbial oil production. In the present study, two freshwater and one marine microalga along with two thraustochytrids were evaluated for their potential to produce lipids when cultivated on volatile fatty acids generated from food waste via anaerobic digestion using a membrane bioreactor. Freshwater microalgae Auxenochlorella protothecoides and Chlorella sorokiniana synthesized lipids rich in palmitic acid (C16:0), stearic acid (C18:0), oleic acid (C18:1), and linoleic acid (C18:2). This composition corresponds to that of soybean and jatropha oils, which are used as biodiesel feedstock. Production of added-value polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) mainly omega-3 fatty acids was examined in three different marine strains: Aurantiochytrium sp. T66, Schizochytrium limacinum SR21, and Crypthecodinium cohnii. Only Aurantiochytrium sp. T66 seemed promising, generating 43.19% docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and 13.56% docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) in total lipids. In summary, we show that A. protothecoides, C. sorokiniana, and Aurantiochytrium sp. T66 can be used for microbial oil production from food waste material.
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| 3. |
- Patel, Alok, Dr. 1989-, et al.
(författare)
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Microbial genetic engineering approach to replace shark livering for squalene
- 2022
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Ingår i: Trends in Biotechnology. - : Elsevier. - 0167-7799 .- 1879-3096. ; 40:10, s. 1261-1273
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Squalene is generally sourced from the liver oil of deep sea sharks (Squalus spp.), in which it accounts for 40–70% of liver mass. To meet the growing demand for squalene because of its beneficial effects for human health, three to six million deep sea sharks are slaughtered each year, profoundly endangering marine ecosystems. To overcome this unsustainable practice, microbial sources of squalene might offer a viable alternative to plant- or animal-based squalene, although only a few microorganisms have been found that are capable of synthesizing up to 30% squalene of dry biomass by native biosynthetic pathways. These squalene biosynthetic pathways, on the other hand, can be genetically manipulated to transform microorganisms into 'cellular factories' for squalene overproduction.
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| 4. |
- Muraleedharan, Madhu Nair, et al.
(författare)
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Isolation and modification of nano-scale cellulose from organosolv-treated birch through the synergistic activity of LPMO and endoglucanases
- 2021
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Ingår i: International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. - : Elsevier. - 0141-8130 .- 1879-0003. ; 183, s. 101-109
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nanocellulose isolation from lignocellulose is a tedious and expensive process with high energy and harsh chemical requirements, primarily due to the recalcitrance of the substrate, which otherwise would have been cost-effective due to its abundance. Replacing the chemical steps with biocatalytic processes offers opportunities to solve this bottleneck to a certain extent due to the enzymes substrate specificity and mild reaction chemistry. In this work, we demonstrate the isolation of sulphate-free nanocellulose from organosolv pretreated birch biomass using different glycosyl-hydrolases, along with accessory oxidative enzymes including a lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase (LPMO). The suggested process produced colloidal nanocellulose suspensions (ζ-potential −19.4 mV) with particles of 7–20 nm diameter, high carboxylate content and improved thermostability (To = 301 °C, Tmax = 337 °C). Nanocelluloses were subjected to post-modification using LPMOs of different regioselectivity. The sample from chemical route was the least favorable for LPMO to enhance the carboxylate content, while that from the C1-specific LPMO treatment showed the highest increase in carboxylate content.
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| 5. |
- Lage, Sandra, et al.
(författare)
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Microalgae Cultivation for the Biotransformation of Birch Wood Hydrolysate and Dairy Effluent
- 2019
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Ingår i: Catalysts. - : MDPI. - 2073-4344. ; 9:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In order to investigate environmentally sustainable sources of organic carbon and nutrients, four Nordic green microalgal strains, Chlorella sorokiniana, Chlorella saccharophila, Chlorella vulgaris, and Coelastrella sp., were grown on a wood (Silver birch, Betula pendula) hydrolysate and dairy effluent mixture. The biomass and lipid production were analysed under mixotrophic, as well as two-stage mixotrophic/heterotrophic regimes. Of all of the species, Coelastrella sp. produced the most total lipids per dry weight (~40%) in the mixture of birch hydrolysate and dairy effluent without requiring nutrient (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium-NPK) supplementation. Overall, in the absence of NPK, the two-stage mixotrophic/heterotrophic cultivation enhanced the lipid concentration, but reduced the amount of biomass. Culturing microalgae in integrated waste streams under mixotrophic growth regimes is a promising approach for sustainable biofuel production, especially in regions with large seasonal variation in daylight, like northern Sweden. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of using a mixture of wood hydrolysate and dairy effluent for the growth and lipid production of microalgae in the literature.
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| 6. |
- Matsakas, Leonidas, et al.
(författare)
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A novel hybrid organosolv: Steam explosion method for the efficient fractionation and pretreatment of birch biomass
- 2018
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Ingår i: Biotechnology for Biofuels. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1754-6834 .- 1754-6834. ; 11:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The main role of pretreatment is to reduce the natural biomass recalcitrance and thus enhance saccharification yield. A further prerequisite for efficient utilization of all biomass components is their efficient fractionation into well-defined process streams. Currently available pretreatment methods only partially fulfill these criteria. Steam explosion, for example, excels as a pretreatment method but has limited potential for fractionation, whereas organosolv is excellent for delignification but offers poor biomass deconstruction. Results: In this article, a hybrid method combining the cooking and fractionation of conventional organosolv pretreatment with the implementation of an explosive discharge of the cooking mixture at the end of pretreatment was developed. The effects of various pretreatment parameters (ethanol content, duration, and addition of sulfuric acid) were evaluated. Pretreatment of birch at 200 °C with 60% v/v ethanol and 1% w/wbiomassH2SO4was proven to be the most efficient pretreatment condition yielding pretreated solids with 77.9% w/w cellulose, 8.9% w/w hemicellulose, and 7.0 w/w lignin content. Under these conditions, high delignification of 86.2% was demonstrated. The recovered lignin was of high purity, with cellulose and hemicellulose contents not exceeding 0.31 and 3.25% w/w, respectively, and ash to be < 0.17% w/w in all cases, making it suitable for various applications. The pretreated solids presented high saccharification yields, reaching 68% at low enzyme load (6 FPU/g) and complete saccharification at high enzyme load (22.5 FPU/g). Finally, simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) at 20% w/w solids yielded an ethanol titer of 80 g/L after 192 h, corresponding to 90% of the theoretical maximum. Conclusions: The novel hybrid method developed in this study allowed for the efficient fractionation of birch biomass and production of pretreated solids with high cellulose and low lignin contents. Moreover, the explosive discharge at the end of pretreatment had a positive effect on enzymatic saccharification, resulting in high hydrolyzability of the pretreated solids and elevated ethanol titers in the following high-gravity SSF. To the best of our knowledge, the ethanol concentration obtained with this method is the highest so far for birch biomass.
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| 7. |
- Matsakas, Leonidas, et al.
(författare)
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A novel hybrid organosolv-steam explosion pretreatment and fractionation method delivers solids with superior thermophilic digestibility to methane
- 2020
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Ingår i: Bioresource Technology. - : Elsevier. - 0960-8524 .- 1873-2976. ; 316
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Rising environmental concerns and the imminent depletion of fossil resources have sparked a strong interest towards the production of renewable energy such as biomethane. Inclusion of alternative feedstock’s such as lignocellulosic biomass could further expand the production of biomethane. The present study evaluated the potential of a novel hybrid organosolv-steam explosion fractionation for delivering highly digestible pretreated solids from birch and spruce woodchips. The highest methane production yield was 176.5 mLCH4 gVS−1 for spruce and 327.2 mL CH4 gVS−1 for birch. High methane production rates of 1.0–6.3 mL min−1 (spruce) and 6.0–35.5 mL min−1 (birch) were obtained, leading to a rapid digestion, with 92% of total methane from spruce being generated in 80 h and 95% of that from birch in 120 h. These results demonstrate the elevated potential of the novel method to fractionate spruce and birch biomass and deliver cellulose-rich pretreated solids with superior digestibility.
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| 8. |
- Matsakas, Leonidas, et al.
(författare)
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High-Titer Methane from Organosolv-Pretreated Spruce and Birch
- 2017
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Ingår i: Energies. - : MDPI. - 1996-1073. ; 10:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The negative impact of fossil fuels and the increased demand for renewable energy sources has led to the use of novel raw material sources. Lignocellulosic biomass could serve as a possible raw material for anaerobic digestion and production of biogas. This work is aimed at using forest biomass, both softwood (spruce) and hardwood (birch), as a raw material for anaerobic digestion. We examined the effect of different operational conditions for the organosolv pretreatment (ethanol content, duration of treatment, and addition of acid catalyst) on the methane yield. In addition, we investigated the effect of addition of cellulolytic enzymes during the digestion. We found that inclusion of an acid catalyst during organosolv pretreatment improved the yields from spruce, but it did not affect the yields from birch. Shorter duration of treatment was advantageous with both materials. Methane yields from spruce were higher with lower ethanol content whereas higher ethanol content was more beneficial for birch. The highest yields obtained were 185 mL CH4/g VS from spruce and 259.9 mL CH4/g VS from birch. Addition of cellulolytic enzymes improved these yields to 266.6 mL CH4/g VS and 284.2 mL CH4/g VS, respectively.
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| 9. |
- Matsakas, Leonidas, et al.
(författare)
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Lignin-first biomass fractionation using a hybrid organosolv – Steam explosion pretreatment technology improves the saccharification and fermentability of spruce biomass
- 2019
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Ingår i: Bioresource Technology. - : Elsevier. - 0960-8524 .- 1873-2976. ; 273, s. 521-528
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- For a transition to a sustainable society, fuels, chemicals, and materials should be produced from renewable resources. Lignocellulosic biomass constitutes an abundant and renewable feedstock; however, its successful application in a biorefinery requires efficient fractionation into its components; cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Here, we demonstrate that a newly established hybrid organosolv – steam explosion pretreatment can effectively fractionate spruce biomass to yield pretreated solids with high cellulose (72% w/w) and low lignin (delignification up to 79.4% w/w) content. The cellulose-rich pretreated solids present high saccharification yields (up to 61% w/w) making them ideal for subsequent bioconversion processes. Moreover, under high-gravity conditions (22% w/w) we obtained an ethanol titer of 61.7 g/L, the highest so far reported for spruce biomass. Finally, the obtained high-purity lignin is suitable for various advanced applications. In conclusion, hybrid organosolv pretreatment could offer a closed-loop biorefinery while simultaneously adding value to all biomass components.
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| 10. |
- Vyas, Sachin, et al.
(författare)
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Structural and Molecular Characterization of Squalene Synthase Belonging to the Marine Thraustochytrid Species Aurantiochytrium limacinum Using Bioinformatics Approach
- 2022
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Ingår i: Marine Drugs. - : MDPI. - 1660-3397 .- 1660-3397. ; 20:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The marine microorganisms thraustochytrids have been explored for their potential in the production of various bioactive compounds, such as DHA, carotenoids, and squalene. Squalene is a secondary metabolite of the triterpenoid class and is known for its importance in various industrial applications. The bioinformatic analysis for squalene synthase (SQS) gene (the first key enzyme in the tri-terpenoid synthesis pathway), that is prevailing among thraustochytrids, is poorly investigated. In-silico studies combining sequence alignments and bioinformatic tools helped in the preliminary characterization of squalene synthases found in Aurantiochytrium limacinum. The sequence contained highly conserved regions for SQS found among different species indicated the enzyme had all the regions for its functionality. The signal peptide sequence and transmembrane regions were absent, indicating an important aspect of the subcellular localization. Secondary and 3-D models generated using appropriate templates demonstrated the similarities with SQS of the other species. The 3-D model also provided important insights into possible active, binding, phosphorylation, and glycosylation sites.
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