Development of a New Method for Obtaining the Bioplastics Based on Microbial Biopolymers and Lignin

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20535/ibb.2022.6.1.253658

Keywords:

lignin, cyanobacteria, polylactic acid, polyhydroxyalkanoates, bioplastic, industrial waste, renewable materials

Abstract

Background. The ever-increasing demand for plastic polymer products with simultaneous depleting fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas, as well as the growing problem of waste disposal, creates a need to find alternative technologies that meet current trends in both environmental and economic development. Bioplastic materials that are synthesized from renewable sources and have the ability to biodegrade are considered as such an alternative. The main obstacle of modern bioplastics which makes it impossible to completely replace traditional plastics is the high cost of production. In order to reduce the cost of existing biopolymers, production waste is added to the polymer matrix. One such waste is lignin – the second most common biopolymer. An additional way to reduce the cost of production is to find more cost-effective producers. Thus, although the classical microbial synthesis has fairly high productivity, the source of carbon for the cultivation of microorganisms are sugars obtained from agricultural raw materials which could cause a threat for food industry. The new producer for production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) is cyanobacteria, the carbon source of which is carbon (IV) oxide or gas emissions from enterprises, which reduces the cost of the target product.

Objective. Development of a method for obtaining bioplastics using products of microbial synthesis and lignin.

Methods. Cyanobacteria Nostoc commune was grown using a nutrient medium BG-11 with subsequent limitation of Nitrogen for the synthesis of PHA. Hydrolyzed lignin from hardwoods was combined with polylactic acid (PLA) or cyanobacteria-synthesized PHA in different ratios with further casting of the solution to determine the ability of lignin and polymer matrix to form polymer films.

Results. The content of PHA in the cells of cyanobacteria Nostoc commune, when grown in a nutrient medium limited to Nitrogen, reached 7.8%. The synthesized polymer films based on PLA and lignin were not homogeneous, and films based on PHA and lignin were fragile.

Conclusions. The possibility of obtaining PHA by using cyanobacteria of the Nostoc commune species under environmental conditions that differ from the optimal ones for both cultivation and PHA production is shown. The possibility of obtaining a biopolymer based on lignin and PLA is shown. To form homogeneous films, it is necessary to change the standard conditions for obtaining a mixture of components. The interaction of lignin with PHA forms a homogeneous polymer mixture, which is fragile and requires the addition of plasticizers to obtain the necessary properties.

References

Geyer R, Jambeck JR, Law KL. Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made. Sci Adv. 2017;3(7):e1700782. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1700782

Bioplastics & Biopolymers Market Global Forecast to 2026 | MarketsandMarkets [Internet]. Marketsandmarkets.com. 2022 [cited 2021 Dec 31]. Available from: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/biopolymers-bioplastics-market-88795240.html

What is PLA? (Everything You Need To Know) [Internet]. Twi-global.com. 2022 [cited 2021 Dec 31]. Available from: https://www.twi-global.com/technical-knowledge/faqs/what-is-pla

Lopes MS, Jardini AL, Filho RM. Synthesis and characterizations of poly (lactic acid) by ring-opening polymerization for biomedical applications. Chem Eng Trans. 2014;38:331-6. DOI: 10.3303/CET1438056

Chen GQ. A microbial polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) based bio- and materials industry. Chem Soc Rev. 2009;38(8):2434-46. DOI: 10.1039/b812677c

Kaewbai-ngam A, Incharoensakdi A, Monshupanee T. Increased accumulation of polyhydroxybutyrate in divergent cyanobacteria under nutrient-deprived photoautotrophy: An efficient conversion of solar energy and carbon dioxide to polyhydroxybutyrate by Calothrix scytonemicola TISTR 8095. Bioresour Technol. 2016;212:342-7. DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2016.04.035

Monshupanee T, Nimdach P, Incharoensakdi A. Two-stage (photoautotrophy and heterotrophy) cultivation enables efficient production of bioplastic poly-3-hydroxybutyrate in auto-sedimenting cyanobacterium. Sci Rep. 2016 Nov 15;6(1):37121. DOI: 10.1038/srep37121

Kamravamanesh D, Pflügl S, Nischkauer W, Limbeck A, Lackner M, Herwig C. Photosynthetic poly-β-hydroxybutyrate accumulation in unicellular cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6714. AMB Express. 2017 Dec;7(1):143. DOI: 10.1186/s13568-017-0443-9

Price S, Kuzhiumparambil U, Pernice M, Ralph PJ. Cyanobacterial polyhydroxybutyrate for sustainable bioplastic produc-tion: Critical review and perspectives. J Environ Chem Eng. 2020;8(4):104007. DOI: 10.1016/j.jece.2020.104007

Ansari S, Fatma T. Cyanobacterial polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB): Screening, optimization and characterization. PLoS One. 2016 Jun 30;11(6):e0158168. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0158168

Singh MK, Rai PK, Rai A, Singh S. Poly-β-Hydroxybutyrate production by the cyanobacterium Scytonema geitleri Bharadwaja under varying environmental conditions. Biomolecules. 2019 May 21;9(5):198. DOI: 10.3390/biom9050198

Panda B, Jain P, Sharma L, Mallick N. Optimization of cultural and nutritional conditions for accumulation of poly-β-hydroxybutyrate in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Bioresour Technol. 2006 Jul;97(11):1296-301. DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2005.05.013

Jau MH, Yew SP, Toh PSY, Chong ASC, Chu WL, Phang SM, et al. Biosynthesis and mobilization of poly(3-hydroxy-butyrate) [P(3HB)] by Spirulina platensis. Int J Biol Macromol. 2005 Aug;36(3):144-51. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2005.05.002

Accelerators Lignin, Grade Standard: Industrial Grade, Rs 40 /kilogram [Internet]. indiamart.com. 2022 [cited 2021 Dec 31]. Available from: https://www.indiamart.com/proddetail/lignin-21090426788.html

Glasser WG. About making lignin great again–some lessons from the past. Front Chem. 2019 Aug 29;7:565. DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2019.00565

Lignin Market Size Growth | Global Industry Analysis Report, 2018-2025 [Internet]. Grandviewresearch.com. 2022 [cited 2021 Dec 31]. Available from: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/lignin-market

Li C, Zhao X, Wang A, Huber GW, Zhang T. Catalytic transformation of lignin for the production of chemicals and fuels. Chem Rev. 2015 Nov 11;115(21):11559-624. DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.5b00155

Behle A. Recipe for standard BG-11 media [Internet]. Protocols.io. 2022 [cited 2021 Dec 31]. Available from: https://www.protocols.io/view/recipe-for-standard-bg-11-media-7kmhku6

Yellore V, Desai A. Production of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate from lactose and whey by Methylobacterium sp. ZP24. Lett Appl Microbiol. 1998 Jun;26(6):391-4. DOI: 10.1046/j.1472-765x.1998.00362.x

Moghanjoghi SM, Ganjibakhsh M, Gohari NS, Izadpanah M, Rahmati H, Gorji ZE, et al. Establishment and characteriza-tion of rough-tailed gecko original tail cells. Cytotechnology. 2018;70(5):1337-47. DOI: 10.1007/s10616-018-0223-7

Mousavioun P, Halley PJ, Doherty WOS. Thermophysical properties and rheology of PHB/lignin blends. Ind Crops Prod. 2013;50:270-5. DOI: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2013.07.026

Anwer MAS, Naguib HE, Celzard A, Fierro V. Comparison of the thermal, dynamic mechanical and morphological properties of PLA-Lignin & PLA-Tannin particulate green composites. Compos Part B Eng. 2015;82:92-9. DOI: 10.1016/j.compositesb.2015.08.028

Wang S, Li Y, Xiang H, Zhou Z, Chang T, Zhu M. Low cost carbon fibers from bio-renewable Lignin/Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) blends. Compos Sci Technol. 2015;119:20-5. DOI: 10.1016/j.compscitech.2015.09.021

Downloads

Published

2022-05-08

How to Cite

1.
Yurchenko A, Golub N, Jinping L. Development of a New Method for Obtaining the Bioplastics Based on Microbial Biopolymers and Lignin. Innov Biosyst Bioeng [Internet]. 2022May8 [cited 2024Dec.10];6(1):25-30. Available from: https://ibb.kpi.ua/article/view/253658

Issue

Section

Articles