Toward the use of mixed microbial cultures for the biological production of adipic and levulinic acid.

Biological synthesis of high added-value compounds like adipic acid (AA), levulinic acid (LA), or polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) using pure culture has been separately reported. However, pure culture requires sterile conditions and the use of specific carbon sources resulting in high operating costs. Different alternatives based on the use of mixed microbial cultures (MMC) have been explored to resolve this problem.

Process Design for Value-Added Products in a Biorefinery Platform from Agro and Forest Industrial Byproducts.

Agroforestry wastes are industrial byproducts available locally such as eucalyptus sawdust (EUC) and sugarcane bagasse (SCB). These byproducts can be used as lignocellulosic raw materials to produce high-value products. This study is a techno-economic analysis of four potential scenarios to produce polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and levulinic acid (LA) from hemicellulosic sugars by a fermentative pathway in a biomass waste biorefinery.

Biocomposites of Bio-Polyethylene Reinforced with a Hydrothermal-Alkaline Sugarcane Bagasse Pulp and Coupled with a Bio-Based Compatibilizer.

Bio-polyethylene (BioPE, derived from sugarcane), sugarcane bagasse pulp, and two compatibilizers (fossil and bio-based), were used to manufacture biocomposite filaments for 3D printing. Biocomposite filaments were manufactured and characterized in detail, including measurement of water absorption, mechanical properties, thermal stability and decomposition temperature (thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA)). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was performed to measure the glass transition temperature (Tg).

Strategy for biological co-production of levulinic acid and polyhydroxyalkanoates by using mixed microbial cultures fed with synthetic hemicellulose hydrolysate.

Hemicellulose hydrolysates (HH), which could be an interesting carbon source to feed mixed microbial cultures (MMC) able to accumulate high value-added compounds. This research focused on the evaluation of a culture strategy to achieve the simultaneous biological production of Levulinic Acid (LA) and Polyhydroxyalcanoates (PHA) by MMC fed with a synthetic HH (SHH). The culture strategy involves the use of sequential batch reactors (SBR) to select microorganisms capable of producing LA and PHA.

Influence of initial chemical composition and characteristics of pulps on the production and properties of lignocellulosic nanofibers.

This work aimed to study the influence of the initial chemical composition (glucans, lignin, xylan, and mannans), intrinsic viscosity, and carboxylate groups of pulps on the production process and final properties of lignocellulosic nanofibers (LCNF). Pulps of pine sawdust, eucalyptus sawdust, and sugarcane bagasse subjected to conventional pulping and highly oxidized processes were the starting materials. The LCNF were obtained by TEMPO mediated oxidation and mechanical fibrillation with a colloidal grinder.