Microbial contamination in methanol biofilters inoculated with a pure strain of Pichia pastoris: A potential limitation for waste revalorization.

Novel biotechnologies to valorize waste emissions are based on the use of specialized microbial groups that produce different compounds of industrial interest. On this scenario, the retention of such specific microorganisms in the system is of critical interest; however, the potential limitations of working with simplified cultures in a competitive open environment are neither fully explored nor well understood. In this work, a series of biofilters treating methanol vapors coupled with heterologous endochitinase production were used to evaluate the performance of a specialized microbial population during a typical open-to-environment operation.