Production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) as chemicals or substrates for microbes to obtain biochemicals

Biotechnology for Biofuels and Bioproducts

Review

Silvia Greses¹  Elia Tomás-Pejó¹  Cristina González-Fernández²  Nuria Otero-Logilde³  María C. Veiga³  Christian Kennes³  David Bolzonella⁴  Volkmar Passoth⁵  Bettina Müller⁵ 

[1] Biotechnological Processes Unit, IMDEA Energy, 28935, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain;Biotechnological Processes Unit, IMDEA Energy, 28935, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain;Department of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology, School of Industrial Engineering, University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain;Institute of Sustainable Processes, Valladolid, Spain;Chemical Engineering Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences and Center for Advanced Scientific Research, Centro de Investigaciones Científicas Avanzadas (CICA), BIOENGIN Group, University of La Coruña, E-15008, La Coruña, Spain;Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy;Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7070, 75007, Uppsala, Sweden;

关键词: Carboxylic acids;    Short-chain fatty acids;    Biosynthesis;    Anaerobic fermentation;    Organic waste streams;    Platform chemicals;    Bioproducts;    Microbial oils;    Polyhydroxyalkanoates;    Microbial electrolytic cells;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13068-023-02349-5

 received in 2022-08-30, accepted in 2023-05-23,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

Carboxylic acids have become interesting platform molecules in the last years due to their versatility to act as carbon sources for different microorganisms or as precursors for the chemical industry. Among carboxylic acids, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) such as acetic, propionic, butyric, valeric, and caproic acids can be biotechnologically produced in an anaerobic fermentation process from lignocellulose or other organic wastes of agricultural, industrial, or municipal origin. The biosynthesis of SCFAs is advantageous compared to chemical synthesis, since the latter relies on fossil-derived raw materials, expensive and toxic catalysts and harsh process conditions. This review article gives an overview on biosynthesis of SCFAs from complex waste products. Different applications of SCFAs are explored and how these acids can be considered as a source of bioproducts, aiming at the development of a circular economy. The use of SCFAs as platform molecules requires adequate concentration and separation processes that are also addressed in this review. Various microorganisms such as bacteria or oleaginous yeasts can efficiently use SCFA mixtures derived from anaerobic fermentation, an attribute that can be exploited in microbial electrolytic cells or to produce biopolymers such as microbial oils or polyhydroxyalkanoates. Promising technologies for the microbial conversion of SCFAs into bioproducts are outlined with recent examples, highlighting SCFAs as interesting platform molecules for the development of future bioeconomy.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023

【 图 表 】

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