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Bioengineering
Special Issues
Biotechnology Advances to Address Plastic Pollution
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Biotechnology Advances to Address Plastic Pollution

A special issue of Bioengineering (ISSN 2306-5354). This special issue belongs to the section "Biochemical Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 20838

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Eva Garcia Ruiz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biocatalysis, Institute of Catalysis and Petrochemistry, Spanish National Research Council (ICP-CSIC), 28049 Madrid, Spain
Interests: synthetic biology; directed evolution; metabolic engineering; sustainable green processes; yeast
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the last century, plastics have become an essential commodity in our daily lives, offering solutions to the needs and challenges of humankind. Millions of tons of these plastics are produced and disposed of every year; most of them are derived from fossil hydrocarbons, and hardly any of them are biodegradable. As a result, the large fraction of plastic waste disposed of in landfills and the natural environment is released into the ecosystem, posing a threat to global ecology.

This Special Issue focuses on sustainable biotechnologies that promote a circular economy model for plastics, capitalizing enzymes and microorganisms. We invite authors to submit original research papers and comprehensive reviews covering all aspects of this topic, including, but not limited to, the biosynthesis and biodegradation of plastics and/or biovalorization of plastic waste.

Kind regards,

Dr. Eva Garcia Ruiz
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Bioengineering is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • plastic pollution
  • biosynthesis of plastics
  • biodegradation of plastics
  • plastic waste biovalorization
  • enzyme engineering
  • metabolic engineering
  • synthetic biology
  • green/sustainable processes
  • circular economy

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 6683 KiB  
Article
Two-Step Chemo-Microbial Degradation of Post-Consumer Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Plastic Enabled by a Biomass-Waste Catalyst
by Deepika Shingwekar, Helen Laster, Hannah Kemp and Jay L. Mellies
Bioengineering 2023, 10(11), 1253; https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering10111253 - 26 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1549
Abstract
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) pollution has significant environmental consequences; thus, new degradation methods must be explored to mitigate this problem. We previously demonstrated that a consortium of three Pseudomonas and two Bacillus species can synergistically degrade PET in culture. The consortium more readily consumes [...] Read more.
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) pollution has significant environmental consequences; thus, new degradation methods must be explored to mitigate this problem. We previously demonstrated that a consortium of three Pseudomonas and two Bacillus species can synergistically degrade PET in culture. The consortium more readily consumes bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET), a byproduct created in PET depolymerization, compared to PET, and can fully convert BHET into metabolically usable monomers, namely terephthalic acid (TPA) and ethylene glycol (EG). Because of its crystalline structure, the main limitation of the biodegradation of post-consumer PET is the initial transesterification from PET to BHET, depicting the need for a transesterification step in the degradation process. Additionally, there have been numerous studies done on the depolymerization reaction of PET to BHET, yet few have tested the biocompatibility of this product with a bacterial consortium. In this work, a two-step process is implemented for sustainable PET biodegradation, where PET is first depolymerized to form BHET using an orange peel ash (OPA)-catalyzed glycolysis reaction, followed by the complete degradation of the BHET glycolysis product by the bacterial consortium. Results show that OPA-catalyzed glycolysis reactions can fully depolymerize PET, with an average BHET yield of 92% (w/w), and that the reaction product is biocompatible with the bacterial consortium. After inoculation with the consortium, 19% degradation of the glycolysis product was observed in 2 weeks, for a total degradation percentage of 17% when taking both steps into account. Furthermore, the 10-week total BHET degradation rate was 35%, demonstrating that the glycolysis products are biocompatible with the consortium for longer periods of time, for a total two-step degradation rate of 33% over 10 weeks. While we predict that complete degradation is achievable using this method, further experimentation with the consortium can allow for a circular recycling process, where TPA can be recovered from culture media and reused to create new materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotechnology Advances to Address Plastic Pollution)
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16 pages, 2769 KiB  
Article
Process Development of Polyhydroxyalkanoates Production by Halophiles Valorising Food Waste
by Ke Wang, Chang Chen and Ruihong Zhang
Bioengineering 2022, 9(11), 630; https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering9110630 - 01 Nov 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1768
Abstract
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) is an emerging biodegradable plastic family that can replace a broad spectrum of conventional thermoplastics and is promising in the sustainable process development and valorization of organic waste. This study established a novel production system of PHA from food waste through [...] Read more.
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) is an emerging biodegradable plastic family that can replace a broad spectrum of conventional thermoplastics and is promising in the sustainable process development and valorization of organic waste. This study established a novel production system of PHA from food waste through halophilic microbial fermentation with spent medium recycling. The essential processing parameters for batch cultivation of Haloferax mediterranei were optimized for food waste substrate (a 40 g/L loading and 2.5 vvm of aeration), which achieved a yield of 0.3 g PHA/g COD consumed. A batch bioreactor system was developed, which produced 7.0 ± 0.7 g/L cell dry mass and 4.5 ± 0.2 g/L PHA with a 20% dissolved oxygen (DO) level. A DO above 50% saturation resulted in faster cell growth and similar cell mass production but 25% less PHA production. The spent saline medium, treated with H2O2 and rotary evaporation, was successfully reused for four consecutive batches and provided consistent PHA concentrations and product qualities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotechnology Advances to Address Plastic Pollution)
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15 pages, 3689 KiB  
Article
A Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB)-Biochar Reactor for the Adsorption and Biodegradation of Trichloroethylene: Design and Startup Phase
by Marta M. Rossi, Sara Alfano, Neda Amanat, Fabiano Andreini, Laura Lorini, Andrea Martinelli and Marco Petrangeli Papini
Bioengineering 2022, 9(5), 192; https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering9050192 - 28 Apr 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2625
Abstract
In this work, polyhydroxy butyrate (PHB) and biochar from pine wood (PWB) are used in a mini-pilot scale biological reactor (11.3 L of geometric volume) for trichloroethylene (TCE) removal (80 mgTCE/day and 6 L/day of flow rate). The PHB-biochar reactor was realized with [...] Read more.
In this work, polyhydroxy butyrate (PHB) and biochar from pine wood (PWB) are used in a mini-pilot scale biological reactor (11.3 L of geometric volume) for trichloroethylene (TCE) removal (80 mgTCE/day and 6 L/day of flow rate). The PHB-biochar reactor was realized with two sequential reactive areas to simulate a multi-reactive permeable barrier. The PHB acts as an electron donor source in the first “fermentative” area. First, the thermogravimetric (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses were performed. The PHB-powder and pellets have different purity (96% and 93% w/w) and thermal properties. These characteristics may affect the biodegradability of the biopolymer. In the second reactive zone, the PWB works as a Dehalococcoides support and adsorption material since its affinity for chlorinated compounds and the positive effect of the “coupled adsorption and biodegradation” process has been already verified. A specific dechlorinating enriched culture has been inoculated in the PWB zone to realize a coupled adsorption and biodegradation process. Organic acids were revealed since the beginning of the test, and during the monitoring period the reductive dichlorination anaerobic pathway was observed in the first zone; no chlorinated compounds were detected in the effluent thanks to the PWB adsorption capacity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotechnology Advances to Address Plastic Pollution)
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Review

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27 pages, 7642 KiB  
Review
Recent Advances in Biological Recycling of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Plastic Wastes
by Ya-Hue Valerie Soong, Margaret J. Sobkowicz and Dongming Xie
Bioengineering 2022, 9(3), 98; https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering9030098 - 27 Feb 2022
Cited by 53 | Viewed by 13909
Abstract
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the most commonly used polyester plastics worldwide but is extremely difficult to be hydrolyzed in a natural environment. PET plastic is an inexpensive, lightweight, and durable material, which can readily be molded into an assortment of products [...] Read more.
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the most commonly used polyester plastics worldwide but is extremely difficult to be hydrolyzed in a natural environment. PET plastic is an inexpensive, lightweight, and durable material, which can readily be molded into an assortment of products that are used in a broad range of applications. Most PET is used for single-use packaging materials, such as disposable consumer items and packaging. Although PET plastics are a valuable resource in many aspects, the proliferation of plastic products in the last several decades have resulted in a negative environmental footprint. The long-term risk of released PET waste in the environment poses a serious threat to ecosystems, food safety, and even human health in modern society. Recycling is one of the most important actions currently available to reduce these impacts. Current clean-up strategies have attempted to alleviate the adverse impacts of PET pollution but are unable to compete with the increasing quantities of PET waste exposed to the environment. In this review paper, current PET recycling methods to improve life cycle and waste management are discussed, which can be further implemented to reduce plastics pollution and its impacts on health and environment. Compared with conventional mechanical and chemical recycling processes, the biotechnological recycling of PET involves enzymatic degradation of the waste PET and the followed bioconversion of degraded PET monomers into value-added chemicals. This approach creates a circular PET economy by recycling waste PET or upcycling it into more valuable products with minimal environmental footprint. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotechnology Advances to Address Plastic Pollution)
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