Microbial Biopolymers: Trends in Synthesis, Modification, and Applications II

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomacromolecules, Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2024 | Viewed by 2178

Special Issue Editor

Department of Biological Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Interests: biocatalysis and enzyme engineering; biofuel; biomaterial; biochemical engineering; antibiotics; metabolic engineering; glycosylation; bioencapsulation; mutagenesis; protein purification; molecular biology
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Following the success of the previous Special Issue of Polymers (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/polymers/special_issues/Microbial_Biopolym), we are delighted to launch a second edition of the Special Issue, now entitled “Microbial Biopolymers: Trends in Synthesis, Modification, and Applications II”.

Microbes can act as a factory for the conversion of a variety of carbon and nitrogen sources into diverse kinds of intracellular and extracellular biopolymers, including polyhydroxyalkanoates, polysaccharides, polyamides, polyphosphates, etc. These biopolymers have a diverse biological role in a microbial system, serving as reserve food material and contributing to pathogenicity, biofilm formation, and protection against adverse environmental conditions. Biopolymers have different chemical and morphological properties that make them suitable for industrial, environmental, and medical applications. Recent advances in molecular biology, transcriptomics and metabolomics techniques have improved tour understanding of the mechanisms and regulations involved in biopolymer synthesis. A microbial system can be easily engineered and cultured under controlled conditions to produce desired polymers. Biopolymers produced by microbial systems are rich in various functional groups, which can be further exploited to modify the polymers for a variety of applications. The production cost of biopolymers is the main challenge for their applicability at a commercial scale. Researchers are working on the utilization of diverse kinds of organic wastes, such as lignocellulosic waste, municipal waste, whey, paper and pulp industry waste, etc. as feedstock for microbial fermentation. Biopolymer production using microbial systems is a clean and green approach and has recently become a hot topic around the globe. It is considered as a possible method to deal with plastic-based waste and has tremendous applications in the biotechnology sector. Keeping in mind the recent advances in microbial biopolymer production technologies, modification, and applications, this Special Issue will include a series of review and research articles that cover, but are not limited to, the following topics:

  • Strategy for the selection of novel biopolymer producers and improvement of existing microbes using a genetic engineering approach.
  • Recent technological advancements in improved biopolymer production using pure cultures or mixed cultures.
  • Utilization of cheap and unconventional feedstocks for biopolymer production.
  • Reactor design and improvements of the upstream and downstream process.
  • Modification and fabrication of biopolymers for diverse applications.
  • Applications of biopolymers in health, food, environment, and other areas.
  • Biodegradation of polymers.
  • Techno-economic analysis of biopolymer production.

Dr. Shashi Kant Bhatia
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. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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

  • biopolymer
  • polyhydroxyalkanoates
  • exopolysaccharides
  • polyamides
  • biodegradation
  • techno-economic analysis

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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23 pages, 4307 KiB  
Article
Biodegradation of Choline NTF2 by Pantoea agglomerans in Different Osmolarity. Characterization and Environmental Implications of the Produced Exopolysaccharide
by Abrusci Concepción, Amils Ricardo and Sánchez-León Enrique
Polymers 2023, 15(19), 3974; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15193974 - 03 Oct 2023
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Abstract
A specific microorganism, Pantoea agglomerans uam8, was isolated from the ionic liquid (IL) Choline NTF2 and identified by molecular biology. A biodegradation study was performed at osmolarity conditions (0.2, 0.6, 1.0 M). These had an important influence on the growth of the [...] Read more.
A specific microorganism, Pantoea agglomerans uam8, was isolated from the ionic liquid (IL) Choline NTF2 and identified by molecular biology. A biodegradation study was performed at osmolarity conditions (0.2, 0.6, 1.0 M). These had an important influence on the growth of the strain, exopolysaccharide (EPS) production, and biodegradation (1303 mg/L max production and 80% biodegradation at 0.6 M). These conditions also had an important influence on the morphology of the strain and its EPSs, but not in the chemical composition. The EPS (glucose, mannose and galactose (6:0.5:2)) produced at 0.6 M was further characterized using different techniques. The obtained EPSs presented important differences in the behavior of the emulsifying activity for vegetable oils (olive (86%), sunflower (56%) and coconut (90%)) and hydrocarbons (diesel (62%), hexane (60%)), and were compared with commercial emulsifiers. The EPS produced at 0.6 M had the highest emulsifying activity overall. This EPS did not show cytotoxicity against the tested cell line (<20%) and presented great advantages as an antioxidant (1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl radical (DPPH) (85%), hydroxyl radical (OH) (99%), superoxide anion (O2) (94%), chelator (54%), and antimicrobial product (15 mm). The osmolarity conditions directly affected the capacity of the strain to biodegrade IL and the subsequently produced EPS. Furthermore, the EPS produced at 0.6 M has potential for environmental applications, such as the removal of hazardous materials by emulsification, whilst resulting in positive health effects such as antioxidant activity and non-toxicity. Full article
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Review

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15 pages, 667 KiB  
Review
Manipulating Microbial Cell Morphology for the Sustainable Production of Biopolymers
by Vipin C. Kalia, Sanjay K. S. Patel, Kugalur K. Karthikeyan, Marimuthu Jeya, In-Won Kim and Jung-Kul Lee
Polymers 2024, 16(3), 410; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16030410 - 01 Feb 2024
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Abstract
The total rate of plastic production is anticipated to surpass 1.1 billion tons per year by 2050. Plastic waste is non-biodegradable and accumulates in natural ecosystems. In 2020, the total amount of plastic waste was estimated to be 367 million metric tons, leading [...] Read more.
The total rate of plastic production is anticipated to surpass 1.1 billion tons per year by 2050. Plastic waste is non-biodegradable and accumulates in natural ecosystems. In 2020, the total amount of plastic waste was estimated to be 367 million metric tons, leading to unmanageable waste disposal and environmental pollution issues. Plastics are produced from petroleum and natural gases. Given the limited fossil fuel reserves and the need to circumvent pollution problems, the focus has shifted to biodegradable biopolymers, such as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), polylactic acid, and polycaprolactone. PHAs are gaining importance because diverse bacteria can produce them as intracellular inclusion bodies using biowastes as feed. A critical component in PHA production is the downstream processing procedures of recovery and purification. In this review, different bioengineering approaches targeted at modifying the cell morphology and synchronizing cell lysis with the biosynthetic cycle are presented for product separation and extraction. Complementing genetic engineering strategies with conventional downstream processes, these approaches are expected to produce PHA sustainably. Full article
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