Development of biodegradable plastic (P3HB) to replace petroleum plastic using waste from the brewing industry and the vegetable oil industry

• Grant number: 22/12819-3
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Start date: June 01, 2023
• End date: February 29, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering - Chemical Process Industries
• Principal Investigator: Carlos Eduardo Nascimento Sassano
• Grantee: Carlos Eduardo Nascimento Sassano
• Company: Bioreset Biotecnologia Ltda
• CNAE: Fabricação de produtos químicos orgânicos não especificados anteriormente ; Fabricação de resinas termoplásticas ; Pesquisa e desenvolvimento experimental em ciências físicas e naturais
• Associated scholarship(s): 23/09521-5 - Development of biodegradable plastic (P3HB) to replace petroleum plastic using waste from the brewing industry and vegetable oil industry, BP.TT; 23/07743-0 - Physicochemical monitoring of the production and quantification of P3HB (poly-3 hydroxybutyrate), BP.TT; 23/07773-7 - Monitoring of P3HB production through microbiological analysis, BP.TT; 23/08036-6 - Physical Chemical Techniques used in the production of biodegradable polymer from waste, BP.TT; 23/07470-4 - Development of biodegradable plastic (P3HB) to replace petroleum plastic using waste from the brewing industry and the vegetable oil industry, BP.PIPE

Abstract

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are biodegradable biopolymers produced biotechnologically from renewable raw materials with processing properties similar to conventional petroleum polymers. One of the main bottlenecks for its commercialization is its production cost, which is closely related to the cost of the raw materials used in its elaboration (sucrose from sugarcane, corn glucose and vegetable oil) and also the fact that these raw materials are used in food. , generating a great ethical debate about the feasibility of diverting these inputs for the production of PHAs. However, one of the main bottlenecks for the commercialization of this product is its high production cost, closely related to the cost of raw materials currently used, namely, cane sugar, corn, beet and vegetable oil from oilseeds sold at around US$ 500 to US$1500/ton. On the other hand, our country produces around 3,000,000 t/year of waste from used cooking oil (RO) and waste from the brewing industry (RIC), which are potential candidates for raw materials for the production of PHAs via biotechnology. Our country produces about 3,000,000 t/year of waste cooking oil (RO) and waste from the brewing industry (RIC), potential candidates for raw materials for the production of PHAs through biotechnology. Thus, the objective of the present project is the development of a biotechnological route to obtain P3HB from OR and RIC in order to minimize its production cost. In this project, the ability to metabolize residues by Cupriavidus necator to produce P3HB will be evaluated after conditioning the residues and optimizing the composition of the culture medium in terms of RIC and OR using Experiment Design (DoE). The objective is to maximize the production of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate in shake flasks with the Cupriavidus necator DSM 545 strain, using OR and RIC residues as carbon and nitrogen sources. The P3HB production process will aim at maximizing the specific cell growth rate, P3HB productivity, P3HB content and substrate conversion factor into P3HB and the purity of the product obtained. (AU)