Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate) Production in Repeated fed-Batch with Cell Recycle Using a Medium with low Carbon Source Concentration

• Published in: Applied biochemistry and biotechnology Vol. 178; no. 2; pp. 408 - 417
• Main Authors: Ienczak, Jaciane Lutz, Schmidt, Mélodi, Quines, Luci Kelin, Zanfonato, Kellen, da Cruz Pradella, José Geraldo, Schmidell, Willibaldo, de Aragao, Glaucia Maria Falcao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-01-2016; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: 3-hydroxybutyric acid; Biochemistry; Biomass; Biotechnology; Carbon; Carbon - metabolism; Carbon sources; Cellular biology; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Culture Media; Cupriavidus necator; Cupriavidus necator - metabolism; Hydroxybutyrates - metabolism; Kinetics; oxygen; Oxygen uptake; Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate; Polyesters - metabolism; Polymers; Process control; Production costs; Productivity; recycling; wastes; Cross flow filtration; Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate); Cell recycle; Repeated fed-batch; Low carbon source concentration
• ISSN: 0273-2289; 1559-0291
• DOI: 10.1007/s12010-015-1883-9

Among approaches applied to obtain high productivity and low production costs in bioprocesses are high cell density and the use of low cost substrates. Usually low cost substrates, as waste/agroindustrial residues, have low carbon concentration, which leads to a difficulty in operating bioprocesses. Real time control of process for intracellular products is also difficult. The present study proposes a strategy of repeated fed-batch with cell recycle to attain high cell density of Cupriavidus necator and high poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (P(3HB)) productivity, using a substrate with low carbon source concentration (90 g l⁻¹). Also, the use of the oxygen uptake rate data was pointed out as an on line solution for process control, once P(3HB) is an intracellular product. The results showed that total biomass (X), residual biomass (Xr) and P(3HB) values at the end of the culture were 61.6 g l⁻¹, 19.3 g l⁻¹ and 42.4 g l⁻¹ respectively, equivalent to 68.8 % of P(3HB) in the cells, and P(3HB) productivity of 1.0 g l⁻¹ h⁻¹. Therefore, the strategy proposed was efficient to achieve high productivity and high polymer content from a medium with low carbon source concentration.