Optimization of bacterial nanocellulose fermentation using recycled paper sludge and development of novel composites

• Published in: Applied microbiology and biotechnology Vol. 103; no. 21-22; pp. 9143 - 9154
• Main Authors: Soares da Silva, F. A. G., Fernandes, Marta, Souto, António Pedro, Ferreira, Eugénio C., Dourado, Fernando, Gama, F. M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Nature 01-11-2019; Springer Berlin Heidelberg; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Acids; Analysis; Bacterial nanocellulose; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biopolymers; Biotechnology; Carbon; Carbon sources; Cell culture; Cellobiose; Cellulose; Cellulose - metabolism; Composite materials; Composites; Environmental Biotechnology; Ethanol; Exhaustion; Fermentation; Gluconacetobacter xylinus - metabolism; Glucose; Identification and classification; Industrial wastes; Life Sciences; Methods; Microbial Genetics and Genomics; Microbiology; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Nanocomposites; Oils & fats; Optimization; Peptones; Polydimethylsiloxane; Polyethylene glycol; Polymers; Pulp & paper industry; Recycled materials; Response surface methodology; Science & Technology; Sewage - microbiology; Sludge; Soybean; Soybean oil; Soybeans; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; Syrup; Syrups; Textiles; Vegetable oils; Water Purification - methods; Xylose; Yeast; Yeasts; Portugal; Bacterial nanocellulose; Composites; Soybean; Sludge; Polymers
• ISSN: 0175-7598; 1432-0614
• DOI: 10.1007/s00253-019-10124-6

In this work, recycled paper sludge (RPS), composed of non-recyclable fibres, was used as a carbon source for bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) production. The biomass was enzymatically hydrolysed with Cellic CTec 2 to produce a sugar syrup with 45.40 g/L glucose, 1.69 g/L cellobiose and 2.89 g/L xylose. This hydrolysate was used for the optimization of BNC fermentation by static culture, using Komagataeibacter xylinus ATCC 700178, through response surface methodology (RSM). After analysis and validation of the model, a maximum BNC yield (5.69 g/L, dry basis) was obtained using 1.50% m/v RPS hydrolysate, 1.0% v/v ethanol and 1.45% m/v yeast extract/peptone (YE/P). Further, the BNC obtained was used to produce composites. A mixture of an amino-PolyDiMethylSiloxane-based softener, polyethyleneglycol (PEG) 400 and acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (AESO), was incorporated into the BNC membranes through an exhaustion process. The results show that BNC composites with distinct performances can be easily designed by simply varying the polymers percentage contents. This strategy represents a simple approach towards the production of BNC and BNC-based composites.
This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2019, UID/CTM/00264/2019; the project SkinShip - BDispositivo de microfluídica inovador baseado em celulose capaz de suportar a modelação 3D de pele^, with reference PTDC/BBB-BIO/1889/2014 (funded by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) through the Competitiveness and Internationalization Operational Program - COMPETE 2020, the Lisbon Regional Operational Program and by National Funds through the FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology under the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016595); and Multibiorefinery PAC (SAICTPAC/0040/2015) and BUILD – Bacterial cellulose Leather (NORTE-01-0247-FEDER-003435) and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 - Programa Operacional Regional do Norte.