Towards high-performance polyesters from carbon dioxide: novel polyhydroxyarylates from engineered Cupriavidus necator
Year: 2023
Type: preprint
Abstract: Synthetic materials are integral components of consumable and durable goods and are indispensable in the modern world. Polyesters are the most versatile bulk- and specialty-polymers but their production is not sustainable and their fate at end-of-life is of great concern. Bioplastics are highly regarded alternatives but often fall behind conventional synthetic plastics due to shortcomings in material properties and commercial competitiveness. This has limited the success of sustainable replacements at global market scale. Enabling production of bioplastics with superior properties from waste-derived feedstocks could change that. To this end, we created a synthetic entry into the metabolic pathway of bio-polyester synthesis of Cupriavidus necator H16 by means of heterologous hydroxyacyl-CoA transferase and mutant PHA synthase. The resulting microbial cell factories produced a range of aliphatic and aromatic bio-polyesters and enabled co-polymerization of a range of hydroxy carboxylates, including a hydroxyphenylic and a hydroxyfuranoic acid, for the first time incorporating aromatic rings in the backbone of biological polyesters. These diverse polymers were then characterized in terms of their physical properties. The resulting polymers were structurally analogous to synthetic polyesters like PET, PEF and other polyarylates. In a further advance, the transgenic strain was cultivated in a bio-electrochemical system under autotrophic conditions, enabling synthesis of aromatic bio-polyesters from in-situ generated O2, while assimilating CO2. Follow-up elementary flux-mode analysis established the feasibility of de-novo production of twenty different polyesters from five different carbon- and energy-sources. This comprehensive study opens the door to sustainable bio-production of various high-performance thermoplastics and thermosets.
Source: Research Square
Language: English
Subfield: Biomaterials
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: NNCI: nano@stanford, WE PROPOSE THE CENTER FOR THE UTILIZATION OF BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERING IN SPACE (CUBES) TO SUPPORT BIOMANUFACTURING FOR DEEP SPACE EXPLORATION THAT REALIZES THE INHERENT MASS POWER AND VOLUME ADVANTAGES OF SPACE BIOTECHNOLOGY OVER TRADITIONAL ABIOTIC APPROACHES. CUBES WILL ADVANCE THE PRACTICALITY OF AN INTEGRATED MULTI-FUNCTION MULTI-ORGANISM BIOMANUFACTURING SYSTEM ON A MARS MISSION. HIGHLY MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH WILL CULMINATE IN A CONTINUOUS BIOMANUFACTURING DEMONSTRATION OF FUEL MATERIALS PHARMACEUTICALS AND FOOD. OUR TEAM CAN EXECUTE THIS VISION BECAUSE OF OUR DEEP EXPERIENCE IN HYBRID BIOINORGANICS FOR LIGHT-DRIVEN CARBON AND NITROGEN FIXATION ENZYMOLOGY POLYMER CHEMISTRY SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY EXTREMOPHILE ENGINEERING ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING AEROSPACE ENGINEERING PLANT/MICROBIOME FOOD AND CHEMICAL MANUFACTURE AND SPACE CROP PHYSIOLOGY. CUBES ENDEAVORS WILL INCLUDE (1) MEDIA GENERATION: ARTIFICIAL PHOTOSYNTHESIS THAT TURNS CARBON DIOXIDE INTO METHANE AND ACETATE; NITROGENASE-CATALYZED CONVERSION OF NITROGEN INTO AMMONIA AND CARBON DIOXIDE TO OTHER C1 COMPOUNDS; AMMONIA NITRIFICATION; REGOLITH DETOXIFICATION AND ENRICHMENT; RECYCLING MISSION MATERIALS; (2) FUEL PRODUCTION: THE AFOREMENTIONED METHANE; C2/C3 ALKANES; NITROUS OXIDE FROM NITRITE AND ACETATE; DIESELLIKE FUELS FROM RECYCLED INEDIBLE PLANT MASS; HYDRAZINE VIA ANAMMOX BACTERIA FROM AMMONIA; (3) BIOPOLYMER PRODUCTION USE AND RECYCLING: GENERATION FROM METHANE AND C1 SUBSTRATES; ADDITIVES PRODUCTION; TESTING IN ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING DEVICES; CHEMICAL/ BIOLOGICAL RECYCLING; (4) PROCESS ENGINEERING: OPTIMIZATION OF PLATFORM ORGANISMS FOR MAXIMAL YIELD AND TOLERANCE INCLUDING MESOPHILIC AND EXTREMOPHILE BIOPROCESSING IN NOVEL BIOREACTORS; PLATFORM CHEMICALS FOR DOWNSTREAM BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES; (5) PHARMACEUTICAL SYNTHESIS BY MICROBES AND PLANTS FOR ANALGESICS BONE REGENERATION AND ANTICANCER; (6) INCREASED FOOD PRODUCTION BY MICROBES AND PLANTS THROUGH SELECTION PLANT/MICROBE SYNERGIES IN RESTRICTED ROOT-ZONE VOLUMES GENETIC ENGINEERING PLANT-MICROBIOME ENHANCEMENT AND INNOVATIVE LIGHT DELIVERY SYSTEMS FOR PHOTOSYNTHESIS IN EFFICIENT SPACE-READY PLANT GROWTH CHAMBERS; (7) PLANT SYSTEM WASTE RECYCLING AND PLANT CELL WALL DECONSTRUCTION; AND (8) DEMONSTRATION SYSTEM INTEGRATION TESTING SEEDING AND INCORPORATION OF AUTONOMY. OUR INNOVATIONS INCLUDE: NOVEL ARTIFICIAL PHOTOSYNTHETIC SUBSTRATES COUPLED TO MICROBES AND ENZYMES TO EFFECTIVELY HARVEST LIGHT AND SPLIT WATER TO FIX BOTH CARBON DIOXIDE AND NITROGEN INTO CRITICAL FEEDSTOCKS FOR MICROBIAL AND PLANT BIOMANUFACTURING; THE DESIGN OF EFFECTIVE MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES AND BIOPROCESSING TECHNIQUES FOR A RANGE OF MICROBIALLY-PRODUCED PLASTICS WITH TUNABLE PROCESSING AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES DERIVABLE FROM AVAILABLE FEEDSTOCKS AND RECYCLING MATERIALS; THE LEVERAGING OF A UNIQUE REPRODUCIBLE MARS ENVIRONMENT-SIMULATION CHAMBER TO EXPLORE THE BOUNDS OF OPERATION OF MESOPHILIC AND EXTREMOPHILIC MICROBES TO REDUCE COST FOR CONDITIONING IN MARS ENVIRONMENTS; CHARACTERIZING ENGINEERING AND OPTIMIZING DIVERSE NON-MODEL MICROBES THAT WILL SUPPORT BENEFICIAL PLANT PHENOTYPES; CUTTING-EDGE TECHNIQUES IN USING PLANTS AND INEDIBLE PLANT BIOMASS TO QUICKLY AND EFFICIENTLY PRODUCE IMPORTANT CLASSES OF HUMAN DRUGS THAT REQUIRE CHEMISTRIES UNAVAILABLE IN MICROBIAL CELLS; OPTIMIZED PLANTS AND PLANT GROWTH CHAMBERS THAT ADDRESS THE AVAILABILITY OF LIGHT STRESSORS AND ENERGY LIKELY TO BE ENCOUNTERED IN A DEEP SPACE CULTIVATION ENVIRONMENT; AND NOVEL COMPUTATION SYSTEMS TO CAPTURE MODEL ANALYZE TEST AND DISSEMINATE BIOLOGICAL DATA ACROSS CUBES INTEGRATED PROCESSES AND SUBSYSTEM MODULES. CUBES' INDIVIDUAL APPROACHES TO MEDIA PRODUCTION MISSION PRODUCT MANUFACTURE AND FOOD AND PHARMACEUTICAL SYNTHESIS AMPLIFIED BY A FOCUS ON INTEGRATION AND OPTIMIZATION WILL LEAD TO A STRONG DATA-DRIVEN TECHNOLOGICALLY-BACKED PLATFORM FOR SPACE BIOMANUFACTURING., G4089419421, G8065195062
OpenAlex ID: W4367059908