Use of Lignocellulosic Materials for PHA Production

S. Obruca, P. Benesova, L. Marsalek and I. Marova

Abstract
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are very promising materials that might serve as an environmentally friendly alternative to petrochemical plastics. The main obstacle preventing PHAs from entering the market massively is the final cost of the polymer material, a significant portion of which is attributed to carbon substrate. Hence, the researchers have been intensively seeking cheap substrates for sustainable production of PHAs. Lignocellulose represents a very promising substrate for PHAs production – it is abundant, cheap, and it does not compete with human food chain. On the other hand, utilization of lignocellulose materials as substrates for biotechnological processes represents a challenge due to many factors, such as necessary hydrolysis of the biomass to yield fermentable sugars and presence of numerous antimicrobial agents. Therefore, this work summarizes recent advances in biotechnological conversion of lignocellulose materials into PHAs. The review not only deals with the process of fermentation, but it also considers different approaches of lignocellulose hydrolysis and detoxification.

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Keywords
polyhydroxyalkanoates, lignocellulose, cellulose, hemicellulose, hydrolysis, detoxification