Two-step biocatalytic conversion of post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate into value-added products facilitated by genetic and bioprocess engineering

Gina Welsing; Birger Wolter; Greta E K Kleinert; Frederike Göttsch; Werner Besenmatter; Rui Xue; Alessandra Mauri; Dominik Steffens; Sebastian Köbbing; Weiliang Dong; Min Jiang; Uwe T Bornscheuer; Ren Wei; Till Tiso; Lars M Blank

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2024.131837

Two-step biocatalytic conversion of post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate into value-added products facilitated by genetic and bioprocess engineering

Bioresour Technol. 2025 Feb:417:131837. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2024.131837. Epub 2024 Nov 16.

Authors

Gina Welsing¹, Birger Wolter², Greta E K Kleinert³, Frederike Göttsch⁴, Werner Besenmatter⁵, Rui Xue⁶, Alessandra Mauri⁷, Dominik Steffens⁸, Sebastian Köbbing⁹, Weiliang Dong¹⁰, Min Jiang¹¹, Uwe T Bornscheuer¹², Ren Wei¹³, Till Tiso¹⁴, Lars M Blank¹⁵

Affiliations

¹ RWTH Aachen University, Institute of Applied Microbiology (iAMB), Worringer Weg 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany. Electronic address: [email protected].
² RWTH Aachen University, Institute of Applied Microbiology (iAMB), Worringer Weg 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany. Electronic address: [email protected].
³ RWTH Aachen University, Institute of Applied Microbiology (iAMB), Worringer Weg 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁴ University of Greifswald, Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Biotechnology & Enzyme Catalysis, Felix-Hausdorff-Str. 4, 17487 Greifswald, Germany. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁵ AB Enzymes GmbH, Feldbergstrasse 78, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁶ Key Laboratory for Waste Plastics Biocatalytic Degradation and Recycling, 30 South Puzhu Road, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211800, PR China. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁷ RWTH Aachen University, Institute of Applied Microbiology (iAMB), Worringer Weg 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁸ RWTH Aachen University, Institute of Applied Microbiology (iAMB), Worringer Weg 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁹ RWTH Aachen University, Institute of Applied Microbiology (iAMB), Worringer Weg 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany. Electronic address: [email protected].
¹⁰ Key Laboratory for Waste Plastics Biocatalytic Degradation and Recycling, 30 South Puzhu Road, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211800, PR China. Electronic address: [email protected].
¹¹ Key Laboratory for Waste Plastics Biocatalytic Degradation and Recycling, 30 South Puzhu Road, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211800, PR China. Electronic address: [email protected].
¹² University of Greifswald, Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Biotechnology & Enzyme Catalysis, Felix-Hausdorff-Str. 4, 17487 Greifswald, Germany. Electronic address: [email protected].
¹³ University of Greifswald, Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Biotechnology & Enzyme Catalysis, Felix-Hausdorff-Str. 4, 17487 Greifswald, Germany. Electronic address: [email protected].
¹⁴ RWTH Aachen University, Institute of Applied Microbiology (iAMB), Worringer Weg 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany. Electronic address: [email protected].
¹⁵ RWTH Aachen University, Institute of Applied Microbiology (iAMB), Worringer Weg 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 39557102
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2024.131837

Abstract

Solving the plastic crisis requires high recycling quotas and technologies that allow open loop recycling. Here a biological plastic valorization approach consisting of tandem enzymatic hydrolysis and monomer conversion of post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate into value-added products is presented. Hydrolysates obtained from enzymatic degradation of pre-treated post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate bottles in a stirred-tank reactor served as the carbon source for a batch fermentation with an engineered Pseudomonas putida strain to produce 90mg/L of the biopolymer cyanophycin. Through fed-batch operation, the fermentation could be intensified to 1.4 g/L cyanophycin. Additionally, the upcycling of polyethylene terephthalate monomers to the biosurfactants (hydroxyalkanoyloxy)alkanoates and rhamnolipids is presented. These biodegradable products hold significant potential for applications in areas such as detergents, building blocks for novel polymers, and tissue engineering. In summary, the presented bio-valorization process underscores that addressing challenges like the plastic crisis requires an interdisciplinary approach.

Keywords: Cyanophycin; Enzymatic PET hydrolysis; PES-H1; Pseudomonasputida; Upcycling.

MeSH terms

Biocatalysis*
Bioreactors
Fermentation
Genetic Engineering
Glycolipids / metabolism
Hydrolysis
Polyethylene Terephthalates* / chemistry
Pseudomonas putida* / metabolism
Surface-Active Agents / chemistry

Substances

Polyethylene Terephthalates
Surface-Active Agents
rhamnolipid
Glycolipids