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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recent concerns about climate change and the depletion of fossil fuels have shifted research paradigms toward biorefineries as well as accelerating the utilization of renewable feedstock (e.g., CO2, industrial waste, and biomass) for producing useful fuels and chemicals. Accordingly, the aim of this Special Issue is to cope with the recent advances in biocatalysis and bioconversion, utilizing sustainable feedstocks for producing value-added fuels, chemicals, biomaterials, and pharmaceuticals. Reviews and original research papers on the development of new strategies to improve the catalytic efficiency of enzymes, bioconversion capability of microbial fermentation and their applications in the production of various bioproducts and chemicals are welcome.

Dr. Kyoungseon Min
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

bioconversion
biocatalysis
microbial fermentation
metabolic engineering
renewable feedstock

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review

8 pages, 1378 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Volatile Fatty Acids from Lipid-Extracted Yeast Provide Additional Feedstock for Microbial Lipid Production

by Gwon Woo Park, Seongsoo Son, Myounghoon Moon, Subin Sin, Kyoungseon Min, Jin-Suk Lee and Ho Nam Chang

Catalysts 2021, 11(8), 1009; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal11081009 - 21 Aug 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1891

Abstract

Microbial lipid production from oleaginous yeasts is a promising process for the sustainable development of the microbial biodiesel industry. However, the feedstock cost poses an economic problem for the production of microbial biodiesel. After lipid extraction, yeast biomass can be used as an organic source for microbial biodiesel production. In this study, volatile fatty acids (VFAs), produced via anaerobic digestion of a lipid-extracted yeast (LEY) residue, were utilized as a carbon source for the yeast Cryptococcus curvatus. The response surface methodology was used to determine the initial pH and inoculum volume for the optimal VFA production. The experimental result for VFA concentration was 4.51 g/L at an initial pH of 9 and an inoculation 25%. The optimization results from the response surface methodology showed that the maximal VFA concentration was 4.58 g/L at an initial pH of 8.40 and an inoculation of 39.49%. This study indicates that VFAs from LEY can be used as a carbon source for microbial biodiesel production, with the potential to significantly reduce feedstock costs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biocatalysis and Bioconversion Utilizing Sustainable Feedstock)

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Review

Jump to: Research

26 pages, 645 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperEditor’s ChoiceReview

Cutaneotrichosporon oleaginosus: A Versatile Whole-Cell Biocatalyst for the Production of Single-Cell Oil from Agro-Industrial Wastes

by Nicola Di Fidio, Filippo Minonne, Claudia Antonetti and Anna Maria Raspolli Galletti

Catalysts 2021, 11(11), 1291; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal11111291 - 27 Oct 2021

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4928

Abstract

Cutaneotrichosporon oleaginosus is an oleaginous yeast with several favourable qualities: It is fast growing, accumulates high amounts of lipids and has a very broad substrate spectrum. Its resistance to hydrolysis by-products makes it a promising biocatalyst for custom tailored microbial oils. C. oleaginosus can accumulate up to 60 wt.% of its biomass as lipids. This species is able to grow by using several compounds as a substrate, such as acetic acid, biodiesel-derived glycerol, N-acetylglucosamine, lignocellulosic hydrolysates, wastepaper and other agro-industrial wastes. This review is focused on state-of-the-art innovative and sustainable biorefinery schemes involving this promising yeast and second- and third-generation biomasses. Moreover, this review offers a comprehensive and updated summary of process strategies, biomass pretreatments and fermentation conditions for enhancing lipid production by C. oleaginosus as a whole-cell biocatalyst. Finally, an overview of the main industrial applications of single-cell oil is reported together with future perspectives. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biocatalysis and Bioconversion Utilizing Sustainable Feedstock)

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