Modelling and Environmental Profile Associated with the Valorization of Wheat Straw as Carbon Source in the Biotechnological Production of Manganese Peroxidase

Sandra González-Rodríguez, Ana Arias, Gumersindo Feijoo and Maria Teresa Moreira
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Sandra González-Rodríguez: Cross-Research in Environmental Technologies (CRETUS), Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Engineering, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15705 A Coruña, Spain
Ana Arias: Cross-Research in Environmental Technologies (CRETUS), Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Engineering, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15705 A Coruña, Spain
Gumersindo Feijoo: Cross-Research in Environmental Technologies (CRETUS), Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Engineering, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15705 A Coruña, Spain
Maria Teresa Moreira: Cross-Research in Environmental Technologies (CRETUS), Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Engineering, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15705 A Coruña, Spain

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 8, 1-16

Abstract: Interest in the development of biorefineries and biotechnological processes based on renewable resources has multiplied in recent years. This driving force is the result of the availability of lignocellulosic biomass and the range of applications that arise from its use and valorization. The approach of second-generation sugars from lignocellulosic biomass opens up the possibility of producing biotechnological products such as enzymes as a feasible alternative in the framework of biorefineries. It is in this context that this manuscript is framed, focusing on the modelling of a large-scale fermentative biotechnological process to produce the enzyme manganese peroxidase (MnP) by the fungus Irpex lacteus using wheat straw as a carbon source. The production scheme is based on the sequence of four stages: pretreatment of wheat straw, seed fermenters, enzyme production and downstream processes. For its environmental assessment, the Life Cycle Assessment methodology, which allows the identification and quantification of environmental impacts associated with the process, was utilized. As the main finding, the stages of the process with the highest environmental burdens are those of pretreatment and fermentation, mainly due to energy requirements. With the aim of proposing improvement scenarios, sensitivity analyses were developed around the identified hotspots. An improvement in the efficiency of steam consumption leads to a reduction of environmental damage of up to 30%.

Keywords: lignocellulosic biorefinery; manganese peroxidase; biotechnological route; life cycle assessment; environmental loads; sensitivity analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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