Economical Di-Rhamnolipids Biosynthesis by Non-Pathogenic Burkholderia thailandensis E264 Using Post-Consumption Food Waste in a Biorefinery Approach

Rajat Kumar, Davidraj Johnravindar, Jonathan W. C. Wong, Raffel Dharma Patria and Guneet Kaur ()
Additional contact information
Rajat Kumar: Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Davidraj Johnravindar: Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Jonathan W. C. Wong: Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Raffel Dharma Patria: Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Guneet Kaur: Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Rhamnolipids (RLs) are one of the most promising eco-friendly green alternatives to commercially viable fossil fuel-based surfactants. However, the current bioprocess practices cannot meet the required affordability, quantity, and biocompatibility within an industrially relevant framework. To circumvent these issues, our study aims to develop a sustainable biorefinery approach using post-consumption food waste as a second-generation feedstock. In-depth substrate screening revealed that food waste hydrolysate (FWH) was rich in readily assimilable carbohydrates, volatile fatty acids, and amino acids. The fermentative valorization of FWH as a sole carbon and energy source with Burkholderis thailandensis E264 in a bioreactor showed active RLs biosynthesis of up to 0.6–0.8 g/L (34–40 mg/g FWH) in a short duration (72 h). In terms of the kinetic parameters, the FWH-RLs outperformed other supplemented pure/waste streams. Interestingly, the recovered RLs had a long chain length, with Rha-Rha-C 12 -C 14 being the predominant isoform and exhibiting a strong emulsification ability (E 24, 54.6%). To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to prove bioreactor-level RLs production and their abundance in food waste. Moreover, the feasibility of this developed process could propel next-generation biosurfactants, lower waste burdens, and increase the industrial applicability of RLs, thereby significantly contributing to the development of a circular bioeconomy.

Keywords: substrate screening; Burkholderia thailandensis; second-generation feedstock; bioreactor; di-rhamnolipids; emulsification (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/1/59/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/1/59/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2022:i:1:p:59-:d:1009675

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().