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METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION OF POLYHYDROXYALKANOATES USING PHOTOTROPHIC MIXED CULTURES AND CO2 AS CARBON SOURCE
EP24171413
Methods for production of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) are disclosed. The present disclosure is directed to a method for production of PHA, the method comprising: adding to a microbial culture comprising at least one phototrophic microorganism, a feedstock comprising at least one inorganic carbon compound and at least one electron donor, wherein the adding is performed continuously or discontinuously, under non-sterile anaerobic conditions and in the presence of infra-red radiation.
Environmentally friendly process: The PMC converts inorganic carbon to PHA, biopolymers with characteristics similar to conventional plastics. Conventional plastic replacement with PHA has a strong positive impact on the environment, due to their biodegradable nature. Inorganic carbon capture, in the form of CO2, is also important to establish a system capable of performing CO2 mitigation. Economic: Operation costs for PHA production can be highly reduced by eliminating the need for aeration (current technologies require significant amounts of energy for aeration-40-50% of the running costs). Moreover, solar light can be used during the daytime (coupled with a Visible light filter), decreasing the need for artificial illumination in the bioreactor. No need of priced organic carbon feed streams. Utilization of free or even negative priced CO2 containing streams. Can be used for production of chemical compounds, production of polymers for packaging, carbon capture storage & usage applications. Sustainability: Different streams containing industrial residues/by-products can be fed to the system, resulting in the valorization of said streams. Innovation: A process in which inorganic carbon can be used as the sole carbon source for the growth of a mixed culture of phototrophic organisms operated in an illuminated reactor, with no aeration, and in non-sterile conditions, and production of PHA.